How To Establish Yourself As The Expert In Your Field

This week one of my companies, The Heart Bandits, was featured in Brides Magazine. The article was called, “6 Major Proposal Mistakes to Avoid, According to Experts.” In the article, I am cited as the expert in Proposal Planning. Every time an article like this comes out, at least one of my peers shoots me a text or email to ask me how I got featured in XYZ. And my answer to them is that the magazines, websites, and media COME TO ME!

But it wasn’t always that way. There are a lot of things that I had to do to establish myself as an expert in the Proposal Planning and Pop-Up Wedding Industry. I teach you many of these steps in my courses that are going to be LIVE in February!! Sign up for the waitlist here.

For now, here are 3 free tips on how you can establish yourself as an expert in your field.

Actually Become An Expert

This may seem obvious but when wondering how you can get featured in media, you have to really ask yourself, “Am I actually the most knowledgeable person in my field about this subject matter?” If not, you need to become one. Take courses on the subject matter, read all of the blogs and interviews you can find, follow all the leaders in the industry on social media, and stay on top of all of the trends. If you are in a competitive space, try to niche down so that you are the expert at a specific niche in your market. Or become an expert in your field in your city specifically. That way, when someone starts looking for an expert in your field or area, they are lead to you.

Show Your Expertise

Once you feel like you truly are the expert in your industry, start showing that off in your social media and blogs. When you start sharing valuable tips and content on social media, so many great things happen. You start to seem like an expert in your field, people start sharing your content, people start following you, and most importantly, people start seeking you out when they are in need of your services or when they want to feature your service in the press.

By now, you know I am a HUGE believer in the power of SEO. When clients or journalists look for an expert in your field, they are looking in one of two places; Google or Social Media. I’ve already talked about showing your expertise on social media. To show your expertise on your website, you are going to blog about your expertise in a way that benefits your reader. In turn, you will eventually establish yourself as an expert to Google who will start rewarding you with rankings. SEO tips and tricks is a huge focus in my courses for this specific reason.

Get Media

The most powerful way to show you are an expert in your field is to be published somewhere. If you can get featured in major media, you will instantly have clout not just with your clients but with other media. And it completely snowballs. For example, I got featured in New York Times very early on after I started my business. Did I get clients from that interview? Absolutely. But what’s more is the other big things happened. Good Morning America saw the article and wanted to interview me. Hotels saw it and wanted to partner with me. When you finally get a major piece of media, a lot of things can change.

And that is why one of the Modules in my courses focuses on how to get media. Because getting media can create such big opportunities for your business. And the truth is, it really isn’t that hard to get.

Enrollment for The Proposal Planning Formula™ Is Open!!

The Proposal Planning Formula™ is open for enrollment for just a FEW more days.

This course is a MUST have if you are:

  • A Wedding Planner wanting to add Proposal Planning services to your existing business
  • Wanting to start your own Proposal Planning business
  • A Wedding vendor (photographer, videographer, venue, travel agent, jeweler, etc.) that wants to start marketing to Proposers
  • A Proposal Planner that isn’t getting as much business as you think you should

This course teaches you how to:

Module 1: Discover Your Proposal Planning Niche & Style – Before you can offer Proposal Planning, you need to determine what kind of proposals you want to plan and what kind of client you want to serve. This is critical for knowing who your target market is, how to create messaging that appeals to them, how to brand and price your services, and how to interact with them on social media.

Module 2: Create Your Proposal Planning Offering- Once you have chosen your target market, niche, and style, you will create your proposal planning offering! We are going to dive in and see a breakdown of what services Proposal Planners offer, learn how to properly price your offer, and create the framework needed to get started servicing customers.

Module 3: Create A Strategy To Add Proposal Planning To Your Assets– After you have the framework in place to start servicing your customers, it is time to make it official and effectively add Proposal Planning to your assets, so that you can actually attract Proposers. Here you are going to find out exactly where you should advertise your Proposal Planning services on your website, social media, and other assets and what mistakes you need to avoid when adding the service.

Module 4: Create a Proposal Planning Marketing Strategy- Without an effective marketing strategy, everything we have done so far will not matter. The key factor in getting Proposal Planning clients NOW is creating marketing that truly speaks to who they are. In this section, we leave no stone unturned as we reveal all marketing strategies that we have used over the last decade. You will study your target market in detail and learn the irresistible marketing and SEO strategies that will effectively attract them and turn them into customers.

Module 5: Maintain & Grow Your Proposal Planning Business –  The last thing you want to do is to invest all this time and energy into offering Proposal Planning services and then just let it all fizzle away. In this module we teach you how to maintain and leverage the work you have done in the previous models and give you ideas on how to handle the extra workload.

You will also get a Proposal Planning certification!

PLUS, you will get 3 bonuses:

🎊 Bonus #1: How To Repurpose Your Wedding Content

🎊 Bonus #2: Private, Members Only Facebook Group

🎊 Bonus #3: Weekly Live Q & A Sessions With Me

Learn more about the program or enroll here:

How Big Is The Proposal Planning Market?

