In the movies, wedding planners work in big offices with rooms large enough to stage tabletops and do food tastings. Though this might be true of some wedding planners, many more work out of their homes. They meet with clients and vendors when they need to but much they accomplish most of their work over the phone or via fax and email.
Here are tips on setting up and running a wedding planning business from your home:
1) Designate a specific room or space in your home
It’s ideal to have a separate room set aside for your business. If you cannot spare a room, at least make sure you have a place which is private and quiet.
2) Set up your office
Equipment
Get a computer dedicated to your business with business software such as Microsoft Office and QuickBooks. You should not be sharing your computer with others who may accidentally alter or erase any information or bring in viruses. You also want to be able to keep client information private.
Get a printer that delivers high-quality, professional documents. Get a fax machine for sending and receiving contracts and signed agreements. And you should have high-speed Internet access, either DSL or cable, so you can quickly do research on the web and download large files.
Furniture
Get a desk with a comfortable, ergonomic office chair. A filing cabinet will help you organize your documents and a bookshelf will give you a place keep client binders and reference books.
If you do not have a separate room for an office, get an armoire that is meant to be used for a home office. It will have a place for your computer and printer and allow you to close the doors and keep everything out of the way when you are not working.
3) Get a business phone line with mail voice
Your business should have it’s own phone number and professional voice mail message. Do not have your home phone double as the office phone.
I also do not recommend using a cell phone as your only business line. Cell phone service is not always reliable and should only be used when you want to accept and place calls when you are out of your office.
4) Stick to a schedule
You can set your own hours but create a schedule and stick to it as much as possible, it will help you to be more productive.
5) Get the word out that you are working
Let family members, friends and neighbors know that even though you are at home, you are running a business. Do not allow yourself to be distracted by people who believe you have time to chat or run errands for them because you are home all day.
6) Determine where you will meet with clients
If your home office is separate from the rest of your house, you may consider meeting clients in your home. However, most planners find office space that they can rent for meetings and conferences or they meet their clients at their wedding venue.
7) Make sure you get out and network
You can accomplish a lot from your home office, you can even “meet” potential clients online. But you still will need to get out and network to meet people in person and generate business. The Wedding Book: The Big Book for Your Big Day
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