Here is where I talk all things navigating life as a momtreprenuer and give advice / tips on hiring a virtual assistant for your wedding business.

Hi – if you are here that means you are either feeling the slow season effects already or you are wanting to prepare prior to hitting it. Either way, you are doing great!!

I may not be a wedding photographer but I manage multiple photographers businesses through and through as their virtual assistant and OBM. Answering their emails, sending follow ups to inquiries, making sure invoices are being paid and couple’s questions are top priority. I see first hand how slow season can affect a business. Let’s make sure you don’t!

First, when is slow season?

This may look different depending on where you are located but for my clients (who are in the Louisiana, Tennessee and Florida areas), summer time is where it hits. The months between May to September seem to be the slowest due to couple’s not wanting to sweat to death during their toast at their reception – which, I can’t blame them! Now if you’re more north, that may be different.

Next, what happens during slow season?

Since you don’t have any weddings during this time, means you are probably are not getting paid. We all know what that means! Less coffee shop or Amazon splurges – yikes! That also may mean you are having to rush specials or discounts in order to make up the missing income.

Let’s now discuss tips on how to avoid being hit hard of slow season –

Update your website, girl!

This is the perfect time to update your galleries, adjust your packages based on what did well previously and make some tweaks to your design overall. It is essential to have an updated site to showcase your most recent and best work! It may be slow season but couple’s are still searching for photographers. Make sure to have all of your most precious work available!

Shift your focus to marketing!

Now is the time to market, market, market. Review your previous post to see what did the best and then pre-plan your next few months of content, captions etc. Make sure to also write and post those blogs! Marketing and blogging will help others see and share your work, especially if you’re tagging vendors (which you definitely should!). Plan your upcoming promotions, mini sessions and more.

Let’s talk about mini sessions!

You can load up on many different types of mini session events to supplement income without having to break your damn back. Incorporate cows, bunnies, mother’s day, father’s day, etc. You can make a decent amount just with these sessions.

Adjust your mindset and your finances!

Slow season is tough. It can be for me too, to be completely honest! But ultimately, you cannot allow yourself to get into a funk. Prepare yourself and your finances, and you’ll be A-Okay! Throughout the year, make sure you keep track of your income and expenses. Now, with this being said – you still need to invest IN your business. When you are investing in your business, make sure it is in a way that will help you grow, not just throwing away money. (hire a virtual assistant (hi!), hire a CRM pro to set up your Honeybook or Dubsado (hi, again!), social media manager (sorry, not me but I have referrals!).

Don’t go with the flow when it comes to your business. Make sure to prep and prepare BEFORE things get tough.

Want to learn more about my services that will actually help you and your business reach the next level? Click here.

>> Grab my How to Enhance your Client Experience guide loaded with ready-to-use email template’s and more!

When you started your wedding business, you had big goals. Those big goals have turned into reality (yay you!) but that now has led you to being burnt out and spreading yourself too thin. In order to create a healthy business owner life, outsourcing to a wedding virtual assistant is the way to go.

Outsourcing to a wedding virtual assistant means you will hand over the tasks you simply don’t enjoy or you don’t have time to do. You will be able to find time to book more work, take days off to spend with your children, or even just schedule certain days as your self-care days. Whatever your heart desires, you can do with the extra help of a virtual assistant.

When is the right time to hire a wedding virtual assistant?

Everyone waits and waits for the perfect time or when they feel ready. The thing is though – There truly is no perfect or right time. You may be thinking “Well, then why am I reading this blog?” and I get it. You want answers laid out in front of you because first, you don’t have time and secondly, you are overwhelmed. I hear you and I totally understand! I promise this will help you.

I always tell wedding photographers or planners that they are ready to outsource to a virtual assistant when –

+ Does your budget allow it? a good virtual assistant charges at least $600 per month depending on their experience and services

+ Does your mindset allow it? if you’ve never outsourced before, it can be hard at first giving someone else control over certain tasks. I ease my clients into it depending on how comfortable they are.

These two things will set you up for success with finding and hiring a virtual assistant.

When it’s time to choose:

Okay, so you may have narrowed to two or three virtual assistants, congrats!!! Below are a few tips to make sure you choose the right VA for your wedding photography business –

1. Make sure the virtual assistant doesn’t have a ton of clients: I personally have a max client per package type to provide top, individualized support for each of my clients. If someone has too many clients, they may not be able to handle tasks in a timely manner or get overwhelmed and not perform well.
2. Timezone and hours: I have clients all over and in different timezones but make sure you and the VA are aware of any timezone differences. Also, make sure your VA works during the hours you need (if that matters to you).
3. Communication: Make sure you talk about how the wedding virtual assistant communicates with her clients and when. I personally text and use Voxer to stay in contact daily but I know others who only use Slack. It really just depends on both of your preferences!
4. Services: There is a virtual assistant for every type of service and need. Make sure the VA you hire is well established in the tasks you are needing OR at least is capable of learning quickly. I am always upfront with a photographer if there’s something they are needing that I’m not well-versed in yet. And if you are okay that your VA isn’t experienced in certain things, then go for it!
5. Connection: This is sooo important to me! Make sure you have some sort of connection or good vibe with the VA you choose. You will be working with them long-term (hopefully) and they will be deep within your business so making sure you fit together well, trust and overall have a good vibe.

