The opinions expressed by Entrepreneur authors are their very own.
My 26-year-old daughter recently got married. I’ve been to dozens of weddings and I really liked them, but this was my first time organizing a wedding. In the months of planning this week with my wife, I learned seven useful lessons that may apply to business.
We were pondering about a traditional wedding, so we were looking for a wedding venue where we could organize the reception. However, we ran into a problem. Our guest list included about 500 of our closest friends – most of them my daughter’s network of fans, friends, students and others.
Paying $50-$150 per plate in the reception room was out of our budget for so many people. We had a selection: we could narrow down the list or organize the wedding ourselves. We did each.
We reduced the guest list to 300 people, and to still save as much money as possible, we organized the wedding ourselves. My wife was the wedding coordinator and I was her assistant.
What does a DIY wedding appear like? Well, we bought custom stickers and put 400 bride and groom stickers on 400 water bottles. We borrowed vases from friends and had many of our own from previous events. One of our friends is a design hobbyist, so she made dozens of table settings and bouquets from real and artificial flowers. I could go on.
However, the MOST IMPORTANT things in planning this wedding were the lessons I learned:
1. Communication is essential
We had several WhatsApp groups to facilitate communication. We held regular meetings to update status and plan various elements of the wedding. My wife and I were in constant contact. We went to the site, our church, many times to arrange and plan.
Poor communication is one of the biggest obstacles to success. Communication errors and misunderstandings will break your business.
Maybe my wife asked me to “put the vases on the table,” but I didn’t ask which vases. This may result in the unsuitable vases being on the unsuitable tables.
Your company is the same. Communicate Clearly – In fact, when the task is very essential, it is best to overcommunicate.
2. Be clear about the goals you are trying to attain
In the weeks leading as much as the wedding, we kept in mind the key goals we wanted to attain. We knew that the bride and groom needed to get married – that was the most significant thing. Our other goals included good food and a nice atmosphere.
Your company is the same.
Clearly define the goals you should achieve in your business, including the various projects and tasks that are a part of your business. If you are not clear about your goals, it is going to be very difficult to know what success looks like or find out how to achieve success at all.
3. Get help
Although my wife took on most of the wedding planning responsibilities with my support, we’d not have been in a position to plan the wedding ourselves. Friends and family helped us at various stages of the wedding.
One couple helped us for a few weeks leading as much as the wedding. Other friends also offered help on the wedding day and in the weeks leading as much as it.
Running a business is the same. It’s very difficult to serve customers and grow your business if it’s just you. Seek help when building a team and seek help from friends, mentors and even family. You will need assistance in other ways from different people.
Help may take the type of paying a lawyer to allow you to draft the legal contract properly. Help may come in the type of a good business friend who can advise you about a recent worker.
Don’t be afraid to get help starting and growing your business.
4. Who you’re employed with is essential to your success (or failure)
My wife and I were partners in ensuring a successful wedding. We trust each other and attempt to cooperate. It’s similar in business.
For a partnership to achieve success, you want to understand what is essential to your partner. Understand how they convey and their work style.
A partner might be a POWERFUL asset to your business because they might help take the stress off the pondering and actual work that should be done to grow your business. However, the unsuitable partner can harm your business.
5. Prioritization is essential – don’t focus on the smaller issues and don’t focus on the major ones
Setting priorities is essential, especially as the complexity of projects increases. There’s only so much you may do in any given day. Time is up. (*7*), the ability to set priorities is essential. When preparing for the wedding, we needed to consistently prioritize. For example, today we will probably be establishing tables. Tomorrow we’ll arrange the vases. As we got closer to the wedding, we needed to “let go” of some things and limit ourselves to others.
You might want to do this in your organization as well.
What do you have to do TODAY? What can wait until later? What MUST be done this quarter and what might be left for one other day?
When working with others, also understand that YOUR priority is probably not their priority. That’s why it is important to have common goals and understand what’s essential to you, your partner and/or your team.
6. Who are the stakeholders?
For a wedding, we knew there have been several essential people or groups of individuals we wanted to think about. The most significant thing was the bride and groom. The groom’s parents were also essential, so we needed to take their needs and concerns into account. We also needed to think about our church ministry and their wedding concerns and needs.
Your company is the same. You are NEVER alone in your business. There is you, your employees (or team members), your customers, perhaps government agencies, suppliers and others.
Consider the stakeholders who are essential to your organization’s success and think about their needs and concerns.
7. Get advice from others
Our wedding coordination team was crucial to the success of the wedding. This team included my sister, my daughter’s best friend, my wife, my daughter, my daughter’s fiancé, and me!
We met frequently with this team to get their input and help with much of the wedding planning – cake, clothes, accommodation and much more.
You also need advisors in your organization. You can get advice from peers who are part-owners of companies. You can get advice from books and podcasts. You can join a mentoring community. You may also hire a consultant to guide you in certain features of your business.
My daughter’s wedding was a success and now you know why. A wedding is a one-day event. However, it could take years to grow your business and achieve success. You cannot build a successful business alone – you would like guidance, intentional planning and a little luck.