I know what some of you are thinking. How big of a market can Proposal Planning really be? After all, you need to know the possibilities before you decide if you want to make the leap to add Proposal Planning to your Wedding services right? Or to decide to start your own Proposal Planning business, correct?

Well, I have great news. The market is HUGE. Here is a screenshot of how many “ACTIVE” inquires I have right now. You read it right, almost 1,000!

To understand why Proposal Planning is in such huge demand, you should probably know the history of how we got here today. I don’t have to tell you how many people get married a year. If you are in the Wedding Industry, you likely already know that. You probably already know that each of those couple’s get engaged, normally through a marriage proposal. This is nothing new though, so why all of the sudden are people hiring Proposal Planners?

The craze all started with social media. 20 years ago, when someone proposed to their partner, only their closest friends heard about it. But now, when someone proposes, they put photos and videos of it on Instagram, Youtube, etc. This is all searchable online so NOW, when a person proposes, they head to the internet or social media to look for proposal ideas and they see all of these crazy, elaborate proposals. They know that their partner’s are also seeing these types of proposals and will want one like it. And most of these clients can’t plan an elaborate proposal by themselves…which is why they turn to a Proposal Planner.

Hiring a Proposal Planner is getting as common for men as hiring a Wedding Planner is for women. And the industry is growing. When I started The Heart Bandits in 2010, there were 3 Proposal Planners in the world. Now there are over 10x that and it is growing every day. Do you want to learn more about Proposal Planning? Sign up for my FREE resources below. And don’t forget to sign up for the Proposal Planning Formula™ waitlist here. I am hosting my FREE Masterclass in just 2 weeks and you won’t want to miss it. Sign up for the Waitlist and be the first to know about it!

When Is The Best Time To Start Offering Proposal Planning Services?

I was inspired to write this blog post by a few of my social media followers. Over the last year, I have been emailed by several potential Proposal Planners and they have been asking me the same question. When is the best time to start offering Proposal Planning services? One of my followers is in college finishing her degree and asked me, “Should I get started now if I am still in school?” A busy mom emailed me wondering if she could pull it off with young kids at home.

And I completely get it because I have been there before. When I started The Heart Bandits, I had a six figure corporate job and I was only 30. I kept thinking, should I really blow this business up and walk away from my “secure” corporate job when I am already this far up and I have 30-40 more working years left? I remember when I had my daughter, I thought, “how can I pull off raising a child and running my own business?”

But I am here to tell you that all of that self-talk is just your brain’s way of making you think that it is ok to put this off. Because if you put it off, you don’t have to face any of the unknowns that you will face as an entrepreneur. But what your brain isn’t telling you is that by putting it off, you also don’t get to experience all of the amazing and rewarding things that entrepreneurship, and more specifically Proposal Planning, can bring to your life.

When I worked a six figure job, I:

Worked 40+ hours a week to make someone else rich

Had to request time off to be able to visit family or travel

Would have had to go back to work after maternity leave when my time ran out, NOT when I was ready

Was always worried about job security

But since I took the leap of faith and started my own Proposal Planning biz, I:

Set my own schedule and every minute I spend on my business goes into MY pocket

I earn a MULTIPLE six figure income

I go on vacation when I want

I spend as much time with my children as I want

So back to the question. When is the right time to start offering Proposal Planning services? The truth is, there is NEVER going to be the perfect time. There will always be reasons why you “should not start now” or reasons you should wait. So what you MUST do, is do it NOW.

Just get started. Even if it takes you a while to launch, at least if you get started now you will be working towards something that is yours. And the very first step to building your own six figure Proposal Planning business, is simply getting started.

The right time to start offering Proposal Planning services is NOW. The industry is growing, the demand is high, the money is on the table. Take it!

Want to find out the top reasons why you need to start offering Proposal Planning? Download my FREE resources below.

How To Get Your First Proposal Client

When you are getting ready to add Proposal Planning to your existing services or starting your own Proposal Planning business, one of your first fears will be how you will get your first client. Any entrepreneur feels that way when they start something new.

I was once there myself. When I started The Heart Bandits 11 years ago, no one had even heard of Proposal Planning. So I not only had the stress of finding a new client, but I had to do it when no one had heard of what I was doing. There wasn’t even Instagram or Pinterest back then!

Lucky for you, things are much easier now. Hiring a Proposal Planner is now accepted and guys are eager to get the help you will be offering. So how do you find your first client? There are several ways you can get leads and score your first client. Here are a few:

Reach Out To Your Network

Since you may not have an audience yet, one thing you can do is ask everyone you know if they know of anyone that is proposing soon. You could offer your services for free or at a discounted rate in exchange for using their photos on your website and social media. Normally I would never say to work for free, but when you need photos to start showing social proof, this is an amazing way to get it done.

Introduce Yourself

Send an email or call vendors in your area that would come into contact with your target audience. For example, a jewelry store that sells engagement rings is going to be in constant contact with people that are about to propose. Reach out to them and let them know you are a Proposal Planner. Ask them if you can bring some cards by or offer them a special rate if they refer clients to you.

