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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

{Love}

Yep, it's that time of year when you see red and pink puffy hearts around every corner and 3-course meal promotions from all the restaurants.  As a divorcĂ©e and someone who works in the wedding industry, I am often asked if I have adopted a cynical view on the institution of marriage.  While the answer to this can be somewhat complicated (perhaps one I will delve into in future posts), the simple answer is "no."  


Every couple that I assist with their wedding is different.  Some approach their wedding planning in a business-like, functional way while others are emotional and want every detail drenched in symbolism.  In the end, though, I find myself touched by the ceremony of marriage and the commitment that these two people and their families have made together.  


I do not fantasize about what my next wedding will look like, nor do I even have the urge to "settle down" anytime soon, but I do have hope.  In my older and wiser years, I have come to realize that I can not be happy in a relationship until I am completely whole within myself.  Trust me, this took some time with a therapist and a support group to get to this place...it was not easy.  


It's unfortunate that I have some friends that are not as hopeful.  They are desperate to find true love, to end the parade of losers that they somehow keep finding.  Valentine's Day is just another day for me (one that is equated to dollar signs because of all the new engagements), but for many people it is a very sad and lonely day.  Even though I have hope, you will find me on V-day sulking with my other tragically single friends over a bottle (ok, three) of wine.  



Let's end on a happy note.  Hallmark has a campaign running now for Valentine's Day (their most profitable holiday, I would guess) that makes me smile.  It says: "Valentine's Day is not about saying 'I love you,' it is about saying 'I love us.'"  Well said, Hallmark.  

Monday, February 7, 2011

{Starting a Business I} Forecasting

My head hurts just looking at the rubric for the next paper due in my Starting a Business I (entrepreneurship) class.  This part of the project contains the Revenue and Expense Forecast.  It was easy enough for me to figure out what potential revenue flows we might have and what expenses we might have for my business concept, but getting them all down in a spreadsheet is the nightmare.  Luckily, I have a partner that digs this stuff and is taking the lead on managing it...I'm just the data collector and industry expert.

A little background, if you look at the MSE page on my blog, you'll see my inspiration.  The whole point of going to graduate school was to attain a higher level degree (which is something I've wanted to do for most of my life but never really knew what specialty it would be) but also to develop a detailed business plan that I could take with and run as soon as I graduated (or sooner).  Luckily, our first class was Starting a Business I and we jumped right into developing our "opportunities."  This has made my experience thus far very rewarding since all the hard work I'm putting in will directly influence my ultimate career goal of one day owning and operating a fabulously unique eco-chic event venue.

I am very excited to research the "competitors" in my market.  Thanks to Cameron Fox of iEntertainment, a fellow NACE board member, I got a strong list of similar types of event venues in Dallas / Fort Worth to research.  I put "competitors" in quotations because I don't really feel there is a competitor that will be exactly like my idea.  Sure, there are beautifully restored historic venues (where you can't touch the furniture or serve red wine) and venues that make some efforts to be eco-friendly (like by using sustainable hard woods such as bamboo), however, I feel that the flexibility and modern styling of my imaginary event space will make it stand out as truly unique.  One point I would like to make is that anyone making strong eco-efforts to reduce waste should be applauded and not be viewed as a competitor.  Go ahead...copy me!  I intend to model my business after other venues spotted around the country striving to do the exact same thing.  But, I digress...

Financials.  Right.  Now that the Super Bowl is over and all our fellow event professionals can breathe again, I'll continue trying to fill in the blanks of how this whole operation will work and how to make money off of it. If you have any ideas, comment away!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Pages

In order to give some background to the purpose of this blog, I have added a few pages that talk about what it means to me to become a "Master."  I have two primary goals - to earn my Masters degree, which I am currently pursuing through Southern Methodist University's Master of Science in Entrepreneurship program through the Cox School of Business, and to become a Master Bridal Consultant™, a designation given by the Association of Bridal Consultants for those who have shown excellence in the industry and strive to increase recognition to the wedding consultant profession.

The final page is a history of my experience in the special events industry and how I'm currently using my skills...kind of an informal resume/bio page of sorts.  This blog, in whole, is an exercise in training myself to stay active and involved in social media and to hold myself accountable to these goals I will discuss.  On slow news days, or when I'm just feeling kooky, I'm sure to have posts about food, yoga, my dogs, dancing, Funkytown, and other things I find amusing.  Well, let's get on the road...