I have a love hate relationship with technology. Really. I love it once it's working because it makes my life so much easier. But I hate picking a new system. I hate setting it up. I usually break things as I'm doing it. And I just feel completely overwhelmed by what systems are going to be right for us. If you'ree feeling this way at all, then today's episode is going to be just for you.
My guest Tanisha Lee is here to talk all about systems and AI and how it's going to help you to find some of that balance in your life, but also help you to elevate your client experience. What you can do to get over that fear and jump into using technology in your everyday life inside your business. You're going to love this episode.
Tanisha, I am so excited to get to have you on the show I am obsessed with this topic, and I'm excited to learn along with our listeners today all about how to use A. I. and systems in your business, and I understand that you have been dubbed like the systems queen. Is this right?
Yeah, that's that's what they're calling me in these little event streaks.
I love it. I love it because you're totally owning the space and your name has come up so many times in conversation. And I'm just really, really excited to get to talk to you here on the podcast, but also because you're going to be one of our new speakers that's joining us for the Wedding Pro CEO Summit this year coming up in just a couple of weeks. And I cannot wait to learn from you there too. So this is going to be good.
This is gonna be a little prequel to what you're talking about at the summit.
Absolutely. I'm excited and I'm excited to join the summit to meet everybody to mix and mingle with them and just kind of learn from them too. I'm excited for it.
Yeah, I think that's one of the things that we hear the most often about the summit is that the speakers really love that we all kind of get to sit in each other's sessions too. Because I can tell you right now, I'm there to learn as well. Like, we're hosting the event, obviously, speaking, but I love getting to learn from our speakers and then come back and pour into our team from that, so. It's going to be really good. I'm excited to hear you speak.
So before we get into your topic today and kind of talk about all things systems and AI, can you tell everybody a little bit about who you are and how you got into what you're doing now?
Absolutely. So again my name is,. My name is Tanisha Lee. I have been in the wedding and event space for about 15 years now and kind of got in it in a unique way. I didn't know that I wanted to do weddings. I didn't know that I wanted to even plan events whatsoever. I actually was working with David's Bridal. I was helping train some of the girls there and doing some in store and in school like prom shows for them. And I happened upon a bride who needed some help wrangling in her mother.
And she loved the way that I did it. And she came back to pick up her dress and was like, Hey, can you plan my wedding? And I was like, so I don't do that. And then she, she wrangled me into doing it. And I never looked back. But I got started it was really interesting. It wasn't, um, we didn't have Google. We didn't have all these resources. We didn't have a conference like the summit. We didn't have those things.
And so we just kind of like went by the bootstraps and tried to figure it out on our own, sitting in Barnes and Noble, reading wedding magazines, like trying to figure it out. And I was like, well, one day when we're successful and I feel stable enough, I'm going to give back. And so that's what I've been doing through, through speaking and things like that now is.
Just sharing as much as I know with the next person so they can skip all of the, all of the ugly stuff and they can just get to the fun stuff.
Oh girl. It's so interesting to me because I started around the same time. So my business is 16 years old. So around the same time and gosh, it was just so different back. Then like there wasn't online education there This makes us sound like dinosaurs. I always say I hate to say is that you know, like Instagram didn't exist but Instagram's not that old so Instagram was like you didn't have the way to connect besides out of your local market who were your competitors So who are you asking?
Like what do I do? Right? and So I love that you give back through Collectively Wed and with the speaking and the educating and really helping Wedding pros to just kind of skip some of the difficult bumpy parts, which I wish I could have done in the beginning
Yeah. Cause they always say like, it takes five years to get to this point in your business, or it takes eight years to get to this point. And I'm like, well, can't it just take two if we just skip all this other stuff,
Yes, Yes, it could. I was actually talking to a student today and she said, At what point in your business did you get to this part? She was like, this is where I want to be. And I was like, way too long. Like, don't go by my example. Because it's, I, you, it should not take you that long. Now, right? Like, it just shouldn't. And so, yeah, I wish so bad that we had. But I'm with you.
I remember kind of just like, Getting through the wedding magazines and, you know, trying to read blogs and things like that, but it's so exciting to be able to have people like you who are pouring back into our community and doing that through speaking and educating and helping people so much. So you still have your wedding planning business right now too, right?
Yes.
