The Wedding Biz - Behind the Scenes of the Wedding Business

Latest Episodes:

128 REVISIT COLIN COWIE: Part 1 Groundbreaking Luxury Experiences Feb 18, 2019

Show notes

REVISIT: Colin Cowie is a top designer for all things weddings—as well as galas, charitable events, corporate and destination celebrations. He's beloved by the likes of Oprah, Jerry Seinfeld, Elton John, Michael Jordan, Bruce Willis, Jennifer Aniston, and countless other A-list celebrities. Ever since Colin arrived in Los Angeles from Kitzwe, Zambia at the height of apartheid in 1985, his professional life has soared. While teaching cooking lessons at age 23, he met a woman whose chance encounter soon led to his first wedding assignment for a local bachelor: Hugh Hefner. Thirty-one years of parties, weddings, and multi-day events later, he's never created the same event twice. The degree to which Colin cares for and personalizes his work is not just unmatched, it's nearly indescribable, and precisely why he's consistently relied upon by the most discerning of clientele. He learns everything there is to know about his clients, over hors-d'oeuvres and champagne, until the event he crafts (and the journey on which he takes his clients to get there) is not just perfectly tailored, but permanently unique. When he isn't designing weddings and Fortune 500 parties, Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball or Guinness Book of World Records-breaking pyrotechnic shows abroad, Colin works as "creator-director" for elite brands like NetJets, Dom Pérignon, and Bergdorf Goodman; even private islands. Idyllic as Colin's life may sound, and so often is, he and Andy extend their conversation today beyond the exclusive glamour of the luxury events industry to the unseen challenges once faced in the midst of the great recession, Colin's daily routines (from meditation and "I am" statements to nightcaps), professional strategies, and the critical value of humility and gratitude.

Colin Cowie

The Wedding Biz LINKS

The Wedding Biz Website

The Wedding Biz Instagram

The Wedding Biz Facebook

SPONSOR LINKS

OFD Consulting www.ofdconsulting.com

Kushner Entertainment www.kushnerentertainment.com

127 THE NEXT LEVEL: Cindy Novotny: Part 2 Master Connection Associates Feb 13, 2019

Show notes

Having a set expectation of goals implemented is important for any company. This structure helps eliminate losing direction and the impact of confrontation. In today's episode, Andy and renowned New York City based event producer and designer, David Stark discuss this week's episode with Cindy Novotny. Their commentary covers advice Cindy shared on how to embrace confrontation, creating unification in the workplace, how to set prices, and combatting fear. Tune into this episode of The Next Level with Andy Kushner and David Stark to embark on your own journey in changing the culture of your business.

Show Highlights:

Embracing confrontation in corporate issues
Developing personal touch points in larger companies
Having a dedicated mission so that everyone is unified
Having direction and collective goals
Talking about challenges and giving feedback in real time
Separating emotion to have structure for growth
Creating a foundation to anchor your mission
Factors that contribute to setting prices
What determines value
How to combat economic fear
Being adaptable to changing plans
Having faith through struggles

Links:

Master Connection Associates Website

Cindy Novotny Website

Cindy's Instagram

Twitter

YouTube

GUEST CO-HOST LINKS, DAVID STARK

SPONSOR LINKS

OFD Consulting www.ofdconsulting.com

Kushner Entertainment www.kushnerentertainment.com

126 CINDY NOVOTNY: Part 2 Master Connection Associates Feb 11, 2019

Show notes

Have you come across challenges in life with your business? Most companies do, and today we hear from motivational and leadership expert, Cindy Novotny. Handling employees and financials in the event industry is indeed a challenge and Cindy is here to share the secrets of her success and the companies she consults for.

Cindy, "the Radical Mentor," joins us again in this New Year. She is a powerful and innovative speaker and consultant, helping all sorts of entrepreneurs and anyone interested in fulfilling their dreams with their businesses. She started her company Master Connection Associates, in 1989. Tune in today and hear her talk about issues with delegating to employees, effective employee communication, motivation, brainstorming, pricing, and how she feels about dealing with fear.

Show Highlights:

Listen to Part One if you have not already
One of the biggest lessons Cindy learned in 2018
The family-friendly environment at Cindy's company
Cindy's mantra for 2019
How Cindy gives feedback
Motivating employees and how Cindy handles it
How Cindy handles pricing relative to demand
How to deal with economic fear

Resources & Links:

The Wedding Biz Website

Instagram: @weddingbizshow

Cindy Novotny Website

Master Connection Associates Website

Cindy's Instagram

Twitter

YouTube

The Stylish Bride with Julie Sabatino

Sponsors:

Kushner Entertainment Website

OFD Consulting Website

125 ANDY KUSHNER: Interviewed By Mary Swaffield of The Wedpreneur Feb 04, 2019

Show notes

Today it's all about Andy! For quite a while now, people have been asking him to air an interview about himself. Andy has been interviewed on many different podcasts, so today he decided to publish the most recent of these, with Mary Swaffield, of the Wedpreneur Podcast.

Andy and Mary will be talking about what Andy has learned from all the amazing icons whom he has interviewed on The Wedding Biz Podcast. Mary asks Andy about the common threads in the more than seventy-five interviews he's done with some of the biggest names in the wedding and events' industry. Andy addresses topics like cyclical struggles, dealing with anxiety and fear, and also his changing perspective about the way he views the business aspect of this highly creative industry.

