Consultants

I recently started a series, coming out from time to time called “A Conversation With,” which will feature general conversations with a variety of previous and new guests. Today’s conversation is with Colin Cowie, who has been on the show two previous times: Part 1 was episode #128 and Part 2 was #135. I urge you to check them out as they were both absolutely engaging interviews.

Colin was my first entre into the luxe wedding market, with Kushner Entertainment when he hired myself and one of my bands, SoundConnection, to perform for two of his major wedding clients. Those two experiences, with Colin, taught me the true meaning of luxury and I will forever be grateful to him for such invaluable lessons.

In today’s release, Colin talks about what a typical day is like now, during the Covid-19 pandemic, and what he has learned about himself. He also talks about how his brand is diversified, working in hospitality outside of the event business, having launched a new division of his event planning and design business.

Colin is currently working on his 11th book, which he tells us all about, as well as a television program of which he will give details another time. Colin also talks about how he is staying connected with future clients and how he’s dealing with his team during this difficult time. We also discuss what the event industry will look like, in the future, and his suggestion for couples whose weddings have had to be postponed. Colin addresses how he’ll run his event business, moving forward, and defines what true luxury is all about.

This is not a conversation to be missed!

When you hear a story, does it engage your brain? Listen as Andy and his guest Bill Baker discuss how to use storytelling in your communication to persuade, influence, and inspire people and the importance of making sure that your team, creative partners, and clients are clear on the story of your brand and mission.

Behind every leader, brand, strategy, or idea, there’s a story, and Bill makes these stories real. Listen, as Bill shares his definition of storytelling, how to use it to bring your company’s ideas to life, and how to use storytelling to bring in prospective clients effectively.

What do you need a story to do? Listen as Bill shares why knowing this is important, and some tools that you can use to become a better storyteller. Bill also shares the building blocks of how to put a story together; he relates this to the event industry and talks about how effective this can be with potential clients.

Bill speaks about the difference between reporting information and telling a story, and how pulling a story from your own experience is an effective way to bring an idea to life for a client. He also shares some ways you can use storytelling when giving presentations and suggests some questions a planner can ask a client to get a better feel for what the client wants their guests to feel and say about the event.

Telling a story is what planners do when they produce events, and even though it is part of our everyday lives, Bill sheds fresh light on ways to use it more effectively. You will walk away from this conversation with a new purpose for showing your clients what you envision instead of telling them.

In this stand-alone episode of TNL, Andy and his guest, Sean Low, discuss how the pandemic is affecting the event industry and much more. Sean is the owner of The Business of Being Creative, which focuses on providing practical advice to those in the business of being creative. His client list includes the who’s who of the wedding industry and design community. Sean was on The Wedding Biz in February of 2018, so check out that episode if you haven’t already.

Listen as Sean speaks about the constraints the pandemic is putting on everyone, the issues people in the event industry are struggling with, and how to do a hard reset during this time of forced separation. Sean also shares about a business exercise he does that allows people to redefine their businesses.

Sean believes that at the end of the day, your voice matters. No one needs what you offer; they want it. Your job is to make them need it. It’s not a question of if you are going to use your voice, the question is when are you going to use it. Sean shares a lot of tips and ideas to help you take advantage of this pause in time to do a re-evaluation of your business so that when this is over, you will come out stronger than you were before.

This is a bonus episode to help us all through this difficult time. The interview can benefit everyone though Katie Krimitsos is the creator and host of the Women’s Meditation Network, “the home for guided meditations that are created for the very special journey that we women walk throughout this life. While we are all different and unique, there is an underlying connection and shared experience between us that is so beautiful, complex and deep.”