Okay. Wow.
so kind of grown the team and kind of taught them. Some of them have come. Some of them have left and started their own businesses and like, we're still supporting them in that. And it's just been, it's been an all around good experience, even though you come through the hurdles of business, right? Everybody does. There's, there's ebbs and flows of everything, but it's been a pretty, a pretty awesome ride. I will say that. For
What do you think would be one of the things that you would tell somebody who maybe is I don't know, three to five years in business. What would be something that you would, you would say that you wish you knew then?
Make it legal,
Yes
Right? Like we, our industry, there's no barrier to entry. It's like, we wake up, we have a dream, we go for it. And we forget that while we're on this fun ride, there's actually like some steps we need to do.
Oh That's so funny. I don't know that that would have been my answer, but now hearing you say it I'm like that should have been my answer because five years into my business I had a huge legal battle really because I didn't do all things legal in the beginning and And I you know when I'm working with my students now, I'm like, please hear me I know you think it won't be needed because everybody's so nice. Everybody is so good But you need to be legal.
You need to be legally set up in your business. So I think that's really good advice, especially for that three to five years in, it's like, yes, when you first get your first, you know, one or two clients, you're not thinking about legalizing everything, but they're three to five years in, like you're legit. We need to be legalizing all of your contracts, all of your employment agreements and things like that. So I think that's a really good advice.
And I think it takes some of the headache off of it as well. It takes the stress out of it, that kind of unknowing. You feel protected, so then you feel more confident in what you're doing.
So true. So true. Oh my gosh. Okay, so we're going to start talking about systems and A. I. And how did, how did this become really like the specialty that you decided to lean into? How did you become the systems queen?
So fun fact about me. I am the mom of of the most spirited kidpreneur ever. He's always coming to me with like ideas and things like that. And like, I truly, truly wanted to support him and about six years into the business, I was doing so well with the business that I didn't have any balance. Like whatsoever. And I was like, he wants to do all these things. I want to support him in doing all these things. Back when kids were like, slime is it?
Yep.
That was my kid. He's like, I want to have a slime business. And so I, I sat down. I remember it was December of 2016. I sat down for the entire month and tried every single CRM I could find to figure out what was going to work best for me. And then it was solely because I just wanted to have some balance. I was like, I need the CRM to do all the things because I'm not going to have time to do any of that if I want to spend it with him.
So I dived into it and then kind of like with my wedding planning business, it's something I just kind of discovered that I fell in love with and I was like, this is how I can help other people. And it just kind of. Came about that way.
So what's your favorite CRM? Do you have a favorite?
I do. I have two actually. So Dubsado is all time my most favorite, most can do almost anything that you can dream of and it works how you like to work so you don't have to like tailor yourself to it. So I like that. But then there's a new one that I discovered that I really, really love, Harpsen.
I've heard people talking about Harpsen
I love...
okay.
Yeah, I love it. I kind of attribute it to like, if you're more Apple minded person, Harpsen is for you. But if you're more Google, Android minded person, Dubsado is for you.
That's really know
That's how I think about it.
Interesting. Okay, so that's exciting how you kind of got into that and I, I feel that you know, I feel like the reason that I started really scaling my business with a team and stepping away from my business was the same thing. I was like my girls, Uh, they're getting older. I, I want to be there. I wanna be there when they're crying over a boy. Or, you know, they just run in from school and wanna talk. I don't want to have to say, well, I only have an hour later. Um, and so, yeah.
I think that's so important. A lot of times your why defines your success, so I, it sounds like that's exactly how it worked out for you.
Especially when, your six year old is coming to you and it's like mimicking you and their mimic version is, Hi, thanks for calling Soirees by Lee. And I'm like, Whoa,
Yep. Yep. My daughter, she used to, I, you know, back when we had the flip phones, right, she would walk around with a little flip phone and she would do this because I would always close my phone with my chin. And I was like, Oh my gosh, she sees this way too much. So yeah, I totally get that. Okay. So we are going to talk all about systems and AI. And I know that what you're talking about at the summit is really how to get back your time by using systems and AI, right?
So can you dig into that a little bit?
