There are some rough misconceptions and implications when you’re a wedding planner.  First of all, you have to be everything to everyone:  the negotiator, the designer, the planner, the coordinator, the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker.  On top of that you have your own marketing, PR, networking, blogging and more.  WHERE do you find the time?  If you work at home, it is far too easy to let the lines blur.  If you champion other causes or jobs during the day, you have to be extra delicate with managing your time.

• Get RingCentral—RingCentral allows you to have a professional local or 800 number that will ring  to any number(s) you choose.  It has the option for you to set your office hours and stick to them.  if your hours are set from 9AM to 6PM, your phone will only ring during those hours.  After those hours, callers will be directed to your voicemail, where they can hear an afterhours greeting.  This is a wonderful option for you to keep your personal numbers private and stick to your office hours.  Your cell phone and home numbers, in my opinion, should remain private for your own sanity.  You shouldn’t have to deal with late night/after hour calls or texts infringing on your personal time.

• Task Scheduler—The above image is a picture from my desktop at 6PM.  My office hours are from 9AM to 6PM, so at 6PM I have an alert that pops up on my screen that says “Punch the clock. Turn off the email.”   You can take this a bit further if you are uber geeky:  use the Task Scheduler (in Windows) and download a program called NirCmd which runs command prompts.  You can set up a task within task scheduler to run NirCmd to automatically turn your email off at 6PM, or the close of your day.  Conversely, you can also use Task Scheduler alone to start your email program each day at the beginning of the day (For more info, see here).

• Chat—if you like to chat with friends on Google Talk, I would strongly suggest you download the Google Talk program as opposed to using the Chat client within the Email page of Google Apps.  if you are in your email to use the chat feature, you are staring at your inbox and will be more tempted to work when you should be off.

Think of it this way:  each time you are tempted to take a call, answer an email or text after hours, think to yourself, “Could I do this with my doctor?”  Could you call your doctor about something that could be addressed during regular hours?   Doctors are on call selectively, for emergencies.  Think of if what you do will ever constitute as an emergency.

One thing is clear, however: if you do not manage your time effectively, you will burn out.  There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.  You need your own time, your family needs your own time and you need you.  You need a moment to regroup, volunteer, enjoy yourself, read a book, do some mindless activity, watch trash TV, soak in the bath, hug your babies and kiss your lover.  It is the only way for you to see things with fresh perspective and become a better artist, planner and person.

This is another thing I mentioned at Eventology when I shared exclusive discount codes with attendees for some of the hottest products out there. You probably don’t know the access you have to better deals, even though they are right under your nose.  Here are some of the things I use:

1. Retail Me Not—Simply type in the name of the online store that you are looking for and the website will produce search results of all eligible coupon codes, as well as their reliability factor (some codes are expired, but you will know that before you even attempt to try).  This is perfect when you’re looking for specials on domain names, clothing, electronics and more.
2. Naughty Codes—Works very similarly to Retail Me Not, only on a simpler scale.  It has more retailers, too.
3. Deal Hunting—Has up to the minute deals, sales and discounts for retailers and even specific items. 
4. eBay—Is another great resource to find things you are looking for at a lower rate or in wholesale lots. If you use it often enough you can earn “eBay Bucks”, which basically gives you credits on future purchases. 
5. Newsletters—In addition to my company email, I also own free email addresses like yahoo.com, and gmail.com addresses with my company name that I use as “housekeepers”.  We all sign up for newsletters, programs, etc., but don’t want our company email address inboxes or servers to explode.  My “dummy emails” are what I use to sign up for newsletters to frequently used retailers like Staples, Michaels, and more which have exclusive savings for people that sign up for their newsletters.
6. Friends—If you friends are using a great product, ask if they have a referral code. If they do, it typically works both ways—the referral link may give a discount to both of you. If it only works for your friend, it’s still a nice gesture.  For example, ShootQ offers you and your friend $2 off each month you are active users, and you’re not limited to the number of friends!

PS—If you are also using your Business card with PayPal, you can earn cash back on your purchases!

