Category: All Podcast Episodes

Support The Wedding Biz by clicking here.

Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment & Zola.

469 TAYLER CUSICK HOLLMAN: Utilizing Artificial Intelligence for Your Marketing Strategy

1x

0:00

...

469 TAYLER CUSICK HOLLMAN: Utilizing Artificial Intelligence for Your Marketing Strategy

Website
Video Link
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Get ready to welcome Tayler Cusick Hollman, marketing consultant, small business builder, and founder of Enji. Taking what she has learned over nearly a decade of helping small businesses with marketing to design and build a suite of online marketing tools that fits your lifestyle and makes sense for you, she joins Andy today to talk about the rise of artificial intelligence and how wedding planners can use it to their advantage!

She delves into how artificial intelligence is starting to change the game when it comes to marketing our wedding businesses, and she talks us through some practical first steps we can take to build an effective marketing strategy as small business owners with limited time and resources. Andy and Tayler also dive into how AI tools like ChatGPT can specifically help us in three main ways, and even though these tools are very helpful, Tayler reminds us that we still need to review and edit any AI-generated content to ensure it meets our standards. It isn’t foolproof – at least not yet.

Ultimately, the most important takeaway here is that while AI offers opportunities to simplify tasks, couples still want to work with human experts who provide that personalized touch. With a sensible approach, AI tools can complement without replacing our services.

This was such a thought-provoking and insightful conversation for Andy, and he really enjoyed talking with Tayler about both the pros and cons of adopting artificial intelligence. If you enjoy this conversation, please share it with colleagues. We suggest you subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss a new episode and to leave a top review. That really helps people find the show!

This episode is sponsored by Zola, the fastest-growing wedding platform that connects today’s couples with the right planners and vendors. Zola gives wedding professionals more control, better exposure, and higher quality leads – all with competitive pricing and no annual commitment. Create your free listing at www.zola.com/andy.

Have you heard about Stop and Smell the Roses with Preston Bailey on The Wedding Biz Network? Listen as Preston shares the secrets, tools, and technologies behind his extraordinary ability to create a theatrical environment out of any space. Also, don’t forget about Sean Low’s podcast The Business of Being Creative, where Sean discusses the power of being niched, pricing strategies, metrics of success, and so much more. You can find both shows on The Wedding Biz Network.

SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ

Become a patron and support Andy and the show! If you are so inspired, contribute!

Time Stamps

[0:00] – The sponsor of this episode is Zola.

[0:20] – Have you, the listener, tried using any AI technology?

[1:27] – We learn that today’s guest is Tayler Cusick Hollman of Enji.

[3:04] – Tayler recommends adopting a narrow and realistic marketing strategy.

[6:33] – A solid marketing strategy involves setting goals and understanding your customer.

[9:09] – Tayler argues that creating an effective avatar is key to crafting the right message.

[11:24] – Tayler offers a basic definition of AI.

[16:07] – How can wedding pros use AI to support marketing efforts?

[20:53] – Hear about how Andy experimented with an AI chatbot and what he discovered.

[23:12] – Learn why businesses should never just copy and paste AI generated content.

[27:09] – How will AI come to affect what couples expect?

[30:03] – Tayler gives her opinion on SEO.

[34:51] – Engineers are being paid to assess what the most effective AI prompts are.

[37:08] – Tayler enthusiastically encourages us to reach out to her.

[38:03] – Andy reminds us where we can find Tayler and Enji online.

Find Enji:

Follow The Wedding Biz on Social:

Support The Wedding Biz by clicking here.

Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment & Zola.

468 TODD FISCUS: Pillars of Production

1x

0:00

...

468 TODD FISCUS: Pillars of Production

Todd Events – Website
Todd Events – Instagram Page
Pillars of Production – Website
Pillars of Production – Instagram Page

Andy is excited to bring to you his engaging conversation with Todd Fiscus, event designer and founder of Todd Events. Todd has a very impressive client roster, and also plans and designs events for noteworthy professional athletes and civic organizations. In this conversation, he discusses his background growing up loving to redecorate spaces as well as his various career pivots including considering becoming a chef before finding his passion for event design. He explains that his goal is to create events that reflect the spirit and tastes of his clients rather than imposing his own style.