Show Highlights:

Andy talks about his role in the wedding industry.
Andy explains what inspired him to start a podcast.
Some of the incredible event-icons Andy has worked with through his music & entertainment business, Kushner Entertainment.
Sylvia Weinstock, cake-designer, was the first icon Andy interviewed on The Wedding Biz podcast.
Mary is a huge fan. She really gets a sense of storytelling from Andy's podcast.
The way that Andy manages to craft a story, with emotional impact, around the guests who he interviews.
Addressing the way Colin Cowie designs with the five senses, from an interview in 2017.
These icons are risk takers and create a completely unique experience for each and every client.
Connecting with the clients on a really deep level is necessary to avoid a cookie-cutter experience.
Preston Bailey has been on Andy's show twice and is really a humble person.
Some of the common threads running through Andy's interviews.
Becoming aware that all businesses are cyclical.
The struggle of creatives balancing their art with the business aspect.
Building and dealing with your business is a creative act.
It's important to be aware that business is also hard for the dedicated event-icons.
Robert Fountain always feels anxiety and he spoke to Andy about how he uses it as a motivator.
What Andy does when he catches himself with negative thoughts.
It's really all about your perception.
The way that Mary was been taught to use her fear.
Learning to turn obstacles into ways to grow.
How Andy turns problems into blessings.
Andy talks about the biggest change that he's seen in the wedding industry.
The incredible energy of a live band.
Finding ways to stay grounded and connected.

NOTE: This interview of Andy took place in November of 2018 and some information mentioned about The Next Level episodes has changed. It is now released on Wednesdays with varying guest co-hosts, all of whom are previous guests of The Wedding Biz.

Links and Resources:

Recommended books: The Inner Game of Tennis, by W. Timothy Gallwey

The Obstacle is the Way, by Ryan Holiday

The Wedding Biz website: www.theweddingbiz.com

The Wedding Biz on social media: Facebook Instagram

Andy's entertainment site: www.kushnerentertainment.com

Mary's website: www.thewedpreneur.com

The following guest interviews, from The Wedding Biz, are referred to:

Colin Cowie

Preston Bailey: Part 1 Part 2

Bryan Rafanelli

Sylvia Weinstock

Robert Fountain

Alison Hotchkiss Rinderknecht

Jes Gordon

124 THE NEXT LEVEL: LYNN EASTON: PART 2 - Branding, Pricing & Choosing A Team Jan 30, 2019

Show notes

Today we have part two of our interview with Lynn Easton. Lynn is a very popular planner and designer in the industry, who also speaks at various conferences. She has created Easton Destination Events, a luxury destination wedding design and planning company that works worldwide, with offices in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina.

Our guest co-host for today is the prestigious Sean Low. Sean has a consulting firm called The Business of Being Creative, with a focus on providing practical advice to those in the business of being creative.

Today Sean and Andy discuss Lynn's signature, which is that no two events of hers ever look the same. One of the ways that she manages to achieve that is by picking just the right team for each client. And this means that she has to create an entirely different team for every single client. Today they also discuss creating legacy clients, Lynn's concept of high-touch service, and the very sensitive issue of pricing. Lynn has about ten favorite photographers to give her portfolio diversity and she also has a number of different vendors/partners that she works with. Her job is to match the personalities of these various partners with that of each client, in order to make the client most comfortable.

Show Highlights:

Lynn's brilliance is in her understanding of the personality of each client.
Lynn's work is really about creating an emotional fit, to get the work done in a way that's going to be meaningful to, and create a better experience for everybody.
Lynn's concept of 'high touch' really takes things to the next level.
Small, subtle touches, based on the individual client, can really make all the difference.
Lynn really knows who all her people are, and what they're about, so nothing is templated.
Lynn doesn't want to be everything to everybody, yet she's very specific about what really matters to her at the level of detail, connection, and relationship.
It all starts with having the ability to truly understand who's in front of you.
To Lynn, the creatives, or partners that she works with are most important to her.
You need to hire the very best creatives that you can find- and then you need to really listen to them.
There are many different layers to Lynn's process.
Some of the stories that Lynn has told about how she brings her concept of high-touch to the weddings she creates.
What creates a moment, or a memory.
Lynn loves social media because it allows her to keep up with her clients.
Lynn's concept of charging a percentage rather than a flat fee works because she's so candid and transparent.
It's really all about the best fit for the client- and not the money.

Links:

Our website: www.theweddingbiz.com

Andy's email: andy@theweddingbiz.com

Easton Events Website

Instagram: eastonevents

Facebook: eastonevents

Twitter: eastonevents

YouTube: About

Easton Porter Website

Guest co-host, Sean Low: www.thebusinessofbeingcreative.com and www.thebbccollective.com.

SPONSOR LINKS:

OFD Consulting www.ofdconsulting.com

Kushner Entertainment www.kushnerentertainment.com

123 LYNN EASTON: PART 2 - Branding, Pricing & Choosing A Team Jan 28, 2019

Show notes

Do you know how important branding yourself and your events is? On today's show, our guest will go more in-depth on this topic as well her perspective on choosing her support team of creative partners, for events, and on the sensitive industry issue of pricing your services.

Lynn Easton of Easton Destination Events joins us again. Her attention to detail has made her an icon in the industry. Making every wedding unique is what Lynn and her company strive for. Easton Destination Events carved their way into this big noisy world. Listen in today and hear what Easton Destination Events has in store for 2019!

Show Highlights: