Hustle + Gather is a training and consulting firm that is on a mission to inspire others to take big leaps, dream big dreams, and create amazing teams that grow profits and enjoyable (but productive) culture within business. They specialize in the hospitality industry and have coached and trained businesses to increase their profitability while creating a kick ass team along the way. Over the past 15 years, Courtney & Dana have built and operated three successful businesses in the Raleigh NC...
Mar 17, 2022•49 min•Ep. 114
May started her hospitality career as a food and beverage trainee at the Raffles Hotel, Singapore. It was there that she fell in love with the hospitality industry and decided to pursue her career further. She eventually worked her way up to Director of Catering and Conference Services and Director of Event Planning at several luxury hotels. In 2012, May decided to take all that she had learned and started her own event planning company, M2 Hospitality, building multiple 6-figures while shatteri...
Mar 03, 2022•40 min•Ep. 113
Julianne Smith is a nationally recognized wedding accessory designer, digital media strategist and small business educator. Julianne is the owner of The Garter Girl, a stylish wedding garter design company she started in 2004, after she couldn’t find a wedding heirloom worthy of her best friend. The Garter Girl is known for stylish and meticulously handmade wedding heirlooms that are too pretty to toss. The Garter Girl and Julianne have been featured on NBC’s Today Show, Lifetime, The Knot, Mart...
Feb 24, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 112
Owner and Founder of Jen Taylor Consulting, Jennifer Taylor started out with over 15 years as a successful destination wedding planner in Washington and Maui — but it wasn’t long before Jen recognized a need within the creative industry for more organized systems and processes for a happier life, both in terms of work and personal time. She noticed that many creatives are predominantly right-brained—wildly imaginative and expressive, but missing the necessary structure to create logical systems ...
Feb 10, 2022•53 min•Ep. 111
Lorella's passion for wedding and event planning, as well as her entrepreneurial mindset, naturally led her to start her first company, La Jolie Bride, a bridal concierge service. She wanted to help every bride-to-be enjoy their moment in a stress-free, beautiful and magical way, all while offering her French touch, to their most romantic event. Working with many brides over time, made her realize that one of their biggest struggles was to find accessories to go with their bridal look. Where to ...
Jan 20, 2022•37 min•Ep. 110
Elizabeth Sheils is the co-founder of Rock Paper Coin, the first software platform to bring together wedding planners, couples, and vendors into one system for managing and paying contracts and invoices. Elizabeth is also a lead wedding planner with award-winning firm Bridal Bliss, where she manages the Seattle team. In addition to recognition by Special Events in its Top 25 Event Pros to Watch series, she also earned a spot in The BizBash 500 for 2021. - Featured Guest: Elizabeth Sheils of Rock...
Dec 16, 2021•47 min•Ep. 109
Jainé Kershner is a wedding photographer based in New York City. Jainé Kershner Photography was handpicked as one of NYC’s best wedding photographers to know by BRIDES and has been featured in several publications including Martha Stewart Weddings, BRIDES, Style Me Pretty, and The Knot. In 2018, Jainé launched "Tea with Jainé" to directly educate wedding photographers with honest answers, actionable steps, and tangible tips to successfully grow and create a profitable photography business. She h...
Dec 02, 2021•47 min•Ep. 108
Christie Osborne, proud data nerd, is the owner and founder of Mountainside Media, a consulting firm devoted to using market research, data, and analytics to support event professionals as they develop scalable marketing strategies to grow their business. Christie is dedicated to guiding the industry in a direction that ditches tired, old sales pitches and turns its focus on what really matters: turning data into dollars. Her penchant for all-things-digital and a knack for critical thinking have...
Oct 27, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 107
Megan Gillikin is a veteran wedding planner, podcast host and international speaker dedicated to making life easier for her fellow wedding pros. Her love for mentoring blossomed from her tumultuous entrepreneurship journey: In 2010 Megan purchased her planning business, A Southern Soiree, and revived the struggling brand into one of North Carolina’s most sought-after firms serving a luxury clientele. Between her own experiences and hearing others’ stories first-hand as the host of the Weddings F...
Oct 08, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 106
David Strausser is the host of the smash hit, small business growth podcast Shark Bite Biz, a member of Forbes Biz Dev Council, a Harvard Business Review Advisory Council member, General Manager of the Northeast Region for Vision33, CEO of his media company, Dead Brands, LLC., and a Notary Public. Having worked in tech for most of his professional life, David has focused on helping companies drive profit with the right technology. A master at sales, marketing, and business development David uses...
