Exceeding Customer Expectations with Paul McCaw of Subbytech
Really enjoyed our week with Paul Owner of Subbytech based in Belfast. Known as the connector-of-dots. Paul is all about supporting small business. And, with his background in Customer Care. Paul really does understand exceeding your customer’s expectations.
Before we dive into our Q & A. Here’s a little about Subbytech. Subbytech provide you high quality power banks, charging cables and content creator kits. With Subbytech, you can be free to work and play without ever running out of battery again.
During our Q & A Paul shared some super useful tips on the importance of exceeding customer expectations.
Q1: What is good customer service?
It’s taking the basic customer/client expected levels of service, then going that little bit further for the client or customer.
Q2: Why should you always aim to EXCEED the client/customer expectations of service?
This is what makes YOUR business stand ABOVE the others, makes YOU rememberable. It’s what makes the client or customer go “wow” It’s what get you recommended and importantly, in today’s modern world, it’s what gets you social proof of your excellent service.
People buy from people and if you’re recommended by someone you have worked with or served, then you’re “doing it right” and that’s what gets you repeat and new business, from recommendations. Adverts are fine but the personal word of mouth recommendations, are priceless!
Q3: Would you give examples of exceeding expectations?
If you’re approached with a query about a service or product you don’t provide, tell them you don’t have that BUT help them find someone who DOES have the product or service.
Tell them “I’m so sorry but I don’t have that product (or service) but here’s someone who does have it and if for any reason they can’t help you, come back to me and I’ll find someone else for you” You want someone to leave your conversation NOT thinking “ah they couldn’t help” but instead thinking “ Wow they didn’t have what I needed, but thanks to them, I know where to get it” A positive experience for them, even though you couldn’t provide that product or service yourself.
Q4: What’s the best bit of advice you can give me to improve my clients/customers experience of me/my service?
Treat others how you yourself would want to be treated. Go the extra mile, provide more value than they paid for. Subbytech do this and that’s why we have over 98% of our reviews as 5 stars, over 60% of those 5stars, are for our brilliant customer service.
Deal with any complaints to the level where the customer thinks “I came here annoyed and wanted to complain” to leave with the “wow they sorted me out and went beyond what I was complaining about, they really took care of me”
That was a fantastic Q & A. I thought it was…did you?
On Thursday during our interview on Facebook, we got to know more about Paul, what inspired him to start his business, we learnt a little about his family and of course, we learnt more about Paul.
We really do love having our featured businesses come on to Irish Wedding Chat. We are always happy to help our fellow suppliers find a bigger audience and our Twitter Hour helps us do that.
Planning a wedding or event?
Then please do join us me and our wonderful community of wedding and event service providers, suppliers and venues Wednesday’s at 8pm on Twitter when we show off our gifts, gowns, services, cars, cakes, flowers and so much more. It’s a virtual wedding fair. Hosted by wonderful Deirdre of 2D Graphic Design. And, check out our Instagram – the lovely Sarah of SVS Concierge looks after you.
Michael Stedman is a wonderfully talented musician, listening to him playing classical guitar is always a pleasure on the ear. It was wonderful to have him as our Featured Business.
We were treated to some live and on the spot music during our interview on Facebook. And, our Twitter Chat was great too. We learnt about Michael playing and tutoring. Don’t worry if you missed it. I’m going to round it up for you now.
Q1: Who are you and what is Classical Guitar?
My name is Michael Stedman, I hail from Wicklow and have been playing classical guitar for nearly 15 years. I graduated from DIT conservatory of music and drama and have continued to pursue music professionally since.
Classical guitar is an intricate fingerstyle version of guitar-focused on classical composers with music from the likes of Bach, Beethoven, Villa-Lobos, Satie and more. I would utilise a number of different guitar techniques to create and enthral my audience in a different soundworld.
Q2: Would guitar work for my event?
Yes, guitar is an extremely versatile instrument and suitable for many occasions. For years the guitar has been a part of many different genres and not confined to one in particular.
Themed events or weddings are easily completed with the repertoire available on the guitar. I have played at Spanish themed weddings and even played a few Disney songs. Most instruments are transcribed for the guitar there’s a lot of possibilities.
The guitar can play a more virtuosic role in your event or amplify the atmosphere. As a small instrument with a typically quieter sound, it often draws the listener in.
Q3: I have a small event and venue. Would guitar work?
Smaller events are perfect for the guitar with light amplification, while bigger events require a slightly larger setup however, that is not as intrusive into the event space.
My setup is relatively small: amp, music stand and me. I can fit into a snug corner or at the entrance and not take away from the needed space.