Yeah. I think one of the things that, People forget is that when we get into the wedding industry, we always think we have to do everything ourselves. We're sold on the solopreneur kind of lifestyle. And I don't, I don't think that's it. That's not my jam. I don't want to do it all myself. Um, and so I kind of attribute it to like hiring employees and maybe right off the bat, you can't hire a full team, right? So maybe you hire your systems instead, find something that can just do it for you.
So that you can get back the time to either do the fun stuff that you wanna do, learn a new skill, hang out with your friends, have a actual social life, um, outside of just doing what you do day to day because it's your passion. So for me, it's, it's just been one of those things where I had to take a step back and like. Take off so many hats and I don't have to be the accountant. I don't have to be HR
Yep.
I don't have to be all the things And just kind of shifting my mindset to accept that that's also okay that it's okay to need help and it's okay to Bring on the people and then bring on the systems that you need if you want to scale ultimately. For sure
Yeah, I think it's interesting that you were saying, you know, sometimes you're not quite ready to hire yet. And so building out a system that can give you back some of that balance and give you back some of that time. don't know that I've ever thought about it that way, but in my coaching business, I That is exactly what we're doing. Like, we're, we're currently trying to get all the systems on the back end to do what we're doing manually so much.
And, you know, I think that the hard part about that is it's like to build out the system you have to have, you have to have a system that you do manually first, right, would you say? And then you kind of find some system that you can use to automate all of that.
Right. So it's getting the process out of your head.
Yeah.
And so then, and
the hardest part. That's the
That's the hard part, so when I started my business, we were in Atlanta, Georgia, um, we're now in the great state of Texas, fun times.
That's where we're going, so I'm excited.
I know I'm so excited. And then, um, in Atlanta, the big thing is like traffic and time and like all of these factors go into getting somewhere on time, getting to the event on time, making sure all of the trucks get there, the rentals, all the vendors and everything. And so for me, I was always afraid that something was going to happen and I wasn't going to make it to the wedding. A blowout on the highway or something like that. And then it did happen.
Oh no!
I had a blowout, a tire blowout, but this was after I had my systems in place. Thank goodness. And I was able to call another planner who had no idea about this wedding whatsoever. She doesn't work for me, anything like that. But me being able to log into my system and just send her the link to the client's file and everything still go off until I was able to get there without a hitch, I will never go back.
That's such an amazing testimony I think that that is a huge reason why we have to have these systems in place because getting it out of your head one is huge But even if it was just like sitting on your computer, how what would you do?
Right, like there's so much information that needs to be shared and being able to have that all systematized and a quick link that you can share is such a big reason why you need to systematize it but Getting out of your head, it's so funny because I, as we're having this system built out for us currently, I'm like, this is going to force me to take it out of my head and get it into a system, get it onto paper.
Because honestly, until you're kind of forced to do that, it does, a lot of the steps do live in your head. And then those SOPs and those processes just don't ever come, right?
Exactly. And then it, it honestly will weaken the team sometimes because they're trying to be in your head, which they can't, they can be in the system easily, but they can't be in your head. It's kind of like, um, every two years or so when Instagram goes down or Facebook shuts down and everyone loses their mind, it's like, it's okay. Let's just get it out of here so that if something happens. We can still move forward with life.
Yes, oh my gosh, that's so funny that you said that. Yes, a hundred percent. And actually, really thinking about it, Again, with my coaching business, it's, it's kind of, you know, it's still in the baby phases, right? Like I'm three years in. So it's still very much in that infancy stage where we're kind of starting to now go, okay, all the systems have to be in place. All the, the things have to be in place. I do feel that for my team.
They're trying to do things for me and they're like, where is this? What do you want me to do with this? And I'm like, ah, we've got to get it out of my head. So yeah, I think that that's massively important. It's very difficult to scale. When you don't have those systems in place first, because you're the only one that knows everything. So I, I'm loving this about getting your time back. I want to talk a little bit about the client experience as well, right?
So, yes, all of those systems are coming into play with giving you your balance back, but how can that also support you in, in really almost being like that go to person in your market for clients?
We have to be the one that they can trust. And how can they trust us if we're all over the place? we're unorganized, if we're, um, if we don't send things that they're accustomed to seeing in other aspects of their life. So you have to remember. Our clients go to work nine to five, and so they're accustomed to going to work, sitting down, logging in. If they need help with something, it's in a database somewhere, they can get it quickly and they're communicating their needs to us.
