Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in event planning but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lindsay McLaughlin, Owner and Lead Coordinator of Paper Hat Weddings, located in Grand Rapids, MI, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Here at Paper Hat, we offer wedding coordination services exclusively. While this is commonly referred to as “Day-of,” a better description is “coordination FOR the day of.” To effectively manage every moving part of a wedding, we get all the details months in advance to successfully organize all the key players and the timeline to ensure the logistics are confirmed and scheduled to run as planned. We allow our couples the freedom to have their hand in the creative wedding process while letting us execute all of the details. For many, their wedding is their first foray into major event planning. How are they supposed to know what to ask for, what needs to be done when, and be expected to run their entire celebration while being the main attraction? Professional help should not be just for those with an extensive budget. Things go wrong at every event. Family. Weather. Traffic. Peonies being out of season in October. Clients, vendors, venues, you need extreme organization and attention to detail to do it all. I wanted our business to be accessible to everyone, not just those with a very large budget, and our model is the perfect solution between doing it all yourself or having it all done for you (and paying the price for both.)

Tell us about yourself

Before I worked in weddings, I worked in the action sports industry for ten years. Organizing events, managing athletes and staff, all in a super high energy and chaotic environment. After a few more stints in corporate events, I found that the velocity of a big business was something I would never be able to control. I knew I wanted to be in charge of the business decisions, but with such a wide range of responsibilities in my prior positions, it was tough to narrow down what would ultimately be my company model. Now I love being in control of what direction the business takes, whether that be in offerings or advertisements. I enjoy seeing the brand branch out and evolve.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Creating a working environment people actually enjoy being in, working with and contributing to. Communication and collaboration are something we prioritize in both our client and employee relationships, which ultimately make it a really great atmosphere to be a part of.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Being the only one to make the ultimate decisions when the business needs to shift. Whether that be with altering services, updating branding, or choosing what projects to take.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Launch and learn! Don't feel like you have to wait until every part of your business is ready and perfect because that's impossible. If your business is thriving, it will never be in a constant state of running perfectly. Build the basics, launch, then learn as you go.
  2. Organize your business finances from day one! Even if that's just starting out using quickbooks, keeping account of your books from the start will help your business in the long run
  3. Client interface and workflow is key! Find a customer relationship management software or system that streamlines everything you do for your customers, from sending invoices, collecting payments and signing contracts, the easier you can make it for your consumers, the more likely they are to follow through!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.paperhatweddings.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paperhatweddings/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paperhatweddings/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paper-hat-weddings/about/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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