Q4: Could I learn to play?
Yes, depending on what song you wish to do. It is possible to learn a song in a month (provided you practice everyday!) Simple chords and strumming is a lot faster to learn and can be extremely romantic to serenade your partner on their special day or for an anniversary.
I provided vouchers for this purpose. With time and preparation, it would be possible to learn a small classical piece which could be recorded or added to a video of your event.
Q5: Can anyone learn?
As a versatile instrument, the guitar is open to many different people of all levels and abilities. I teach many students that have special needs and not only are they a joy to teach they have progressed steadily.
Their parents and I have been delighted with the progress they have made. As well as the enjoyment and skills they’ve gained during the lessons. We have is no set plan. And, many lessons are conducted with mutual learning. Figuring out together what way to best improve and learn.
You can contact Michael on his website or on his social media platforms and chat with him about playing at your event or wedding.
Here’s a clip from our Facebook interview earlier. We had some fun and Michael played us a couple of tunes as well.
We really do love having our featured businesses come on to Irish Wedding Chat. We are always happy to help our fellow suppliers find a bigger audience and our Twitter Hour helps us do that.
Join us me and our wonderful community of wedding and event service providers, suppliers and venues Wednesday’s at 8pm on Twitter when we show off our gifts, gowns, services, cars, cakes, flowers and so much more. It’s a virtual wedding fair. Hosted by Deirdre of 2D Graphic Design. And, check out our Instagram – which the lovely Sarah of SVS Concierge is there to look after you.
This week we are talking about planning your Wedding post COVID with Mercy of Bashly Events. On topic – with the easing of restrictions announced recently.
So, without further ado…let’s dive into the Twitter hour. Hosted by Deirdre ní Dhubhghaill of 2D Graphic Design
What has been your perception of the events in recent months?
In late January when we started to hear words like COVID-19 & coronavirus, they were background noise as we continued our daily lives. This was an outbreak in China that slowly crept into Italy and some parts of Europe but nowhere near Ireland.
For some the Taoiseach’s announcement to lockdown in March was a surprise, even then it didn’t seem too serious as it was only to last for 2 weeks. Little did we know that 4 months later we will still be on lockdown and it will change how we live and interact with one another.
The virus hit the nation in a way that is unprecedented. It has caused us to rethink how we interact with one another. In some cases, affected family’s finances with people losing their jobs.
How has COVID-19 impacted the wedding industry?
@weddingsonline did a survey of 600+ couples and found that 88% postponed their weddings to a later date, 2% cancelled altogether & others went ahead with a smaller number of guest than anticipated.
We have spent the last few weeks working with couples and suppliers in postponing their wedding, confirming new dates with suppliers, working on updating guest list and communicating to guests on the change in plans.
What will weddings look like post COVID?
Failte Ireland has guidelines for the hospitality & wedding industry. One of the biggest changes is that guest list will become shorter – by choice and by necessity. Couples won’t feel obligated to invite everyone to their wedding anymore.
Guestlist will be physical & virtual. Technology has played a positive role in the way we interact. Couples have had their weddings with their guests watching live as they walked down the aisle and made their vows, this will continue.
Majority of the weddings that did not go ahead this year was moved to next year. The industry is about to see its busiest year in 2021 and weekday weddings will be on the rise.
From Monday, 50 people can gather indoors and 200 outdoors till July 29th when that doubles. This will cause an increase in outdoor weddings.
With numbers restricted how might Couples go about reducing their guest list?
Varies for couples but my advise will be to prioritise. The same when drafting any guest list, it really depends on who you want to & who can be there with travel restrictions in place.
What advice do you give couples seeking to be married this year?
Adapt & be creative. Weddings are a celebration of love and should be safe. It is important to follow the HSE & Failte guidelines & adhere to the new rules
I hope you enjoyed catching up with our Twitter Hour – here is a clip from our Facebook Live earlier today. Watch the full interview on our Facebook Page
I enjoyed my week with Mercy – it was fun and we learnt a bit about the planning process for a post COVID wedding. Connect with Mercy on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram for a Free Consultation.
Are you planning on getting married and looking for your perfect wedding service or supplier? Or, maybe you are a guest and looking for the perfect gift.
Come and join us on Wednesday’s at 8pm on Twitter when we show off our gifts, gowns, services, cars, cakes, flowers and so much more. It’s a virtual wedding fair. Or, check out our Instagram – which the lovely Sarah of SVS Concierge is there to look after you.
