Amy and we had so much fun for the past few day. Yes. And one of my friends said how did you get to Chelsea? Like Well, there's this girl. And we're so similar. And we met in Vegas. And she's like, of course Vegas. Like, but we just like click and we're just excited. And she's like, and that's how you got to just the unlike. But I don't think she's from there now. So this is a me. Hi, everybody. Let's shoot before we jump in and start talking about what we're going to talk about a lot of things because we're in this beautiful new space that has been empty for fifth teen years. It's going to be on the in the historical. What is it? We're gonna go for the historical archives,
I think it's called the historical archives is the official title. Yeah,
so like they're doing amazing things here. How did you go wedding planner into real estate give us like the high level version of your story.
It wasn't my plan. I didn't want to. To be honest, I was super against owning wedding venue I I had worked for I've done event planning for 21 years this year. Talk about aging yourself, right? When you say
over two decades of a two deck over two decades. What's really long time preprint Usera OG years doesn't write two tickets.
But, you know, honestly, I dealt with so many venue owners. Not that I didn't respect them, but I didn't align with them at all. And I just felt like, gosh, I mean, I enjoyed the planning process. I enjoyed having control over everything. And I felt like so many times you go in to venues and there's not a battle necessarily but there's there's a power struggle, right? Of you're representing the client what the client wants there and you're working within the parameters of the contract. And but there's still this like this feeling right? And I just, I never wanted to have that with my own industry. You know what I mean? Like I never wanted to be that person and not be liked and I I've since worked through my issues of being liked, but it's okay. But so again, it wasn't really my plan. So for those of you don't know me, I started I grew up in Michigan on the west side, which you've from Michigan, we live on this mitten, use your mitten, all the time. And honestly, I was 25 at the time before I moved to California and I was single as a Pringle and everyone was married and I was like I'm not doing this and as I moved to LA I moved to LA I was like I'm out dude, everyone's like Why did you move I was like, I hate the cold. I still do fun fact is cold and I was Just I was in a different life moment, and everybody else was doing something that I wasn't. And I wanted to live differently. So I moved out to LA, ended up in Santa Barbara really expanded my wedding planning business there. And it was like so perfect, because, I mean, it is like the mecca of planning, like, you're at the front of all the trends you have, you know, wealthy clients, it was it was just fun. It still is, I'm still a designer out there. It's great. Yeah, if I can for less often now, but I still do. And I just, I have a style that I tend to design, which is light, bright and airy. And so we felt that we need to raise our daughter, our son is at college and missionaries in California. And so we wanted our daughter to be able to be raised in your family. And so it was really, really important for us to uproot and move her and your cousins her age. And so my plan was just to go back and forth, I had no problems doing that. I was like, Cool, I had now have a Michigan mortgage, and I get to live my lifestyle, which is great. Let me tell you, and I get to write it off, which is even better. So I was fine with it. But Charles 14 months, and that first year, I think I flew back 14 times in six months. It was it was a lot. It was a lot. It was a lot to ask of my family and my parents. And so. And really the trigger moment was I was sitting at the kitchen table. And I was trying to start to transition just a little bit into the Michigan market. Just enough said I have to travel as much, Doug, I'd finished this pick her husband, sorry, my husband, Doug pitched and I got off the phone. And I was just drained. Yeah, and I don't normally get drained. And I was just drained. And he said, I can't do it anymore. And I said what he said I cannot sit and hear you talk about something that you're brilliant at. He's he's like, my biggest cheerleader. He's, everybody loves done. But he's like, You're brilliant at it. And they don't even know what you're talking about yet. Because so true. It hasn't been brought here. And you're never gonna get the client will be able to continue to hone your skills. If you don't build what they're what is coming next. And I was like, I don't want any venue. He's like, you don't really have a choice. You either go back and forth, or you're gonna have to do something. And so yeah, so I put that thought process to the back of my head. And I said, No, I'm good. And then I slowly came, Dubois tells me things I get, like, I push back, because I feel like I have better ideas.
