I’m so inspired by these two women…. and don’t be fooled, there are SO many others that I could have highlighted but these two have really caught my eye recently. They are bold, passionate and unwilling to settle for a life filled with “What if’s” and unexplored opportunities.  Kat and Shannon both realized that they had a passion for something other than their full time job and they did something about it. It’s not easy doing something about what you’re passionate about… because there is so much risk involved. How embarrassing would it be if they didn’t receive ANY clients?! What if people made fun of their entrepreneurial adventure instead of supporting it? What if they couldn’t get more than 50 Facebook fans? What if they worked with a client and it didn’t go absolutely perfectly? There are so. many. risks…. and when you’re trying to start a small business, it’s easy to let these fears cripple you. This is why I’m doing this post. I think those of you that have been longing to launch a blog or start a business or begin a new chapter of life all need to hear from people like Shannon, Kat, Molly and Clare. Tune in tomorrow to hear from Molly and Clare and their blogging adventures! Keep reading to hear from Shannon of “Shannon Joy Paperie” and Kat of “Dear Sweetheart Events”!!

It wasn’t long ago that these two KJ Brides (view their weddings HERE and HERE!) were planning their own weddings and slowly discovering that there were parts of the wedding industry that they were falling in love with!! Instead of pushing these passions to the back burner, they decided to start businesses! … And while they would probably say that they have a way to go before feeling like they have “arrived” as a wedding planner and stationary designer, they have SO much to be proud of already! The future is bright for these two and their businesses and I’m so excited for you to hear from them!! Enjoy these interview questions and be sure to leave some encouragement for them as well!!

MEET SHANNON of Shannon Joy Paperie!

1. What happened in your life that triggered your decision to actually create your business?!

Like many who start out in the wedding industry, I fell in love with design and invitations when I set out to create my own wedding stationery back in 2012. It was a lot of work and a lot that I had to teach myself, but I loved the process of creating something that was so “us” out of nothing. I honestly never thought that I’d start a business until a late night conversation with a friend discussing our hopes and dreams for the future. That was the first time I had ever verbalized starting my own stationery business, which seemed so crazy and so far fetched to me. I set out to make that crazy dream happen and a few months later SJP was born!

2. When you were dreaming about what this business could look like, what were your fears (and maybe still are your fears…I realize this is a very personal question! :)!?

You want to talk about the queen of fears, that was me in a nutshell and still is a lot of the time! I never thought that I’d take a leap of faith and start my own business solely because of my fears. I questioned myself a lot – would people take me seriously, was I really ready to launch a business right now, can I sustain this business, do I really know what I’m doing, what if I don’t get any clients, what if I mess up a bride’s invitations, there was an endless list. Fear is what paralyzed me from making any progress at all. I find when I’ve lost some of my passion, those fears come creeping back in. I’ll be honest. It’s hard work, you’ll make mistakes and it’s not always fun. There are parts of my business that I don’t like to do, but are necessary like pricing, expense tracking and printing logistics! But at the end of the day, in order to fight off those fears, you ultimately have to love what you do and daily find your passion. Also, surround yourself with industry friends that encourage you and build you up when you need it most. I have a dear friend in the wedding industry who launched her business around the same time I did and we really lean on each other for encouragement.

3. What advice would you give a new entrepreneur about creating a brand/identity for their new business?

One of my biggest problems as I was coming up with my brand and my collateral pieces was simply just starting the process. I stalled for longer than I should have because I wanted to have everything figured out before really nailing down my brand. Perfectionist anyone?? As someone who creates visually and aesthetically pleasing designs and as a marketing major, I put WAY too much pressure on myself to make my brand perfect. I had to quickly change my tune to “done is better than perfect” otherwise I still would be tinkering with it. A big part of those pesky, but necessary first few years as an entrepreneur is figuring out who you are as a small business owner in your industry, who your ideal client is and how you want to differentiate yourself – this is the core of branding, not what your logo and your collateral looks like! On a practical level, I would say do what works within your budget. Whether it’s having a full blown professional brand your company or making something work on your own. Go with simple and timeless over trendy. I seriously could talk about branding all day!