Our Guest this week was the amazing Sara Anderson who talked about how to extinguish limited beliefs. I love Sara’s approach to coaching. She is very real and shares her self-doubts. I think you will find Sara’s Q & A with us really helpful and insightful.
Shall we dive straight in with our Q & A?
You are a life Coach, there are a lot of life coaches out there. What is particularly unique about what you do?
I work using all the different modalities that I have trained in. My work has at its core empathy and compassion. I provide a space for the client to share all that is going on for them.
Then I use my skills and intuition to uncover what limited belief is getting in the way. it is amazing how different life can look and feel once you release a core limiting belief. It is like magic.
What is a limited belief?
Sometimes in life, try as we might , we can’t make something happen. We can’t loose weight, or we can’t reach that goal or we can’t get the job we want.
Sometimes what is happening is we have a belief within us that is getting in the way of us moving forward. Sometimes the person that is stopping us moving forward is our thinking and our beliefs. Next time you feel a little stressed, ask yourself: In this moment, what am I telling myself?
I see you use EFT in your work. What is EFT?
Sara shared with a wonderful tapping round especially for brides and grooms that are stressed.
What can people do when feeling stressed?
Pause, stop what you are doing, Put your hand on your heart and do a short breathing meditation , breathe in for 4, hold for 7, out for 8. Repeat. The earlier we catch ourselves when are stressed, the easy it is to return to a calm place.
Be kind to yourself, look after yourself, catch when you are feeling stressed. Learn about self-compassion and then offer yourself lots of it. The world needs lots and lots of people who value and practise compassion
You run Compassionate Classes on developing self-compassion. Why is self-compassion so important?
We all learn to be kind to other people. Many of us never learnt to extend this kindness to our self. We relate to ourselves with harsh words, put-downs and many of us are completely oblivion to how we talk to ourselves.
We just have got so used to having that unkind voice inside, which many of u-say we need to motivate ourselves to take action. The same as a child does not grow and thrive with criticism and put downs, neither do we. The more we can extend compassion to our self , the more we can lend compassion to others.
For anyone interested in learning more how do we get in touch?
Come along to a taster compassionate class this Friday.
You can find me on my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter. I’m always putting up things about compassion
I thoroughly enjoyed Twitter Chat with Sara…and looked forward to our Facebook Live Interview
Are you enjoying what our Guest’s are sharing? We changed the format of our Twitter Hour. Did you notice? We invite people who can help, advice and guide us on our journey. Let us know by leaving a comment on our Facebook Page, Instagram or Tweet us.
If you interested in being a Featured Business, feel free to reach out to us on any of our social media platforms or simply send us an email.
Reaping the benefits of nature every day using essential oils with Keri Denney
I met Keri through the Women’s Inspire Network a few years back. Keri is a Wellness Advocate and a Zumba Instructor. During our Twitter Q & A., I learnt lots about reaping the benefits of nature into your home with essential oils. Let’s dive straight into our summary of our Twitter Hour.
Q1: Tell us something of Keri Denney & your Business?
I’m Keri Denney and I’m here to help you kick your self-care into gear. As a Massage Therapist since 1996 and doTerra Wellness Advocate since 2017 and now a Zumba Instructor.
I blend all these things together to help you feel great in your body… today and every day.
I love to travel. I grew up in California and spent many summers in Ireland with my extended family. It was always a dream of mine to move here someday. My husband and daughter loved the idea too so we made the big leap across the pond in 2017.
Q2: What are the best ways to de-stress?
Choosing an activity that you love and enjoy is most important. Forest Bathing emerged in the 1980’s in Japan as a way to get into nature and reconnect. Taking time absorbing all the benefits of nature. Fresh air, peace, clear thinking, perspective.
Q3: What can people do when they cannot get our into nature?
You can bring the benefits of nature into your home with essential oils. The tree oils like black spruce, cedar wood, eucalyptus and many more. Help our bodies feel in nature even if you are at your desk breathing them in for a quick self-care moment.
Q4: Keri, if someone is interested in experiencing the benefits of Essential Oil. How can you help?
I would like to offer you a free wellness consultation for customised shopping experience for essential oils and wellness products.
I use them for everything like non-toxic cleaning, emotional and physical health, hair and skincare, nutrition as well as the work from home opportunity for financial health too.
Q5: For anyone interested in learning more how do we get in touch?
Keri also offers a Free 30-minute wellness consultation to discuss natural solutions and answer your questions about doTerra essential oils and wellness products. And, several other options for you to learn more about essential oils. Call over to her Calendly page to schedule a call.
Earlier today, I had the pleasure of having Keri join me on our Facebook Live Interview where we got to know her a little bit better and have a little fun along the way.
