How to: Start a Business

If you've come here to get a page long summary from someone who has a Bachelors degree in business, you're looking in the wrong place. I did not major in business, communication, marketing, finance, or even event management. I majored in psychology and criminal justice. As far as majors related to wedding planning, I'm pretty far off. Now don't get me wrong, psychology is definitely useful in every job, but I don't have a background in design or how to own a business or manage finances. With that being said, I do have ambition, drive, and a whole lot of organization. I also took some interior design and visual merchandising classes towards the end of college when I realized I didn't want to pursue a career in the FBI.

When I discovered that I loved wedding planning through an internship I took a chance on, I decided I wanted to start a business of my own. I did have to figure out when I would take that leap, because its a big leap to make. I realized after reading stories from other wedding planners and listening to some damn good advice from the woman in my life who is always right (yeah, you guessed it...my mother), I decided to start the business when my internship ended. Although it was early, and some might think the traditional path would be to find a job at a wedding venue or with a caterer to get more exposure and experience, I knew that no matter when I took the leap, it would be a time consuming process before I had clients full time.

I started with doodles. Doodles of what my company name would be, the logo, the theme, colors, and branding. I was excited about designing my future home office and personalizing office products. Now that I've got a better understanding of what it takes to own a business after-the-fact, I must admit, I was naiive going into it. Of course, studying any of the majors listed above would have been helpful, but what I really need was more thorough and relevant research before leaping. I wish I had found an post like this one, that was real and in Laymen's terms. I wish I could've learned about someone else's mistakes, so I could avoid making the same ones. I wish I could there was a magic genie that told me all the answers about what sites are reliable to register a business with or protect a business name with or if I need a license or to register for a state EIN for taxes. My goal with this article is to clarify some or all of that for you with my story.

The first thing I did was purchase a domain and start a website. I'm glad I did that first, because it definitely gave me a tangible idea of the aesthetic I wanted for my logo and brand. I also designed and purchased business cards from this so I could start reaching people immediately. The next thing I did was register my business as a sole proprietorship with my DBA (doing business as) name-Day Made by Gabriella-to get a federal Employer Identification Number in order to file taxes every year as a business. Trying to figure out how to 'register' my business was and still is the most complicated and confusing part. Thankfully, my mom is married to an attorney and he helped clarify that this business entity was the right one for me, but I still spent hours online, learning about my options and every step I needed to take. I also registered my business name locally as a trade name. I'm planning to move cities within the year so when that happens, I will have to register there as well but if you're just starting out, you have to make sure you register federally and check on your state's website what the requirements are otherwise. (Connecticut doesn't require a state EIN for wedding planners) Personally, I wouldn't use any third party website like LegalZoom or IncFile to register or pay for a DBA but it may work for you if you do your own research. I pay for my own website yearly and email domain monthly through WIX so it is unique to me but if you want to protect your business name as well you must trademark it.

The last and most recent step I've taken to get my business up and running is with social media. I needed to learn how to present my brand in an effective way on all of my accounts. I have an Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook page, and a blog dedicated to Day Made by Gabriella I also mention that I own a wedding planning business on my personal Instagram and LinkedIn accounts. Although I had created the accounts, I didn't know how to turn them into accounts that bring in couples, because after all, that is the whole point. I need to attract the right audience to each of my platforms so that they want to hire me because they see a valuable, knowledgeable, and expert professional that can help them plan and design their event. In order to do this, I reached out to a girl I went to college with your who has marketed herself as someone to reach out to for business, marketing, and social media advice. Check her out on instagram @dontcracktheegg I now have a clearer business plan and resources on how to create a great Instagram feed and interesting stories to watch. I use two free apps called PLANN for my business instagram and PLANOLY for my personal account. They are similar apps that allow you to upload pictures to see how your feed looks prior to posting the pictures. You can schedule your posts based on when your followers are online, add filters, captions, and a strategy to your posts and stories. That means there is a theme to each post, whether it is a flatlay, inspiration, client or personal story, etc. So far, I really like how it works; it is easy to use and makes a huge difference in the overall professionalism and brand of your Instagram.

Keep an eye out on my instagram @daymadebygabriella and my personal account @glaised_donuts I will also be regularly posting on my Facebook page so you know when I post on Instagram and on this blog. In the future, I will be posting tips and tricks related to wedding budget, wedding to dos, stories about every event I produce, vendors in your area, and style/beauty posts. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any requests or questions. I might post the answer here if it is a longer answer or on my Instagram story! If you're interested in my services, email me at gabriella@daymadebygabriella.com so I can plan New England and destination weddings full time!

I hope I informed you about how I went about the complicated process of starting your own business and made your day a little easier because of it.

XO Gabriella