We were lucky to catch up with Lindsey Collins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lindsey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

I work without a staff and as a personalized planner. I only take 10 weddings a year to ensure the quality of my services doesn’t suffer, and I’m particular about who I work with. I look at clients like potential friendships related to one common goal and trust is just as important to me as income.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m going to post my “about me” from my website: I’ve had 9+ years of event planning, public relations, catering, and service experience; all of which has allowed me to focus on my best talent: strategic event planning & execution. Born & raised in Knoxville, Tn, I’m a mountain girl at heart, and though my husband and i moved to (and loved) Maine in March of 2018 to explore and grow and eat and experience the stunning New England weather, we firmly planted our roots back home in Knoxville in December of 2021. making your dream event come to life is my passion, and keeping you relaxed and assured on your important day is exactly what my job entails.

“Bearcat” is 1940’s slang meaning “a lively, spirited woman, possibly with a fiery streak,” which perfectly encapsulates my personality & character. I have red hair, I’m direct, and though my general vibe leans “sassy,” what’s most important to me is the relationships I form with my clients. Each couple that works with me is hiring my personality as well as the connection we’ve made in that first phone call. Because of this, I don’t stray too far from who I am as a person throughout the business of planning for clients; they have hired me for my ability to execute their event, but they trust me because of my character. This allows me to be as real as possible which has led my business to feel like an extension of who I am rather than just a job that needs to get completed.

My strengths lie in communication, strategy, and logistics, with an eye for design and helping clients achieve the vision they want within their overall budget & managing expectations. I don’t have a team or staff that I rely on to execute these events, which is why (after Covid postponements since 2022) I only take 10 weddings a year – to ensure that each client gets the attention and care they have paid for. I would rather offer services that make each of my clients feel like they’re my ONLY client rather than stack up a bunch of weddings and lose that personal touch (which is also why my prices are considered luxury).

As far as what sets me apart: This industry is well saturated with talented vendors and I don’t necessarily consider other wedding planners as competition because I want us all to succeed based on our own merit. I have never compared the way I plan to other planners; to me, there’s room for all of us and I’m just doing what works best for my brain. Comparison is the thief of joy & I’m not trying to get the Best Planner in the World title (mostly because that’s subjective and a never-ending task). At my core, it’s important to me that I do well and that clients that work with me feel taken care of in all the capacities that I’ve promised. This may set me apart from some planning companies that take on 50+ weddings with event staff, but we all achieve goals differently & without diversity we lose meeting unique individual needs. Not everyone needs a luxury planner and not everyone wants just a day-of coordinator; the right client will always find their way to us.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Reputation is key to doing well in the wedding industry. Though the market of wedding vendors is saturated, the market of consistently good wedding vendors is much smaller. Anyone can decide they could DJ a wedding with the right equipment, and anyone can buy a nice camera and snap some photos. But can they respond to emails consistently? Can they manage and organize their client base? Can they set boundaries and provide the product they’ve promised? Falling short in these categories, whether it be with other vendors (who could be recommending you to their future clients) or the clients themselves (who could write a review based on their experience) can be detrimental to how we as wedding vendors succeed.

I chose wedding planning because I am a natural planner and a natural communicator. If an email sits in my inbox for longer than 24 hours, I’m probably stress dreaming about it – that’s just how I’m programmed. I cannot stress this enough – communication and reasonable response times along with consistency in services provided (even during busy seasons) is absolutely key to building healthy client and vendor relationships. I’ve been told by SO many vendors that they can’t wait to recommend me to clients because of how well I communicate and keep things on task. Being praised for these things feels strange as I cannot imagine operating any differently as a planner (to me, that’s literally in the job description). If I’m overwhelmed or can see my schedule starting to get a little busier than normal, I’ll send my clients an email or text letting them know I’m about to be busier than they’re used to and that I appreciate their patience. If a vendor needs something from me immediately but I can’t get to that need in the moment, I’ll just tell them that I’m currently handling something else but that I’ll prioritize them accordingly (and then I put them on a list and get to them within 24 business hours). Ultimately, people appreciate not being left in the dark, and most everyone understands being busy and overwhelmed as long as it’s communicated with kindness and grace. This is another reason why I only take 10 weddings a year at a higher rate, though I know that option doesn’t work for everyone.

Consistency and communication are the fundamentals of building a good reputation within the wedding community. If answering emails and general confrontation stresses you out, this industry may not be the best fit, and that’s okay!

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

My most effective strategy is staying true to who I am and how my business reflects that. It’s easy to get caught up in business growth and take on as many clients as possible and overworking yourself. Initially, I did price low and take on 15-20 weddings by myself in my first year of business in order to build an impressive portfolio quickly. This was successful, but I immediately raised my prices for the next year and set a firm boundary for how many weddings I would take because I was burnt out by wedding #14 and felt like I wasn’t giving 100% to my clients (though they seemed happy, I knew I wasn’t performing at my best).

If I hadn’t raised my prices and set a limit to the weddings I would take on, the experience I had promised to my clients would’ve fallen short and would be less impactful because I wouldn’t be staying true to my vision for Bearcat. Sure, I’ve had to have side hustles to compensate income, but each side hustle is event related which helps me broaden my network for potential new clients, leading to my overall growth and expansion. Consistently posting on social media and having a visually pleasing website can also help. :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bearcatevents.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bearcatevents/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bearcateventss/

Image Credits
Adventure with the Lamberts Wind & Gold Photography Michelle Leah Photography Rachel ILY Photography Veronica Katherine Photo Claire Gregory Photo Silverbell Photography Lightwave Artists