Finally as always if you would like to be a guest on our Twitter hour or would like to show off your wonderful gifts, services, products or venues as a featured business. Get in contact with me and let’s have a chat.
The Love Coach as I like to refer Melody Chadamoyo was our guest on this week’s #irishweddingchat Twitter Hour. Having met Melody a few years back in Galway at a #WIN Event. I knew that this week we were going to be in for a treat!
Melody shared some fantastic insights with us. Like toxic behaviours and planning a wedding while under COVID-19 restriction during our Q & A. Which as always we are sharing with you in our blog this week.
Q1: What is the most challenging thing for couples in the first 2 year’s marriage?
In most cases, we don’t know what we’re doing when we first get married. Because no one ever tells us what is expected of us.
In my case anyway, I didn’t know how to be a wife. I just assumed that what I was doing was being super-efficient, superwoman, super independent, doing everything myself. Not needing my husband to do anything was the best way.
I also expected him to just sit there and not contribute because my opinion was more important than his and I knew better. That caused us to get into a conflict stage.
I didn’t know that marriages go through stages, the first one which we all know about which is romantic/honeymoon stage. And, then the conflict stage couples get stuck here because they don’t know how to get themselves out of that situation. And, the blissful stage. Most couples never get too because they get stuck in the conflict stage.
Knowing that we were in a conflict stage. Knowing that it was a stage and it was going to pass helped me a great deal. It helped me to have a focus because I wanted to get to the other side. To the happy blissful side.
I looked for ways for me to get there with my husband because obviously being superwoman didn’t work. Thinking that I knew everything didn’t work. And, not needing my husband to contribute in any way except financially also didn’t work.
Waking up to that and knowing that I needed to create a partnership. Where what my husband was contributing verbally, emotionally financially was appreciated. Helped me to serve my marriage and helped us to move to the blissful stage.
Q2: 3 toxic things you can do during Lockdown that is bad for your relationship?
As couples spend a lot of time together they might do toxic things that might be bad for the relationship in the long run.
The first one is:
Criticism. It is blaming the other person for everything that might be wrong. When you begin sentences like you never or you always. It always makes your spouse feel unappreciated and they would probably start feeling self-conscious or feel like they are not giving enough to the relationship.
It never helps to be that person who is always criticising someone. In terms of men, when you say “you always”. They take it like whatever effort they have been making is washed away like it didn’t matter. So when you say some of these things. It means you are not appreciating the spouse that you’ve got.
The 2nd one is:
Contempt which is criticism powered by hostility or disgust.
This is something a lot of people do; they just eye roll or they are sarcastic or they make their spouse continuously, incessantly.
We have seen this. It seems like it’s a joke. But, if you’re the one who’s at the brunt of the joke. It stops being funny.
You start feeling like someone doesn’t care about you and they don’t really respect you.
Your spouse says something and you say, here we go again and you roll your eyes and you say all these mean things.
Even if you don’t say mean things it is perceived as mean because of how they feel. You need to be aware that they might want to get out of COVID and get out of the relationship as well.
Because nobody wants to be in a situation where they are not loved and appreciated and respected.
The 3rd issue is:
Defensiveness. It is not taking responsibility for your contribution to the interaction.
You start noticing when you’re doing it. When you stop acknowledging what others are saying. They are telling you how they feel and might even tell you what you’re doing. And, you say “Yeah but”…you had done this first. Or, like you are the only one who has feelings the other person doesn’t.
This is not good.
It’s very toxic and it can cause a lot of resentment. Once you have resentment it is a signal of the beginning of the end of your relationship. So you don’t want resentment to fester in your relationship. You’ve got to start focusing on respecting, listening and understanding the other person. Not meaning to say they are right or wrong all the time but at least see them from their point of view.
Q3. What is the best advice you can give to a couple planning a wedding that was affected by social distancing?
I think sometimes we tend to take some of these things very seriously.
I do understand it, it’s frustrating. You’re planning something and you’re going somewhere. And it doesn’t quite go ahead because the government puts limitations of how many people can attend your wedding.
You also have to remember something, everyone is in this situation.
We’re all being curtailed for reasons of health and we have to understand that. A wedding day is just a day. Yes it takes a long time to plan, yes it takes a lot of commitment and a lot of action but it’s really just a day.
It is a day to celebrate your commitment to each other. You need to be aware of that. Maintain that commitment. You have an opportunity to ensure that you operate as a team.
