LA Event Planner, Marley Majcher, shares the dos and don’ts of party planning and how to make money

The-Party-and-Profit-Goddess-Marley-EventBuzz-PodcastPodcast speakers: Savannah McIntosh (Purplepass Marketing Director) and Marley Majcher (The Party and Profit Goddess, event planner, CEO)Jump to the show notes below. 

 

The EventBuzz podcast: Marley Majcher

presented by Purplepass

 


Show Notes

Topic markers:

10:51 - Where to start when planning an event 

14:50 - How to plan a ‘fun’ corporate event 

21:55 - Choosing the food to serve at an event

28:16 - Buffet versus catering an event 

30:52 - Why you shouldn’t use volunteers for events 

33:55 - Advice for entrepreneurs in the event space

 

Links: 

Marley's free mini business course

TheProfitGoddess.com 

Quotes:  

 Tips for providing food at events:

"...I think the biggest misconception is that food needs to be fancy...I cannot say enough that it does not. In fact, my thing always has been do the best that you possibly can for your budget. Meaning if you say hey listen, I've got $10,000 to spend on the catering portion...my philosophy is you know, have the most amazing hot dog bars station that anyone has ever seen in their lives complete with like you know, crispy fried whatever that is, only served on street carts and in whatever Santiago or something, but the point is, do the best, most amazing quality you can without trying to be something that your budget just is not."

 

Volunteers versus outsourcing staff:

"...my recommendation is to cut the budget so that you can have as many people as possible, who really know what they're doing and really can run an event efficiently. And then use the volunteers to cut stuff in the background like maybe, you know centerpieces, or decor, shipping and things like that were they can do instead of having everything delivered and things that aren't quite as time sensitive slash emergencies."

 

Entrepreneurs starting out in the event business: 

"Most of us go into creative businesses or into events or things like this with the goal, because we want to do that thing, right? Whether it's baking cupcakes, or planning parties, or doing flowers, and what you have to have a really honest conversation with yourself is, are you willing to do the other things that every entrepreneur, I don't care if you are, how tiny your company is or how little you make, that every entrepreneur has to do period?"

 

 

Podcast Transcript: Purplepass + Marley Majcher

Savannah (Purplepass):

Welcome back to this week's episode of the EventBuzz podcast presented by Purplepass. Known as the Party and Profit Goddess. Marley Majcher is part of the LA event planning scene. And today's guest Majcher is currently one of the top, if not the top event planners in LA, as well as a small business coach helping owners get the most out of their time investments and messaging. CEO of the Party Goddess, a nationally recognized full-service event planning and catering company. Majcher is best known for her celebrity guests lists and throwing unforgettable parties. With appearances on shows like Fox and Friends, Extra and Dood Day LA, and author of the business guide "But are you making any money?” We're going to have a lot to talk about today. So let's get started. Hey, Marley, thanks for coming on to the show. How are you doing today?

 

Marley (Party Goddess): 

I’m great. How are you? Thanks for having me.

 

Savannah:

Yeah, I'm doing awesome. And I'm so excited to talk to you. You have a really interesting story. And I shared a little bit about it in the intro. But why don't you kick this off by kind of introducing yourself, your story and how you came to be in the event space.

 

Marley: 

That is a very gracious way of putting it that I have a very interesting. That's like what you say on somebody's baby is like really ugly. Like, oh, what an interesting working baby. And so what is okay, so I'll keep it as like streamlined as possible. But the net net is that I went, I got my business degree from Georgetown. And I decided that I needed to marry this chef that I'd interviewed for one of my classes, he was 20 years older. He and I start this restaurant in Pasadena, California, which is my hometown. And, you know, I am so focused, being the good Georgetown girl that I am, I think, on, you know, my goals and hitting my million dollars in sales, and which I do my first year or very first year, which was amazing. And I was getting all kinds of fabulous press about this. And what the bottom line was, though, is that while everything looked amazing on the outside, on the inside, I could not figure out, it took me forever to figure out that it's great to do a million dollars in sales, and it's great to hit your goals. You need to do a million dollars in sales and then not spend $1.2 million. Because they go hand in hand. 

