Insider to Insider: Andrea Porter, Owner of Circle Park Bridal Boutique

Kelly Simants recently met with Andrea Porter, Owner of Circle Park Bridal Boutique in North Dallas.  She was impressed with Andrea’s business saavy and her super cute shop!  Andrea started her career in the cosmetic and fashion industries working for companies such as Estee Lauder and a leading intimate apparel company. More recently, Andrea worked in hospitality management and event coordination, overseeing daily bridal, social and corporate functions for up to 5,000 guests. In 2004, Hilton Brand Vice Presidents awarded her with the Innovation Award, given annually to just one person in the company worldwide. Circle Park Bridal was Andrea’s vision to create a beautiful boutique with incredible customer service and gorgeous gowns at fair prices.  I love Andrea’s business insight!  (I think you will too!)

Andrea Porter
Owner, Circle Park Bridal Boutique
Addison, TX
www.circleparkbridal.com
Established 2007

What is your favorite thing about weddings?

Whether it is a huge affair or a small and intimate celebration, a couple will never feel more overwhelming love and support than on their wedding day.  I encourage brides to walk slowly down the aisle, to savor the look in her groom’s eyes and to take in the joy on her guests’ faces.  Relax and enjoy everyone’s company, cherish every conversation, each giggle, every smile and all the happy tears.

To have everyone that you both care about, together in one room is an incredible experience….a gift that happens just once in a lifetime. There comes a time when most would trade all worldly possessions to experience this one day over again.  The day will truly feel magical and it will be the one day you will reminisce about forever.

What is your best tip for time management?

Here in Dallas, there are industry mixers, tradeshows and open houses for wedding professionals almost every night of the week.  Face to face networking is extremely important for new business development but can easily take away time allocated to product research, inventory purchasing, staff training, etc.  I had to get a grasp on my schedule by prioritizing which events and associations were most advantageous to attend.  I learned to not over commit. Saying no to some board and committee seats was difficult, but absolutely necessary to ensure I am 100% on top of my store’s daily operations.

What is your little marketing secret?

I truly felt there was a need to shake up the way the bridal gowns were sold by eliminating the hassles that are so common in the industry and by adding a much needed fun factor.  My research showed a need to ensure marketing efforts exude the experience a bride will have at Circle Park Bridal.  We have a super cute retro bride logo that has been very popular with our customers and our website main page is a whimsical replica of the exterior of our two story boutique. Blogging and our presence on Facebook and Twitter have also been great for us to get our message out. We also host a lot of spirited events that are a little off the beaten path from what most bridal shops would offer, such as complimentary special advance movie screenings for our brides to movies such as MADE OF HONOR and BRIDE WARS, our annual Ghoul’s Night Out for Halloween parties, etc.

I guess it is important to explain how a bride’s experience at our store is so different. In developing the store’s concept, I looked at the way most bridal boutiques are run and realized their way of operating hasn’t changed in forty years.  They are perceived as stuffy, they carry mostly sample sizes and only special order, leaving plenty of room for mistakes (wrong size, color, or style arriving or gowns arriving late or being damaged going through customs, etc). Brides relay that most shops are crammed with merchandise and charge ridiculously high prices for gowns and accessories.

I  then compared the operations of a couple of large bridal chain stores and thought with their mammoth size and large number of brides serviced at one time, they were missing the mark in providing a truly intimate and special experience for brides. Through bridal focus groups, I learned many brides perceive gown shopping, whether in a “normal bride boutique” or in a chain store, to be the one thing about wedding planning they dreaded the most.

I market Circle Park Bridal as the pseudo bridal shop…the opposite of what most expect to experience. The store was created initially more as a hobby, as when it opened, it was just three days a week. By staying true to our concept:  offering brides of all budgets a convenient, upscale boutique experience with “retro prices”  as each bride deserves to feel special on the day she selects her wedding gown (all of our brand new designer gowns are priced below $800, up to 80% off their suggested retail price).

We work hard to ensure our store’s offerings are clear on our website. We are small and we carry just 200 gowns at one time in sizes 0 through 16. We don’t have every gown in every size, color and style. We know don’t have a gown for every bride. But when we do, it is an incredible match and the shopping experience is like no other!

Brides have really embraced our store’s concept. We work with just two brides at any one time, so it is a very intimate experience. When a bride selects her gown, she knows exactly the price, the color, the size and how much will need to be altered before she takes it home. With us, there are no rush fees, no lectures about waiting so long to order a gown and no surprises.  Brides take immediate possession of their gown and can then have alterations when they want without rush fees and have bridal photos taken on their schedule.

What is the funnest (most fun) trend you are seeing in the industry?

