Business Lessons for Wedding Planners from The Apprentice: Episode 11

Some valuable advice from our experts on how wedding and event planners can learn from the mistakes of contestants in the The Apprentice: Episode 11…

Episode 11 – The Final Five

The Show: the remaining candidates came under scrutiny over their business plans and personal traits.

To succeed in real life business, as in the show, you need to have right balance of professionalism, interpersonal skills, and a killer business idea.  Writing a business plan is always a good thing to do although far be it from me to quash your enthusiasm to just get started.  For many potential start-ups they can stall a perfectly good idea before they begin, simply because essay-writing is not why we start in business is it?  Who wants to write a 40 page plan when they could be out designing and selling?  If that’s you, then just get a couple of days of advice and sums from an expert business adviser from the wedding or events industry who can help you thrash through the bare minimum and get going.

If you are fighting for investment from banks, family members, investors and crowdfunding your plan will need to be substantial however and with an excellent grasp of the numbers first and foremost.  Of course business plans are only ever based on guesswork and theory.  Just because your competitor became a billionaire doesn’t mean your figures will follow the same trajectory in real life.  That’s where personality matters and little else.  The best plan in the world, based on the best examples is just hamster cage lining unless you find the strength and guts to do what it takes to get started and keep going, even when the going gets tough.

This comment is made by Amber Hunter, expert tutor in Wedding Planning & Business from The Wedding Planner School

Lessons from other episodes:

Episode 10

Episode 9

Episode 7

Episode 6

Episode 5

Episode 4

Episode 3

Episodes 1 & 2