Courtney: Yeah, that’s normally a good indicator. Crying alone. 

Lindsay: Crying in your car. 

Courtney: But I love that. I love that because I mean, oftentimes that entrepreneurship journey, it’s not like you quit your 40 hour a week job to work, you know, 20 hours for yourself. You know, it takes a long time to get to that point. You’re often quitting your 40 hour a week job to work 80 hours for yourself, you know, like, and I, but I love that.

Couching it in the terms of like the unlimited potential, but I feel like there’s always hope, you know what I mean? There’s always that hope that that next big client is going to land or that you’re going to platform to that next level. And I think that that’s really what drives entrepreneurs in general. And I think a common theme that we’ve seen on this is that’s not really provided a lot of times in corporate America. 

Dana: Yeah. Would you say that there are things cause you know, you’ve talked about how you scale your business? So obviously I’m assuming you employ some people. Is there something that you’ve learned from that corporate environment that you’ve brought into being a better employer yourself? 

Lindsay: So that’s an interesting question. So I’m actually still a solo preneur, so I don’t have a team of employees, but I do have, I outsource a lot of things, so I’m not necessarily an employer in that traditional sense that I have a team, but I absolutely know when to outsource and to offload. So how, how I’ve got to that point is I, the, the first three years of my business, I kind of spent figuring out what worked.

So it was a lot, it was a hustle, it was chaotic, but I would figure out what worked and then I would go all in on those things. And all in on what worked, but it wasn’t without growing pains, I would find myself very burnt out. And then I would kind of pause and reflect and figure out how I could simplify my business so I could then scale.

So I would figure out what I could outsource, whether it be printing or some of my social media or what I could automate. So I don’t necessarily have a team of people, but I have a team of outsourcers, and I have a team of tools. So I have like my HoneyBook and like it’s so many tools to automate my business.

So, interesting question. But I’m still a solo preneur to this day. Not that there’s anything wrong with hiring a team. I totally advocate for that, but for me, I was able to outsource that. 

Dana: Yeah, but I think, I mean, in a way you did build a team because you built a team of support around you. And I think that, that, you know, listening to you talk about just even how confining life being in corporate America is like, you are confined to this job. And you mentioning how you felt like you had control of your own future.

Again you mentioned unlimited potential, that creating that support system around you realizing, hey, this isn’t the best use of my CEO time, right? It’s, that’s not best spent printing. It’s not best spent on social media and hiring those kinds of mini co-workers of sorts for. 

Lindsay: Yes, absolutely. 

Courtney: So obviously you talked about, you know, in corporate America, you would come home crying in your car, crying to shower. Like how has your mental health changed and how have you helped progress that along the way? 

Lindsay: Oh, it’s improved drastically, but I’m not going to say it’s perfect all the time. I mean, I still have anxiety. you know, I, I take medicine for anxiety. There’s no shame in that, but it’s, it’s, it’s progressed over time because I’m able to step back and know that I’m in control. I think if I keep just reminding myself that I’m in control and listen to my body, I think that’s super important. 

So it’s not, I mean, I’m a hustler day in and day out. I will work nonstop, but I also listen to my body and I realized that if I’m getting overwhelmed or if I’m feeling burned out or if I’m just exhausted and I can feel myself pushing instead of like getting into the flow, I’ll go take a nap for 20 minutes.

And sometimes that’s the most productive thing you can do then to keep pushing yourself. So I’ll take a nap, I’ll set my alarm and then I’ll get back to work. And that 20 minutes that I didn’t spend working, and I spent actually resting and refueling, allowed me to work so much more effective the rest of the afternoon. So, 

Dana: Amen. 

Lindsay: These, yes. I think it’s just learning these little things as you go, but absolutely. It’s not perfect all the time. I think mental health is a huge topic in entrepreneurship. IT’s something like not to be ashamed of. It’s something to constantly, you know, get help if you need it, but listen to your body. I cannot stress that enough. I can’t. Sometimes the nap is the most productive thing you can do or take a walk or have a snack, have a drink. 

Dana: Right, yeah. 

Lindsay: Rest. 