And they're both green by the way, which is really which is fun.
I'm gold truly but like we definitely migration Yeah, but my green is like very high as well. So that's where we actually are very aligned. Um, but I have to like mole on his ideas and like, come back to the day and be like your your agree, because I just had to, you know, just don't expect me to be all happy on your great idea that was better than mine. And, um, but I'll admit when I'm wrong. And so I was like, You know what, I think you're right and so wedding didn't always pay the bills. I will say this I my background in finance for many years. Angela and I love it. Because we have like the same process. We both worked in a hospital. Yes. Planners for 20 years Mary Jane Missy both own foreign car, we both had their for Tauruses. We have many, many similarities, which were the same. We love to fly labs. We like to travel you like to travel.
She's going to Paris. But
um, my big thing was like, I'm fine. So that being said, I was financial planner for many years. And so money, like I'm a money girl, again, I that green personality, I like things out on paper. So to me, I was like, cool if we do this wedding planning or venue thing, like where am I going to do it? And I'm from Kalamazoo Area, which is a real name. Yes, apparently that's a thing. Yes, it really is a Kalamazoo. And that's where it was going to be. I don't even know if I've told you this story. But we had a property in Kalamazoo, and we were going to do micro weddings, because this is before COVID, which is the irony is not lost on me now, because it probably would have slayed as well. But we are hot in the negotiations and lawyer talks and all the things. And I just felt that these building owners were not willing to meet me halfway on reasonable things in a building. And so this was beginning of March 2020. And I was like, Okay, I'm really busy for two weeks, I'll get back to you. And then on March 11, the whole world changed. And I was like, Okay, this is interesting. Nice pause. And so they were holding the contract changes. So we were waiting on their lawyers. And so then it came back to me and COVID like full on. I was like, I think we're going to take a pause on Yes. And so that allowed me the space then to look at my own area and really sit back and go, Okay. And so I I decided like if I'm going to go into real estate, I'm going to do it right. I'm going to find the right spot. I'm going to be financially driven on this. And I'm going to find where that where the market is. And so I did some pretty crazy math and found out that Chelsea is basically the Mecca in Michigan of where you should be having a wedding venue. And there's a lot of data that I'm actually not going to get into because It's my secret formula. And yeah, and so here we are. And I walked. It was funny. We everything was shut down like it was COVID. It was a Haida COVID. It was May of 2020. And I we had an almost two year old. Well, we she just heard do, and she was bored off her gourd. And for those of you don't know, Charlie Grace follower, she says she's the cutest thing ever. But we were walking and Chelsea because we lived in the neighboring town. I was like, let's go to a new town. Let's just walk outside. And there's this building that we are now occupying. And it was like singing to me. That's the only way I can say like, I'll say enemy. Yeah. And I was like, I was like, dang it dogs, right. And so met with the building owner found the literal unicorn building owner. And yeah, that was our first gig. And then now we have our second gig, our clock tower location that we're in right now. It's our newest venue. We've been here while we've been in under construction, almost, it'll be a year in May. And yeah, it we're right around the corner from our original location. And if you had asked me 48 months ago, what I would doing right now, it would not be this, neither of
us would ever really the furthest thing from this point ever. Yeah,
like ever, I would still be doing big scale event build out in California that that is what I'd be doing. Yeah. And chasing every accolade there is and like, going for bigger and bigger. And so to be sitting here like arguing about H vac systems. Didn't think that was ever?
