{ "version": "1.0.0", "segments": [ { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "6.0", "endTime": "39.63", "body": "Welcome everyone to The Wedding Pro Academy podcast. I'm Nicole, your host. I'm an expert in the wedding industry and I've personally built 2 6 figure businesses from the ground up. I am obsessed with building businesses that make lots of money but do so in a way that also create luxurious amounts of freedom. So if you're looking to build, grow or scale a wedding business in a way that doesn't burn you out and you'd love some guidance from someone who has done just that, this podcast is for you." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "40.010002", "endTime": "58.14", "body": "Each week I'll cover strategies, ideas, tips, and tricks that will give you your dream wedding business too. Thanks so much for tuning in today. Let's dive in. Hi, everybody. It's Nicole and this is episode 6." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "59.399998", "endTime": "80.725", "body": "It is jeez. It's 2025. Is everybody ready for the new year? I know that I am 100% ready for my kids to go back to school. Right now, my husband has my 3 boys and the dog at the park." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "81.61", "endTime": "134.345", "body": "So I've got a very short while to put out a podcast here, and that's what, like, the last 2 weeks have been like. And I still have one more week of having the kids at home. So it's been a little tough, and if you're a mom, you totally feel me, but we will survive this long, long Christmas break. Anyways, today, I wanted to do a quick episode talking a little bit about how wedding businesses can be easy and how they don't have to be a grind. And the reason why I wanted to do this is because when I first started my wedding business, which was wedding planning, it was a grind and it was hard." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "135.525", "endTime": "173.86", "body": "And I think that's how it's gotta be when you're first starting your business, but it also had a whole lot to do with my mindset and the way that I viewed entrepreneurship and having a job in general, which is what I learned from society, which is you have to work hard to make money. You have to put in a lot of hours to earn money. And if having a job is hard, being an entrepreneur is even more hard. It's a grind. And I was seeing this everywhere too." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "173.86", "endTime": "222.43", "body": "I was seeing officiants doing 4 plus weddings in a day, which is insane, by the way, but so many officiants do this. I was seeing photographers super burnt out and taking months to get my couple's galleries back to them. And I'd have to bug them and bug them and bug them, but they were, like, so slammed with so many weddings that they were just taking forever to get their edits back, which wasn't ideal, but and they did that because they were just taking on as many weddings as they could. I was seeing wedding planners taking on any and every wedding that came their way. Other vendors would this is just what I was seeing from an inside perspective as a wedding planner." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "222.43", "endTime": "246.335", "body": "I was seeing other vendors cutting their prices to win the bid on the wedding so they would just slash prices and be like, well, I'll I'm willing to do it for cheaper. I was seeing DJs. You guys are crazy. I was seeing DJs working 5 plus events a week, completely exhausted, but they were just down for the grind, which is crazy. Right?" }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "246.335", "endTime": "257.9", "body": "And I kinda thought that's just how it was. That's how it was in weddings. Us wedding vendors, we just work hard. We are down to grind. That is what it's like being an entrepreneur." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "258.92", "endTime": "291.91998", "body": "But here's what happened. I got pregnant and I had my first baby. And then I had 2 more, all within 3 years. So I had 3 babies in 3 years, which is absolutely insane. Plus, during that time, I had also started an additional business to help pay for preschool, which as you all know, if you have kids, preschool is insanely expensive." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "292.44498", "endTime": "355.975", "body": "Anyways, so I had 3 babies in 3 years, and I had, at this point, had 2 businesses. And so I really became absolutely obsessed with how to save time and output more, how to make more money without spending more time, and that became, like, my literal obsession. I I learned everything that I could about this, and I started realizing, like, and really thinking about how can I do more for my couples, how can I give more value without spending more of my time because I literally didn't have any more time? Like, if you have one baby, that's hard, but having 3 is really hard. And at that time, I didn't have, you know, grandparents that were there helping me watch the kids." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "356.195", "endTime": "396.27", "body": "It was pretty much all on me because my husband had a regular job that he had to go to. So I had to work around this and figure out how to create a schedule that would still let my businesses thrive and grow and make money and not, like, kill me by taking up so much time. I couldn't take on more weddings. I just didn't have the time to do that, so I had to figure out ways to make this work. And so I started creating processes and systems, that could make my life easier." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "396.97", "endTime": "434.905", "body": "I started improving the back end of my business. I started thinking about how can I give more value to my couples without sacrificing time? So this would look like batching my work. I started figuring out systems like a back end website that I could invite my my couples to that would tell them all the things they needed with the planning process, and I would send them links to certain parts of this website, which I then didn't have to guide them through everything. They knew what to expect." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "434.905", "endTime": "482.44", "body": "I started putting myself in my couple's shoes, in my bride's shoes, and being like, how does she feel during this part of the process? What things is she craving from me? What does she need from me in order to feel good about where she's at in her wedding? And how can I give that to her without actually, you know, spending my time with her, without doing a per in in person meeting, without doing a web meeting, without doing something that would involve my one on one time? I tried to cut all my one on one time out of the picture, and I started creating processes and systems that would give them what they needed and exceed their expectations without my myself needing to be there." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "482.66", "endTime": "529.54004", "body": "So improving the back end of everything, and that meant the back end with my couples and the back end with my team. I started thinking about how can I scale? How can I hire people to do the things that I do in the way that I do them? So, I wanted to keep the quality of service super high, but I didn't want to have to do it all myself, which meant I had to create processes to teach people how to do what I was doing in the exact way that I would do it. So I created a a system for that also where I could train people to do the same thing that I was doing." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "530.0", "endTime": "580.40497", "body": "And I figured out all these different programs that would help me do this. And, yes, it did take a lot of back end work and time on the forefront, but it gave me back so much of my time later on. So, like, now that I'm, you know, past all of that and I've set up all of these systems, now I have the dream life, really, where I don't have to work all the time. I have a team that is helping me to execute all the things that I don't want to do or I don't have to do, and they're doing it in a way that is still providing immense value to my couples. I I was able to simplify everything so that there was a system for basically everything." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "580.40497", "endTime": "602.255", "body": "I have a system on how to train my team. I have a system for how I organize everything in my weddings. I have a system and a process for my emails. So, I'm not rewriting these emails over and over and over again. I have set drafts for everything that I can just copy and paste and change a few details." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "602.71497", "endTime": "656.485", "body": "I have a process for just about everything in my business which has allowed me to take my time back. And I I go into some specifics of the exact processes that I use and, some of the programs that I use in my business master class. But it took me years to kinda get this down, and it was something that I did for myself personally because I wanted this life that was not the same type of grind that I was seeing all the other wedding vendors do. Like, I I had a family that I wanted to be involved in their life. And, like, now that my boys are bigger, I am still a very hands on mom." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "656.485", "endTime": "702.42004", "body": "Like, I work from let me just give you an idea of my schedule to put some context to this so you can see what I mean. But, usually, I I will plan out my week every week, like, down to the hour, and I will I have a very regimented schedule, and I like it that way because it it's very clear with when my work times are, when my play times are, and all that. So, normally, I will on Mondays, I I surf in the morning. I I literally cut that time out. I surf every Monday from 8 to 10:30, and then I work from 10:30 to about 1:30." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "702.96", "endTime": "718.32996", "body": "And I work only on my wedding business. And then I pick up the kids from school. My kids are still all in elementary school, so they're not that old yet. And then I'm done with work at that point on Mondays. I just hang out with my kids." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "718.32996", "endTime": "739.525", "body": "I help them do their homework, and then I take them to baseball and soccer and all that stuff. I make dinner every night. I do home cooked meals. I think that is, you know, the way I grew up and something that I wanna pass on to my kids. And then on Tuesdays, I have a full workday." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "739.585", "endTime": "783.03", "body": "So I usually will work out in the mornings. I work out at 4:30 in the morning, which I know sounds crazy, but I I love it because it doesn't really cut into my daytime, and it doesn't affect anyone. So I usually go to CrossFit from 4:30 to 5:30, and then I come home and I get the kids ready for school, drop them off, take the dog to the dog park, and then I have roughly, like, 4 or 5 hours to work on Tuesdays. And then Tuesdays, I work on my second business. So I have 2 businesses, both which are bringing in, you know, over 6 figures, and I have to split my time between the 2." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "783.03", "endTime": "815.51495", "body": "Then same thing in the afternoons. After school, I usually will pick up the kids from school, do homework, and then I do sports with them. And I do house cleaning kinda stuff and cooking. And then on Wednesdays, I do the same thing as a Tuesday, which is usually I will do a workout in the morning, and then I take the kids to school, do the dog park, and then I will work for roughly 4 or 5 hours. And Thursday is the same." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "815.51495", "endTime": "851.08496", "body": "So Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, I I do workouts. I take the kids to school, do the dog park, do the dog park every day, because I still have, like, a pretty young puppy that needs to run or else she drives me freaking insane, but I do that every day. And then I work for roughly 4 to 5 hours to and then after school's done, my time is devoted to my kids. I want to be the kind of mom that is fully present in their lives, and I really value that. So I've set up my life to to work that way." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "851.38495", "endTime": "871.335", "body": "And then on Fridays, I usually have a flex workday, so I kinda split between the two businesses, and I alternate money money days where I kind of review my my finances and my income. I do my taxes. I handle my bookkeeping and stuff like that. So that and weekends, I don't work. I take the full weekend off." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "871.335", "endTime": "902.58496", "body": "Now if I have a wedding or 2 during the week, then I take that whole day off for weddings. I don't try to fit in other stuff on wedding days because my brain is just needs to be focused on just one thing. The other part is I don't I really enjoy having set work times, so I'm not when I sit down to work, I know exactly what tasks I need to complete. And I have all of that set up on a Sunday. So every Sunday, I plan out my week." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "902.645", "endTime": "919.99", "body": "I know all the things that I need to get done, and I just execute. I just look at my calendar, and I'm like, okay. It's it's 8 o'clock on Tuesday, and I need to create this timeline. I need to do this. So all the things that need to get done, I just go through and I just finish it." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "919.99", "endTime": "937.125", "body": "There I turn off my phone. I don't, you know, have any kind of distractions. I just get shit done. And I I jam it out, and then I'm done. So by the time 1 o'clock rolls around, I've already spent 4 good solid hours working." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "937.125", "endTime": "968.38", "body": "I'm done. I'm exhausted. You know, I've just created a bunch of value and and I feel super good about what I put out so I can be fully committed to my kids at that point which as I said earlier, is a big important part of my life too. So I really like having that balance. And for me, working, you know, 4 to 5 hours, 4 days, sometimes 5 days a week, it works." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "968.38", "endTime": "993.91504", "body": "That is the kind of lifestyle that I want, and I'm happy with that. But it took me years to get to that point where I could really get this system down. So as just to give you an idea, like, the end result of where I'm at now, I currently have 3 businesses. I I started with 1, then I had 2. And now I'm I'm starting to build the 3rd, which is this wedding pro academy." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "995.71", "endTime": "1024.96", "body": "But the other two businesses are like, the first one is wedding planning. So I have a wedding business that brings in and I'm just gonna be real here with my numbers just to give you an idea. Brings in about a 130,000 a year gross. That's about 80 net. So after expenses, I have 3 employees and a bookkeeper." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "1025.26", "endTime": "1062.73", "body": "And then I have another business where I sell, home hardware online. That brings in about 500,000 a year gross and about 200 net. I roughly spend right now, now that I have every system in place and all these back end processes, I probably spend about 2 hours a week on that business, and it's making nearly double my wedding business. More than double. And then this new business, I'm just starting to grow." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "1062.73", "endTime": "1098.315", "body": "So those are the 3 businesses. I roughly make 250 after expenses. And then I work about 4, sometimes 5 days a week for about 4 to 5 hours a day. So that is where I'm at right now and the kind of, I guess, I would call it like a dream schedule that I've worked very hard to establish and to create. And I just tell you all this, not to brag or anything, but just because I want you to know that that's possible." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "1099.6549", "endTime": "1129.6951", "body": "That you can make over 6 figures and still be fully involved in your kid's life or still have, you know, a bunch of time to yourself, still surf every Monday and every Thursday. I surf every Monday and every Thursday for, like, 2 and a half hours. I still work out 3 days a week. I still go to all my kids soccer games and baseball games. And if you have a baseball kid, you know that is a lot of time commitment." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "1130.0751", "endTime": "1154.0951", "body": "But I wanna be there for them. You know? I wanna see his home runs, and I wanna see each of their soccer goals, and I wanna be there for all of those special moments. Like, I want to take their birthdays off and and create these big birthday parties for my kids. I want to you know, my kids are off from school right now for Christmas break, so I'm working a whole lot less." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "1154.0951", "endTime": "1164.8301", "body": "So I can be with them. I can take them on adventures. We can go hiking. We can go to the beach. We can do fun stuff, and they're not just, like, sitting at home watching me work all day." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "1164.8301", "endTime": "1202.74", "body": "Like, I don't wanna be that kind of mom. I want them to remember that I was the one that was there helping them with their homework every day, that they had spaghetti, you know, every night and, like, home cooked meals, and we weren't just eating McDonald's. And that's the kind of, I guess, dream life for me that works for me. But you could create whatever kind of dream life you want. Like, the sky's really the limit, and that's the exciting part about having your own business is figuring out how to create a business that really works with the type of life that you want to live." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "1203.2799", "endTime": "1219.95", "body": "And you can you this you can do it however you want. And that's super super fun figuring out how to do that. And if you need help with some of these systems and stuff, I do offer 1 to 1 coaching. So just reach out. But it is possible." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "1219.95", "endTime": "1232.45", "body": "You do not have to grind your way there. You do not have to take every single wedding. You do not have to do 4 weddings a day. I mean, you can if you want to. It's just not what I wanted to do." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "1232.885", "endTime": "1283.7899", "body": "And if you wanna do it like me and you wanna work just, you know, just a little just enough and you wanna make enough so that you can still take fun vacations and, you know, have a great life, That is possible too. Okay. That's the end of my rant. And I know that was super random, but I thought maybe you would find that helpful just giving getting a little background of how I structure my week and what I had to do to get here and how it is possible and why it's worth it to kinda start exploring these kinds of ideas now. Because the earlier you start thinking about this and and trying to figure out how to put these types of systems and processes into place, the quicker it will happen for you." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "1283.7899", "endTime": "1315.34", "body": "And just putting it out into the universe and and thinking about it and being more and more curious about it, you'll find you'll be attracted to different types of podcasts and ideas and books and whatnot to to get, you know, some structure into your life that will allow you to create this type of dream life. So, yep, that's what I got for you today. I hope everybody has a wonderful weekend. It's Friday. I will talk to you guys next week." }, { "speaker": "Nicole S.", "startTime": "1315.48", "endTime": "1316.46", "body": "Bye for now." } ] }