How'd You Get Where You Are Now?

I've recently been getting a ton of emails from my sweet readers wondering if I can share my advice on breaking into the industry, starting a blog and.or starting and managing a wedding-related business. Girls who love weddings, chicks who dig decor, people who obsess over the prettiest shade of pink as I do, they all wanna know how I ended up where I am now. And I can't help but reread their messages over and over again until the lines get a little blurry because I am first of all completely honoured and blown away that people look to me for this kind of advice (honestly, I am 100% flattered), and secondly, when I look at "where I am now" and try to define that pinpointed place, all I see is a desk thrown against the wall in a 900 square foot partially packed-up apartment, my pet kitty sitting by my side and more big dreams any person my size could fit in their head. On a daily basis, I feel so little in this big big world.

I didn't wake up one day and say "I'm going to be a wedding blogger and style weddings." Instead I made some risky decisions and instilled a ton of faith in myself to believe that where I am now is essential to getting where I want to be say tomorrow, next month or five years from now. Each day I wake up with a purpose to do something, one thing, any thing, small or large, that'll get me one step closer to where I think I belong. For too long I was after something that didn't feel like me but rather felt like something that was expected; for years I ran in circles living my life like I was the only person in the world waking up each day, without a purpose or plan. Too many times I played the role of people pleaser, only to forget myself. It wasn't until I got over these made up expectations that I was able to focus on me, my pursuit of self fulfillment and was able to start living the life I had imagined as being ideal for me. 

It's not my purpose or goal to be the best blogger, biggest wedding planner or the most savvy stylist in the industry. I didn't start on my journey thinking this would be a way to make great money; if that was the case you'd find me in med school (yeah right). This blog, my business, my goals, purpose and impact on others are incredibly important and meaningful parts of my life that continually motivate me to be better, to keep swimming, to never stop believing that even the loftiest of dreams are capable of morphing from where you are now-ness to where you want to end up in the future. And that's precisely how you get to where you're going regardless of the past.

What I do know is I believe in hard work, sacrifices, and trusting your instincts and heart. I believe in creating goals, big goals, goals that other's would scoff at but goals that make you feel like like your on top of the world (which is one of the reasons I've never shared my goals with anyone. They are so delicate and near to my heart). I'm still so new to this journey and day by day learn how to go about things the best way possible, but this is my crazy, beautiful life and when I look around at my "now", pet kitty, small apartment and all, I can't help but feel completely at peace with my life. And for that I am one exponentially grateful and entirely happy chick.

Above photo of the sky. On our wedding day immediately after our indoor ceremony. Thanks to the fabulous Amanda Wilcher.

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Why Branding Is Important

First off, let me start by stating that I am by no means an expert or a professional when it comes to marketing, business solutions and branding. I have however learned a few things along my short yet busy little journey, about what it means to build a professional business that represents you, your goals and your product. Here are a few of my thoughts that I am happy to share with all of you.

{Establish Your Brand} This is the single most important thing, in my opinion to attracting your desired clients, staying in business and keeping both you and your clients happy. If you don't know what you're selling, promoting or doing and what type of person you are selling, promoting and doing these things for, then how do you expect the perfect client to approach you much less lock in your services? Pinpoint your brand and establish what it means. For example my own branding (which isn't perfect) includes the following:

My logo. Which can be viewed above and to the right and which consists of my business name Hey Gorgeous, Events by Rhiannon Nicole. It includes everything I have deemed important at this stage in the game: my business name (Hey Gorgeous), the type of work I do (events), and who I am (Rhiannon Nicole). I've selected a clean simplistic font that you don't typically see and I made sure to add in feminine flourishes to represent my style which undoubtedly includes lots of pink, lots of soft touches and of course lots of femininity. 

My website. Which content wise, is static. And changes when I have new and relevant content to add (i.e. photos of a recent project or wedding, a change of location, a new about me photo). While I do try and keep my blog as professional and streamlined as possible, my website is a way for people to get everything they need to know about me and my business all in one place. For clients it's an expectation and a place for them to get a feel for what I am about, and what I am capable of. I once read on JStar's blog that "Your website is your handshake and your blog is your voice." That alone as guided me into maintaning both features of my brand into what they are today; a site that is professional yet reflective of my personality and a blog that's fun, unique and all sorts of inspirational. 

My blog. I've said it before, but hands down, my blog is the most important tool in helping me solidify and build my brand. It too, flows consistently with the above mentioned components of my brand (in terms of design and content) and above all else, provides people with an experience when they visit. I don't want people to visit Hey Gorg just to scroll through and exit the page within ten seconds (unless of course you're a hot pink gerbera daisy loving gal, then we may not be the right fit) but instead I want people to visit my blog and get me, and get my brand and feel as if they've not only connected with my work, but that they've experienced a connection with the things I've wrote, the things I've shared, the inspiration I've provided and most importantly with me and my personality. My blog to me isn't just a place to dump pretty weddings but rather it's a place to further enrich the Hey Gorgeous experience.

{Stick To Your Brand} And try not to deviate too far from it. My personal branding represents muted pastels, soft lighting and modern vintage touches so naturally I try to feature weddings and photographs that fall under this umbrella. If you head over to the Ruffled blog, chances are you'll find vintage themed wedding inspiration because that is after all, the type of reader they cater to. Same holds true, for budget wedding blogs. Imagine heading to a budget wedding blog to find only expensive products and vendors that by no mean fit with their brand? Chances are you're less likely to go back to said blog because they surely aren't sticking to their brand and it only leaves you disappointed and confused. Stick to your brand, and your clients.readers will in turn stick with you.

{Stick To Your Guns} This is a toughie but is so crucial to building a strong business whether or not your business is directly correlated with your blog. Once you've established your brand and have done a great job of building upon that foundation, you need to keep your brand in mind and do your best to adhere to it even when people try to steer you off path. An example? The other day I found an incredible wedding that the photographer was excited to feature on Hey Gorg. Once they sent over the photos to me, they asked if I could add their logo and.or watermark to the collages I'd be creating. I have a no watermark policy on the blog (like most wedding blogs do) and I kindly told them that if I allowed them to submit watermarked pictures surely future photographers would except the same sort of treatment and with that, I'd continually have to make exceptions resulting in a jarring, messy looking space of watermarked submissions. After a few emails back and forth it was decided that my brand and her beliefs weren't the best fit for a partnership and with that I lost the wedding, she lost the feature. While I was bummed about missing out on the wedding, I couldn't imagine not sticking to my guns and allowing her submission to be the exception to my guidelines for making the Hey Gorg experience enjoyable for my readers. Imagine emailing Style Me Pretty's Abby Larson and asking her to watermark all of your photos for your upcoming cover feature? It properly wouldn't fly. Stick to your guns and people will take you and your business seriously.

What are your thought on branding your business and blog?

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