If you develop coping mechanisms for dealing with strife. And, problems that come in life. It is actually good for you because life will happen after you’re married. A lot of things will go wrong sometimes. They might even go wrong on the wedding day. It’s how you cope with those things that are going to determine whether you survive as a couple or you won’t.
And not just surviving, you will thrive and be happy.
I remember one of the biggest things that happened to me with my husband. I had several miscarriages. And, then we had a baby and she died.
How we coped with that was we were always a unit.
We were always together.
We functioned as one.
We understood that my pain even though it was different from his. He was also going through pain.
That is when you start negotiating and moving through life because life happens. If you can survive struggle and strife without turning on each other. Then you’re building something with a good foundation that will survive life. Things will happen and you have to be prepared.
This might be a bad situation. But it’s also a time you can use to see whether you need to work on some things in your relationship. Or, negotiate some things in your relationship. So, that you’re ready for real-life tomorrow.
Q4: What can help new couples survive after Covid 19?
Focus on growing your love.
Practice kindness.
I know sometimes we don’t talk about that but love and kindness go hand in hand. When you start practising kindness intentionally, being kind to your spouse you find that your love will start to grow because that person will feel loved and appreciated.
Even when you’re feeling afraid, tense and uncertain about your future. At least, if you’re practising kindness it will help you to grow and help you to appreciate each other.
What you can do regularly is to list 3 things you’re grateful for every day for with spouse in mind.
Like…
What are the characteristics of who they are that make you feel like ooohh, I really like this person?
What attracted you to that person is something you should always appreciate.
I know after a while it starts being annoying but if you teach yourself to appreciate the person’s characteristics, their values, who they are. You’ll find that your relationship will grow. You will thrive as a couple. And, everything will go beautifully.
Remember love always protects, and it always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres.
In perseverance. It means you’re persevering to make sure your relationship keeps growing, keeps maturing, keeps going to the next stage.
Remember, I told you there are 3 stages, they’re actually 4 but we don’t even talk about the 4th one because most people don’t get there.
You want to be that couple that gets to that stage. Do you really want to married for 56 years and be miserable? There’s no point in that.
You want to be married 56 years blissfully happy, blissfully together, growing together appreciating each other because that’s what matters.
Well, that was enjoyable!
Thank you, Melody, for sharing such fantastic advice and being so very generous with it too. Melody’s new book titled “Why Self-love is The Key to True Love” available to buy on Amazon.
And, if you are looking too Attract Love. Then check out Melody’s course. Where your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to learn how to choose the right man for you, based on becoming clear on what you personally value in a relationship partner, so that you can build the foundation for a happy and lasting relationship–in 6 weeks or less.
I hope you enjoyed our time with the beautiful Melody Chadamoyo. We certainly did.
I’m always on the lookout for Guests for our community. Do you have something to offer? Maybe you are launching a book or course? Feel free to contact me and we’ll help you spread the word.
“Making you and your business ready to restart” with Vincent Byrne, Coach
We had the fabulous Vincent Byrne as our Guest this week.
I had the pleasure of working with Vincent many years ago. So, I know first hand what a great a coach he is. Vincent has a wonderfully holistic approach to business coaching. Which I think will become plainly clear when you read this blog.
Enjoy!
Q1. This shutdown has impacted everyone’s lives, businesses and incomes. When it finally ends, what do you think it will look like?
The main thing to accept is that we don’t have a clue what things will look like when we are allowed to return from the isolation to something that approaches previous normality.
So, things will be uncertain, but then again they are always uncertain, we just operate under the illusion and the mistaken belief that things happen in a predictable way – they actually don’t.
Unpredictable stuff happens to us, for us, against us every day but if the event or occurrence is not too disruptive, we deal with it without seeing it as particularly out of the ordinary.
The point is that there is an illusion of control around our outside world but the reality is that it is not true, it is just an illusion and in fact, the only thing that we can control is our thinking and our actions.
Q 2. With that in mind, how can we be ready for an eventual return to normality?
There are two aspects to what you can do – your personal wellbeing and your business.
From a personal perspective, the only way is to focus on being mentally and physically fit to hit the ground running. That means taking action now on exercise, good nutrition, staying hydrated, sleeping well as well as mental exercises such as meditation, connecting with friends, keeping a journal and talking about your frustrations and expectations with someone who will listen for you.
If you haven’t done it already, it is important to have a structure in your day, both personally and for your business work. Ideally, set a time the evening before to plan your day, and don’t just write lists
In terms of your work or business, you need to look at what being ready actually means for you. How do you want to be on that first day or in that first week when you are allowed back? Will you have an initial action plan? Are there important things that you need to do in those early days? A checklist might be useful.