Happy shopping

At Eventology, one of the things I discussed was looking your absolute best for your web conferences—hence the title of this post “From the waist up, I am Beyonce.”

Web consults are no different than “regular consults”, except you don’t have to put in much work on what won’t be seen by your vendor or client.  Here are some tips for looking your absolute best:

Lighting:  Remember that this is not Hollywood—your little webcam can only do so much, and you will have to help it along.  Find yourself an area that has an abundance of lighting (the natural, the better).  Position yourself to have the light source behind your camera or off to your side to avoid ghastly shadows.

Positioning:  Angle your camera, or your camera’s lid higher than your seat so that it appears to look down.  This provides a more flattering angle—the lack of depth with most webcams can make it rough to accept some people doing “full frontal”.  If you won’t need the keyboard, try to place your camera a little further away for better depth and context.

Makeup:  Since colors can be washed out with the webcam’s filters and lighting, look to highlight your best features—use a highlighting shadow under your brows (be sure to fill these in), to make your eyes pop.  Some shades of gloss can be garish, so be careful with shades and applications.  It may be helpful to do your makeup while using your web cam as a mirror so that you can see if your application is correct.

Hair:  Tame your tresses!  Since webcams will cause your viewer to see you much more closely than they would in real life, choose a flattering style.  Your beautiful chignon could have you looking bald, while your beautiful curls will make you a candidate for the starring role for The Lion King.  (Again, see positioning)

Clothing:  You will want to find a top that is not busy with print or embellishments (depending on the connection, quality can be greatly affected, causing a loss of depth).  Choose colors that are flattering to your complexion and shape.  You do not want them to drown you out or demand more attention than necessary.

Play with your settings and take note of what works—this isn’t something you will want to just do by the seat of your pants.  This is an extension of your brand – so also remember than when you include “props” around you as well—be sure they aren’t too distracting, but add to the overall experience of meeting with you. 

Have fun! 

PS:

Great Webcams:

• Logitech Webcam Pro 9000
• Logitech Webcam C600 ( Black)
• HP KQ246AA 8.0 MP Deluxe Webcam

I had the privilege of speaking at the first Eventology as well, but I am just humbled to have been asked back as well as to speak along side other great speakers such as Harmony Walton of the Bridal Bar, Saundra Hadley (the Get Real Sales Coach), NaShara of LawGLOSS, the incomparable Sasha Souza, and Lara Casey. 

I knew that the conference was off to the right start at the Welcome Session with Ali Phillips and Linnyette Richardson-Hall. We immediately got to know each other, and most importantly ourselves. 

I will not go into what was discussed there, but it was powerful.  The glitz and glamour not only lied in the gorgeous linens from La Tavola, but from the content of the speakers.  I couldn’t write or type fast enough at times (Saundra adored the clacking of my nails on the keyboard. You should ask her about it).  It was a great business intensive (literally), because the content gave you so much to think about and revamp your business—it made you want to jump out of your seat and get started right then and there—but there was a fabulous cocktail party to attend as well as a karaoke show at Jillian’s that provided so much relief ( and release from the mental machinations of the day).

As a speaker and as an attendee (I had the honor of being both), I LOVED being at this conference.  The (what we call) “meat and potatoes” of the content showed that the speakers valued our time and interest.  They shared insightful information that made you stop and think about  AND justify your current work process, branding, pricing, staff expectations and approach to design.  The fun foods and gorgeous design showed that producer thought of us as people and wanted to take care of us. There were no huge egos, hero worship or intimidation—it was exactly as it appeared on the surface:  a large number of wedding professionals, teaching, learning from, laughing with, and encouraging each other.  Overall, I really enjoyed my experience.  If you are interested in learning more about Eventology, please visit the website. (If you missed out at all, catch up by searching for the #eventology hashtag on twitter). 

I would be remiss if I did not personally thank Jennifer Ramirez-Jasiczek for her efforts, time and gifts that she shared in providing us with a place to commune, meet and hug over dinner at Ruth Chris and providing a fun after party at Jillians…with an open bar.  Let that final part marinate. 

