Thank you to my sister Lauren for helping with my logo! |
I'm excited to share that I've relaunched my business, Destination Wedinars! It's been a very long, uphill two-year journey since being selected as a finalist in the NYPL's StartUp! competition (you can read more about that here), but at last I'm in a good place.
I've mentioned briefly throughout my blog about Destination Wedinars but wrote this post as a spotlight so share a self-Q&A here about Destination Wedinars as well as a special, free offer that I'd like my readers to help share:
Q: What exactly is Destination Wedinars?
A: It's an online, webinar-service which consolidates the best resources, tips and advice to help busy brides-to-be plan their own destination weddings.
Q: So you're a wedding planner?
A: No, far from being a wedding planner, I share the information I learned during the nearly 2-year process of planning my own wedding in Puerto Rico in a webinar format. I realized information on destination weddings is scattered and often disorganized. Destination weddings are often treated as an after-thought by most mainstream wedding channels and I wanted to create a top-notch resource for brides who don't necessarily want to spend thousands on a planner, but instead want to be involved hands-on with the planning. I point them directly to the resources they need rather than scouring all over the internet, magazines, books, which is what I did during my planning process.
Q: What has been your greatest challenge in getting your business off the ground?
A: Having a little one at home! I'm her primary caregiver and she doesn't go to daycare so it's been a real struggle to focus on my business. Nia's been weaned for 7 weeks now and has been taking longer naps at last so I've been able to dedicate more time to my business.
Q: What resources have you found helpful for starting your business?
A: Definitely the SIBL (Science Industry and Business Library) in New York City; it's a wealth of information for any entrepreneur and offers lots of free classes and low-cost seminars as well. It's wonderful for networking too. For those not in NYC, it's worth checking out your local library to see what small business resources they have. They might be linked to SCORE too which offers classes on their own as well as free local mentoring throughout the country. I also am a fan of Savor the Success, a network of women business owners. When I was first starting out in Boston, I found Ladies Who Launch a fantastic resource as well - their incubator groups are good for all business owners/aspiring entrepreneurs because they link you with those who are established as well as those still trying to figure out what they want to do. Everyone shares ideas to help everyone else - that community resource is invaluable!
Q: I'm not a bride. Is there another way to support Destination Wedinars?
A: Yes! We all have engaged friends in various stages of planning. For those considering a destination wedding or who may not even know what kind of wedding they want a Destination Wedinar is perfect for helping them make that decision. Please share my website with them as well as show your support by liking Destination Wedinar's Facebook page and following on Twitter.
Q: So what's this about a free offer?
A: To celebrate my relaunch I'm excited to offer 2 FREE webinars "Destination Wedding 101" on Monday, July 16 and Tuesday, July 17 at 10p.m. EST. You can sign-up here and please feel free to share the link with your engaged friends. In the wedinar I'll cover:
- The top reasons for having a destination wedding
- How you can plan your destination wedding on your own with limited time and money
- How to score free stuff for your big day
Are there any other questions you have that I didn't answer? Feel free to ask in the comments.