We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Hetu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?

I’ve worked in the weddings & events industry for my entire career. While being an event planner is a fun and unique job, it is also a highly stressful and demanding role. Fall and spring are the busy seasons, where I used to have 1-3 weddings every week for the whole season. The thing about the hospitality industry though is that you’re constantly serving others, so much so that oftentimes, I would forget to take care of myself and my own mental wellbeing. This quickly led to burnout, crashing, and many tears.

In my previous jobs, I learned time and time again that I had to prioritize my mental health before I could truly serve others effectively. If I’m not my best self, I can’t serve others in the way I want to serve them and in the way they deserve.

This has translated into the driving force behind my business in that I aim to help fellow wedding and event vendors avoid the same breakdowns and burnout that I experienced. I encourage self-care and living a well-balanced life, and I make sure to practice what I preach! I have learned from previous experiences that my own mental health is more important than any event or job, including my own business.

Jessica, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Jessica Hetu and I am a virtual assistant for wedding creatives. I offer virtual assistant services specifically for wedding and event vendors, so they can do more of what they love and be free from tedious yet crucial administrative tasks.

I offer ongoing administrative support for tasks like lead management, contract creation, and payment tracking. I also offer project-based support for tasks like blogging and creating wedding blog submission applications.

In my career, I have been a wedding planner, venue manager, and catering director before becoming a virtual assistant. My experience benefits my clients because I am a specialized virtual assistant, who knows the ins and outs of the industry and who loves weddings and events!

I started my business because after being in the wedding industry for 10 years, I know firsthand that event vendors are the hardest working people out there. But they’re also the first to burn themselves out because they strive to do it all. I know from my own experiences that this usually results in feeling stressed out by the pressure to perform, overwhelmed by a never-ending to-do list, and guilty because you’re overworking yourself and missing out on time with friends and family.

My mission is to give wedding pros freedom in their lives, so they can refocus on what matters most to them, whether that’s spending time with loved ones, pursuing personal hobbies or passion projects, scaling their business, or simply enjoying the work they set out to do in the first place.

I’m here to remind my wedding vendor friends, who I like to call “friendors,” that they don’t have to do this alone! I’m here to support them as both a virtual assistant and as a friend.

Aside from being a virtual assistant, I’m also a wife, dog mom, and full time RV-er with my sweet husband!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

My client base has grown relatively quickly because of client personalization and relationship building. When speaking with potential new clients, I give them specific and personalized examples of how I can bring value to their business. I show them that I understand their brand and I care about their business just as much as they do. This shows clients that I am in their corner, right from the beginning! From there, I nurture the relationship by being reliable, consistent, and proactive.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients has been referrals! Whether they’re referrals from colleagues or past clients, word-of-mouth continues to be a major source of new clients for me. With every job I have ever done and in my work now, I strive to deliver the best results possible. I treat my clients’ businesses as if they were my own. I think these efforts have shown people that I’m reliable and that I truly care about the quality of the service I’m providing. This in turn has built trust and is a significant reason why people continue to refer me.

I’m grateful for each and every referral, and I’m lucky I get to work with such wonderful clients aka my “friendors!”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jessicahetu.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessica.hetu/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicahetuva

Image Credits
Samantha Webber Photography
Chantell Rae Photography