Most of our brides are steering away from traditional veils. Birdcage veils and hair feather fascinators with antique brooches are very popular with our brides and create a ultra whimsical look that makes their guests smile and know they are in for some fun at the reception. Most of our brides are wearing bold colored heels to incorporate a splash of color and personality into their look.  The Old Hollywood glamour look is a really popular wedding theme right now, complete with cigar bars, martini bars, Frank Sinatra-esque bands and crystal accents everywhere, from floral arrangements, to centerpieces to “back jewelry”.

If you were starting your business all over again, what would you have done differently?

I would never again do a finish-out in Texas during the months of July and August.  I would have met with a CPA before I formed my Limited Liability Corporation.  I also would have saved a large amount of time and money had I immediately created an account with a payroll company rather than allocating that task to my CPA’s office for my first six months of operations.

Thank you so much, Andrea!

Hiring Employees: The Interview

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This week, we are discussing the process of hiring employees.  Today, we are going to tackle the interview.  Now, that you’ve narrowed down you choices and have invited your favorite candidates to meet you, what are you going to discuss?  How are you going to interview them?

For me, job hiring and job seeking is all about finding a “match”.  It’s not about filling a position.  It’s not about getting a job.  It’s about ensuring that what I’m getting out of hiring someone is as valuable as what they are getting out of working for my company.  It has to be a “match” or it won’t work.  You’ve done a lot of groundwork in your preparation for the job search, in writing your job ad, and in reviewing resumes.  Now, is time to see if any of these candidates are a true match.

Things to know going into the interview:

• Have 3-5 key question prepared.  You’ll be asking more than that.  But, these are the questions that are particularly important to you.  The other questions will naturally evolve out of a curiosity.
• Study their resume beforehand.  You want to make the best use of your time with this person, so be prepared!  You’ll want to ask them about their experience, so make sure you did your homework.
• Let the conversation flow naturally… like you are having coffee with a vendor you are getting to know.
• Take notes!  If you have to go back and compare your favorite people, you’ll want to make sure you can distinguish between them.
• The candidate is naturally going to be nervous.  It’s best to make them comfortable so that you can see what they are really like.  Small talk and general “sharing” helps to establish trust.
• You are trying to find a match… not someone who is going to solve all the mysteries of life.  You are also looking for someone that you can mentor.  If you can find a good mentee, then much of your employer-employee relationship will be much easier.

Like I said, you’ll need to find 3-5 key questions that are your core “deciders”.  All of your other questions will give you a general feel for who they are.  These 3-5 questions are the “make it or break it” type questions to help you determine if they are a match or not.  They will largely be dependent on your business and the position for which you are hiring.  But, here are some tips…

Things to consider in writing your core interview questions:

• Think about situations that they encounter while working for you.  For example, invitation assembly can be repetitive and at times tedious.  I want to make sure that people can handle that.  I always ask, “Share with me an experience you had where the work was tedious.  How did you motivate yourself to get the job done?”
• Ask a problem-solving question.  Every business has issues that can arise out of nowhere.  You want to make that people who work for you can think on their feet and be innovative.  Ask them to give you an example of time when they were faced with an issue and how they resolved it.
• Ask specifics about their job history (taken from their resume) that interest you.  Ask them to make the link between that job and the job your are offering.
• Ask them about their customer service and client experience.  Even if they are not interacting with clients face-to-face, everything about our industry is service-related.  They need to have the drive to host and serve others, regardless of where they fall in the process.  Also, an employee who is good with clients is also good with their co-workers.
• Ask questions to determine whether they are open to learning and good at listening.  You want to ensure that this person is a good mentee.  You want to make sure they are trainable.  Ask questions to judge whether they can take direction or whether it’s their way or the highway.  It’s difficult to mentor someone that doesn’t want to be mentored.

Wrapping it up…

At the end of the interview, you should let them know that you are interviewing a few candidates and will let them know within a couple weeks (or whatever your timeframe is).  Generally, I know during the interview whether I’m going to hire the person or not.  I just have a strong gut feeling about these things.  But, I still hold out to make the offer until I’ve interviewed everyone.  And, I make sure to review my notes.  If you are stuck between a couple candidates, you may want to bring them in for a second round.  Or, have them come into your office for a “test day” and see how they do.

When you have made your decision, give them a call.  I always follow up a verbal offer with one in writing.  (I like to make sure everyone is on the same page and it is good for everyone to see employment terms on paper.)  I also make sure to send rejection letters to people to which I did not make an offer.  (It’s awful to leave them standing, waiting.)

And, there you have it… the hiring of your first… and several more… employees!

Hiring Employees: Cover Letter & Resume Review

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This week we are talking about hiring.  On Monday, we laid the foundation to finding good people to work for you.  Yesterday, we wrote the ad for your job.  And, now the resumes have started to pour in.  It’s time to meet some of these people!

I have a process by which I review resumes.  It goes something like this:

Scan & Email Review

1. Email comes in; quickly scan their letter and resume.  Move onto something else.
2. At the end of the day, there are usually several emails that have arrived (of which I’ve scanned for a minute).  Of those, there are usually a handful that stand out in my mind already from my previous scan.
3. I go through the emails once more and read in a little more detail their information.  If they didn’t include a cover letter, answer my question(s), or clearly are not a match, I skip them.
4. For those that answered my question(s) and something about their resume intrigues me, I print out the letter and resume.  (It helps for me to see it and make notes.)

The Cover Letter

What the candidate says in the cover letter is the most valuable piece of information for me.  Think about it: many people can write a resume and make any job look good.  But can you clearly communicate your thoughts in letter form?  Study the cover letter and pay attention to what this person is telling you about themselves.  This is what a good cover letter tells me about the person:

• I know how to follow directions and have answered your questions.
• I have taken the time to put thought into my answers.
• I am confident enough to speak thoroughly about my strengths.
• I know how to write well (much more important than a superstar GPA!).
• I can communicate effectively and express my thoughts in an organized manner.
• I can write a letter, should the occasion arise that I need to write one to a client.
• I am extremely interested in this job because I sat down for an hour to write this letter.
• This is not a cookie-cutter letter that I send with every job application.
• I am passionate; this is evident in my tone.
• I am detailed; this is evident in my writing.
• I am a problem solver; this is evident in the examples I have given you of my work.

The Cover Letter is sooooo important!  (Now, you understand the value from yesterday’s exercise of writing the job ad so that people answer some soul-revealing questions in their cover letter?)  By the way, if someone sends me solely a resume (no cover letter) I immediately delete their email.

The Resume

At this point, I generally have 5-8 cover letters that I love.  Now, I take a look at the resumes.  The candidates’ resumes usually confirm what I’ve learned in the cover letter.  The resume acts as a “cross-check” for the letter.  Here’s what I mean:

Cover Letter tells/hints me                     Resume confirms

I am a leader                                               I was President of my Spanish club
I am articulate                                             I have good grades
I am committed                                          I have long histories at previous employers

I circle and mark up the resume, highlighting the things I like about this candidate.  Here are some of the other things I’m looking for on a resume.  (Keep in mind, I’m generally interviewing people that are in college.)

• Good grades; but not necessarily a 4.0 – I want to make sure this person has work/life balance; it’s important to the culture of my organization
• Some involvement in an organization – They don’t have to be President of their class, but they should be interested in something outside of their schoolwork.  They should have “real life” learning.
• Strong job history – I don’t like to see job hopping, but I do understand that college kids generally have a slew of summer jobs, each year it’s different.  Those candidates that have gone back to the same job each summer stand out a bit more than others.
• “Hard” work – I like to see people who have hard jobs, this shows that they have perseverance and commitment (and that they won’t walk out on me after assembling 1125 invitations by hand in one day)
• Experience that fits the job they want – If they are going to be doing invitation assembly, it helps if they have “paper” or crafting experience, even if it’s just a hobby.  If they are going to be working with clients, I like to see that they have retail experience or have waited tables.
• Not necessarily an artist – I don’t necessarily hire people with art backgrounds (for invitation assembly).  I want to be able to train people who want to learn something new.  And, I want to be able to teach them the mmm… paper art, not have someone who is reluctant to learn.  (This is specific to this position; if I were hiring a designer I’d want someone with design experience.)

Scheduling Interviews

I generally have 5 people that I interview.  I schedule the interviews to take place a couple weeks after placing the ad.  I begin setting up interviews within a few days of receiving resumes.  And, continue to set them up as resumes trickle in.

Tomorrow, we’ll discuss: The Interview!

Aspiring Wedding Planners – Workshops for Your Business

I wanted to share some great workshops for aspiring Wedding Planners.  These are great opportunities to learn and educate yourself.  If you are new to the industry and are thinking of starting a wedding planning business, I highly recommend the following workshops taking place in the next few months:

Go2Girl – Event Planning Bootcamp

August 2 – 7 to 9:30pm
Seattle, WA
Cost: $89 – Buy Tickets Here

Topics covered will include:

• How to determine if event planning is a good fit
• Day in the life of an event planner
• Determining your unique selling position
• Developing a targeted customer base
• Action plan: specific steps to take next

Sweet Pea Events – Sweet Success Workshop

August 22 – 9am-4:30pm
Dallas, TX
Cost $200 (includes lunch and templates) – Buy Tickets Here

Topics covered will include:

• Wedding Industry Statistics and Trends
• Basics of Owning a Wedding Planning Business
• Day in the Life of a Wedding Planner
• Marketing Tips
• Establishing Vendor Relationships
• Pricing & Sales

Aspire to Plan – Business Building Workshop for Planners

October 6-7 – 9am-4pm each day
Phoenix, AZ
Cost: $395 thru 9/12; $495 thru 9/28 – Buy Tickets Here

Topics covered will include:

• Defining the various titles of a Wedding Planner; Consultant, Coordinator
• How to determine if wedding planning is really the career for you
• The importance of creating a business plan and marketing plan
• The importance of developing an administrative/bookkeeping system
• Ways to market your business
• Getting and Closing the Sale

Hiring Employees: The “Wanted” Ad

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So, you’ve decided to hire an employee… Congratulations!  Now onto the recruitment process: How do you find that lucky person that is going to join your team?  You’ll have to create a Job Ad.  Now, keep in mind that you may not necessarily need to advertise if you can find that person through word of mouth, but going through the process of writing the ad is still important.

Writing Your Ad

Your job ad will have five key components.  Keep in mind, that I’m all for brevity.  Less is more, when you are trying to capture people’s attention.  Below are the 5 key components with an ad that I’ve used at mmm… paper and some additional hiring notes:

1 – A company description – What do you do?  What makes your company different?

mmm… paper is a custom designer and manufacturer of wedding invitations, baby announcements, party invitations and stationery.  We are cool small business located in Capitol Hill, and we are seeking people to help us grow in leaps and bounds.  Find out more at: www.mmmpaper.com.

(Hiring note: make it fun!  We are in a fun industry.  Write about it like you love it.)

2 – The Ask – What are you looking for?  What is this position called?

We are seeking an Assembly Lead to work part-time (10-20 hours/week).  You must be a college sophomore or junior enrolled at one of the local universities.  We are interested in people that are eager to learn and enjoy art and crafting as a career or hobby.

(Hiring note: I have always been very successful in hiring people at the sophomore and junior level in college.  This college level student is generally eager to learn and can usually work for 2-3 years before graduating college.  It gives me a few years to mentor this person.  If there is a full-time position at my company when they graduate, they’ve already had a few years training under their belt.  Also, if it’s a match for both you and them, sophomores and juniors don’t job-hop a lot.  They stick to the job that offers them the income they need and the flexibility they desire.)

3 – Qualifications – What characteristics and traits should this person possess?

YOU should possess:

• • organized thinking
  • positive attitude to learn
  • analytical mind to do business functions
  • creative talents to assist in product assembly
  • a love for going above and beyond for clients

(Hiring note: I am more interested in hiring someone who is an “out of the box” thinker and problem solver than I am in hiring anyone that is a visionary artist.  I can train someone to do the art.  I can’t train someone to think quickly and clearly and have a positive attitude.)

4 – Responsibilities – What (in greater detail) will this person be doing?

The Assembly Lead has the following responsibilities:

• • Meet with Production Manager weekly to discuss production plans for the week
  • Train / Teach 1-3 assembly people production for each job
  • Ensure timely completion of jobs, from beginning to end
  • Documentation of assembly procedures
  • Communication with Production Manager of any setback
  • Hand-assembly of Wedding Invites

(Note: Yesterday, I had you define the role that this person will play in your organization.  You should have identified responsibilities and jobs that the employee will be responsible for.)

5 – Call to action – How can the candidate apply for the job?

Please email your resume and a cover letter which tells us about one of the following:

• • your creative talents
  • your project management or leadership skills
  • how you’ve gone above and beyond for a client or employer
  • what makes you a team player

(Hiring note: The questions are the most important part of my “pre-interview process”.  By having the candidates respond to one of these questions, I am learning much more about them that their resume can tell me.  I am also weeding out the people who don’t answer the question (don’t follow directions), don’t include a cover letter (aren’t professional), and don’t have the characteristics that I’m seeking (eager to learn and out of the box thinker).)

Where to Look for Candidates

My recommendation of where to find good candidates is the same recommendation that I have for people who are looking for jobs, clients, and boyfriends: talk to people.  Networking is the best way to find people that are a good match for your business.  Spread the word.  You’ve written the ad, now you are able to communicate to everyone you know what exactly it is that you are looking for in a potential employee.

Never to downplay the need to advertise, you should also do that!  Place ads at local colleges and Craig’s List.  You can try some of the job boards such as monster, careerbuilder, and hotjobs.  But, in all honesty, if you have a good ad and know what you want, you will find aces on Craig’s List.  I’ve hired every one one of my employees from Craig’s List, or from an employee referral.

Go get’m!