We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Lackey recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jennifer, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, what do you think about family businesses? Would you want your children or other family members to one day join your business?
I had the honor of being raised by parents that were building their own family business. From a young age, I saw that business doesn’t end at 5:00, it’s 24/7 to be a success. My Dad is the true American dream, he started selling tires after high school and within a couple of years, he was laid off because the business he was working for couldn’t support his 100% commission based salary. He had a choice, and he went for it. Now 39 years later he is a leader in the tire industry. I’m a firm believe that hard work pays off. Now that you know my childhood, fast forward to my dream of being a wedding planner. After graduating from Auburn, I began attending Association of Bridal Consultant meetings to begin networking in the wedding industry. Now 21 years later, I’m running my family business. My husband has helped run the household, all the birthday parties and sporting events while I’m gone on the weekends. He is literally the best Girl-Dad! He is also a staple in the financials of the business. Now that my girls are teens they help with the business as well, social media, assisting at weddings, brainstorming ideas for kids parties so I know what’s cool and what’s not. Many lessons growing up in a family business were learned and still are implemented today with Storybook Weddings. Number 1, it doesn’t take a nickel to be nice. Number 2, you won’t get the business if you don’t answer your phone. and Number 3, every single person you meet puts their pants on one leg at a time, just like you. Of course, I’ve learned a lot on my own but at my very core I was raised by an entrepreneur of a family business so my values are strong. My hope is that I am showing my girls first hand that they can accomplish anything they dream of. I dreamed of becoming a wife, a mom and a wedding planner, and here I am living my dream!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve always dreamed of being a wedding planner. From a young age, I was obsessed with wedding magazines that my mom brought me from the grocery store. I used to tear out the pages to create different dream weddings and had binders for all of the different ones I’d put together. I never strayed from my dream. I graduated from Auburn with a marketing and Spanish degree and then set to work! I joined the Association of Bridal Consultants and met a wonderful lady named Lisa, who asked me to shadow her at my very first wedding. The rest is history! I am a full time wedding and event planner. I mainly plan weddings and any events surrounding the wedding like rehearsal dinners, showers, post-wedding brunches, but I also do some corporate events and other events like birthday parties for children and adults. I think my experience sets me apart from others. 21 years in this business is no small task. Many come and go in this industry but I absolutely love it so I’m not going anywhere. I customize packages for all of my clients so they get exactly what they want from me. I want them to trust that I have everything under control and will make every effort to make their dream wedding a reality. I take great pride in picking vendors for my clients that fit their personality, style and their budget. Most often, clients and vendors talk about my calm demeanor even when weddings can bring out the worst in people. Their wedding is not about me, it’s bringing their dream wedding to reality. I just want to navigate behind the scenes to handle every detail so they can enjoy their party. I am 1000% dedicated to make my clients feel like guests at their own wedding,
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
The backstory of a lesson that I had to unlearn is that ALL business is not worth your business. There is plenty of business to go around and not every client is the perfect fit for you. Over the history of my career, I have slipped on this golden rule a few times and ALWAYS regretted moving forward with a client that I didn’t feel was a good fit for me. I won’t share any details but if it feels off, then it usually is. When business was slow, I’ve taken on clients that I would have otherwise turned away simply because we weren’t a good fit, didn’t mesh personality wise or something felt off.I constantly remind myself to trust my gut. First impressions are important and I always prefer to meet clients before we sign a contract for both of our best interests. I work closely with my clients so our comfort around one another is very important, especially on the wedding day.
Let’s move on to buying businesses – can you talk to us about your experience with business acquisitions?
I bought Storybook Weddings from Lisa Crowder when her husband was relocated out of state. It was a very smooth transition as we had been working together for years. We came to an agreement that was fair to both of us, agreeing that I would pay her half of every new wedding I booked until the cost of the business was paid for. This gave her the money for the business but also gave me the assurance that she would still be invested in the business to help me transition from lead planner to business owner.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stbkweddings.com
- Instagram: @stbkweddings
- Facebook: facebook.com/stbkweddings
- Linkedin: @jslackey
- Twitter: @stbkweddings
- Other: www.weddingwire.com/biz/storybook-wedding-consulting-atlanta/02b7573e8b9ca3f9.html This is where most of my reviews can be found.
Image Credits
Picture This Photography Jill Doty Photography Shawna Veasey Photography Jessica Williams Studio Carla Gates Photography Marc and Anna Photography Shelby Rae Photography