Overall, if you are feeling overwhelmed and unable to complete tasks or you’re missing out of family / friend events, it may be a good idea to bite the bullet and hire a virtual assistant for wedding creatives. You will be shocked with how easy it can be and it will open your eyes to a whole new level – both personally and business-wise.

If you are interested in learning about my services – please feel free to check out my website.

For more related blogs – STEPS FOR HIRING A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Up until today, you have been working your ass off on your wedding photography or wedding education business. You have been spending countless hours on marketing, emails, content creations, writing up contracts and invoices, answering and following up with inquiries and more. You have been doing an amazing job and I want you to be so proud of yourself. But I can bet you have lost out of so much time with family and friends, have gotten in a bad sleeping and eating habit, or losing chances on bigger opportunities because you “just don’t have time”.

If you are sitting there shaking your head because what you’re reading sounds like your own life… Let’s get down to business and hire a wedding virtual assistant to avoid that inevitable burnout everyone talks about. So here is how a Wedding Virtual Assistant helps you from burnout?

Takes Over Tasks You Don’t Enjoy

The last thing I want to do is take away tasks you actually enjoy doing. You can delegate every single tasks or just ones you don’t like, that’s the art of hiring a virtual assistant. It depends on your preference and the wedding virtual assistant you end up signing on with.

I bet you have outsourced help without even thinking about it too much. So why keep pushing it off when it comes to your business? Think about it..

No time to walk your dog – Hire a dog walker

No time to clean your house – Hire a housekeeper

Don’t want to handle taxes and bookkeeping – Hire a CPA / Bookkeeper

Allowing a virtual assistant to handle tasks such as emails, Honeybook or Dubsado management, inquiry management opens up the opportunity to have more time to spend on bigger weddings, additional income opportunities, self-care or time with family and friends. The world is open when you have more time!

When I said it depends on the VA you choose, it means that you have chosen a virtual assistant who is capable of handling the tasks you want to hand off. Personally, I handle majority of backend admin tasks and client experiences. An example is: Inquiry and email management, CRM management, graphic and questionnaires, Special Event assistance (workshops, content days, styled shoots). Not all VA’s offer these services. Some only handle social media, so it truly depends on what you are needing.

Pros Hiring a Wedding Virtual Assistant VS an Employee

Wedding Photographers and Educators don’t have time to train or the budget for an employee hence hiring a VA. Now, I am not against hiring an employee if that is what you prefer but the difference is quite substantial:

+ A Virtual Assistant is already trained and they will let you know exactly what they offer (if I need to learn something you are needing, I learn on my own time). An Employee means you will 99% have to train them.

+ A Virtual Assistant is very productive because they do the same tasks for almost every client (it’s drilled in my head!) and they already know what they need to do daily. An Employee you will need to delegate tasks every day.

+ A Virtual Assistant is budget friendly-er. Stop rolling your eyes! It’s actually true. VA’s create their own rate and it is based on how many hours they will work on your business (I usually spend 1 – 2 hours per day for each client). For an Employee you set the pay and hours. If you need them for only 2 – 5 hours a week, that’s most likely less than they can do.

+ A Virtual Assistant is an Independent Contractor which means you don’t provide raises, benefits, tax, equipment, etc. (there’s goes that budget friendly again!) An Employee is a W2 which you will pay all of the above.

What Tasks To Hand Off to Your Virtual Assistant

Now that you know what the difference is between a Wedding Virtual Assistant and an employee, what do you hand over to your VA? This is typically one of the causes for many photographers to hold off on hiring a VA. You know you need help in avoiding burnout but don’t know how or what to hand over.

Here is a short list on what you can outsource to a wedding virtual assistant:

+ Email communication

+ Inquiry responses and follow ups

+ Scheduling calls and sessions

+ Creating and sending out contracts / invoices and follow ups

+ Graphics, Guides etc

+ Social Media

That’s just to name a few! Just imagine all of the other tasks. Visit my SERVICES page to learn all that I offer. Burnout is inevitable so please take time to really get into the mindset of hiring help. Even if it isn’t me! My goal for my business to assist amazing and talented wedding photographers but if I’m not a good fit for you then I still love referring you to someone who fits your business best.

Feel free to see my INSTAGRAM content and learn a little more, see behind the scenes and support each other!