Thanks, Jennifer.  What you provided was just as important as the content of the speakers.

If you are joining us at Eventology next week, here are some must have apps to have to maximize your travel and experience.

BUMP

Bump allows you to share contact information with other iPhone owners at Eventology. Simply bump your phones together and your information will be in the other’s address book. Be sure to update your contact info in your Address book before you come!

FOURSQUARE

Foursquare will allow you to see where other eventology attendees are! Whenever you move to a new location, simply check in. Your friends on Twitter and Facebook will be able to track you in their friends list. Be sure to add this app this week and get your friends on your list before the event!

WORDPRESS

If you plan to live blog at Eventology, look into getting the WordPress app that works with both .com and self-hosted wordpress blogs.

SIRI

Looking for things to do in Indy while you are there for Eventology? Use Siri to find out what is going near your location—such as restaurants, movies, and more.

TRIPIT

Keep track of all your travel itineraries in one place, with maps and directions, as well as links to hotels, restaurants and more.

EVERNOTE

Evernote allows you to sync your evernote account with your iPhone and take notes via text, save pictures, as well as voice notes. Great for jotting down conference notes or other ideas

YOUR FAVORITE TWITTER APP

I won’t single out one—but if you are looking for others to try out, check out: HootSuite for iPhone, Tweetie, Echofon, Twitbird Pro, and Seesmic. If you tweet from Eventology, PLEASE use the “#eventology” hashtag. #E10 belongs to something else and others will not be able to follow along easily if you use it.

MIXOLOGY

Get your favorite drinks or learn a new favorite one with drink recipes right in the palm of your hands.

KILL TIME WITH THESE APPS…

Looking to kill some time? Play the Scrabble like game, Words with Friends (my name is MartiniBling), the Kindle App for Kindle and The Pandora App, which syncs with your account and brings all of your favorite stations to your iPhone.

If you are attending Eventology, I look forward to meeting you!

I am so excited about getting together with everyone and hearing their ideas and questions at the Google Apps for Wedding Planners webinar.  I have three seats left if you are interested in getting in at an awesome rate!

Don’t be fooled.

While it is recommended that you buy all of the domain extensions for your company to protect your brand (i.e., .net, .info, etc.), There are some companies out there that are taking full advantage of businesses who seek to protect their online presence.

The email consists of the following (or something similar):

To whom it may concern:          2009-5-20

We are a domain name registration service company in Asia,

Last week we received a formal application submited by Justin Lin who wanted to use the keyword “yourdomainname“ to  register the Internet Brand and with suffix such as .cn /.com.cn /.net.cn/.hk/ .asia/ domain names.

After our initial examination, we found that these domain names to be applied for registration are same as your domain name and trademark. We aren’t sure whether you have any relation with him. Because these domain names would produce possible dispute, now we have hold down his registration, but if we do not get your company’s an reply in the next 5 working days, we will approve his company’s application

In order to handle this issue better, Please contact us by Fax ,Telephone or Email as soon as possible.

With such an email, one would  immediately respond to affirm that they do own the domain name and do not wish to relinquish their rights.  The problem is that there probably is no “Justin Lin”.  It is a ploy to get you to buy international domain names from their company. Remember if this were to happen in reality, you may have recourse through ICANN.

Thank you so much to Saundra Hadley of planning…forever for allowing me to share this!

If you want to track you stats through Feedburner with your WordPress blog, there’s a plugin for that!  Now you can redirect your blog’s current RSS feed to your Feedburner feed.

Feedburner allows you to track subscribers, your blog’s reach, clickthroughs and more. Through Feedburner you can add different settings that can optimize, publicize and monetize your feeds.

Instructions and plugin for self-hosted wordpress blogs.

Have another type of blog but want to get started with Feedburner?  Let’s Go!

Welcome to the Chic Wedding Geek blog.

Uber excited to have you here and share some things that have and have not worked for me, and how I think it will help with your wedding planning business.

Stay tuned– come for the info, stay for the conversation!  If you have questions, just ask I’d be happy to answer and learn from you as well.