Todd also talks about a new course he has created called Pillars of Production which is aimed at event producers, planners, and rental companies. Pillars of Production covers a range of topics from human resources, risk management, financial management, tenting, and production languages. The goal is to help new and current industry professionals avoid some of the pitfalls that Todd himself experienced when he first started out. He aims to leverage his expertise to provide best practices on standardizing operations in the industry.

He also stresses the importance of competency with the various creative partners involved in event production, like lighting and sound technicians. Todd acknowledges that fear and uncertainty come with being an entrepreneur, and he hopes that his course will help transfer knowledge and boost the professionalism of the industry so that useful skills and information are not lost when it comes time for great designers and planners to retire.

This was such an exciting, insightful interview for Andy, and he really hopes that you enjoy listening to it! If you do, then he asks that you please share this episode with at least three people you know who might also enjoy it. It would be great if you were to also subscribe to the podcast if you aren’t already so that you never miss a new episode and to leave a top review wherever you listen. That really helps people find the show!

This episode is sponsored by Zola, the fastest-growing wedding platform that connects today’s couples with the right planners and vendors. Zola gives wedding professionals more control, better exposure, and higher quality leads – all with competitive pricing and no annual commitment. Create your free listing at www.zola.com/andy.

Have you heard about Stop and Smell the Roses with Preston Bailey on The Wedding Biz Network? Listen as Preston shares the secrets, tools, and technologies behind his extraordinary ability to create a theatrical environment out of any space. Also, don’t forget about Sean Low’s podcast The Business of Being Creative, where Sean discusses the power of being niched, pricing strategies, metrics of success, and so much more. You can find both shows on The Wedding Biz Network.

SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ

Become a patron and support Andy and the show! If you are so inspired, contribute!

Time Stamps

[0:00] – The sponsor of this episode is Zola.

[1:48] – Andy is excited to announce today’s guest, Todd Fiscus of Todd Events!

[3:29] – Todd, even as a child, enjoyed decorating and rearranging.

[4:40] – Todd worked in a kitchen at a hotel and quickly realized that it wasn’t his calling.

[6:18] – Hear how a wedding in Dallas inspired Todd.

[7:41] – Todd touches upon an important lesson that he learned in the last three decades.

[8:56] – What makes Todd stand out in a very saturated market?

[11:11] – Learn about Todd’s course Pillars of Production and its primary objectives.

[12:29] – Todd discusses his seven pillars of production.

[16:19] – Company owners need to be able to communicate certain things to clients.

[18:29] – Todd explains how planners don’t always understand the language of power.

[21:33] – Hear about the seventh pillar: financial management.

[23:23] – Learn all about the Enfield Production.

[26:09] – What are some of the best practices that planners and designers should be aware of?

[27:33] – Andy discusses the difficulties of onboarding new hires.

[28:48] – Employees can watch videos and take tests to assess their understanding.

[30:01] – Pillars of Production plans to release new training videos four times per year.

[33:28] – Being an entrepreneur comes with constant fear and uncertainty.

[36:33] – Todd discusses how sustainability has been his greatest challenge.

[39:15] – Andy gives us Todd’s contact info.

Find Todd:

Follow The Wedding Biz on Social:

Support The Wedding Biz by clicking here.

Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment & Zola.

467 JOHN DOLAN/Photographer: “Unpredictability Is What Makes It Memorable”

1x

0:00

...

467 JOHN DOLAN/Photographer: “Unpredictability Is What Makes It Memorable”

John Dolan – The Perfect Imperfect: The Wedding Photographs

Andy is so happy to welcome a first-time guest to the show – John Dolan! John is a professional wedding photographer, and as someone who developed an interest in photography at a very young age, this interview is especially exciting for Andy.

