This week, I really want us to get to know each other better. I’d love to know the three things you can’t live without. Of course, I can’t ask without sharing myself, so here are the three things I can’t live without:

1. A ring my mother gave me before she died
2. My two training bikes
3. My collection of leather jackets from John Galliano

Okay, your turn. Go.

I think planning is probably one of the most complex and layered parts of the event industry. Years ago when I first started, I made the mistake of accepting a job as a planner in addition to doing the design, and I remember spending a whole afternoon making 20 phone calls just to set up one meeting. This was just one minuscule part of planning, but for me it was an eye opener.

I have had the pleasure (and pain) to work with many planners in my 30 years of business, and I can safely say that getting the wrong planner can be a huge pain in the ass. Not just for me, but also for the unsuspecting clients. Saying that you are a planner does not make you a good one. If you designed your own wedding or party and you enjoyed it, great, but that does not make you a planner.

Here, in my humble opinion, is what makes a great planner:

• Experience, experience, experience. I think one can safely call him or herself a good planner after working on at least 20 events. (Even then, it depends on what kind of events.)
• Knowledge. Knowledge can be acquired through practice or by taking a very informative course to give you a base. (The best course I know of is offered by the Wedding Planning Institute.)
• Great attention to detail and the ability to improvise. I think a good planner is one that can turn a bad or tense situation good without the client ever knowing. (In every event, something always goes differently than we planned.)
• Last but not least, leave the drama at home. Again, maybe it’s just me so forgive me, but I have encountered more than one planner who was a crazy maker.

I am completely in awe of the business of planning with all its layers and intricacies. I applaud everyone who wants to get into this exciting business, but please remember it takes time and effort. Yes, you can go ahead and call yourself a planner and start your journey, but it takes a bit longer to become a good one.

I’d love to know what you think determines a good versus bad planner. Please share in the comments.

Just like when I’m a designing a room and want to create something that makes a guest say, “Wow, I want to see more,” I try do the same with the headlines on my blog posts.

Headlines on the web are tricky, though, because they have to both be utilitarian (i.e. being SEO–search engine optimization–friendly) and convey some sort of personality.

I personally would like to try and infuse more humor into my headlines, but sometimes it’s hard to achieve that goal in such a small amount of words. That’s one thing I’m working on, and one thing that belongs on my list of what makes a good headline.

This list is ever expanding, but so far, this is what I have.

A good headline is…

• Funny! Or maybe I should say it exudes some kind of fun or humorous personality. Examples of my attempts at funny headlines are: To Do: Become a Cross Dresser and Frequently Asked Questions: What happened to your hair?
• Informative. It tells you what you’ll be getting right away. These types of headlines do best with your SEO. If you know that people have been searching for certain types of keywords relevant to your content, but they aren’t landing on your site, try using those keywords in headlines. Some examples of this are: Your Turn: The Best Local Wedding Planners In Your Area and What’s in or out? Design Style Trends
• Mysterious. Not to be totally contradictory, but sometimes you don’t want them to know exactly what you’re talking about right away. You want to add a little mystery into the equation to keep them reading. (Though, frankly, I must admit that I hate teases. I just want to KNOW right away!) Examples of this are: A Little Note About Today and ‘Til Death Do Us Part.
• Number friendly. People love lists. They love top 10 lists, top 5 lists, top 20 lists… If you incorporate a number into your headline, you’ll probably get them to click to read more. (Notice how I incorporated that trick into my headline for this post. Here are more examples too: 6 Tips For Creating A High-End Website and 7 Must-Do’s for Your To Do List.)
• Sometimes in the form of a question. Web content is all about engaging and interacting with the user. If you ask a question, they’ll automatically seek answers. Examples of this are: Sometimes I ask myself…why do I have to put up with bad service? and Is it better to go naked or covered?

Bottom line: spend a little extra time thinking about your headlines. Since they’re the gateway into your content, and sometimes the only thing people will see, it will be well worth the effort. Oh, and take note: in general I think a good headline only needs one of these things to be considered “good”, but if you can somehow incorporate more than one from this list, even better.

I’d love to hear your tips on what makes a good headline. If you have any examples, please share those too (especially if they’re from your own blog.)

(Photo via)

Last week, we began a series of posts where I answer the question, “What is the first question you would ask me if we had a one on one meeting together?” Here are answers to five more of those questions:

1. Da’Diva Jones asked: How can an unknown event planner market and attract his/her business? Da’Diva: I suggest you start with friends and family, then offer your services at church or any other social setting. I make this suggestion because nothing beats gaining actual experience when you start. Make sure you photograph and also get letters of recommendation from all of these occasions. Whenever you can, always ask for a small fee to cover your time and effort.

2. Keisha Siggers asked: Can I be your apprentice? Keisha: of course I’d love to say a big fat YES. Fortunately, I have a full staff of amazing folks already on staff, and this is one of the main reasons I am starting an online design course this summer. I have gotten many requests like yours, and I thought that if I developed this very comprehensive course on design and how to get clients, it might be a great way to have you learn from all of my mistakes and successes. For more information on the course, or to take a sneak peek tour, click here.

3. Kate Henry asked: Two part question…what makes you love to do what you do every day and where did it begin? Money of course! Just half kidding…Kate, I am one of the many folks who consider my work not to be work anymore, but all play. Can you imagine having a job where people pay you to make up ideas and design for a party? For me, this is the ultimate job.

Sanaw making magic.

4. Barbara Poe asked: Where did you find Sanaw? He is amazing!!!!!!! Barbara: Yes, he is more than amazing. Sanaw is my main floral designer and I consider him to be more than family. He is from Thailand and has been with me for over 15 years. He is one of the few people that can actually capture what’s in my head and make it better.

5. Deborah Griffin-Woodson asked: Your fee!!!! Deborah: VERY EXPENSIVE. Again, half joking. I think that is going to be my epitaph: “Here lies Preston Bailey, he was very expensive.” More than one client has mentioned that they resisted calling my office because they thought we were too expensive. I never try to defend my prices, however I can say one thing: my prices are not far from many other folks in the industry.

As I mentioned last week, I’d love to continue answering all of your questions. So, please ask away!

While writing this week’s to do list this morning, I thought I’d start by writing three things I want to change and will actually change, and three others I want to change yet thought was too risky. It’s so much easier to think things are going to be to difficult to change, rather than actually trying to change them. In actuality, we have no evidence that what we want to change is going to be challenging at all.

So, this week I was hoping we could work on getting rid of all those excuses we are so invested in believing in. Those excuses that impede us from moving ahead with our dreams.

A few of mine are (feel free to add to this list):

• I am too old to start a new business.
• The economy is bad. (This is a big one now.)
• If I charge what I deserve, I am not going to get any clients.
• I do not have a college degree.
• I have no talent. (When “talent,” I think, is mostly about practice and doing.)
• My family and friends are going to think I am crazy.

The list is endless.

Let’s work on a different mindset: Nothing is standing in the way of living fully. If I do not follow my dream in five years, I am going to be exactly where I am. If I do follow my dreams in 10 years there is a 50% chance I’ll accomplish my dream. (Those are good odds.)

Here’s the homework: Write down three changes you accomplished in the past year you are proud of (go ahead, be proud and thankful). Then, write down three things you think are “too risky” but start trying to make change anyway. What is the biggest excuse you always use?