And so we just have to kind of remember the mindset that they're in. And just match it. I think it's, it also plays into that illustrious word luxury that everyone likes to throw around.
Yep.
But no one can truly define like what luxury is. But for me, it's the experience. And if the experience that my clients In the beginning is an automated welcome message, something that's personal to them. If I can tweak it. So it sounds like it's coming from me, but that it's immediate and it's addressing their immediate needs. I mean, let's face it, the wedding industry is an emotional business.
That's an understatement. Yes.
And so if that first contact with them is, is an automated message, but it's quick, then it's like, okay, they're gonna, they're going to get to me. I don't still feel stressed. I don't still feel like I'm going to be left in the dark. And so it just kind of opens up the communication. To be a more elevated experience, I think, with clients, for sure.
Yeah, I agree. I also think because of all of the technology that's developed over the last ten years, Honestly, clients do expect things very, very quickly. And I always like to try to tell my students too, it's not that the systems and the automations are taking the place of you. They're just making your experience so much better because now you can pop in with your personal, you know, things that you want to add on, but the actual process of what you do is being done by automation.
And that's helping just everyone to have a better experience.
Yeah, because who wants to sit at a computer and type the exact same email
Right? No,
all day long?
It doesn't make any
crazy.
No. And you, you had touched on, um, luxury, the term luxury, right? Being an experience. I agree a hundred percent with that. I think it's an experience. I had seen in a branding campaign one time, I'm trying to remember what the brand was, but they defined luxury as the absence of worry. I was just obsessed with that. I was like, that's exactly what it is. Right? Because our, our luxury clients hire us so they don't have to worry about their event. And that experience really lends to that.
Exactly. And I think if, if you start off that experience, like super clunky, Oh, let me get you a contract. And then you're like searching the internet for a contract template. And then it's, Oh, let me now send you an invoice that it's too much work that they're having to do just to get to work with you. And the idea is to take all of that off of their plate. It's the same with sending. 15 page long questionnaires just to get started with you.
right?
it's unnecessary. That's an internal document. Take the homework away from the client and take the stress off of them. Make it more convenient. That's, that's always been my, my goal. Make it more convenient for them.
Yes. A hundred times. Oh my gosh. Tanisha, you're like speaking my love language. I , I as a consumer. Everything's about my time, right? And so I tell my students all the time. I'm like, let me tell you right now, if you sent me this questionnaire, I just wouldn't fill it out. I'd be like, I don't, I don't care. They can, they can figure it out at some point. Like our dentist just recently said, Oh, here's all of your new patient forms that have to be filled out before you come.
I was like, yeah, I'm not doing that. And I'm not doing it. There was like six attachments. I'm not doing it. When I get to the appointment, I'll fill it out. I don't know what to tell you. But.
Same.
Yes. I just think, I think it, it, you know, we don't have a lot of time, like our lives are busy and our clients are experiencing that as well. So when we put all this homework on them, that's not adding to that luxury experience. It's taking it away. So you're so right in how you're presenting this.
Exactly. And they're also, we're used to convenience. Like you said, like me in my life, I live a super normal life, right? But there are elements of my life that I want to feel more luxurious. So whether it's something as simple as I'm ordering Uber Eats, because this is convenient and someone's going to bring it to me. I'm going to take the time to do that if it's something as simple as I don't feel like going to get groceries. I mean it's more convenient to have Amazon deliver those to me.
There's little teeny conveniences that we take advantage of from day to day we don't even realize. Why not pass on that same experience to our clients?
Yes.
And the technology is there to do it.
It is. So one of the things that I think is interesting, I would love for you to touch on this, is that I think one of the biggest barriers to adding a system is not knowing what to do with it, right? Like, Dubsado is one, my goodness, I knew you were going to say Dubsado was your favorite. I don't know whether I saw that somewhere or I just knew you would be a Dubsado girl, but That is one where it's so customizable. that it's almost like I don't even know where to start with it.
So what would you say to somebody that's listening, that's thinking about adding any kind of software or system to their business to kind of break down that fear of like, but I wouldn't even know where to start, nor do I have time, you know?
