Earlier this Summer I realized things were growing with One Sweet Day in May much faster than I ever anticipated. Bride bookings were rolling in for this Fall and 2016 weddings as well as 2017 inquiries (what!) A wonderful feeling, yet at the same time terrifying. It's only me here. One girl trying to rule the floral world...well, that might be a bit of a stretch, but sometimes that's what it feels like. As much as I love OSDIM, my life outside of flowers and weddings is very important to me. I love my family so much and maybe it comes with the territory of owning your own business, but sometimes they take a back seat to all the emails, meetings, and weddings. Not always, but it's definitley been something that has happened more than I'd like to admit this year. It's been hard and as I was looking forward to the busiest season yet, what could I do to make things easier for myself and allow me my more time with Chris and friends? Going into the busy season, I knew I couldn't do it all (as much as I want to be able to)
My word of 2015 is build. It is meant for all aspects of my life. I wanted to build One Sweet Day in May into the little business that could, wanted to build my marriage in it's first year, and wanted to build our newish house into a home. All things that I can happily say, I've done. The house does still have a long list of projects, but I've come to accept that it always will. So back to earlier this Summer....
I had heard a lot about outsourcing from other business owners, but honestly thought I couldn't afford it. Hello! I'm in my first REAL year and who in their first year needs an assistant? The truth was though, I needed help. I knew One Sweet Day in May couldn't keep growing that way it was without a little help. Brides are my #1 priority and because of that many other things weren't being kept up to date. So in July after some price restructuring and drawing up a business plan, I took the leap and announced I was looking for a part time assistant. Enter, Caroline!
Now, first things first, I have to credit Anna of The Richmond Wedding Collective for this one. Anna sent Caroline my way for an interview and I'm so grateful! Thank you Anna! Secondly, (and this has nothing to do with me hiring her) I just love the name Caroline. Chris and I have always had the name Stella in mind if we have a girl someday, but I secretly believe we would actually name a daughter Caroline. It's my favorite.
Caroline has officially been with me for 2 weeks and so far has made my life so much easier. Between keeping the website, blog, and Pinterest updated, and me picking her creative mind, she's made my busiest month to date so much easier. Caroline will be assisting on event days with setups and bouquet deliveries as well as attending venue walk throughs and bridal appointments. Yay! She wants to gain as much experience as possible and it's a great feeling knowing that you're not just using someone to help you, but you're also teaching and guiding someone to build their own dreams. It's probably my favorite thing about this new step in my business.
A little bit about Caroline, she is a Junior at The University of Richmond and is a super talented dancer with the UofR dance company. Hearing about her auditions and pieces she has parts in this year is so fun! Caroline has dreams of becoming a wedding planner one day and I just know she will make a wonderful one! The girl is going places!
A huge thank you to my girl Natalie Jayne Photography for taking the time to snap some pretties!
Happiness overload friends! You'll be seeing way more of this pretty girl and a way more relaxed Michelle! Hooray! And when you're seeing the website and other OSDIM platforms looking all fancy and up to date, that'll be Caroline doing her thing behind the scenes.
Have a good one friends!
Love,
Michelle