So my question for you being green. B and we were talking about this this morning, green sometimes don't get out of their own way quick enough. Because they want to finish everything they want to finish the business plan or the process or the numbers or it's never going to be the right time, have a good time. And we were saying, you know, I was telling her I'm like, Just get out of your own way. Because you know, we have some greens. And they've taught me to slow down and be still and assess and do your research and have your data and when you have all that, but you still don't feel like it's quite ready. Yeah, you just have to throw yourself into the fire. And sometimes it's better that way. Because what you think you need to be saying and releasing? The market doesn't respond to it. And so if you release in phases, and you do a great job at that. So she was telling me she used to be really orange, super orange. So it's really important, you know, at this point in your life right now and everything that you've taken on, you have to act gold, I have that goal. And I know that yeah, if to get shit done. And it's not fun. And that's not operating at your happiest. But you were making sacrifices. Yeah, but still, you're with your husband and your child more than you would have been going back and forth. But sometimes we make sacrifices. And we know we have to act a different color. Yep. And put a different hat on at different points in our life. And so being gold for so many years, for so long. I know that a process has to be put in place and it has to be updated or has to be changed. If somebody complains about something, something falls through the cracks. Like those are opportunities to get better. So as agreeing to like do all this stuff really quick. And she didn't tell you that bought a house sold a house and bought a house and Hawaii. Yeah, we're sitting
in a beach. Let's offer that's a very land caught land it oh, I can be impulsive. When I'm on vacation. I'm very impulsive. But I'm going to Puerto Rico on Sunday. Well, I'm sorry, ahead of time to all of my staff, I'm sure I'm going to come up with some crazy outlandish idea that we will have to implement when I get back
down. And so So how do you get out of your own way? Like how did your you're like, Okay, I'm a wedding planner. Yes, this now I want to take it here. And my husband is right. And my other green husband is right. But you have done it quick.
I feel like when you've done something long enough, and you feel confident in it, like I know, I know money and I know how to make money. And I'm very confident in that. Because that's what I've done for years is help business owners make money really quickly and turn their businesses around. So I know how to do it. I felt like my dreams were being put on hold. Because of the expectations I was serving with others. And I felt like if I got out of my own way, I could still change people's lives. I could still make dream wedding impact more of them happen every year. I could hire full time employees change their lives like I, I felt I came to the realization that I could do more by owning a venue because I could shift an entire industry in a geographical area by being a leader and doing something so vastly different than everybody else that that I would stand out and they would say oh well why are you doing this? Oh well, this as a planner is how I did this and this is why I'm getting this and it just elevates the industry as a whole. So I just honestly I came to a point where I'm like quit being so selfish like you have been learning a skill set for two decades, like give it to people, you know what I mean? Don't hoard it to yourself. And so the best way to do that is to own a venue and to showcase something so differently than everybody else that, you know, instead of just being a new shiny object, like never be the new shiny object that can get attention. But to create a raving fan, you have to create something that is so uniquely different that they're just like, I can't live without it. Or, you know, I joke like literally 53 year old men, like are obsessed with our wedding video. I mean, we were buying our van. We got a double fan Dan, ever thought I bought one of those either. Let me tell you,
they were bringing a van to pick us up at the airport. That an
SUV, right? I was like, sorry. They have
vanished communication, communications.
But you know, we're in there. And he was this guy. So funny. He's like, Oh, you're from Chelsea. And like, he's like, oh, gosh, he's like, I just went to the coolest wedding there. I'm like, Oh, cool. Tell me about it. Because it was just awesome. And it was this cool backyard. And I'm like, Where was that? He's like downtown Chelsea. I'm like, really? I think the guy knows my name. He's clearly not looking at the piece of paper. Yeah. And I'm like, Cool. Cool. Yeah, we end up getting video to Oh, really? Where I'm like Chelsea, and he's like, wait, I'm like, was it the colons off me? And he's like, yes. Like, that's my, like, No. And he's like, I've literally told everything, every person I know about this place. He's like, I've never gone. He's like, he's like, I'm a 53 year old white dude. He's like, I don't even like weddings. I feel dragged to weddings. He's like, but I swear, I've told everybody about your venue because it was built for me. And I was just like, yes. Because that's what it's about. Like, it's about the couple, but it's for your guests. I mean, you're putting on a very expensive party. Let us help you make you look good. Yeah. And I can do that as a planner. But oh, my gosh, I can do it such a better way. Isn't anyone when you own
it? Yeah. So you're big on brand loyalty here, but you have no signage in front of the venue? Like, we're just strategic? Yes. So brand loyalty can mean that can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. So like, what is that to you? And then what is the deal with like, the sun thing?