Q 3. Okay, so if I have my checklist and return to normal plan, what else can I, should I be doing?
Are there any systems that you think need improving, better documentation, training, planning and strategising? Get started on those things now.
It is also important to stay in touch with as many people, customers, suppliers and other connections to whom you can offer help, advice and support that might be needed right now.
So the bottom line is that there is much that can be done to be ready and it is crucial to use this time fruitfully if for no other reason than to have a sense of purpose and motivation.
Q 4. It’s extremely difficult to get motivated in this situation especially with the confinement and distractions at home, how can I start to put this advice into action?
Begin with a pen and paper and start to look at some of the issues I mentioned above. Every situation will be different, that’s why it is important to develop your own plan for your circumstances.
If you find it difficult to do on your own, try buddying up with a friend, another business owner and do sessions where you coach each other through creating your Return Checklist and you Business Improvement Plan.
Organise to have regular Zoom meetings or phone calls to help and push each other in order to make progress.
The key is not to wait, play the victim and expect others to advise you on what to do. There will be plenty of people who do just that which presents you with a perfect opportunity to get ahead and hit the ground running.
Well, I think Vincent shared some wonderful tips with us. I hope you found it helpful. If you would like Vincent to give you a helping hand connect with him on his social media and check out his website www.vincentbyrne.ie
Would you like to be our featured business or a guest? If so, please do contact me for a chat.
We are delighted to introduce Sarah of SVS Concierge. Sarah offers a comprehensive concierge service to help you plan the perfect event in Dublin or Cambridge. Sarah also is part of our team here at #irishweddingchat and curates our Instagram. So, we were over the moon to be able to have her on has our Featured Business.
SVS Concierge steps to success for planning your Dublin trip or Special Occasion
1) How do you help with the planning aspect?
We help our clients to create their perfect trip or occasion in a way that best fits their needs working with them to bring their vision to life. We make it easy for our clients to source the requirements for their needs and most of all enjoy their celebration or trip to the fullest! We offer Supplier sourcing for all your special occasion needs across Dublin and Cambridge and a dedicated Dublin concierge service to help you experience the best that Dublin’s fair city has to offer.
Whether you need a helping hand or a fully bespoke tailored experience SVS Concierge have you covered so you can create your trip or occasion your way.
2) What tips and advice would you offer for planning a theme?
Coming up with your theme can be tricky so keep the theme simple and effective with a base colour scheme and use little touches and unique finishes to bring it to life enabling you to create beautiful and interesting details and focal points making your event stand out from the crowd. Breakdown your planning into relevant sections with a separate section for your budget requirements and create a mood board to help you brainstorm and visualise this! We also have a handy downloadable 10 steps to theme planning success guide and quick step planner available purchase – email or DM us for more info!
3) How can you add personality and uniqueness to your theme?
It’s the little details at an event that your guests appreciate and want to post on their Instagram pages, there are lots of ways to bring your theme together with interesting details such as personalised place settings, table gifts for your guests or even themed beverages to tie in with your event and colour scheme.
It’s the little touches that help make it memorable and leave a lasting impression. Focus on signature details and areas where you can create a focal point keeping them related to the theme. Quirky details like selfie props, personalized signage, drinks tags and goody bags or gifts are all great ways to add personality and fun into your event.
4) When it comes to planning the ultimate trip to Dublin, how can you make this the trip of all trips?
For us, Dublin is not just a primary location for our business and our services it is also our passion and our second home! We have extensive personal knowledge of the city and a huge range of fabulous contacts that we have built fantastic relationships with.
SVS Concierge offers a fully bespoke tailored service where everything is based on your requirements. And, work with you to create your trip or occasion your way and deliver something truly special.
We want to show you the best that Dublin has to offer and add all the special little touches to make it unique and memorable. And, can create your very own bespoke guidebook specific to your trip or we have a range of handy go -to Dublin guides available to purchase to – Email or DM us for more info!
Whether it is your first trip to Dublin or not, we guarantee it won’t be your last. Let SVS Concierge take you on a Dublin journey built for you that you will never forget!
Enjoyed learning about Sarah’s wonderful concierge service. Hope you did too.
Feel free to join us on our Twitter Hour every Wednesday’s from 8pm until 9pm. And, chat with our fabulous suppliers while they showcase their gifts, flowers, outfits, cars and so much more. Would you like to be our Featured Wedding Business? Contact us for more details.
In a matter of days the way we live as changed. We know that this whole turn of events has been emotionally distressing for everyone! We wanted to do our bit to help support our Community. To that end, we invited the wonderful Deborah Byrne Clinical Psychologist for a Q & A session on our Twitter Hour. Our topic Working and Weddings in this brave new world.