4. What would be one thing you would warn others about when starting their new business?

Comparison – just don’t do it. It’ll rob your joy and passion from why you started your business in the first place. Social media is a fantastic marketing tool especially for the wedding industry, but it can also be that source of comparison. Looking up to more mature businesses in your industry who have already gone through those growing pains can be great for inspiration but don’t beat yourself up because you’re not “there” yet. Also, you have to accept the harsh reality that starting a business can be rough. It’s a lot of hard work and it’ll be a refining process but remember that it’s worth it. Give yourself lots of grace. Those first few years you’ll be figuring out your system, your limitations, finding yourself as a business owner, defining your niche and making lots of mistakes. I’m still in my first year of business and I have to preach this to myself all the time!

5. What is your favorite part of your new small business? What is the most exciting part of what you do?

There are so many exciting things about owning your own business!! The best part to me, are the client relationships that form. I go through lots and lots of correspondence with my brides and by the end I feel like I’m talking to a good friend. I also love the designing process – taking inspiration from a bride and turning it into something that’s uniquely them. Taking a bride through the designing process allows me to get a glimpse into who they are as a person, what they want their marriage to be and to know the things they love. I love being able to weave those things into their wedding stationery. There’s nothing more satisfying than getting an email from a bride with lots of exclamation points and excitement – that says to me that we nailed the design.

MEET KAT of Dear Sweetheart Events!

1. How much time does it take to run your business everyday?

 I work full-time… so this varies a little bit every day!! Luckily I am usually able to send & respond to emails from work, but I’ve had to start dedicating my evenings to other DSE things (timelines, proposals, venue visits, etc.). I’m a perfectionist & because this is something I love SO much, it’s easy for me to let it consumer me. So I’ve tried to find ways to balance my husband, my day job AND DSE. I dedicate certain nights of the week for Matt and I… on those nights I don’t send emails or work with clients… I’m just his wife:) And then I have nights a week that I dedicate to DSE! 

2. What would be one thing you would warn others about when starting their new business? 

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Find a mentor and get the encouragement & knowledge that you need! Being a small business owner can be incredible scary & lonely. When you’re new, sometimes you’re afraid to reach out to more “established” creatives, but you CAN!! I was able to work with SO MANY phenomenal creatives this year, and it was so great to gain friendships with them AND have someone I can turn to when I have questions!! So I would really encourage you to NOT isolate yourself. Don’t feel like you have to learn everything through trial-and-error (though you will definitely have those moments!)! Reach out to the small business owners you admire, attend a mentor session or workshop AND definitely reach out to fellow new small business owners since you are all in this crazy adventure together!!!:) 

3. How did your first client’s find you?! 

Oh, I LOVE this story!!! My first DSE bride saw my wedding on Katelyn’s blog and then saw that I commented on the blog post! She click on my name and when she clicked on it, it led her to my old wedding planning blog. She commented on THAT blog saying she’d love to chat about wedding planning questions.. we started talking, and a few weeks later I launched DSE & she became my first DSE bride!!!:)  

4. What is your favorite part of your new small business? What is the most exciting part of what you do? 

It’s just amazing to think that I’m doing what I love!! Sometimes I have to stop and pinch myself because it’s CRAZY to see my amazing dream becoming a reality!!! Yes, there are moments that are REALLY hard; there are times when I think “why in the world am I doing this?!”; but the moment I sit down with a sweet new bride, or work with amazing vendors on a styled shoot… I realize that all the doubts & fears are SO worth it!!! I LOVE Dear Sweetheart Events and am so passionate about giving brides the best first day of the rest of their life!!!:)

5. What happened in your life that triggered your decision to actually create your business?!

I planned my own wedding:) After helping friends plan their weddings, it took planning my own to realize that this was something I was truly passionate about enough to make into a career. It was so refreshing to work with AMAZING wedding vendors (Katelyn, Amanda + Anna!) who were really encouraging to me & helped motivate me to start my own business!!