Dana: Yes, 

Courtney: yeah. I love that. Cause I think too, just like, you know, going through, you know, hard times, whether it’s like when you’re in your corporate job or even an entrepreneurship journey, there’s going to be times where it’s, you know, smooth sailing and times where it’s still all uphill, both ways.

And I think kind of learning those cues that your body gives you when you’re like, all right, you’re overloaded, or you need to take a break or you need to stop and pause or this is limiting returns, if you keep moving in this way, I think is key to sustainability in your own business. 

Dana: And I mean, honestly, like listening to you tell your story, you are like the urban myth, right? Like you are the person that when you’re, someone’s talking to you, like, oh, I went to this bridal show and I booked all this business and I quit my job next week. Because that’s not the truth for a lot of people. It takes, you know, for a lot of people, it takes a little bit more, I don’t even think it’s necessarily, they need more business.

Maybe they just need a little bit more assurances. They weren’t, they’re more risk adverse. So they weren’t willing to take that big leap. And so I think too, as an entrepreneur, when you experienced success early on, right, as you did, like you put yourself out there and you put a ton of work behind, it, took you a year to get to the point where you’re like, okay, let me put this out. And then maybe it doesn’t go, like six months later that success has dwindled or you’re not moving in that right, that right trajectory that you thought you were going to be moving in and you have to take a second, you have to pause. There is something very defeating about that, almost like where you’re like, okay, I took three steps forward. I took two steps back. Like how do I get back to where I was? 

So was there ever a point. And your story where something like that happened, like where you were on this great path. And then like you hit this massive roadblock and had to like kind of backpedal? 

Lindsay: Yeah. Oh, absolutely. I think all of us have a few times in our entrepreneurial journey where that happens, but I think mine, at least the big one that I can think of right now is most recently as I transitioned into this education venture, educating other wedding pros. So basically what happened is I was, I had set up all these systems and processes in place.

I had automated everything. I was rocking and rolling. I scaled my business as a solopreneur and then 2020 hit. And I think every single one of us listening in the wedding industry or in the world can relate to this, but it was running like basically a well-oiled machine and then 2020 hit and every single wedding was like a total mess, total nightmare.

It was like total like screech on the brakes, a nightmare. So I, you know, we had to stop and adjust everything and change the dates and the location and the guest list. It was a, you know, in the stationary world. And I can’t imagine what it was like for you ladies in the, as a venue owner, it was probably just like times 10 on this. What happened was I had put, I got everybody taken care of. And that took about six months to get all my couples taken care of. And I call it like sitting on ice. So they were just kind of, everything was taken care of. They were waiting to be able to plan again. 

During that time I experienced a pause in my business that I never had before. It was like, weird pause. Everybody was taken care of and waiting. So I decided to jump head first in the education world, because it was something that I was always interested in. It was always kind of a tug on my heart and building a successful wedding business, and teaching everything you knew, I thought I could just kind of jump in to this next venture and be like, okay, got this.

They know how to build a business. I’m teaching people how to build a business. I should be able to do this, but it’s all different world. A service-based versus an online business is totally different. So I’m experiencing that now, as far as almost like starting, it’s not starting from zero again, because a lot of the foundation and things are I’ve learned and picked up over the years, but it’s definitely like a knock down or a knock back a little bit trying to get this is up and running.

So yeah. I mean, absolutely. You, you see things pivot and change like that, but I think my relationship with this kind of going off on different little avenues. As I talk about this, my relationship with money has always been, I’m just not like I was the type of person that would like wait weeks to cash, a check, like it was sitting on the counter and my husband would be like, you got to cash this check from this couple.

So I never really like did things for the money or worried about how much money we were bringing in. I always knew that we would be okay. So I think that’s helped me get through this transition a little bit too. It’s not like hit the ground running as successful as the wedding stationary business was, but I do things for service. So yeah, it’s kind of a long long-winded answer, but I’m experiencing that right now. 

Dana: Yeah, I know that’s. I mean, we similarly, like, so we had going into the education realm of things and, and it’s weird because the whole reason why we started this podcast and we started speaking and consulting is, it was kind of similar as something kind of always tucked in our heart, but it is that thing where you do it, you don’t look at it and it’s hard. I don’t look at it. The monetary of it, like how much are we actually spending as we’re doing this? 

Lindsay: Yeah. 

