We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Redente. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for joining us today. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?
Initially, I met with customers face to face. I loved this because I was able to get to know the couple (or bride with parent or friend) over a cup of coffee or meal, but when COVID hit, that became an issue, so now, I do most of the work over the phone. Sometimes, couples request a video teleconference (i.e, FaceTime, Zoom, etc.), which I am happy to do, but this helps both parties. It allows a quick turn for the couple to determine if they want to move forward and reduces the carbon footprint with two cars traveling to a certain location. The majority of the time, I meet couples for the first time at their rehearsal. There are times it is actually the day-of depending on their schedule and when their family and wedding party arrive to the area.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I served in the military between 1999 and 2019. A great deal of that time, my career field required me to plan various activities, which included anything from media and community relation events to conferences and awards events. I realized that I was really good at planning these events, so shortly after I retired, I began my own company. Most of my clients are couples, or parents of couples, who are planning their wedding, but I also assist in birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, conferences, and so much more!
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
I think the most effective strategy is to communicate how our team operates from start to finish. That way, clients know what they can expect. It does take some time to share this information, but typically, after I have shared the information, they don’t have any questions. Because this can be time-consuming, I do have some information I share through various platforms we use for leads, and if they are interested in knowing more, then we schedule a call to go through everything from the time they want to book Central Texas Planner to the end of the contracted obligation, whether that is saying goodbye to the couple as they get in their getaway car or making sure everything is taken out of a venue.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
Initially, when I started the business I included other services like decorating. Unfortunately, while I love planning and actually setting up the decor, it was not cost-effective. I do help with inspiration, and I still assist in setting up decor, but that is no longer a main focus.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://centraltexasplanner.com/
- Instagram: centraltexasplanner
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centraltexasplanner/
- TikTok: Central_Texas_Planner