Podcasts

Top 10 Tips for New Celebrants Top 10 Tips Podcast

Josh Withers and Sarah Aird

1. Build relationships & networks

• know what's going on & get help with what you need
• build relationships with people at the event
• include contacts from all parts of the celebrancy industry (florists, photographers, videographers, venues, event planners, stylers)
• go to Expos, industry events, 
• happy suppliers make happy occasions and a better outcome for the family

2. Find a buddy/mentor

• ask questions & get advice
• referrals
• feedback on performance
• confirm processes

3. Know the legislation and guidelines thoroughly

• Guidelines on Marriage Act are critically important
• Printed copy of guidelines - highlighted & tabbed
• Quick link on home page of web browser
• Refer back to the guidelines often for confirmation - check for yourself and make sure you're up to date. Don't rely on others,

4. Watch as many ceremonies as possible

• gather ideas and find what works in different situations
• keep up to date with trends and different preferences
• ceremony logistics (where to stand, where to put your script, how to set up AV, how to get attention, what to do with interruptions, how to overcome unexpected issues etc)

5. Establish sound business practices

• budget for costs
• how to pay /issue invoice
• advertising - use experts where it is matters e.g. SEO, adwords
• contracting
• current practices
• when and where to seek advice
• tax
• keep records

6. Discover own point of difference & keep it up to date as needs & preference changes

• what makes you different - what's your process? how do you do things etc, being present - emotionally and physically
• what matters to people today
• what can help people choose you
• how can you communicate this with potential customers
• pull out key words used in customer reviews - these indicate what matters to people & what you can use to shape your POD

7. Earn your fee

• How to set a fee?
• how much does it cost to run your business (business expense calculator)
• include explicit & implicit costs, super, tax, GST, etc add 
• calculate how much of living expenses need to be covered by celebrancy
• how many ceremonies can I realistically do per year?
• expenses/# ceremonies = minimum charge
• Sarah's calculation at the beginning of her career she needed .6 FTE (100 weddings, 10 funerals, 6 CPD events) per year to cover 1/2 her living expenses 
• Keep improving your expertise and service
• what do others do? what can I incorporate and what should I leave behind?
• what other skills outside the industry would be useful?

8 - Learn from other industries - business-wise and ceremony-wise. 

• earn voice tips from other public speakers and even podcast hosts
• listen to how other people share stories (The Moth) - light and shade, nuance etc

 9 - Attend OPD in person! (not distance) 

• Ongoing professional development 
•  it's good to meet other celebrants and learn from them

10 - PA System / tech gear. 

• Know your gear and learn how to use it properly. 
• Make sure everyone can hear you!

 Bonus Tip 11 - Get on top of your accounts.

•  Freshbooks accounting software can help with invoices and clients can pay directly from the invoice you send them