Deborah was really helpful and shared some fantastic tips on how to cope with our new reality.
How should people voice their concerns?
First off I can’t tell people how to run their business, but be very careful here and try and remember to separate your business from your personal life. A one-off comment could ruin your business so tread carefully.
In terms of your concerns for your business, yes you are naturally going to have some very grave concerns right now. But remember you customers want solutions from you to help them, not what’s going with your business problems. This may seem harsh but it is a reality of business.
Make sure to ask for help and advice from professionals i.e. you accountant and solicitor if needed.
Brainstorm with other business owners in a similar industry to yourself, come together to offer solutions to your clients as a collective. Make sure to utilise your support systems (networks) right now more than ever. This will help you take back control of the situation for your business in a positive manner.
I talk about the 4 types of support everyone needs from a support system in my blog on building s support system.
Right now more than ever people need to utilise this to its fullest. If anyone needs a free support system information and worksheet it’s on my resource page, no sign up required just click to download. https://deborahbyrnepsychologyservices.com/resources/
Remember you know your business best of all, but you need to make decisions based on a clear picture and you cannot do that if you are panicked, stressed or anxious.
Your mind simply shuts down when you get stressed, overwhelmed and anxious. I will offer some practical ideas on how you can de-stress, calm the mind and then with advice from other professionals you can may decisions with a clearer head.
What are you recommendations regarding keeping positive and self-isolating?
We have to get practical here and bring it back to basics so that we can take back control of our lives and businesses.
1. You need to calm your mind. If you already do yoga, tai-chi, meditation or any other form of relaxing exercise then please continue to do this. If you don’t then use a simple 7/11 breathing technique for 3 minutes throughout the day, as needed, will help calm the mind and bring you back to centre.
Remember when we get caught up in a cycle of stress and anxiety it will keep building until you do something to take back control over your thoughts. Simply breathing techniques are one of the best ways you can do this.
The 7/11 technique works like this: You breathe in for a count of 7 then exhale for a count of 11. Continue to do this for 3 minutes. You can reduce this to 4/6 if you need to. The point is to breathe out for longer than you breathe in. This action will automatically get the brain to calm down.
I’m not going into too much detail on why and how it works here as I feel people have too much information coming at them. Just to say it is based on helping you reduce the flight, fright, fight hormones flying around and bring the brain back to a calming centre point.
2. In order to help with the above you also have to switch off social media, the media, TV news feeds, etc.
Even if you just have these playing in the background, and are not actively listening to them, your brain will pick up on them subconsciously. This will feed a negative cycle in your brain.
Instead pick a time to watch or engage online with any news you know is going to be negative right now. Then try and stick to that time period.
You will have to make a conscious decision to do that, so switching off your notifications will help.
You are better to have some positive engagements instead, that can come from positive support within your support system (network).
Creating some relaxing or uplifting music playlists and playing those in the background too. These can help you become more relaxed, focused and motivated.
Don’t forget to sing along or get up and dance, you need some lightness right now. Also take some time out to watch some comedy.
3. Make sure you are taking care of your self-care basics, so that includes sticking to your routine, exercise, healthy eating, and sleep.
Take time off from your business, be with your family, connect online if unable to in person, do some hobbies/interests. A quick word about family and friends, if anyone is getting too negative then don’t feel guilty about muting, blocking, or deleting them if you are able. Not talking about kids here, just adults.
You can also add in your meditation from above here, plus journaling and gratitude.
I know some of you won’t like to hear about the journal and gratitude work but journaling right now can be an invaluable tool for your business. I’ll outline how you can use them as such. It’s not about “dear diary” so don’t panic.
Use a journal as a brain dump. This helps you get everything out of your head, so you can relax, prioritise, delete, delegate and get a better night’s sleep. Simply start by writing everything down on a piece of paper, it doesn’t matter if it’s business or personal. Just get it all out, every worry, to do items, etc.
I’ll talk more about how you can utilise this more in the planning suggestions coming up.
Create a worry period if you need it. That’s a set amount of time when you give over to your worries. You set a timer on your phone for no more than 30 minutes a day. Let your mind go to all the worst-case scenarios and fears.
But you need to write these down. When you can see your thoughts on paper you can begin to challenge them, or see you need some professional advice, i.e. accountant, solicitor, therapist (if needed).
Most of the time when we see our worst fears written down it allows us to see we are not thinking rationally and that we can actually do something about this or make plans to help us feel more secure.