Dana: You know, because there is something, there is something inherently valuable about doing something that you love and that you’re passionate about and that you have like energy and all that for it’s almost sometimes worth more than like what you’re actually like the payout is going to be, but it is a whole different ball game. 

Courtney: It’s a whole different, oh yeah. I definitely feel on the daily like we’re out of our depth. 

Dana: Sometimes. Yeah. Like,

Lindsay: Yes, absolutely. And it was hard. I don’t know if it was, if this was the same for you guys, but it was hard for me because with stationery, with invitations or even, you know, with, with your venue, Like, you’re selling a service. So like they need invitations. And of course, customer service is so much a part of it, but like, you know, they pay the $2,000 or whatever it is, and you sell them stationary. But with education, it’s like, there’s so much that we can just give, give, give, and serve. And for me, I was having trouble, like I just wanted to serve and help, but I was like, okay, wait a minute. I, I also have courses to sell and coaching calls, but like it’s harder because it’s not really like a tangible thing you’re selling.

So at least for me, it’s just like my natural reaction is just to be like, let’s jump on a call and figure this out. And then I’m like, oh, wait, I should be charging for that so I could grow this business. You know, I don’t know if you guys feel the same way, but. 

Dana: Absolutely a hundred percent. Well, because I feel like our education kind of came, it was very organic. So it was really, it was like 2018. Like we were consistently being approached by like our friends in the industry. And we have a very friendly industry here. There’s definitely some healthy competition, but for the most part, like if a good planner friend of mine came up and said, hey, like, how do you structure your collective?

Like, I would just go, this is how we do it. Like, no question. I didn’t even think about like that being intellectual property or whatever. And so that’s just how we operated for so long. And then it wasn’t until 2018. We’re like, hey, like we’re being approached a lot. And as much as I want to help everybody and every single person, like, you know, that’s, I’m also super busy, so there has to be some kind of value to it as well.

And, and the question was are people outside of our market requesting this information. Is this something that we can help empower other people, right, to be successful and to grow their teams and, you know, to take that, you know, very scary leap into it. And it kind of evolved from there, but it’s hard to not just convert back to like, oh, I’m just a good old pal. Like, let me just help you out. 

Courtney: We spent hours on these calls, talking to people through like whatever their problem is or situation their businesses, and this is what I would do. And here’s my connection and whatnot and thought nothing of it.

Dana: Yeah. And we, I mean, and we still are like in the middle ground, they’re still like super close friends who call me, let me talk. Let me help you solve this problem for you. 

Lindsay: Absolutely. Absolutely. And I have to keep reminding myself that like money is just a, an exchange of value. And the more money that we have are not necessarily money, but the more we can build our businesses, the more good we can do in the industry too. So like if I just give everything away for free and go broke and have to go get another J-O-B, which I’m not going to do. I’m not going to go back to corporate, but then I can’t serve, I can’t spend this time serving. So I totally agree. Totally agree. A hundred percent. 

Dana: That’s so true. I love that. I love that, that visual love it because it’s, it is so true. Like it it’s not. And I, and I think for me, I had to get over myself because I was. I guess there’s a touch of imposter syndrome in a way. Like, why is my, like, why is this valuable? Why is this information valuable?

Like, I’m just a normal person. I mean, I don’t like have an MBA. I didn’t go to business school and I know we have a successful business, but like why, why should I expect someone to pay me for my knowledge. And it was really hard to get myself to the point exactly where you are or like where that point is, is that if I continually spend my time over and over and over again, doing something for free, and I’m not building this business, I’m not growing.

I’m, I’m not investing in, you know, in myself in a financial way, then I’m not going to be around to give advice anymore. Like we’re going to, you know, it’s all going to go under. So I love that. 

Lindsay: Yeah, exactly. 

Courtney: So just to like pitch time here, like, what is the Wedding Booking Blueprint?

Lindsay: Exactly. Okay. So the Wedding Booking Blueprint, that is my digital course. And what that is, is it basically is a sales and marketing roadmap for wedding professionals. So it walks you through exactly how I’ve been able to grow this business from 30 K to 300 K. 

The first module is all about creating connections. That’s more about how you’re communicating and your marketing strategy, creating connections with your couple’s kind of warming up the lead. As I mentioned before, that’s module one, and then it goes into generating leads. Then it goes into closing the sale and then delivering exceptional customer service.

