How to start an event planning business from home

Couple of years before i had my daughter, i entertained the thought of becoming an event planner. I was ready to do something other than nursing, and event planning seemed like the perfect career since i loved planning parties. However when i looked further into the profession, there were a few of things that kept me from pursuing it as a , entry level event planners earned less than i was making as a nurse. And three, most companies, wanted individuals with a bachelor's degree and additional event planning , before you decide event planning isn't for you, i was looking at companies that hired employees. If you want to start your own home-based event planning business, you'll have more flexibility regarding work hours, pay, and what background training and education you training do you need for event planning? To become an event planner, you would obtain a degree from a college or university in meeting and event planning, hospitality, or tourism. Or after earning a bachelor's degree, you would take part in a certification program and become a certified special events professional (csep), or a certified meeting professional (cmp). If you want to launch your own event planning business, a specialized degree or certification is not fact, successful event planner, candice coppola of jubilee events said, “i studied art history, not event planning or event business. I just happened to have a natural affinity to the profession of being a business owner and event planner and constantly sought out to learn as much as i could (which i still do). Successful event planner, jenn sbranti of the hostess with the mostess, went to college and got a bachelor's degree in visual arts — not event planning. Whether you’re designing a website or styling an event, it’s all about color, composition, a smart, functional layout, and – plain and simple – creating some eye candy! Just because you don't need a college degree or certification to run a business, doesn't mean that you shouldn't educate yourself and learn as much as you can about the are some good online resources, guides, and programs to check out:Association for wedding professional international (afwpi). To become an event planner – guide by to become a wedding planner – guide by event planner online certificate wedding planner online certificate school of event association of bridal association of certified professional wedding consultants (acpwc). To the bureau of labor statistics, event planners earn an average of $46,840 per year; but again this is an employee, not a business owner.

Starting an event planning business checklist

Sachs says in the events industry, planners typically charge a fee for their services, plus a percentage of some or all vendor to start your event planning business? Any other home-based business, you will need to educate yourself on best business practices and tools, file all of the appropriate paperwork, and get your legal and financial ducks in a row. Once you step up the preliminary business framework, you can start working on the fun parts of your are many different types of events you can work. While some event planners are generalists and work on a wide-variety of functions, it is easier and more lucrative to choose a specialty. Example: i enjoy being around senior citizens, so i want to focus on retirement parties, elderly milestone birthday parties, and anniversary be competitive as an event planner, you need to have a website. Market your are tons of ways to promote your event planning business; the thing you need to remember is consistency is key. Here are some ways you can market your business:Now that you’ve got your website in place and you’re actively marketing your business, it’s time to connect with potential clients. Invest in your event planning your cash flow builds, you’ll want to reinvest some of it into professional development. Luckily, they are events, tradeshows, webinars, teleconferences, online courses, books, membership sites, mastermind groups, and coaching sessions – there is something to fit every budget and every niche. By investing in yourself and your business, you gain the knowledge, information, and skills to make your event planning business a ng your own event planning business may seem like a far off distant dream – but if you take the first step, you can make it a reality. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with aming right now from your cube or home office about the notion of starting an event planning business? Perhaps you’ve been working in the events and meetings industry for several years and think that now is a good time to figure out how to work for yourself. Or maybe you’ve helped organize a few events in the past and feel that this could be your life’s good reasons to pursue this profession. But anyone who contemplates the fantasy of starting their own event planning business must follow some important steps before you even beginning to talk to event planning skills and ut images/getty long-term success of an event planning business will be based on the experience that the planner brings to his or her clients.