A worry period allows us to relax also and make more calm, logical decisions during the day, as our brain no longer has to hold on to them and seek out solutions for them.
You can use worry periods everyday if needed or just when you feel things are escalating stress wise for you.
4. Let’s get practical about planning; it will help you feel more in control right now.
Now is a great time to plan for your business. Remember you don’t need all the answers right now, just do what you can.
Take some time also to do some research and development. Get your business online if you don’t already.
Using your brain dump sheet from above, categorise it into personal and business, just do a quick run-through, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Then review the list.
Decide on what you can delete. Most entrepreneurs are very busy people and they tend to take on other responsibilities, now is the time to hand these back.
You can only do so much in any one day and you need to take time out in order to help your mental and physical health. If you are stressed out you are compromising your immunity.
You are not being selfish handing these things back.
Delegate where you can, some people might find this hard to do, but you need to. Again you can only do so much on one day.
If you need to ask for help then do it! Above all you need this right now, so again utilise your entire support system.
You should be left with a more realist to do list. Make sure they are tasks that can be completed easily and in one go.
Anything too big needs to be broken down further. If you don’t you will only feed your fears, overwhelm and stress.
You are then back to a vicious cycle in your head of negativity, low motivation and depleting willpower levels. Your brain will shut down and you won’t make good decisions for you, your family and your business.
What one piece of advice you can give us?
Remember you are doing the best you can. Running yourself into the ground won’t help you, your family or your business.
Take time out for your personal life and self-care is now more important than ever.
If you are really struggling please reach out and have a chat with someone, positive friends, family, support, mentors, or with a therapist if you need it.
Note I said positive people; you need these more than ever and should encourage them to contact you.
Use the meditation I suggested above, and then get a list of customers and suppliers you need to call.
Prepare key points you need to say and then make the calls.
Stick to the key points, be honest, people are understanding and will appreciate your honesty.
But take time between those calls to relax, you’ll handle them in a more professional manner if you do.
Rushing in will not give you the best results right now. So take your time, you don’t need to call everyone in one day.
What piece of advice would you give couples right now who have had to cancel or postpone their weddings/celebrations?
Weddings are highly stressful events as is for the vast majority of people.
But if you can offer them solutions to their problems you will retain or gain customers here.
You do need to be able to remain calm while they are going to pieces, so you need to be calm to do this. Remember the meditation, even a few breaths before answering the phone will help you.
If you can come together as a group #IrishWeddingChat and offer couples solutions such as packages they can adapt, or use when this is all over, that would be helpful.
If you can speak to your local hotel, other members in the group and come up with offers that are practical and helpful that would be one way to go.
I’m not talking about pushing people into buying anything right now or using questionable selling practices either.
Talk to the couples who are your customers already, find out what their situation is and then put together some offers together as a group.
Remember these are your customers, they don’t care about how you do it, they just want the results. Again thread carefully you can’t buy your reputation or goodwill. These are intangible assets the accounts speak about; they are worth more money to your business than anything you produce. But offering some good practical solutions for couples who were getting married or who have been forced to cancel plans and have to get married alone, will build your goodwill and reputation.
Thank you, Deborah, for being so generous with your tips and guidance. We really appreciate your time.
You learn more about Deborah on her website and purchase her super helpful e-book here.
“Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower.”
John Harrigan
You’ve booked the venue for your Ceremony and Reception. One of the next things to figure out is your decor and a big part of this is your flowers. Your flowers will be carrying the theme and colours through from your bridal bouquet to your celebrations.
Finding the perfect floral designer is going to be essential in helping to bring your vision to life. So, in this week’s I’ve found some very useful and informative blogs to share with you.
We’ll start with budgeting for your flowers.
Jan and Dee run Kay’s Flower School in Dublin. They are fabulous! And, are always so helpful and supportive that I headed straight over to their site to see if I could find anything helpful and of course I did.
Your flowers will be the first thing people see when they arrive at your venue. The colours and blooms you choose will set the theme of your wedding. Floral Art in Wicklow has put together some fabulous tips to walk you through the process.
Before meeting with a floral designer its important to know what questions to ask. The team at The Clare Galway Hotel have compiled eight important questions to ask. From seeing samples to changing your mind.
I hope that you have found this weeks topic interesting and helpful. Before I go, I’m going to give a few of our #irishweddingchat wonderful floral designers a shout out.
Join us on Wednesday’s from 8pm until 9pm on Twitter. You can chat with our fabulous suppliers while they showcase their gifts, flowers, outfits, cars and so much more.
If you would like to be our Star Wedding Business contact Jackie for more details.
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