So that’s what the Wedding Booking Blueprint is all about. It’s basically a sales and marketing roadmap for wedding pros and basically the exact blueprint of how I built my business. 

Dana: Hmm. I love that. And it is that. So let’s, let’s kind of go back when you were talking about this bridal show, like warming up the lead. Like, I love that. Cause I think it’s really innovative. Is that something that you talk about in that wedding booking blueprint? Maybe not solely for bridal show, but for leads coming in, in general?

Lindsay: Absolutely. So that is basically the cornerstone of how I’ve been able to grow the business because when you warm up the lead, the sale gets easier to close and quicker to close and your close rate gets higher. So basically I can’t stress this enough, creating connection is the single most powerful way to warm up the lead and basically book more weddings or more services, whatever you offer.

And here’s why, because people connect with people, they don’t necessarily connect with products. So if people connect with you, if they trust you and they like you, that lead is warm and easier to close. And there’s two kinds of components of that creating connection is number one, and then communicating your value and how it solves their problem is number two.

If they know you and they can see how valuable you are, then they use these two things to compare you to the competition, or, you know, the alternative and not necessarily your pricing. So it eliminates, you know, ghosting, it makes the sale easier to close. So absolutely a hundred percent. The wedding booking blueprint goes over all of this, too, but just as a general, just create connections, communicate your value. Two main things that you should focus on. 

Dana: Yeah, I love that. And it’s so true. So we just hired a couple of planners for our planning business and prior to hiring them me and Courtney took over the sales. Cause we’re like, we’re going to book out as much as we can. so when they, we bring them on that, it’s not just like starting from scratch.

They have like weddings and we can actually justify their salary and all that stuff. And I’m in the middle of it. And it’s like our intake form. It was just outdated is honestly what it was. But our intake form was like, what’s your expectation for event management? It had a price and then, and then you replied and you got like an investment guide which had a different price, which was more expensive.

And then I had a phone call and I sent a proposal, which was a different price, which is more expensive. And I was like, what are we doing? I was like, we have lost their trust in this process because I’ve told them one number and then a different number and then a different number. And, you know, we were still booking all right. But it was as like this rate could be so much higher if we continue to not only communicate what we’re worth, but also to build that trust that we’re not just like taking them for a ride here, like we’re not giving, they’re not, we’re not selling falsely. 

Cause that’s what I felt like. I was like, it was slightly embarrassing too. So then a lot of these people would bring it up and be like, hey, like, why is this so different? And I’d be like, hey, let me throw this in for ya. Because I you’re, you’re absolutely right. It’s not right. 

Lindsay: yeah. 

Courtney: was definitely, it was definitely eye-opening. I recommend anyone that’s like outside of their company, like maybe they’re managing people who are doing what you do, you know, to get in there periodically and like do it and then find those holes. It was very eye-opening for us bag. This is what we’re putting out? This is what we’re doing well, and I think, 

Dana: I mean, to be fair it was what we were putting out five years ago, four years ago, well times have changed. I mean, and, and I’m not saying that there are some processes that still work really well, but you, if you’re not, and I, and I said this to our people, I was like, if we’re not looking at this process every quarter, every six months, every year, like you’re not giving a quality service anymore because you’re just kind of, you’re almost resting on, I don’t know.

Your reputation. We have a good one, which isn’t bad, but I think it’s what makes you stagnant and makes you not grow and eventually start losing those leads and start losing those clients because of it. If you’re not consistently reinventing yourself, so to speak. 

Lindsay: Yes, absolutely. Oh my gosh. So many good points ladies. Absolutely. I try to do this, so I would like to do it more often, but I at least do it once a year. I go through and I make sure cause you’re right. Like things change the cost of things change, especially now the cost of paper and florals and food. I mean, everything’s changing.

So we have to adjust our prices accordingly and it’s so easy to just let like a brochure you’re sending slipped through the cracks. I’ve done that before. I actually got, last week actually, but you know, you just forget to update things and like you said, you have to constantly be just like evaluating and changing. So I think all of us can relate to that. 