John truly stands out as a pioneer in contemporary wedding photography, having woven a career out of advertising, editorial, and fine art photography. For over three decades, he has redefined the genre by blending the honesty of documentaries and the grace and beauty of fashion photography. John’s clients include magazine art directors and editors as well as celebrities such as Jerry Seinfeld, Ben Stiller, Kate Bosworth, Bridget Moynahan, Will Smith, Rosanne Cash, and Gwyneth Paltrow, so he has quite the reputation behind his name!

You will definitely want to listen to John’s story as he shares what makes him stand out as a wedding photographer, including the surprising fact that he has only ever done photography as a profession. He also explains how photographing is, for him, a way of collecting, how and why he thinks of weddings as plays, and how he goes about establishing trust between himself and prospective clients.

He also weighs in on the film vs. digital debate, explaining that he brings lots of cameras to a wedding and intuitively uses a hybrid of both film and digital based on the lighting situation. With John also being the author of the book The Perfect Imperfect: The Wedding Photographs, we also learn about what inspired him to write the book and what went into publishing it, and he closes up by offering some incredibly insightful tips and advice, including his belief that the most important person for a wedding photographer to please at a wedding is yourself.

This interview has been a true pleasure for Andy, and he really hopes that you enjoy listening to his conversation with John Dolan as much as he enjoyed having it. If so, then please be sure to share this episode with at least three people you know who might also enjoy it. It would be great if you were to also subscribe to the podcast if you aren’t already so that you never miss a new episode and to leave a top review wherever you listen. That really helps out Andy and the show!

This episode is sponsored by Zola, the fastest-growing wedding platform that connects today’s couples with the right planners and vendors. Zola gives wedding professionals more control, better exposure, and higher quality leads – all with competitive pricing and no annual commitment. Create your free listing at www.zola.com/andy.

Have you heard about Stop and Smell the Roses with Preston Bailey on The Wedding Biz Network? Listen as Preston shares the secrets, tools, and technologies behind his extraordinary ability to create a theatrical environment out of any space. Also, don’t forget about Sean Low’s podcast The Business of Being Creative, where Sean discusses the power of being niched, pricing strategies, metrics of success, and so much more. You can find both shows on The Wedding Biz Network.

SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ

Become a patron and support Andy and the show! If you are so inspired, contribute!

Time Stamps

[0:00] – The sponsor of this episode is Zola.

[1:39] – We learn that today’s guest is wedding photographer John Dolan.

[2:35] – Photography has always been John’s only job, and he shares what drew him to it.

[4:06] – John gives insight into what he means in his book by, “Unpredictability is what makes it memorable.”

[5:42] – A wedding photographer is, in a sense, a live performer.

[7:33] – Learn about John’s standard process.

[8:46] – John shares what makes his business model seem counterintuitive.

[11:19] – John incorporates both film and digital.

[12:27] – How does John approach lighting, composition, and style?

[13:47] – John addresses some of his biggest challenges and how he overcame them.

[17:03] – Hear about how John approaches celebrity events differently.

[19:04] – People who hire John usually expect him to be understated without much intervention.

[20:51] – Photographers have to be able to adapt to unexpected weather problems.

[22:36] – Does John feel more pressure when he knows that his work will be published?

[23:40] – What does John still struggle with?

[26:22] – John explains what compelled John to write his book.

[28:11] – John argues that weddings aren’t just about the couple getting married.

[30:40] – There is a difference between how younger and older people approach weddings.

[32:17] – We are treated to some tips and advice from John.

[33:32] – John discloses what gear he currently uses.

[34:32] – Andy gives us John’s contact information.

LINKS & RESOURCES

Find John:

John’s Website
John’s Instagram Page

Follow The Wedding Biz on Social:

Support The Wedding Biz by clicking here.

Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment & Zola.

466 REVISIT RACHEL BIRTHISTLE: The Lake Como Wedding Planner and Creating a Wedding with Contrasting Events

1x

0:00

...

466 REVISIT RACHEL BIRTHISTLE: The Lake Como Wedding Planner and Creating a Wedding with Contrasting Events