My thing is, you have to schedule the time. Like, I live by the, the rule that my business is my number one client. Right? And so I have to schedule time for my business, schedule time to work on, and then schedule work time to work in my business. And so for me, it's pull out the planner, With the stickers and all the things, and actually pencil it in and write it in. I'm gonna try this system out. And then honestly, a lot of the fear that I've heard is just, I'm scared I'm gonna break it.
MmHmm.
I don't, that's why I don't wanna touch it. Oh, I have a trial, but I've had this trial for like a year, , it's like, it's like you just. Gotta push the button not be afraid that you're going to break it. And then also realize there's people out there to help you. That's what customer support is for. That's what the little A. I. chat in the corner is for. Ask for the help.
And then, I mean, honestly, that's going to tell you whether or not you want to use the system, if you can get the support you need to use it. And a lot of these systems will set it all up for you. You just got to push the button and ask them.
Yeah. Yes, I totally understand that. Oh my gosh. I, I want to just like stop on what you just said there for a second though, because like that was the best soundbite is your business is your number one client. And I, I don't think we think about that enough. I don't know if you see that a lot Tanisha too, but You know, we say work on your business, work on your business, but really you shell out time for every single client that you take on.
But your business doesn't exist if it doesn't continue to run well. So shelling out that time in your schedule to run your business is so important.
And I literally, I realized that for me, I live my personal life on my Google calendar. I've even trained my son to do it. I'm like, if it's not on the calendar, it's not getting done.
literally say that in my house daily.
And so I'm very much on the mindset where like, If I don't put Soirees by Lee Admin for two hours on Tuesday, it's just not gonna get done. And so I have to go in and schedule it. So I was like, you know what? No matter how many clients we have on the books, we gotta take care of Soirees by Lee first. And then we can take care of our clients. It's the same thing that we do in our personal lives. You gotta take care of yourself first, before you can take care of other people.
So just apply that to your business and then push the button. It doesn't push the button.
Push the button, do it. It can save you so much time and really give you, your clients, that client experience that you've guaranteed to deliver so that you become that go to pro in your market. This is so good. Tanisha, what can our attendees expect at the summit? What will you be talking about and focusing on in your workshop specifically?
So I'm gonna focus on AI and automations, right? The big scary AI
Yes.
like back in 2020, the scary word was pivot. Now the scary word is ai. And what people don't realize is that we use AI every day anyway. Alexa, Google, Siri. That's. It's all A. I., and so it shouldn't be scary, and if we utilize it correctly with integrity and responsibly, then we can change the trajectory of our businesses. Like overnight. We say a lot of things, um, aren't kind of like microwavable, right?
But this is something that you can use that can change your business from day to night night I hear people all the time saying like I don't know what to say to this client or I don't know what to do You have a Built in assistant, literal assistant that will do anything you tell it to do. And so a lot of people just aren't tapping into the resource. And that's what I want to teach.
I want to teach you how to tap into the resource and then also how to automate with the A. I. so that now you don't have to go back and tell it what to do every time. It's just going to do it.
I, I've definitely gotten a lot better with A. I. But I will say in the beginning, I was not an early adapter because I was just like, this is annoying. Like it does, it just back the junk, you know? And more I started learning about how to train it. And how to input the right information, um, so it would spit back good information.
I feel like there's a handful of tasks I've learned to do really well and it does help me so much, but I know that there's so much more it can do that I just haven't really tapped into, so I'm super excited. to learn from your session at the summit. You guys, if you haven't already gotten your ticket to the summit, it's coming up in just a few weeks. It's the first week of June, June 3rd through 6th in Austin, Texas. We're going to Tanisha's home state. I cannot wait to get there.
It's going to be so fun. We're right in downtown Austin. And honestly, these workshops are so hands on, you guys, you're literally leaving. Like our workshop speakers are so amazing. You're leaving with a great experience. Tasks done for your business, not a big old notebook full of things you have to do when you get back home. You're actually going to be physically hands on doing things in these workshops.
So Tanisha, where can people find you if they want to connect with you before the summit online?
you can always find me at CollectivelyWed. com, and then you can find me on all social media platforms at CollectivelyWed.
Perfect. Okay, you guys go connect with Tanisha, follow her and make sure you say hi and that you heard her on the Wedding Pro CEO podcast and that you'll see her in Austin in just a few weeks. Tanisha, thank you so much for being here.
Oh, thank you for having me, I'm excited.