Episode 117: From Getting Married To Buying & Running The Venue with Amanda Jackson
Imagine that you get married and afterward, your dad comes to you and is thinking about buying the venue you just got married in and wants you to run the show. Adjusting to married life is one thing but throwing a new family business into the mix definitely makes things interesting!
Today’s podcast guest went through that exact situation and has learned so much along the way. The road from bride to venue owner & director is an intense one so get ready to hear what this guest has learned along the way and how you can apply to your business.
Amanda Jackson is the owner and director of The Pick Inn – Weddings + Events, located in Gallatin TN. She handles the day-to-day operations of the venue, as well as oversees all of the events and acts as the lead coordinator on wedding days. Amanda went to school for Interior Design at Tennessee Tech University and worked for a few years in the design industry before getting married in 2014. It was after her own wedding that her family came up with the crazy idea to buy the wedding venue where she got married, and turn it into their own business!
With over 50 weddings under her belt in 2 short years, she has quickly learned the ropes of the wedding industry and learned how to navigate owning a family business. Her venue has won the WeddingWire couple’s choice award 2 years in a row and has been featured on Nashville Bride Guide. In her spare time, she loves crafting, binge-watching Netflix shows, and spending time at home with her husband and their chocolate lab.
In this episode we’ll cover:
- How Amanda and her family wound up buying the venue
- How they dealt with the existing outdated marketing and ancient website
- The ways Amanda maintained referral relationships and informed the local community about the venue
- How Amanda dealt with the mixed reviews the venue already had
- What Amanda changed about the client experience
- How sales is like connecting the dots
- What Amanda did when she needed to clone herself
- How to deal with the fear that someone you hire won’t do as good of a job as you will
- The importance of giving your team ownership
- How to decide who to hire first and how to define roles
- The importance of creating systems and standard operating procedures (SOPs)
- Pricing for peak vs non-peak season
- Whether you should provide pricing on your website or not
Want to make your marketing easier & more effective?
Links & Resources:
Episode 96: How Finding Your Ideal Client Can Take You From Hating To Loving Your Business
What To Do If Your Potential Clients Only Ask About Price
Episode 112: Why Systems Are Sexy & Can Transform Your Wedding Business
Episode 108: Finding More Balance In Business & Life with Heather Vickery
The Wedding Business Collective
Join us for the Instagram Masterclass!
More from Amanda:
Website: www.pickinnevents.com
Instagram: @thepickinn
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThePickInn
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