Aug 11, 2021•47 min•Ep. 105
I'm your host, Renée Sabo and this week I am jumping on to share some raw insights and updates on how the 2021 wedding season has affected my business. If you're feeling similar and need a place to vent, shoulder to lean on and a supportive community, connect with us over on instagram @urban_soiree or @theconfettihour
Aug 11, 2021•16 min•Ep. 104
Margaux Fraise is the owner and creative director of Harmony Creative Studio, an award-winning boutique wedding firm in Los Angeles, CA. Since moving from retail consulting to events in 2011, her goal has been to design weddings with intention, infusing celebrations with her signature organic and minimal style yet still tailored to each couple. A Stage IV breast cancer survivor, she has a unique perspective on what is truly valuable in love, life and weddings – and brings that viewpoint to help ...
Aug 02, 2021•53 min•Ep. 103
Leah Weinberg is the Owner & Creative Director of Color Pop Events and author of newly published The Wedding Roller Coaster. Her colorful work and party planning tips have been published online and in print with Vogue, the New York Times, People, CNBC, Bravo, Martha Stewart, and The Knot, among others. Recently, Leah has been recognized as a 20 on the Rise winner by Honeybook and the Rising Tide Society, one of the 25 Young Event Pros to Watch by Special Events Magazine, and one of BizBash's...
Jul 22, 2021•58 min•Ep. 102
Raised in the Wedding Industry, Jamison opened her Southern California-based Wedding Planning business; Jamison Events, over 20 years ago. Jamison also is a Business Coach and Podcast Host at the Bridal Business Bootcamp. Along with her planning business Jamison has found passion in helping her fellow friendors find success within the industry! You will hear all about Jamison's journey and her '5 Ways to Close More Sales'! We will finish up with 'What She Wishes Other Vendors Knew' and of course...
Jul 01, 2021•58 min•Ep. 101
Kelly McWilliams, a destination wedding planner-designer has been producing weddings, social events and celebrations since 2002 in Florida, Mexico and the West Indies. In 2020 Kelly launched a new branch to her company, A Last Minute Wedding which speaks to couples who want the full wedding experience in 90 days or less. She also launched her podcast for engaged couples, "This vs That, Wedding Decisions with Kelly McWilliams". Kelly has been widely published globally in her 19 years, but is much...
Jun 18, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 100
Michelle Ryder is the Marketing & Event Coordinator at Lakeview Pavilion. Michelle has been part of the Lakeview Pavilion team for the past 4 years and has had evolving roles throughout her time. According to some couples, they have explained that "every bride needs a Michelle in their life". Her passion for executing flawless events has been instilled in her and expected by Owners Anastasia & Natalia. Michelle has always lived by the motto "You have to love what you do!" During your eve...
May 13, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 99
Linda MacDonald is the Event Manager at Calla Catering and Events LLC. While she graduated from Plymouth State University in 2013 with a Bachelors Degree in Art History, it was her experience working for the Walt Disney Company for three years that introduced the hospitality industry to her, and she immediately knew this was her true path. Linda moved back to New England and was a member of the team at the historic Wentworth By The Sea Country Club in Rye, New Hampshire, and is now bringing even...
Apr 29, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 98
Henry Chen has been a wedding photographer since 2007, specializing in multi-cultural, faith, and ethnic weddings. In the past year, Henry started Wedding Chat Marketing - chat marketing education - and Creative Chat Marketing - a "done-for-you" chat marketing agency - that help wedding professionals, venues, and creative entrepreneurs successfully use chat marketing to generate leads and earn more while saving time. Henry is also a YouTuber, backpacker/hiker, and most importantly, a husband and...
Mar 25, 2021•52 min•Ep. 97
Taylor de la Fuente is an award-winning writer, champion for inclusive language and the owner of Lemon Tree Editorial. As a website copywriter serving the wedding industry, Taylor writes authentic and inclusive websites for wedding pros who want to attract their ideal couples and sell their services while they sleep. Before starting Lemon Tree Editorial, she worked in journalism, SEO and marketing. You will hear all about Taylor's journey and she will also be sharing her tips on 'How to Make You...