And what I really realized was, hey, listen, it's not how much you make. It's basically how much you keep, you know, it's the money between the wallpaper on the wall. And so many of us forget that and so I the end of the day went on to write a book to solve my own problems called but are you making any money? And it was after a conversation that I had with my dad because by then I had started the Party Goddess and we've done you know now I was like telling him Oh, and we're doing this thing for Britney Spears and we're doing that blah blah blah. He was like, you know, wait a minute, you know better you making any money? Like he was like this all sounds great. Right? And it kind of this was in the days before Instagram but yeah, videos listening can really yeah, it all looks fabulous from the outside everybody event planning life looks perfect. But, the end of the day, like how much money are you taking home and I realized that here I was now you know another company and I still didn't have my numbers as nailed as I should. I still, it was still felt complicated and hard. And I was like how I mean I frickin like I'm trained for this, you know?

And so when I wrote my book, it was totally because I went to know our industry convention and you'd get a free pass. If you taught a class I was like, okay, cool. I'll teach a class for an hour and then like, you know, during the rest of the time, and but there was like standing room only in the class, like because it was all about pricing. And I just couldn't understand I was like, Did you guys not hear my intro? Like, I'm the girl that asked up the pricing Like what? And they're like, No, no, but you're the only one that's answering our questions and like what is wrong with this picture that like people don't help each other in the industry? 

Or don't answer like how you charge or why do you charge or and at first I thought it was just total like they're being arrogant or they're being and then I really realized a big part of it is because a lot of people didn't know how they didn't have a specific way to charge you know, and they weren’t trying to hit a certain margin and so that's a it's a that's a very abbreviated version. 

But after, after I wrote the book then I kind of things sort of well I do the profit goddess now which is consulting. Not just with event planners but with with creatives because I find they have the toughest time with just really nailing these numbers which is not difficult and then you know we of course still run the Party Goddess. 

 

Savannah: 

Oh okay yeah that's amazing. I was gonna ask the I mean I was gonna ask about how you have the title of Profit Goddess as well but you just answered it so. 

 

Marley: 

Well yeah because it's it's always the question it's like well wait, what's the connection? Well, it's like yeah, the connection is the train wreck that was me that needed to hang up the shingle. Oh, yeah, I'm a party planner. And then oh goodness, how do I do that better?

 

Savannah: 

Yeah, exactly. And I really liked when I say interesting I just I loved your website and reading your story I really liked how you presented it and the character you put into it. I enjoyed it.

 

Marley: 

Yeah, and I appreciate that and I'm only giving you a bad time but it's one of those things where you know when you live it it's like sometimes the scars are like still there where you're like yeah don't make that mistake you know and then and what I realized and this is what experience and life teaches you is that you start to become a little bit easier on yourself. You know you start to just realize wait a minute you know there is no such thing as a home run the first time out you know we don't start the first business we start isn't perfect and you know if it were then everybody would have started them you know. So it's kind of you have to take a little bit more in stride I think then than I used to and now I take things much more in stride because you're like okay, you know I'll survive that was dumb but I will survive. 

 

Savannah: 

Yeah, and I think too That's the draw to you you're how you present things how you talk You're so raw and real you're not hiding these you know, like you said in the beginning where everything looks good on the outside but on the inside it wasn't what it should be and now you're talking about it and that's what lacks a lot. Not just in the industry but with people in general like they're afraid to show the imperfections and learn from it. 

 

Marley: 

Right well you know having done it both ways and and for very long long time where you know you like I grew up in a family that's pretty conservative and you know everybody like was educated and worked hard and you know you then become successful and you get married you have you know 2.2 kids and you have a beautiful house and every bill you have is paid on time and and all that. You know which is is awesome. 

But my trajectory was a little bit different because I am like your classic entrepreneur. And you know being an entrepreneur it's a messy business and it isn't like just kind of gliding through corporate America up through the ranks and you just make more and you make more than your house gets bigger and then you know it was messy and it was a lot more like the game of chutes and ladders of like you have a big high look you've got this great amazing client and then you've got a big whoo God wait a minute I forgot that I didn't pay those you know quarterly taxes or whatever it was just because you're now you're juggling so much. And what I realized was that my old life of like everything is perfect you know it's just exhausting I mean. It’s a miracle I didn't end up like strung out on crack or something but it you know. It’s hard to keep that up and and finally when I just was like man for I don't have it in me like I'll leave it to all my neighbors and everybody else who has these perfect lives you know meanwhile like the husband is whatever with the you know, massage therapist. But I'm just gonna I need to just be like you know what, it's a mess over here doing the best I can forgot to pick the kids up from school yesterday will not forget them tomorrow as a result. But I don't you know I got nothing like it is not always perfect.