Okay, so honestly, the sign thing became because honestly, in COVID, we renew, and we still followed all the rules to a tee. But we weren't in your community who didn't know me. Yeah. And I lovingly say, Chelsea is like honey and vinegar. Like you're one of the two people you know, you're from there. Yeah. Or you're not or you're not. Yeah. And I'm not. And they have no loyalty to me. And, and so I just kind of wanted to run incognito for a year and prove we weren't the noisy place. We weren't disrespectful. We weren't ruining the town green
opportunity. But another urbanism, massive industries, you guys, so I pull up. So we're driving, it's nighttime when I get here. And there's these huge towers, and I love like tall things. And I love to go to the top at all things. And so I'm immediately thinking like, how can we get up there? And there's no like ladders or anything. And like we have to do tick tock in front of that. And I'm like, we'll do it on the ground was snow. That's fine. Jiffy. Like, if you
like, the corn bread, and Biscuit Company. Yeah. Is their neighbors. Right there
automotive industry. It's huge. I mean, it's huge. So when people are like you're going to Detroit or Johnson, yeah. But when you start to Google, like the top industries, and the top and the revenue of the city, and like who were the leading, because I'm a nerd, and I'm like, who's ne yo, they're like, I want to see who's running the town. There's some big, big heavy brands, huge shout out
of here. Huge. And so we just wanted to operate in comedo. I just I wanted to prove, instead of having lip service, like prove it. And so that's really how it started. We do need to put the numbers above or just the number just numbers. But then it became this thing where people would like peek in the windows and be like, What is this place and they'd look it up and in our dearest Kelly who works for us. Like she didn't even know when she was about she Long story short, basically, she like found us by googling us because she walked in looked at the windows and she now works for us. Um, but I like the intrigue with it. I like the lack of like, responsibility to people with it. I mean, people give me a hard time there's no signs I'm like, I know but like, it's kind of fun, but there's no signs from a brand loyalty to me is really big because I mean, I'm obsessed with brands in a good way. Like I like Pottery Barn because I know I'm gonna get a good product there. I know I'm gonna like the the quality where it is I always drive a Lexus because I know it doesn't break down and if it does, they're gonna have it under warranty. It's gonna be taken. I fly Delta. I like points and I tell people I'm like listen, when you're not being treated the way you want to be treated at a brand's like do not give them your money, like just your money. And coming from a background of finance, like your money means so much to Like, that's how they operate. And so when I tell people I'm like, you want to move the needle, like stop hedging lip passing legislation and stop spending at that company, and they will immediately shift their policy, you don't have to write a piece of legislation to change them, change the money flow, and you will see the shift, right. And so, I have chosen to always be the person who becomes fiercely loyal to a brand because I know they got my back. So because of that, I'm a high flyer at delta, which means I have a lot of points, which means an hour kind of plan. They say, Hello, Mrs. Collins, how are you today? Here's your champagne. I love that. I love that because they respect me for upset being obsessed with their brand, and vice versa. And so we love our couples, so uncleaned like, it's such a big deal to be a Collins couple, it's not just one day, they're in Facebook groups, we bring them back, we have cocktail hours for them, we have alumni events, like, it's not just one day because they're loyal to our brand. And we want to be just as loyal to them. And so I just tell people, like, get yourself behind a brand that you're really, really comfortable with and rack up those reward points. Because they're there for a reason. And I love to use them. So yeah, I love them. That's awesome. Be loyal to your people.