How to start up an event planning business

That means, if you’re thinking about starting an event planning business, you should have a solid grasp as to what an event planner is, and make sure you have some solid skills:​verbal and written communicationsorganization and time managementnegotiation and budget managementcreativity, marketing, public relations and moreit would also be helpful to obtain professional certification in the industry, including cmp designation or involvement in ine your event planning market/, let’s say you’ve been working in corporate meetings for five years and are ready to create a business. A common error many planners make is to say that they are willing to coordinate all kinds of events, including corporate meetings, weddings, fundraising galas and . In time you may handle a full range of events, but initially recognize that there are distinctive differences between corporate, association, nonprofit and social events. Determine your market p a business e you decided on your market, you may be thinking this is a good time to share the news about what you can offer to the world. Like everything else, starting an event planning business requires a business good news is that several resources are available to help. Expert to home business randy duermyer provides some insights about business plan basics and walks you through the process. Small business administration is a good resource that publishes materials about writing business plans as ate which business entity fits best for your that you realize that creating an event planning business should be viewed as a “work in progress,” it’s very important to determine your business structure in the beginning. The most fundamental step is to make sure you decide what type of business entity works best for your plan. For this, it’s important to secure professional are several options available to you, and it’s important to select the type of business organization that best represents your interests. The expert to tax planning william perez outlines the six forms of business organizations recognized within the u. By the irs: sole proprietor, c-corporation, s-corporation, partnership, trust and non-profit business ss insurance is mandatory. Event planning businesses should secure general liability and other forms of insurance to protect the business owner’s interests. Several forms of insurance exist, so it’s best to speak with an insurance advisor to learn all of the r you plan on starting a home-based business or if you will have a small office elsewhere, ask questions about these forms of insurance (but not limited to) as follows:general liabilityproduct liabilityhome-based insuranceworker’s compensationcriminal insurancehealth and other p your network of suppliers and staffing ’s time to try to lighten the burden of business structure for a moment. Event planners work with a variety of suppliers, including caterers, florists, photographers and although you may think that you can handle all tasks, ultimately you are going to need to establish an infrastructure of resources to support your events and overall operations.

This includes staffing resources for administrative, sales, marketing, communications, legal, accounting and other your event planning of you may be disheartened by the reference to “legal” and “accounting. But now it is also a time to think a little deeper and continue pondering what types of event planning services you will recognize that many of you have probably already thought of this, but it’s important to stay focused on your core services. Will you offer full-service planning and execution on behalf of your client for venues, catering, production, speakers, gifts, transportation, lodging and more? An event planning fee services in mind, it’s important to determine your fee structure. Many independent and small event planning firms should be conscious of the various ways to cover their expenses and make a reasonable profit. Most event planners charge based on the following:flat feepercentage of expenseshourly ratepercentage of expenses plus hourly ratecommissionable funding for your most cases, this shouldn’t be step 9, but it’s important to be motivated by the work that your new firm will bring so that you don’t get discouraged when considering the necessary realities. And each business owner will vary how he or she chooses to secure and source such businesses require an operating budget, and it will be important to have access to a comfortable base of cash while establishing the firm. While it is possible to establish a business on limited funds, it is still important to have enough money to start your business and cover any living expenses while waiting to become on business development and marketing for your event your business model in place, an understanding of your services, a sense of how you will charge for your services, now it’s time to begin to develop important business and marketing , now you’re ready to choose the right name for your business and work your business development plan. You will also need to create business cards, stationery, a website, sales collateral, proposals, client agreements and s all event planners should have in their back ation wedding planning tips to deliver that dream business of love: how to become a wedding is a wedding coordinator? Essential guide to planning a lgbtq , it's possible to have a big wedding on a small is wedding planning certification and how to obtain it? Here's what you should every event planner should know about winter you need to know if you want to be an independent wedding , you want to become a wedding planner? You should ask yourself before becoming a wedding to write an event planning business aming right now from your cube or home office about the notion of starting an event planning business? You should ask yourself before becoming a wedding to write an event planning business management ultimate guide on how to start your event planning ra event management software logy and software resources for event planning ultimate guide on how to start your event planning hed april 25th, 2017 morpus in event management often have those moments where we realize what we are doing currently is not what we want to do with the rest of our two years ago, i worked in political journalism, writing about current events and lending my views to editorial columns. So after a period of searching, i discovered capterra, and subsequently, an enjoyment in writing about event management software.