 

Savannah: 

Yeah, true. That's so true. And I wish people just shared that especially woman I wish woman shared that with other woman that it's okay not to be you know perfectly what people want you to be. 

 

Marley: 

It’s it's ironic because people think, oh, people are gonna think less of you or people are going to what was funny was when I kind of first like you know, you sort of like start with an approach where you're like you know what, this is getting exhausting and you're just gonna let a little bit more of the real you show and what you know now it's all called the story and branding and it's all you know, much more calculated but at the time when my my story just came out of exhaustion of keeping up the facade. And you do realize that it's the complete opposite like people because there are plenty of people that are repelled I'm sure by me like I would never hire her but then the ones that are attracted to the story I have found are like your biggest champions in the whole world. 

You know, I mean, they're like, I love that girl, I would never use another planner, you know, they just they drink the Kool Aid and it's a great fit, but me to get that really strong fit, they’ve got to know who the real you is. And it's very hard to do when you know, you're above reproach, because it just then the rest of you know the other people just go Oh, God, well I’m not that perfect. And it's, it's just too intimidating. 

 

Savannah: 

Yeah. So I want to, let's talk about the Party Goddess. So it's a it's a full service event planning company. you specialize in catering and planning. And specifically from, you know, the beginning to the end conception to completion. And so for everyone listening, which is a lot of people, obviously, in the event space planning events, what would you say is the starting point when it comes to planning an event? I just like to ask this, because I've asked a few different people now and everyone seems to have like a different answer.

 

Marley: 

Well, I feel like I'm cheating a little bit because I was doing my homework for your podcast. And so I was some of your past, I feel like, oh, do I give my answer based on like, that girl was really smart, or should I give my like, what it really would be? 

 

Savannah: 

Give your answer.

 

Marley: 

So what I always say to people is that, like, what's your goal? You know, and this is going to sound like I'm copying the girl who had oh, I forgot what it was called the planning company that she was doing strategy. stuff. 

 

Savannah: 

Oh, Heather Mason. 

 

Marley: 

Yes, yes. 

 

Savannah: 

She was awesome. I loved talking to her.

 

Marley: 

She was she was awesome. And she was terrific. And, and I and it's interesting, I basically I'm just reinforcing what she said, although my verbiage is a little different is you know, she talks about starting with these, these, you know, key pillars and like asking yourself these these key questions. 

And mine, I agree. 100%, if I say it differently, which is I say like, what's your goal? And when I say What's your goal, people are like, well, this isn't a corporate event, you know, I'm doing a bla bla, bla, room dinner, my husband's surprise party. And it doesn't matter if it's a corporate event or not. It's still What is your goal? Because we've probably all done all kinds of entertaining. And, you know, sometimes when I entertain, let's pretend I'm just even entertained like on on the, you know, would be the client. And I'm just entertaining. And sometimes I'm entertaining because I am trying to get you know, it's it’s a new business and I'm trying to get some new business out of something, right? Well, that's one, you pick your time for your event, you pick who's gonna go you pick how formal or informal it is, based on that, you know, and then on the opposite side, it's like, post COVID. I feel like oh, my god, I could throw a party and say, come in your pajamas, bring nothing. And we'll order Domino's and everybody would be ecstatic. Because I think we just all want to get together and hang out. But those the type of party and everything that flows from it really does come from, What's your goal? 

And so if my goal is oh my gosh, I just want to see my friends and I don't care. Well, guess what? I don't have to say, Oh, am I going to do centerpieces? Am I going to me? The answer is hell no. Because like, whatever, nobody cares. But if my my goal is to hey, listen, yes, it's gonna be fun. And yes, it's going to be social. But I would like to have this person hire me in the future. It's going to shape up differently. So that's where I started. What? What's the point?

