We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Madison Goff a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Madison, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

I had what felt like a very slow start with my business and getting to the point of booking my first client. I had my books officially open for a few months with some interest, however I realized after conducting my first few consultations that I was not ready for these clients. I was in the height of preparing for my own wedding, still trying to figure out what services I would offer, how to structure them, what felt like a million other business logistics, and working my other job.

After getting through my own wedding, I gained a valuable perspective of being a bride on wedding day and I did a lot of rearranging after that.

I signed up to exhibit in one of the largest wedding shows in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area right after engagement season. I knew it was going to be a great way to get in front of a lot of prospective clients, though I was also overwhelmed with the idea of exhibiting by myself. While prepping for the show, I considered what my wedding vendors did to really stand out and make us feel like we were not just another paycheck for them.

One thing I knew I wanted to bring into my planning business was being personable and developing relationships with others beyond trying to book them as a client, so I set that as a goal for the show. I knew I would be talking to so many people and every interaction I got was a chance to build a relationship with someone and stand out among dozens of other vendors. I got more feedback after that show than I ever expected. I had received client inquiries and network requests from other vendors that wanted to work with me and many told me it was because of the interaction we had at the show. That was a really big confidence boost.

I don’t think that I would say I was 100% prepared for that wedding show, but luckily I had some experience from years ago, that I had some idea of what to expect. I remember sitting down at the end of that show, watching other vendors strike their booths just thinking, “I can’t believe I am here and I just did that.” Being at that show felt like a huge accomplishment, but when I started to see emails roll in requesting consultations, it became real for me.

I saw a request come in and immediately was over the moon excited. This couple was planning on getting married at a gorgeous venue and everything they described wanting for their day was an absolute dream. I was determined to continue to make a good impression and focus on them as people who are on their journey to marriage, not just as prospective clients. This consultation went much more smoothly than the last few and I was much more relaxed. Next thing I know, I received a notification that they had signed their contract and were hiring me to be their wedding coordinator. I remember running downstairs to my husband, jumping around and yelling, “I officially booked my first client!”

I have learned a lot since booking them as my first clients. I am forever so thankful to them for trusting me with such a big day in their lives and for giving my small business a chance.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a Colorado native and Minnesota transplant. As a young girl, I remember always having elaborate birthday parties complete with a theme, games, and the promise of a good time. My mom was always very creative, she would sew my sisters and I halloween costumes, help with school projects, and of course, execute my elaborate birthday party plans. I think this is where my love of planning stems from. I loved watching “The Wedding Planner” and considered that planning weddings could actually be a career. Toward the end of my high school career, I was connected with a family friend who was working as a wedding coordinator and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to apprentice under her during the summer. When I started college, I tried to find a degree path that would support my dream of becoming a wedding planner, though I quickly found myself in love with American Sign Language. After some persuading from one of my professors, I added interpreting to my endeavors and it ended up taking priority. While still in school, I continued working in the wedding field- men’s attire, wedding cake design, etc. but my school schedule never allowed me to fully enter the world of weddings. I eventually left to pursue interpreting full time.

Fast forward a few years and I suddenly found myself back in the world of weddings when starting to plan my own wedding. I was also asked by my sister-in-law to help plan her wedding. After a few months, I realized that this was still something I very much enjoyed and wondered if I would be able to do something with it. I did not want to let go of interpreting, so the path forward that I found allowed me to do both, was opening my own small business and taking on clients directly. A few months and many hours later, I officially opened my calendar to wedding clients.

I currently offer a range of wedding planning services from all-inclusive planning to day-of coordination. These services could include all wedding day logistics, vendor communications & management, vendor acquisition, set-up/tear-down, contract management, and more. I also provide creative services, including: stationery design, wedding aesthetic, wedding website consultations, floral installations, and more.

I believe what sets me apart from others is the approach that I take with weddings. I love developing relationships with my clients and through that I feel I get a clear sense of what they want on their wedding day. I enjoy breaking the traditional expectations and having fun with all of the personal elements they want to incorporate.

I would say that developing relationships with my clients is something I have a lot of pride in. It allows me to experience wedding planning from their lens. I catch myself asking clients what “our” plan is or what “we” are doing often, because I develop a stake in their day and I am just as invested as they are. I never take offense to turned down suggestions from clients because at the end of the day, it is their wedding and I am there to advocate for them and what they want.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The absolute best source of new clients for me has been networking. By far, word of mouth and referrals from other vendors, past clients, friends, family, etc. has been the best. A close second would be getting out in front of your target audience in large volume. With referrals, I have clients that are looking for something specific that someone they know and trust believes I can provide for them. This tends to consistently provide a good working relationship with clients and also brings in more of my ideal clients.

Getting in front of your target audience is also helpful (for me this would be something like a wedding trade show) but I like to think of this as fishing for clients. The sheer volume of people you can market yourself to is great, but can be overwhelming for the prospective clients because they are meeting with a large volume of vendors as well. Then you both have to go through the process of figuring out if it is a good fit and this is more time consuming than meeting with referrals.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

SIDE HUSTLE. It is not a very glamorous approach, but without it I would not have had the money for all of the startup costs. I found something I was good at and had access to. This could be in the form of a second job, selling your creative works, providing a service- for me it was painting houses. It will take a lot of your free time, but it will pay off. The other key is reinvesting into your business as you start to develop a clientele. It is so hard to invest so much of yourself into something and feel like you don’t get to reap the reward (in my case there was no paycheck at first). I knew that every bit that went back into my business set a stronger foundation so that I could see the return on my investment in the long term.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.madisongoffevents.com
• Instagram: @madisongoffevents
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-goff-28336b118

Image Credits
Lily Lancaster Photography Sarah Heath Photography EK Photography LLC