As you all know I have a guest blogger each Wednesday and as and when I can I post extra blogs. Normally our guest blog posts are about the company and product(s) they offer, which I hope are useful to you either for inspiration for your big event or as just the contact you were needing and hadn't quite found. Our guest blogger today, Kelly from Tantrums and Tiaras, gives an insight into the emotional side of working in the wedding industry which I think will help and inspire others in the business but will also be of value to anyone in any business and from any walk of life.
When asked to write a blog post it’s always hard to know what to say. Do you tell the readers about yourself and why you do what you do and how marvellous you are or do you tell everyone about your numerous award nominations this year or your products and how fab and sparkly they are? I could do either however this time around I thought I’d blog in more general terms about some of the highs and lows of the business.
I still work full time whilst running Tantrums and Tiaras and I make every single piece myself by hand. My day job inspires but challenges me on a regular basis. The stakes are high and the games played even higher, there are politics, things to say, things not to say and it’s not hard to imagine how this all fits into the big rat race that is life. That said, on a good day, and there are plenty of them – it is the best job in the world. It is an organisation that focuses very heavily on people and in fact without them there would be no job to do at all. So, why tell you all of this? Well the wedding industry is pretty much the same. It’s an amazing industry to work in but it’s not without its downfalls. I’m particularly lucky as I get to make some pretty lovely pieces and of course, I’m never stuck for something to accessorise an outfit and if I am, I can whip myself something up!
But there is another side and something that those of us that have been around for a while will know and understand. We of course will kind of forget about whilst things are well and busy. The problem is that it is during this time that it can manifest itself and you have no control. I’m one of those people that strive for quality and works really hard to make sure I deliver that. I also offer excellent customer service and my 10 returns in 4 years in fact is testament to that. So what is it that pops up and causes unrest in a normally sparkly world? It’s hard to say exactly and some will be convinced that it’s the high levels of competition or because of the mutterings of others elsewhere and there’s a good chance that this is somewhat true however I think it’s more than that.
If you are in the bridal industry because you love the business and you care about what you do, it makes every knock personal however slight. There are some of course that will never encounter this problem as the end game for them is only ever about making money and having a successful business and as a result are not sighted on how some can be affected. This perceived lack of passion and obvious strive for similar goals is what in my view causes the internal conflict. That said, anyone who says that they’re not in the business to make money would be fibbing. It’s what we all ultimately want but like I’ve already alluded to, it’s not what drives the passion inside. This is why so many of the creative types in the industry can sometimes feel flat and disheartened and it’s a hard storm to weather. Of course, not all people make it.
I guess the point of this blog post is to say if you sometimes feel this way, don’t panic! You’re normal and it’s probably because you genuinely care about what you do. If you do not have knocks in your confidence you do not have the opportunity to use this energy to improve and come back bigger and stronger than ever. My advice on how to deal with this is to focus only on what you do. Do not look at what others do or how well others are doing and certainly do not read more into what people are or are not saying. And if that sounds too much just remember to keep calm and sparkle!
Many thanks to Kelly for a lovely and inspiring post. I have taken some images from Kelly's website so that you can all see some of her beautiful work, and I recommend that you visit the website to view more work from this very talented lady! You can also find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter .
Life and the people we come into contact with will| throw us the occasional curveball and sometimes we all have 'blue' or 'down' days that can sap our energy or knock our confidence. It is largely how we deal with these events that help to shape us and help us to understand ourselves and others. Being successful in life doesn't always mean earning the most money. To me it is being able to live the life I want and being able to help others.
When I took voluntary redundancy last September there was a small part of me inside which felt a little miffed that I was no longer required, even though it was my choice. This is I think a fairly normal and typical reaction as we all want to feel that we're indispensable! I had already decided that rather than fret and worry that I was going to use this opportunity to concentrate full time on my business and really make a go of it. I have been fortunate enough to have come into contact with some lovely people who have given advice and words of encouragement that have helped enormously. There is a huge amount of competition out there but I think that this is a healthy thing, it helps to keep you on your toes and sometimes you may get or give referrals.