 

Savannah: 

Yeah, that's true. And okay, so you didn't mention you mentioned corporate, and I wanted to ask you about corporate events, because I saw that you also specialize in those. And I just wanted to ask you, because I haven't really talked to anyone yet about corporate planning and whatnot. But for me, when I think of corporate events, I think of business, I think of work. I don't think of fun, you know, in a way, and I get like, maybe the goal not all the time is fun. But how what are some ways that you like suggests or work or like, you know, for corporate events, that people can make them maybe more exciting, more enjoyable, and not so much like, work? 

My brain just thinks of that instantly. 

 

 

Marley: 

Oh, God, yeah, well, a few things. I mean, from the planner perspective, it really, I mean, half the time they're not not half a lot more than half. They're so boring. And so it's like you can't put a silk or make a silk purse out of sow's ear, right? So if the company itself does not know how to freakin have a good time, I mean, I'm not saying that if somebody shows them how to they, they're the main kind of go along with it, but I'm talking about like, they just are not, and then you're gonna have a tough time. 

For with us, unfortunately, now having done it, having done as many events as I have, over the amount of time I have, were just really specific about who our target audiences and who, as a corporate client, we would go after in the first place, right, and that makes a huge difference. 

Because what I have found is while we've done the gamut from like, you know, huge corporations like Pepsi, down to like the small mom and pop thing, our target audience for corporate events, is, if possible, privately held companies, and then if possible, family owned companies. 

And that might sound really random or really like, well, how many of those are there, you would be surprised. And the reason that I like those so much more, is because they, there's more I have found anyway, there's more leeway. First of all, there's there there are fewer decision makers, it seems to be, they if it's a family company, they kind of have ways to like just get stuff done. Like they know, oh, we have to run it by so and so. But whatever, we can just keep moving, you know what I mean? 

They keep moving and, and not lose like their credentials to be on the stock exchange. And, and I find that makes everybody's life easier, or you they can make faster decisions. And not only can they make faster decisions, but they are able to follow through on them more quickly. Like, if you decide at the last minute, and you're like, oh my gosh, I just found this most amazing, you know, mini dragon goat hybrid that will eat doughnuts, and then like spell your name backwards, you know, for a video. They go, okay, great. They can like sign off on it, pay the deposit for it, and run with it. 

Whereas sometimes when you're just taking whatever corporate company comes along, and sometimes we need to do that our businesses, but when you're doing that, sometimes you you just can't stretch that much. But what I find too, is the best way to get people out of their comfort zone is to pitch them, like listen to them as far as part of their intake process, like what the goals are that they want out of, you know, their event, and definitely serve up to them some of those options, right? 

Like, okay, you said you wanted XYZ kind of entertainment? Well, here it is. Because it's obviously important that they know, you heard what they said and that you're not like, I don't care, that's dumb. But what I find is that you then serve up a couple other opportunities that might be out of their comfort zone that are really cool. But to display them with visuals, and preferably to present the proposal, like live to the person doesn't have to necessarily be face to face, but like, at least over a phone call where everybody's looking at the contract or via zoom or something where you can make this pitch come to life. 

Because if people can see themselves and see their company, like if you've painted the picture for them, it doesn't become, it's not as scary, but it is scary if they see like three lines and a $40,000 charge that they're like oh I don't know I don't get it. 

But if you say oh my gosh, let me explain why this is going to be so great. Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla and then all of a sudden people start going oh, that could be really cool. And what I found is they might not go for the most extreme thing, but they will go for something a lot cooler than they would have done and some people just need to be shown like options you know and ideas they just have to know like what's possible and that's our job to bring them the what's possible.

 

Savannah: 

Yeah now I'm curious what do you have a specific event type that you that you like planning the most?

 

Marley: 

I would say you know it's a toss up. I'm hesitating not because I don't want to answer but because I can think of clients on both ends of the spectrum. I probably because we've honed our target target audience so much that I can have fun with both, I would say, maybe a hair I would go towards, you know, a really fabulous social event, not a wedding. 

I mean, like we do weddings, and they're great, but you know, you you're just adding to the drama and all kinds of stuff right? Um, so it takes the fun out of like planning it for our creativity, let's say from my perspective.

 

Savannah: 

Yeah, a wedding would be stressful to me. 

 

Marley: 

Right and so so it might be amazing decor there, you get all those great feels about like she walks down the aisle, and, you know, and you're bringing her the day of her dreams and all that stuff. And that obviously is worth time. That's why we all get into this business. But there are a lot more things that can hamper the perfect you know, plan and if you have a really great and the in the same thing that I would say then next, you know is with corporate. Because there's potentially more on the line. Like I mean, I have had things where, you know, not the highest up executive, but a key executive has had way too much to drink. And you now are like, all of a sudden going, Oh goodness, we are going to somehow get her home while the rest of the you know, C suite group doesn't realize she's not here anymore. 

 

Savannah: 

Now your the babysitter? 

 

Marley: 

Yeah. That's, you know, as a planner, you're the babysitter, the fire marshal, you're everything. And then and so that's why I say just maybe edging ahead is is is a really cool social client. Because if you get the right one, it's it's just magic. I mean, it's like pop rocks, you know, like they're excited, you're excited. They're excited, you know, just kind of feeding off of each other.

 

Savannah: 

Yeah, and you also specialize in catering which I thought was a great added bonus. Do you have any tips when it comes to catering event?

 

Marley: 

Yes, I have many while I started you know, in the in the restaurant business so and I had gone to cooking school in Paris and in Normandy for two summers. Even you know, before I got into my career, and have always cooked and I've grown things and all that stuff. And so I really think that the catering and the food background helps way more even than I thought it would. And because I think then you understand from a caterers point of view. Now by the way, we do events all the time, well, we're not the caterers but we work everything just flows so much more seamlessly when everyone when you really understand how food is right? 

You cannot have 500 souffles magically appear online. And it's just very risky, right? You'd have to have a huge budget and a huge staff and there's a lot of things that can go wrong. But understanding cooking and having a catering background is going to really help as far as like what you pitch your clients or you know if you are in a spot that is notoriously hot with super high humidity, then it goes hey listen, watch the dessert menu you know you're going to pick because that you'll flowtant NAME on is going to collapse in either the humidity or the rain. 

But the I think the biggest misconception is that food needs to be like fancy or she she and I cannot say enough that it does not. In fact, my thing always has been do the best that you possibly can for your budget. Meaning if you say hey listen, I'm going to spend I've got $10,000 to spend on the catering portion.

A lot what I was gonna say most maybe most but people try to go okay I'm going to do we're going to do this salmon or the ribeye choice. And all you're doing then is stressing yourself out because inevitably prices creep up right? It's like there's a little bit more you know the more rentals or more this or that involved in keeping that full layer that salmon hot and stuff like that. And my philosophy is you know, have the most amazing hot dog bars station that you have ever anybody has ever seen in their lives complete with like you know, crispy fried whatever that is, you know only served on street carts and in whatever Santiago or something, but the point is, is do the best, most amazing quality you can without trying to be something that your budget just is not, you know. 

I mean, it's kind of goes to the like champagne or does it beer budget and or champagne plans and beer budget or something like that. But to me, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, sometimes I might have the money to spend and sometimes I might just be like, I freaking and I have done this. I feel like an amazing grilled cheese bar and amazing Bloody Mary bar. 

 

Savannah: 

Like people would love that. 

 

Marley: 

They do. Because here's why. Everybody thinks people want to go out like in that you're going to impress them like, hey, I'm gonna give you the salmon or hey, I'm going to give you this steak, nothing against salmon and steak. But I gotta tell you, when we serve freaking amazing lasagna, or we've done stuff with like tater tots bars. We can't even get peep. We can't like clear the line. Because people are like, Oh, yes, like the last time I had fried chicken and I can't even remember the last time I had fried chicken. And they're having the best time, right? Because it's fun. And they are they're sitting there eating fried chicken because they would never be eating fried chicken at home, you know, or at a restaurant, they would feel totally guilty. They're like, oh my gosh, this looks so good. And yeah, I'll have another biscuit. Right? 