So we met in Vegas, yes. And you just invested in GSD worked. two full days,
two full days to go all in people don't go half
invited industry, people you're friends with family family brought family. You know, the community was invited. And and we were also celebrating International Women's Day. Yay, go us. And what was your top takeaway from it all, like investment wise, that's the it's very expensive, I think you have how many people were from your team six or seven, from my team alone, we
had four of us, but in you, including me, but, um, we invited our friend doors that was That's right. So and hosted and hosted them. So the big thing for us was from a marketing perspective was if you're if we're sending you business, and you're collaborating with us, as far as a, you know, a preferred vendor, I want to know that you're investing in yourself too, because at some point, we're gonna grow. And if you're not building your brand, alongside of the speed of which we like to build our brand, which is very fast, you're not gonna be able to capacitate the leads I send you unless you work on your company. And unless you rip the onion layers of your own life off and see the gaps and come to terms with the fact that okay, well, we're sucking at this part of our company, and we need to make those changes. And so I just, you know, I told you, I was like, I think this is a really important test to give to our preferred vendors and say, Hey, like, invest in yourself, because we want to bring these incredible resources to you. And to see who took us up on that was really telling, you know, like, who wanted to invest in themselves, like, who looked at this as a good opportunity? Where it's like, I'm spending a lot, a lot of money. Yeah, I mean, like most people's annual marketing budget was spent on one day, yes, most I mean, I would probably say the vast majority, maybe two or three years of their marketing budget on one day, but it was important to me because it was like, how do we get these people to the same finish line we're trying to get to simultaneously and so I would encourage you to definitely invest in the people that you need alongside your brand to build it too. These are the people we need alongside us too. And I need them to be just as invested in their brand as we are in ours. And we're obsessed with it.
So do you feel like because again, it's very not only expensive monetarily but but to have four or five people from the break taken out of the business. So the business kind of shuts down for two days and host this event that that you've invested in? Would you say now just spinning those two days that everyone's more aligned, and when you when you have clarity of speed, you can all
go faster? Oh, completely. That was the goal. Yeah. And I also think like, it wasn't just that day because Kelly has been working behind the scenes like I love her so much. Currently on this project for the last two months, three months. And so it was a huge investment of time. It was a huge investment emotionally honestly. But I wanted to and I said this If it's just my team there, I'm okay with this because I know my team wants to grow you know, so it was worth it just to have my team in the room. But now as a team, we were laughing and we did the colors because I totally had one of our teammates so wrong. And it makes so much sense now. So it's like candy is the orange and I thought for sure
she was a green and you had done True Colors before I went to college and like a different companies have
different capacity a junior league I had done it. I was also shocked that I was a gold now because I was thought of as an orange and green. I am now golden green which I and you can
you can wear what Dahveed in your life you
do. And right now I have to be super serious. I write really big scary checks every single day, every single day. I got a treadmill desk that was like, one of the scariest things for me purchase was like, we're the least expensive things I bought this year, but it was for you. But it was for me and I have to be healthy, not healthy. The company is not going to be healthy. It's literally riding on me, like my name is attached to this brand. So I was like, Alright, I gotta lose these 30 pounds. I'm I'm turning 40 Like this is this is happening. And so I invested the treadmill desk, and we're we set our goals. But yeah, I just just, I mean, I know my team really, really well. We're really, really passionate about understanding our personality types and our Instagrams. And it really has helped, where I found was huge was getting to know my vendors, and learning like, oh, Melanie's cool or orange did not know that that is so good for me to know when you know, Brandon, we news and orange, but like that, and, you know, to define those personalities, I was like, Oh, my gosh, I'm going to be able to work with them. So much better. As a venue owner, we already had a great relationship. But now I feel like it's deep. It's like we've all taken time out of our lives, to invest in our companies to take our staff and our people and say I'm willing to invest in me. Now, how do we brand eat with each other to get there? Like, how do we go there next. And so that was I think probably my biggest takeaway to just say, Wow, and I didn't expect that to be such a, like an emotional thing. But to sit there and go, Wow, all of these vendors want to believe in their own company like it, it made me really happy and proud of them.