Mar 11, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 96
Keith Willard is the owner and head planner of Keith Willard Events, a Palm Beach event planning company. Their team ensures the planning process is easy and stress-free, and lead planner Keith always goes above and beyond to execute a flawless event for his clients. Keith comes from a long lineage of luxury experiences. As a previous Director of Catering for the Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour and The One Hotel, he knows how to work with hotels to ensure a seamless event. You will hear all about Keith...
Feb 25, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 95
A user experience designer by trade, Jordan’s background in art and design isn’t just professional—it’s been a deep-seated passion for as long as he can remember. After years in the advertising industry working in web design and user experience with major brands like Pepsi, Visa, Toyota, and Mercedes, Jordan knew it was time he took his creativity offline so he could get his hands dirty. Out of that realization, he launched a custom brooch business which, ultimately, evolved into wedding station...
Feb 11, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 94
E.C.F. Entertainment is a collection of the finest Wedding DJs in New England. They deliver THE party rockin', light show poppin', photobooth droppin' experience of a lifetime. As a truly boutique entertainment company, Jeff Mader and his team of DJ's deliver modern, yet timeless experience. Their focus is on professional and polished, while bringing a whole hell of a lot of fun! You will hear all about Jeff's journey and he will also be sharing his tips on 'The Genuine Approach: Why Keeping It ...
Feb 04, 2021•54 min•Ep. 93
Randi is the co-founder and CEO of Merri, a new 3D event design and planning platform for the events industry. Prior to starting Merri, Randi spent her career in the ECommerce space, mostly recently as an early employee at Jet.com, where she found her passion for building out site experiences to drive product discovery. This passion, mixed with the lack of tools and resources she had while planning her wedding are what drove her to start Merri. She's gone on to raise venture funding to build out...
Jan 28, 2021•48 min•Ep. 92
After finishing a Fine Arts and Masters in Design with the major in Branding, Sanya created a destination wedding planning brand which led her to start the Ellwed Magazine, all while living in a foreign country! It was while working as a destination wedding planner, when she realised the niche gap in this market and Ellwed was born. Ellwed is the first international boutique magazine for destination weddings in Greece. Available digitally and in bespoke print. A platform providing information an...
Jan 21, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 91
Scott Kulman is the founder SpeechLess Music 2011 and has grown the company from a 'one-man-show' performing the occasional jazz gig to providing entertainment to over 150 events in 2019. What began as a tiny operation in Boston now provides music all over the country with satellite divisions located in Los Angeles and New York City. The group has performed for A-list celebrities (Taylor Swift, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill), US government officials (Michael Bloomberg, Charlie Baker, Michael Duk...
Jan 14, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 90
Wedding planning wasn’t always in the cards for Renée. Instead, what started out as a seemingly one-time favor for a friend evolved into a thriving side-hustle to her acting career. When it was her turn to walk down the aisle, she flipped the script and discovered that the wedding industry was truly where she belonged. Shortly after her “I do’s,” she started Moxie Bright Events, a boutique wedding planning company, and never looked back. It wasn’t long before fellow industry pros were looking to...
Jan 07, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 89
Dec 31, 2020•16 min•Ep. 88
Jaimee Morse is a fine art photographer with a hub in Arizona and in New England though she travels around the world to photograph elegant weddings for professional athletes, those in the film industry, and every day people who want timeless and elegant photos that truly tell the story of their wedding day. Her work has been featured in over 75 publications such as BRIDES, Town&Country Magazine, Martha Stewart, and Style Me Pretty. She started her business in a small town in Wisconsin about ...
Dec 17, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 87
OFD Consulting owner, Meghan Ely, combines in-the-trenches event experience with a love of wedding PR to empower her clients to take their businesses to new heights. A long-time industry speaker and writer, she is a WeddingPro educator with The Knot + WeddingWire, as well as a regular contributor to Wedding Planner Magazine, Catersource and SpecialEvents.com. Her team’s publicity efforts are regularly honored by the Public Relations Society of America. Meghan and her colleagues won top honors in...
Dec 03, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 86
Owner and Visionary, Emily Sullivan, showcases her love for the city in every wedding she creates. Hospitality is her spiritual gift and many times she can be found cooking for friends or making dinner plans to meet up the city’s best restaurants. She started her business back in 2006 as a single mom and has established herself as a go to planner in the area by creating a business that is always evolving and staying relevant in the industry. The business and daily struggles that come along with ...
Nov 19, 2020•41 min•Ep. 85