And it's just what tastes really good. And it boils down to you know, knowing your audience, like don't do that with it with a group of vegetarians. But do it with if you know, your crowd would totally enjoy that. Then do that, have the most amazing homemade pretzel bar with like more mustards than anybody even knew existed in the world, you know? And that's when people go, oh, that is so cool. And those are the things that are not the most expensive, like every time like I can, I can't even tell you the last time that the most expensive menus that we've had, people have, like raved about the more they have they've raved about the ones that were just this is really cool. 

 

Savannah: 

Yeah, that's good advice. I I have been to a few events where they've done like a buffet or the the best one was a taco bar, and then they had Bloody Mary station.

That was great because you can decorate it have on do everything you want to do, compared to like other ones, where it's they're serving you this fancy meal, that's the size of like a dime.

 

Marley: 

Well, well, right, or this fancy meal that oh, by the way, they don't have the staff that knows how to really cook very tender chicken for 2 hundred you know, but if somebody is going to be so bold as to have a frickin taco bar and be like we're gonna have a taco bar, they are probably doing really good chicken real and really good. Like slow cooked I don't know black beans with me, it's probably intentional. And they're going to show you that it's simpler food, maybe. But the quality is completely there instead of trying to be like, oh, hi, we're fancy steak people. and it has no flavor.

 

Savannah: 

Yeah, that's a good point. And so do you have any suggestions for when it comes to running, like buffet versus catering style at an event because I know that might be a little bit more messier than you know, serving?

 

Marley: 

Well. So it's same thing, it goes to the point of like, what's your goal, right? So if you're, if you're, if your goal is, hey, listen, I just want to get everybody together after COVID. And I'm going to do it at my house. And you know, they're my closest friends and nobody cares, that affects what you're going to serve, right?

Because nobody really care if people aren't going to be dressed up, they're not going to be trying to juggle something maybe on their laps that they don't want to spill, etc. 

Now, if it goes in the category of hey, it's some business that you want to get later and people are going to be dressed up and oh, by the way, you don't have a seat for everybody, which is perfectly acceptable. You just have to be more mindful about how are people going to eat the food comfortably, how comfortable are they with the people that they're going to be eating the food with? Right? 

And I kind of tend to do I love stations and the reason I say stations versus buffet is because to me, I think a buffet is kind of like you know this this very long, like runway of food and the reason I like stations is because I'm a big planner, in terms of vignettes like I like everything to be like kind of encapsulated. And I think with stations you can do that. You don't have to just have like three buffets that are all the same you know to knock out your X number of people, but you can do stations and even if you had two stations that were you know taco bars so that you know people on one side of the room could get up them and people on the other side could get at them. You can kind of beam them out slightly differently. And it doesn't have to be such the cookie cutter. Here we have a chafing dish, and we have silver spoon of which to serve that. 

So for me, it boils down to more, making sure that, you know, I would rather see people spend less, a little bit less on the food, and great quality. But, and a little bit more on hey, let's get a couple extra staff people like to speak to your point about being messy that, you know, can kind of be around the stations and tidying up and picking up plates and napkins and all that stuff and really keeping things looking fresh. But you have to consider how and where and when you know, people are actually going to be eating.

 

Savannah: 

Since you mentioned like staff, this was just a random thing that I was thought about. For events, I know this also probably depends depends on the type of event. But would you recommend people outsource and hire versus like pulling in volunteers?

 

Marley: 

Oh, hell? I mean, no, no, I have a very strong opinion on this. Okay, there's nothing against volunteers. I mean, volunteers obviously make the world go round and God bless. I'm talking about no good deed going on punished, you know, because here they are donating all their time. And I’m ragging on them. But the thing about and I made this mistake for many, many years is people that always say, oh, no, we have the greatest volunteers, they'll do this, or they'll do that. 

You can't strip out from somebody the innate knowledge that they have that they are not getting paid. They are not getting paid. They are not typically they're not like on the clock, right? This is out of the goodness of their heart. So a little bit goes to you're going to get what you're going to get. Now does that mean that they're going to be sloppy? No. But it does mean that if they want to be in selfies with their friends, they're going to probably go and be in a couple selfies with their friends. 