Dana: Yeah. So I, I, what I love really just about you in general, it’s just your confidence that you kind of exude here. And, and I, and I really appreciate it. I am a planner at heart. I am. I love. I think through all the things. And I, and I really feel like you showed that like talking about how you spend a year behind the scenes, just kind of getting it in place, like getting all of these ducks in a row so you’re ready to just jump on it, which I think is awesome and amazing. 

But there are a lot of people that are really nervous and they starting the business, not. They can’t put forth a great product because they don’t know how to sell it. So how did you go from, and maybe you could talk about what you did in corporate America, but how did you go from corporate America to selling yourself essentially and what you can do? And was there any kind of hard conversations you had to have with yourself about that? 

Lindsay: Yeah. Oh, absolutely. So in corporate America, I was a creative director, so no selling, it was all creative, graphic design, things like that. The way I learned to sell it was actually my mom. So my mom was in radio sales her whole life. So she would take us in the car in the eighties and the nineties and go door to door.

There wasn’t like internet or anything. So we would literally be like, all right, kids, we’re going in here. You know, I’m going to buy you a stuffed animal. And I’m going to see if they want to advertise on the radio. And it was all about creating connections, a hundred percent about creating connections.

We’d go in. And my mom would spend a little bit at their store, whether it be like a stuffed animal or sometimes she’d bring them cookies. I remember like stopping at the bakery, our local bakery, and getting like a big thing of cookies. And she’d like drop them off to her clients. So I watched her just create connections with people, our whole lives.

And then when I was transitioning into the bridal shows, she came with me and at that first show, and I swear, the reason I got 12 appointments was, I mean, we, we did the work to warm up lead ahead of time, but really it was just my mom. Like my mom, like connected with people. She knew how to do it. She was like the, the total just pro.

Not even necessarily sales, but just connecting with people. There’s a funny story about like her time and radio she had, so she, she was like the top seller, but she didn’t sound like anyone else. It was like literally going to pick up cookies and dropping it off. And her boss wanted her to attend this like sales and marketing conference.

This was like an eighties and she would go away and attend this conference. And there was another boss. It was like the, the, the two big bosses. One of them wanted all the sales people to attend this conference. And the other one was like, you leave Linda alone, she’s killing that. You let her do exactly what she’s doing.

So to be honest, I really wasn’t. It was just watching my mom sell learning from her. And then the first few appointments I had. So those first 12 appointments at this show, I should preface this by they all like a lot of them did not close because I would go on these appointments and I was like stuttering and sweating and scared.

And I didn’t know how to sell. I was just like so nervous. And finally, I, I was talking to my mom and I was like, you have got to come with me on these appointments. Like I got to figure this out. I just quit my job. I needed to make this happen. None of these are panning out. So my mom came with me, the rest of the appointments and we kind of sold like a mother-daughter team.

And I just sat back and I watched her like connect with people, listen to what they need. And she didn’t know anything about wedding stationery. I mean, nothing, but she knew how to talk to people and connect with people. So I would go, she would come with me to me to maybe like 10 appointments after that. And then it’d be like, okay, I can do this.

And I just slowly started doing it myself. So that’s kind of a non-traditional way to learn sales. But so much of that too, I put in a wedding booking blueprint. I’m like, I learned this from my mom. Here.

Dana: I love that.

Lindsay: So that’s how I learned. 

Dana: That is so awesome, but I think it’s so true. And I love that you’re driving kind of message is creating connections. Cause even like, when we’re talking to our sales team, like that’s the first thing you want to do. So these like, especially for our planning clients, they fill it out this very long questionnaire that I that’s online.

I’m like, I can’t believe half these people fill this out, but it’s really to get a, help us to get to know them a little better. Like, what was your first date? Like what are some of your stressors? And so they’ve literally told you how to sell to them, right. They have told you exactly what they want, what they value and what they’re looking for.

And it is your job to not, to get on that call and to understand that person, as clearly as they have given you the information. And so the first thing you do when you get on a phone call is you’re going to mention how much you love that restaurant that they went their first date on. You know, like connect to them on some level, whether it’s, you know, that’s also your favorite restaurant or you had a great first date there as well, or whatever the case may be, like, make those connections.

