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!

Over a week ago I posted a blog asking: what is the first question you would ask me if we had a one on one meeting together? We received a huge response on Facebook and Twitter so I decided we should answer 10 of those questions (five today, and five next week). Here are the first five…

1. Thomas Green asked: What happened to your hair? (Thomas, I love that you had the nerve to ask!) When I was in my late twenties I began to lose my hair, and way before Magic Johnson, I decided to shave my head. Though at the time I looked like a freak (maybe I still do?), eventually it came into fashion.




2. Lisa Bailey Cedillo asked: What has been your most challenging wedding and and what did you learn from it? It was a beautiful wedding I did a few years ago, and this client and her father (you know who you are) lied about money and I was conned out of $50,000. Lesson learned: always get paid in full before every event.




3. Cherelle Goodman-Miles asked: Can you show me how to be successful like you? Cherelle, of course, all you have to do is shave your head! (Just kidding.) My one and only secret to success is always using your mistakes as your teacher. This will encourage you to keep moving forward and take good and not so good risks to grow to success.






A real inspiration board from one of our latest jobs.



4. Sarani Gaines asked if I have any creative ideas for someone to get accounts who is just starting out but does not have a portfolio yet. Sarani: getting accounts is always about selling a concept or an idea. Luckily for us, digital cameras exist, so even if you do not have a portfolio, you could create a “Sarani” inspiration board by collecting images and ideas you’d like to present to a new client. Remember that your only goal is to show them you are an artist and can understand their vision.




5. Kelly Maria Ramsey asked: What was it that inspired/motivated you to take the first step in the career you are in? Kelly Maria: Just one word HUNGER. I needed a job. I started as a florist to later discover that I really loved what I was doing.

I’d love to continue answering all your questions, so please ask away. Or, let me know what you think about any of the questions/answers we discussed above. Read answers to five more questions from Facebook next week.

An example of one of my original designs.

That’s a great question. Here are some pros and cons for each scenario.

Pros for creating your own design (including tablecloths, vases, chandeliers, chair covers, structures, furniture, etc…):

• It’s only yours, so the event always looks fresh and new.
• If you use the designs of different elements more than once, you can make back your original investment.
• You become a trend setter.

Cons:

• Creating an original design is always more expensive.
• I hope you have great storage facilities.
• If not handled properly, the objects you create could be damaged and lead to a financial loss.
• Other folks might copy you. (However, I think it’s a huge compliment when folks copy my designs.)

Pros for renting design/decor materials:

• You do not need to worry about storage.
• It’s more cost effective.
• There is a way of renting elements and making it your own design by combining elements in different ways.

Cons:

• Your work starts looking like others’.
• You can become a bit lazier as a designer.
• Lack of surprise.

Ultimately, what matters in both cases is that your work remains fresh and new–and that you make a profit. I personally prefer designing and building all new work from scratch. Maybe that is one reason most people think of my company as being so expensive. My goal is to always, for better or worse, design something new.

Do you find that other folks copy your designs? How do you feel about it? I’d also love to know: what do you prefer, renting or designing new prototypes? What works better for your company?

I had a mother say to me once, “This is her wedding but it’s my party. I am paying for it,” and I just had to sit there and smile.

In my experience, I have encountered several scenarios:
1. The bride and mother are completely in sync with their design tastes. (This is a very beautiful thing.)
2. The bride and mother have completely different design sensibilities, however the mother is invested in giving her daughter what she wants. (Also great.)
3. The mother wants it her way regardless of what her daughter wants.

Whenever a bride and her mother do not agree on design, it turns into a challenging yet exciting job. In some ways, I end up getting to play both therapist and mediator.

Here are a few strategies I have used with good results:

• Compromise. For example, I suggest that I’ll design the ceremony exactly as the bride wants it, then design the reception for the mother’s taste.
• Figure out ways to meld design opposites. If the bride likes contemporary and the mother likes traditional, I try to create a contemporary space with traditional touches. This balance needs to be handled extremely carefully to make them both happy.
• If all else fails, try very carefully to introduce a third option for the design that neither of them considered. (This is tricky, but sometimes it works!)

Aside from having this dynamic with brides and mothers, I find it even more difficult working with charitable benefits committees. I really appreciate these wonderful groups of people who generally want to help others in need, but at times I think they are out to drive us designers crazy, ha ha… (We’ll talk more about this on Thursday’s Common Mistakes: Not choosing the right charity to work with.)

I am mostly in awe of the mother/daughter relationships I see. I witness lots of bonding, camaraderie, fun, disagreements and love. What I find really scary, though, is when both families (the bride’s and the groom’s) do not like each other–then I just want to hide.

What do you do when the bride and her mom do not see eye to eye on design? Also when you got married (if you are married), how was the experience with your mom or mother-in-law?

(Photo via)

By always thinking the sky is the limit. Restrictions are poison. An overinflated ego is also poison. But, the biggest poison? Fear. I recently read a wonderful quote by Michelangelo: ”The greatest danger is not that your hopes are too high and you fail to reach them, it’s that they are too low and you do.”

Making the decision to become a high-end business is only the first step. The next step is developing a new mindset for you and your company–giving it a soul. Always remember, whether you believe success is possible or impossible you’re right.

What has kept me going all this time, is what I call my “10 commandments:”

1. Mistakes are not a sign of stupidity, they are human ways of learning. (This simple truth still encourages me to keep improving my brand.)
2. Things are not always the way we want them to be, nor do plans always work out our way. (Once you learn this, nothing can keep you down.)
3. To accomplish success, we constantly need to shift “colors.” (If you design or your idea is not working, let go of it and change it.)
4. Focus less on your self-interest and more on how you can service your client in some way. (Establishing great service first is a great segue to raising prices later.)
5. Go with the flow of your failures instead of being devastated by them. (This gives you endurance and longevity.)
6. Always pay attention to the “teachers” in your life. (What you strongly admire in others may be exactly what you want and CAN accomplish.)
7. Daily Mantra: “Let things happen as they happen and do your best at all times.” (In other words, when you get lemons, make lemonade.)
8. I never seek to be the best, however my goal is always to be different. (This will always give you a business edge.)
9. Fear should never stop you. Some fears are obstacle to what you really want, other fears are signals that you are attempting something you do not want.
10. When “bliss” meets “talent” watch out. (Always work on improving your talent.)

Creating a soul for your company is one sure way to success. Once you have a strong soul, the big bucks will naturally follow. Without a business “soul” you might only go so far before feeling discouraged. On Thursday in our Common Mistakes, we’ll discuss the common pitfall of not knowing your own worth.

Which of my “commandments” do you relate to the most? And which ones, if any, do you have conflict with? Are you ready for the next step?