And that might not be the most opportune time. Also, it might mean that the volunteers gonna have a couple glasses of wine too, that makes it much harder to have workhorses, right. And it also when you have volunteers or just people on the payroll, if you have kind of the natural inclination where some you know, people are a little bit late, or they don't quite do as much as they committed to, you have a much bigger problem because you can't really crack the whip. I mean, how do you crack the whip when when somebody is doing basically a favor doing the charity, a favor to start with, you don't have a lot of leverage. 

So my recommendation is, is to cut the budget so that you can have people as many people as possible, who really know what they're doing and really can run an event efficiently. And then use the volunteers to cut stuff in the background like maybe, you know centerpieces, or decor or you know, shipping and things like that were like, you know, they can go We'll call stuff instead of having everything delivered and things that aren't quite as, as time sensitive slash emergencies.

 

Savannah: 

Yeah. I was an event volunteer for Oktoberfest before so you just described me so I get it. I understand.

 

Marley: 

Like, listen, I'm the most compulsive person ever had an event? But you know, if all of a sudden I'm like, helping out? Well, you know, it's just, yeah say cheese. You don't feel as badly, right? 

 

Savannah: 

No, no. I had a great time. Yeah. Okay. Well, I want to ask one more question. Before I leave you, I just want to jump maybe a little bit away from like, the event space per se and towards entrepreneurs, maybe people that are pursuing the event space or kind of chasing the goals that you were…have any, like advice? Just I'm saying like when you started out? Do you have any advice for when you started out that you wish you knew that you could pass on?

 

Marley: 

100%? And it's we all go into dope. Most of us go into creative businesses or into events or things like this with the goal, because we want to do that thing, right? Whether it's baking cupcakes, or planning parties, or doing flowers, and what you have to have a really honest conversation with yourself is, is are you willing to do the other things that every entrepreneur I don't care if you are, how tiny your company is or how little you make, that every entrepreneur has to do period. Which are things like you know, typing proposals. And you're a creative person you know when all you want to do is like create the flowers but you still have to type the proposal and price them out and get back to people quickly and invoice the clients and because if you don't do that stuff for them in the beginning you know we have to do it and then later you can hire people to do it but if you aren't willing to kind of wear those that left brain right brain series of hats you're gonna have a problem. 

And so many times people think like oh focusing on my numbers and all that stuff is boring or it's well trust me it's a lot better to be slightly bored then like running from your bank and it's just it's not that hard if you set things up in the beginning and one of the things like it for anybody who listens to this that you say like what would I have done this differently? Well, I created this little free series of videos that you can do it like mini.theprofitgoddess.com and you can just check it out and there are these series of little videos that get the business owner or future business owner to drill down on some key things. Which are you know, how do you spend your time because that's what kills most of us there's the spouse like it's all about the money the money the money. And what it really is a huge part is you know, how do you make that money between the wallpaper and the wall and you cannot do it if you are not really religiously tracking your time so I touch on how to do that. And so some of those key things are you know, just tracking your time and just having this framework for your numbers so that it's no big deal you just do it in the background and then guess what you can be creative and you can do all the stuff you love. But you cannot do that after the fact if you haven't set things up properly to start with. There’s just no way around it you can't you just can't run forever you'll run yourself into the ground.

 

Savannah: 

Okay if you send me the that link to what we were saying I will happily share that in the show notes. Attach that so people can jump over to that that sounds extremely helpful. 

 

Marley: 

Thank you Yeah, it's good because it it it's coming from my mouth of the girl who has done it exactly wrong like and wrong over and over and over again and so it's like you know typically people really see themselves in it and they go like I probably shouldn’t be doing that. And the idea is just like oh my gosh, just don't do this. Whatever it is just don't do this. And it I don't know just kind of frees you a little bit so that you don't feel so stupid. Like am I the only one in the old world who would do that?

 

Savannah: 

Yeah, exactly. At least you made the mistakes for us so now we can figure it out, so thank you. 

 

Marley: 

They’re expensive ones that the whole world can learn from. 

 

Savannah: 

Perfect. Well thank you so much for taking the time out to talk to me. I appreciate it. I know you're busy woman.

 

Marley: 

Well thank you for having me. It was great and I will look forward to chatting soon.

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