Somehow, it’s already August, and, suddenly, fall is just around the corner. Fall is the season of new beginnings, and, for me, that means a time of new creations. Regardless of who you are or what you do, you too can be creative. Creativity is a natural gift; the secret is figuring out what your personal creative strengths are. Too often, too many of us think creativity is something only other people are capable of. But the truth is, everything you do can be a creative act. Think about it: the way you dress, decorate your home, cook your meals, etc.. Just start making creative choices!

I believe the same is true of the wedding and event planning business. Good business means making creative choices. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, because over the last few months, I’ve made a few business decisions that just aren’t working out the way I had hoped. For example, I promoted one of my employees to a new position, and it simply isn’t a good fit for her; she’s not happy. And that’s the thing about creative choices; when you make them, you have to be willing to regularly reevaluate which choices are working and which ones aren’t.

On my blog this week, I’d like to explore the kind of questions we should all be asking ourselves to ensure that we and our businesses remain on a positive and creative path. Today, I’d like to focus on clients.

1. In the past six months, have you had any unhappy clients?

Unfortunately, I have had one unhappy client recently.

2. Based on your experience with this unhappy client, list three things you could have done differently.

My list:

a) I should have given this client more of my personal time.
b) To avoid any misunderstandings, I should have asked this client to sign off on everything I did in writing instead of just via email.
c) I should have recognized this client’s controlling nature and been much better about sharing information. This was definitely my bad.

3. Now, in the past six months, how many happy clients have you had?

Fortunately, all of my other clients have been very happy!

4. Based on your experience with your happy clients, list three things that worked especially well and that you would like to keep doing.

My list:

a) I gave my happy clients permission to vent whenever they were feeling frustrated. And, if I could, I would try to solve whatever was vexing them.
b) I checked in with each of my happy clients at least once a day by phone or email.
C) I made sure to follow up with all of my happy clients after their events. I called them and asked if there was anything my team and I could have done better.

The best creative practice of all might be a willingness to reconsider and reevaluate each and every one of our choices!

Dear Readers, have you made any creative business choices? What were they and how did they work out? Please share.

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