It took time, planning, and unlike starting an event planning to start your event planning same goes for those looking to start their own event planning business. There are steps you have to follow, lessons you must learn, and planning that must be done in order to make your new business idea a reality. Ve composed a nine-step list on how to start your very own event planning business, from ideation to execution. Identify whether your skills are right for event planning requires a very specific personality: one that is outgoing, social, and creative enough to tackle the forever-shifting tasks needed plan a successful you are better suited working behind a desk with little customer engagement, then event planning is not right for you. Finally, if on-the-spot creative thinking is not your strong suit, then your ambitions might be a better fit r, if client-facing work excites you, if teamwork contributes to your happiness, and if a fast-paced work environment fits your pace, managing an event management company might be the perfect business for you. Obtain like any other industry, prior experience is essential to starting a successful event business. If not, then why should someone trust you with their events if you have no professional experience or certifications of your own? Investing your retirement and family time into starting an event planning business, consider the many certification courses out there to prepare you for all of the ins-and-outs of event if you have previous experience organizing events for a company, organization, or local group, it is always best to have some formal certification which solidifies your experience for clients. Not to mention, there is always something new to y, i have already compiled a list of five quality event planning certification classes that will help give you the experience and credibility that you need:1. Special events institute: event planning s and elements events/ courses will help you know what to do when things go right and when things go wrong. Now that you know all there is to know about event planning, it’s time to decide whether you want to do general event planning or select a niche market to target. Identify your target you begin building your event planning business, it is also important to decide on its focus. Some businesses do industry-agnostic event planning, whereas others capture a niche market, such as corporate events or wedding ing to entrepreneur, there are four types of events:Celebrational: these events are festive and exciting. Includes conferences, meetings, ional: these events are a mix of the first two, combining festivities with information.

Examples include product launches, political rallies, fashion orative: finally, these events are formal yet are meant to remember important figures and events with memorial services and civic advice would be to start with a niche and expand outward to other event types, so as not to overextend your resources too soon. General event planning demands more experience, staff, and resources due to the vast differences in these types of example, if white collar events are more suited to your style, then start with educational events. You should build your business, your clients, your resources, and your staff around the needs of white collar event you find yourself on solid ground within your niche with room to expand, then that is the time to do so. Develop your business that you’ve established what your niche will be, it’s time to start laying the foundational work for your event planning business, which includes your business plan. Every business, from walmart to small nonprofits, needs a business plan to guide their decision making process, educate investors and lenders of your intentions, and to keep your business on the right path when times get does every business plan need? According to forbes, every business plan should include a:All this page needs is the prospective name of your business and your contact information so that investors and lenders can reach an introductory paragraph of a blog post or opening scene to a movie, your executive summary is your opportunity to hook your audience and give them a taste of what is to come. You will describe your event planning business, what makes your event planning business different (aka your secret sauce), and why your business will of this as the facebook profile of your business. Your company overview will include your company’s location, name, when it was formed, what type of event planning business it is, and in what legal form (like a limited liability company, s corporation, or sole proprietorship). Surveys and studies conducted by major event planners have conducted plenty of research into this subject. Take the opportunity to further explain your market will you reach out to clients and vendors once your event planning firm is open for business? Go over promotion plans for all outlets, including digital marketing, local press, and traditional e milestone goals, planning ideas, and structural organization in a detailed overview of how your event planning business will operate. Be sure to include job descriptions, salaries, logistics of moving materials and hosting guests, out a list of your team if it has been assembled, including their title, job descriptions, and will you raise money to start off with? Once your event planning business ready to launch, how do you plan to keep consistent revenue? Be sure to include estimates of consumer demand for your services, competitive pricing, and what regular expenses you might have such as catering and asset appendix includes all spreadsheets, flowcharts, schedules, and graphs which explain projected income, current balance sheets, and all other data-driven event business plan is a living document that will be edited many times over; be sure to revisit it when variables and factors change.