Yeah. And it was so cool. Because it went layers deep. Like some people came back. And they're like, I did it with my kids last night. And I shared it with my family. And then like one of the ladies that was there who's floral designer, her daughter, she just like, Oh, she's worried that she sends her a selfie in the mirror. She's pregnant with like her orange jumpsuit, or
an orange mom, and she literally was an orange. It was just cool. Like, I think anytime you communicate with people and learn more about yourself, like there's nothing I mean, I love personality tests, and I love testing stuff. So I'm all about it. But I think that was my biggest takeaway, which I didn't expect to be my biggest takeaway, by the way. I I know my colors and all that kind of stuff. I do it all the time. But I didn't expect to resonate so heavily with what my audience was coming out, like, which I'm sure companies feel that all the time. Yeah. So as leaders, sometimes you think you know, everybody, but you know, just seem in a different light. So it's fun.
And so imagine I mean, you're already happy you're doing what you want to do. You got the people around you imagine now that you can like customize it even more. How much happier people really are. It sounds so cheesy. It's like, Oh, it's too good to be true, or, you know, little life over here. But it's true. I agree.
I agree. And I think that business owners in general, and leaders in general, you'll have to say to it's always our fault. And it always always is my fault. And my staff, I'm sure will back me up on this. When something goes wrong. I'm like, It's my fault. That was my fault. I didn't put it in through procedure I get you guys forgot this, but this is the book falls with us. And I see too many leaders blaming their people who did it, why did it happen? It's your fault. I've told you this before, then maybe you didn't do a very good job hiring. I mean, it can go all the way that D maybe you haven't actually looked in the mirror in a while. Maybe you're not a very nice person, you know, and sometimes those are the difficult decisions that you have to make as the boss and go, okay, it needs to be me. But change has got to happen for me. And so I just think anytime we invest in us, like, there's no real way to get through something like that and not have like, Oh, it's my fault at some point moment. You know what I mean? And I think that, if it is like, he probably really shouldn't be on leadership. But no, you know what I mean, if you can walk through that and just be like, Oh, I'm I'm just everything's hunky dory, I'm so good at my job. And everybody sucks. You know, I just think those type of events are in the in the GSD model is so good at bringing out your people, why leadership needs to always take accountability, how we can adjust what we're doing, and honestly just get better at our stuff. Like people don't want to get better, like just be better than you were yesterday. But 1%
not everybody wants the same thing, you know, and that is a great way to end to make sure that you've talked to the person that you want to work with. So if you have a beautiful venue and if you're in Chelsea, or what are the other two towns around
and Arbor Detroit, yeah, we're in the we're in the greater Detroit area,
greater Detroit area. We'll have in the show notes, the links and when it is going to open Yeah, can you say a date? Are you Yeah,
our first wedding isn't April 29 here okay. Yeah, so follow us follow our Instagram at the cons off me and Callie does an incredible job carrying our material on there and A lot of fun stuff always I'm gonna
and I'm headed to the airport. Thank you so much for being I know love. I want to love you. And I love what you've grown here. It's just I'm so like, proud and like, I feel like I've known you forever. And I'm like, Yeah, this and this and this. And it's like, I can just, you know, when you could just feel the energy when you walk into a room in the room. It's like, they're gonna nail it and it's gonna be amazing. So proud. Thank you so much for watching, and be sure to tune in next week or listen to another episode of business unveiled by y'all. That's it for this week's episode of business unveiled. Now that you have all the tools that you need to conquer the world and GSD get shit done. Would you share this with your friends and fellow business leaders? One thing that would really really help us and help new listeners is for you to rate the show, and leave a comment and Apple podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you tune in and listen to business unveiled. You can check out the show notes at Angela proffitt.com/podcast and link up with us on social media so you can share your biggest insights. And I want to know your aha moments. Until next week, remember the profitable shifts and structures you're creating in your business help you be more present in your life. So get out there and GSD