They see you not as trying to push a product, but is trying to push a relationship because that’s what you’re buying. You know, you’re not buying just, oh, you’re going to plan my wedding. Oh, you’re going to get married at this venue. It’s where you’re buying hospitality. You know, you’re buying a relationship with somebody who’s going to help make this day perfect. And isn’t that the truth for all sales, right? You’re not pushing just a product, but you’re pushing a relationship. 

Courtney: Yeah.

I totally agree, especially when you’re in that emotional space of like wedding planning, event planning, I feel like the relationship is key. People have to feel good about how, who they’re doing business with. 

Dana: Well, yeah, but I mean, not even just in the, I mean, yes, we’re talking about weddings, 

but I think it’s even heightened in weddings is what I’m saying. 

It is, but I think any person who makes their own money and has to spend a decent chunk of money on something it’s emotional. Because you know, when I think about it, like when I think about, okay, I’m going to buy, I don’t know, like a new couch, right? Like, I, I remember I like went back and forth about this couch. When I think back on it, it was like $900 this couch. And, but I remember all that money that I was using. It was my tip money that I had made that year.

And so all I could think of is every single $150 that I’m putting towards this couch was like a really hard wedding, or it was a well-earned or deserved. I’m like, oh my God, like I got this couch. And every time I see that couch, I think of all those weddings that year that I busted my ass on, and I worked really hard for. Therefore no one’s all to eat on the couch.

The dogs aren’t allowed on the couch. That is my, that is my special couch, but it was emotional. It was emotional because it was my, it was money that I earned, you know, and I worked really hard for. And so I think that that when you, even to now, I joke like, oh, it’s $900. Not a big deal or whatever, but I think any amount of money someone spends with you and your business, it is emotional because it is money that they earned that they brought in, you know?

Yeah. I do think that, yeah. I don’t know. 

Lindsay: So many good points. I love it.

Courtney: I tell them that all the time. I think you talk about like how much you mulled over, like making this couch purchase and, you know, shopping around, sitting on the couch, trying different couches, deciding on this couch or whatnot. I just think it’s odd, or it just strikes me in general that like talking about Dana with this couch and you’ve tried these couches and you’ve shopped around and it’s a big purchase that we, people inquire with us. We send them a little like PDF.

That’s like, hey, here’s who we are. You should love us. And then we have this like 15- or 20-minute consult call with them. And then we’re like, now spend $9,000 with us. And I think about like all of the time and energy and investment I spent and just making maybe a couch purchase. And I don’t know if they make $900 couches anymore, but maybe it’s a $2,000 couch, you know, like at a house sale, and how much I like agonize over that and think about it and make sure it’s perfect. 

But yet we have this expectation that we’re going to meet with these people, and they’re going to talk to us for a few minutes and then they’re going to give us all their money. You know what I mean? And I think when you, when you start thinking about it, like in those terms, you’re like this person could book me or they could book a whole or buy a whole living room set. And that’s what I’m asking them to do, and so if you’re not creating that connection and you’re not making those values for them, and you’re not making this path as to why it makes sense, then it doesn’t make sense.

Lindsay: I, agree so many good points. And that’s the exact reason why you’ll need to warm up the lead, communicate your value ahead of time. You’re so right. I think a lot of us, we go right in for, or I, think a lot of us before we learned how to do this, we would go right in for the sales or we would be disappointed in ourselves when we schedule these appointments and then none of us close. 

I think we’re forgetting about all that relationship building you need to do on the front end. And I love that you guys have that questionnaire because you’re so right there, they’re showing you exactly how to sell to them. And they’re giving you talking points. Like if they say I’m up here in Buffalo, New York.

So if they say they love the Bills, then when I jump on a call, like, it’d be like, how about the playoff game? You know, like these little things are, like their dog’s name. When you email them, you could be like, hey, you know, John, Mary and Chewy, you know, you could like introduce their dog, like there’s little things that you can do.

And then it makes our job more enjoyable too. When you’re working with couples who you have that relationship with, you feel like friends, it just better all around. I can’t, I can’t agree more. 

Dana: Yeah. Like even it’s, to me, it’s one of those things and we kind of part of like our company motto is it’s, you’re not faking the sale to where you can’t commit to that level of involving. You know, throughout the entire process. Like, so for example, like I had a client that was a COVID client, so she was just get very mad at 2020 and her, rescheduled a bunch of times.