Tackle the legal side of your you set up your business plan, focus on the legalities of running a er your event planning business in whatever state you reside in, obtain all necessary business licenses, cover workers compensation insurance for your staff, and general liability insurance is also a ering your business online with state and federal permits do i need for my event or wedding planner business? Types of insurance a small business owner should ’t let legal tedium prevent you from being thorough. Preventing a lawsuit or a government investigation is far cheaper than the fees (often costing more than $50,000) associated with breaking the law, even if you’re missing something as benign as a zoning permit. Obtain startup business plan acts as a proposal tool when approaching investors and lenders, so they will feel more comfortable giving away their money to your business. Since your business will most likely be localized to your area, you should attempt to reach out to friends and family for startup isn’t easy of course, since no one enjoys asking for money from those they know, but be sure to communicate this difficulty to them and assure them it is because you value their input into your future. Just like you would do if pitching your business to a bank, have your business plan ready and make sure you are brushed up on the important details. If they are interested at all, they will have plenty of only do traditional funding options apply for your newly created event management business, but there are also options such as crowdfunding over the internet, which lets anyone become an investor into your company. As stated earlier, since your company will be a localized business (at least at first), if you decide to crowdfund some startup money, make sure you try to spread the word with your local networks rather than appeal to strangers from all you are feeling extra ambitious, there are even those out there that contend you can start your own event planning business with little to no money:7. Develop your resource will need a network of resources to make your events a reality, such as caterers, entertainers, technical experts, technology suppliers, and marketing you organize all of these resources for the events, the vendors will provide the tools necessary. Reach out to friends in the event management industry and check reviews on websites like yelp to find the right vendors to work your funding in place, it’s time to start marketing your event planning business out to potential clients, partners, and vendors. The best place to start is your own media makes this easier than ever, especially with professional networks like linkedin. Likeminded groups exist to connect event planners with other planners, as well as with other vendors and ’t be afraid to market your new event planning business in person, either. Networking events are perfect for making others aware of your services, but just remember that those types of events are built on what you can do for others, not just what they can do for learn more about how to use networking events to boost your event management business, check out “the ultimate guide to fostering relationships at your networking event. Take what you learned from your classes, your networks, and from your market research to plan your first big event.

You got ts of running an event planning ially low overhead you are able to negotiate beneficial contracts with your vendors, you will minimize your need to store resources. However, you may still need some storage space for spare resources for those emergency situations, so be sure to leave some space handy in your basement or for staffing, with the social nature of the internet, we are all able to work from the comfort of our own homes more than ever. Of course this only includes the administrative side of event planning, such as scheduling, with a major portion of the job spent in the field, managing these the situation permits it, running an event planning business out your own home is far more affordable than renting an expensive ng off of the benefit of potential work-from-home scenarios, your event planning business grants you certain flexibilities not offered by other service-based businesses, such as food services or are your own boss in this situation. You set your own hours, you control the hiring and firing, and you choose your should be able to manage all of the logistics from your own home over the internet, making your work schedule far more flexible. This includes hosting meetings with clients and employees over the internet, which can be scheduled at all times of the resources to help your event planning business event management blog on capterra is full of resources, lessons, software reviews, and technology updates all at your fingertips to ensure your event planning business is successful. Check out any of these links for event planning professional development:The top 10 books every event manager should 6 best ted talks for event top 8 conferences event professionals have to 5 worst things organizations are doing to plan and market their my guide helpful? Check out capterra's list of the best event management software event planning morpus is a content writer for capterra, a free resource that matches buyers and sellers of business software. Exhibit companies can help in designing inviting exhibits and display booths for brands, which can enhance the look and appeal of your booth or event to a great extent. Check out our privacy e event management copy of top 20 event management ibe to get monthly updates and this free infographic on the top 20 event management software. Our software expert blogging community, learn more about our editorial guidelines, and propose a topic you'd like to write to start an event planning company with no money and no clients frances you want to quit your job to start your own event planning company (or any other one) but you have no money and no clients, yet. If you don’t have that, then you will need to ensure you have some cash back up to keep yourself going through your start up phase, this will be a minimum of a year – two years, depending on your back up, in whatever form is comes is essential! It’s essential because you will need all the energy and focus to get clients and start earning an an events company, you should be earning a small income within your first year to at least cover some you’ve figured out your back up, quit your job! Makes your company next step is to figure out what your unique selling point (usp) is, what sets you apart from all the other event coordinators. We are willing to go the extra mile for our customers and promise to push ourselves as we create concepts and experiences that are truly one of a kind for the  you have your usp, start using your contacts.

Even when something goes wrong or you have a difficult customer, remember your response is key and will last will tell 4 out of 10 people about a positive experience but 8 out of 10 for a negative you will start to increase the number of customers you have, do your best to keep them. As you start to grow, make sure you have a good financial system, this does not have to be fancy. Keep track of what you are receiving and what you are event planning industry is one that is not heavily reliant on start up equipment – your brain and a piece of paper are all you need to be organised, efficient, and reliable, the main characteristics an organiser should have. Take advantage of this fact, it means your start up capital required is much less and you can pace the growth of your with , collaborate. Moreover, make sure you do what you can and get the most as much as possible for your brand while working with your luck starting up and enjoy the journey!