And the last reschedule that we had, or second to last, I should say they ended up getting pregnant because they got married, you know, in the pandemic. Just like a quick courthouse or, made their big party later on. And of getting pregnant and their due date was the same day as their new wedding date.

So obviously we had to reschedule again. So, and I love this client. She was super sweet, super kind. She was easy, you know, like she just, she had appropriate expectations. So she was like a dream client. but we always connected. We talked and whenever we went out, like we always had got a glass of wine and we chatted and we had a lot in common while she had she had her baby. And I was like, hey, can I like bring you some dinners? Like, you know, just to, cause I know it’s a lot, you know, I’m a mom. So I totally remember that phase is difficult, whatever. And I didn’t think anything of it cause that’s what I would have done for anyone that I cared about.

Right and I, she was just, it did not matter what happened at our wedding after that. It did not matter if anything ever went wrong. It did not matter because she was just, just that relationships that just fixed anything, you know, and nothing did go wrong at her wedding.

But I knew that if, I had a lot less stress walking into it, cause I knew that. No matter what she was going to trust me and she was going to value my opinion because we have this relationship now where she knows that I care about her. So she knows that whatever decision I make it’s in her best interest.

It’s not, what’s in my best interest because I’ve shown that I can, this relationship that I have with her, you know?

Courtney: Yeah.

Lindsay: That’s spot on. I love that. I love that you have that relationship with her you’re so right. She knows that you have her back no matter how the day went or even like beyond the day. Right? Like, I’m sure, like if you ran into her at the grocery store, you’d give her a hug and right. Like we formed these meaningful connections long after the fact.

And it’s funny, my dad is actually a professor of hospitality and tourism at Niagara university. I know you guys teach a little bit too, right? So you could probably relate to this, but he always said that the product of your business is not what you sell, the product of your business is the story. People tell about you after doing business with you.

So the product of my business, isn’t the invitation. I mean, it is physically, you know, it’s the invitation, but it’s really the story people tell either to other people and a form of referrals or just to themselves, like the story people tell about you in their head. Like, she’s always going to remember that about your data so I just, I love that. 

Dana: Yeah, that’s a wonderful nugget. I love that. Yeah, 

Lindsay: I know. Well, he, daddy, he always tells that story to everybody. I’m like, all right, I’m going to write this down on a post-it note, put it on my computer. 

Courtney: Just so good. Well, I want to end with, what do you think has been the biggest challenge you faced during your entrepreneurship journey? And what’s been the biggest blessing that you’ve had?

Lindsay: Oh, I love this. I love this. Okay. So the biggest challenge, I think, I think it kind of comes hand in hand. I think the biggest challenge is that. When things come up, you alone have to figure out how to solve them. But also when you make these triumphs in your business or the successes you have, they’re almost sweeter because you built them.

So it’s kind of like a flip 22, right? When challenges come up, you’re on your own, especially as a solo preneur, like I got to figure out how to solve this, but when, you know, things go right? You can relish in the fact that, that you did that you created that. And I think just like the freedom to, I think the biggest reward I’ve had growing my business is the freedom to choose.

So the freedom to choose, to take a nap. It’s 20-minute nap in the middle of the day, if I have to, or you know, the freedom to choose swim lessons on a Wednesday afternoon or like the doctor’s appointment, I don’t have to ask anybody for permission. I think that’s been the most rewarding. So, Yeah. 

Courtney: Thanks everyone for gathering us today to talk about the hustle. For our episode with Lindsay, we are drinking a Cosmo. We hope to get a chance to make it this week and cheers to creating meaningful connections. to learn more and connect with Lindsay you can find her on Instagram @mslindsayjwilliams, and you can learn more about her business by visiting lindsayjwilliams.com 

Dana: To learn more about our hustles, you can check us out on the gram at canddevents at thebradfordnc and at hustleandgather. If you’re interested in our speaking training or consulting, please look us up at hustleandgather.com.

Courtney: And if you love this show, we would be more than honored if you left us a rating and review, 

Dana: This podcast is a production of Earfluence. I’m Dana, 

Courtney: and I’m Courtney,

Dana: and we’ll talk to you next time on Hustle and Gather.