Utilize Social Media

Correctly utilizing social media can get you clients fast. For example, if you post a photo of a proposal and use a hashtag that is popular (but not so popular that your post will get lost quickly), you will instantly be put in front of perspective clients that are searching for that hashtag. Don’t have a photo of a proposal you have planned? No worries! You can use a stock image and give proposal advice in the post. Or you can create an ad about your Proposal Planning services in Canva so when they search for that hashtag, they will find your services.

Remember, the hardest part is getting your FIRST client. But once you do get that first client and you start having proof of your work, it can really spiral for you there. Download my FREE Checklist For Your Proposal Planning Marketing Strategy here.

I have a couple more FREE resources for you below.

Top 3 Clients From Hell

After planning marriage proposals for 11 years now, I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any clients that were a royal pain in the you know what. But there are a few that stand out and belong in my secret “wall of shame.” So why am I sharing this with you? Well I am sharing these hellish client stories for 3 reasons. 1, If you are a seasoned planner, I know that you have had your own clients from hell and I want you to know you are not alone. 2, if you are new to Proposal Planning, I want you to know that these things WILL happen and you should never let it get you down or make you question yourself. 3, I believe that the worst client experiences help shape you as a professional and help you define your future business practices. So without further ado, here are my top 3 clients from hell.

Why Don’t You Answer My Calls Guy

This client hired us on Friday late in the afternoon. We emailed him to let him know we looked forward to working with him and that we were getting right to work. Immediately upon hiring us, he started calling us non-stop without leaving a message. He would call, hang up, and call right back over and over. On the weekend, he would call all day and night and not leave messages. On Sunday we received a text message that he couldn’t believe that he paid us “this much” and we don’t return his calls. On Monday we called him and addressed his text message. We explained that we do keep normal business hours and that if there was something urgent going on and he left us a message, we would have gladly made an exception. He informed us that he expected call backs right away, day or night, weekday or not. We politely offered him a refund and told him we probably aren’t a good fit.

We felt he didn’t respect or value our time or the fact that we also valued our own family time which that is something very important to us. So we learned that if a client shows signs of that early on, we would rather not take the booking at all.

I Want A Refund Guy

You may know this guy all too well, but this particular client was extra special! He booked a rooftop in NYC for an hour proposal and it turns out his girlfriend said no. However, there is more to that story. He had proposed 3 times before and she had said no each time. So after enjoying the rooftop, even running over his time by a whole hour which we didn’t charge him for because we felt bad for his situation, we were shocked to receive an email where he was requesting a full refund. His reasoning was even crazier. He wanted a refund because there were water spots on the rooftop. NYC is a very old city and midtown is an old area. A true rooftop is exposed to outdoor elements and could obviously have water spots. Also, we include photos of the space and the water spots are not even noticeable unless you are looking hard to find something to complain about. His second reason was that he didn’t like that there were offices in the building on his way up to the rooftop. Tenants in high rise buildings constantly change and he wasn’t renting the building, just the rooftop. We politely declined the refund and he did a chargeback through his bank. We fought the chargeback and provided evidence that it was a frivolous claim. We eventually won!

We learned that it is important to always stand your ground. I would 100% offer a refund in any case that my service was lacking. But not for things I can’t control.

Indecisive & Cheap Guy

We were hired to plan a New Year’s Eve proposal for a guy with 4 days notice. The client did not appreciate the time restraint we were under, that we were planning a proposal on a holiday, and planning an event during a pandemic. He wouldn’t make any decisions and he wanted multiple scenarios presented for every option before he could make decisions. He didn’t even end up finalizing until a day and a half before. He changed his mind so much that the violinist ended up pulling out because they just couldn’t deal with all of the changes. His proposal ended up being a success but that wasn’t the end of it. After the proposal he requested that we return all props that he had used for his proposal to get a refund. After our service had ended, he continued to text us asking to help him return the used items.

Be sure to put a clause in your Proposal Planning contract that if your client causes delays in the planning, you can’t be held liable.

Although these clients were a bit of a nightmare, most of my clients are amazing. My clients generally are very appreciative of the fact that we are there to help them through one of the most stressful moments of their life. They typically send me heartfelt emails, cards, and sometimes gifts as they are so grateful for our service. If you want to be a part of an amazing industry, check out my free resources below. In my Proposal Planning school you will learn all about being a Proposal Planner and how this profession can change your life.

How To Diversify Your Wedding Business

Whether you are a Wedding Planner, Florist, Photographer, Videographer, venue or any other type of wedding vendor, diversifying your wedding business is a must.

We all saw it first hand during the pandemic. Businesses that relied solely on income from large weddings sadly took a big hit. And while I pray this ends soon and never comes back again, none of us can predict the next thing that will come and impact the wedding industry.

That is exactly why diversifying your wedding business should be on the top of your to-do list. In fact, if you ask any wealthy person what their secret is, 9 times out of 10 they will say, “diversification.” It is critical to have income coming in from different avenues. So HOW do you diversify your wedding business? Here are a couple of options:

1. Proposal Planning

Offering Proposal Planning is such an amazing way to diversify your services. The market is huge and the earning potential is too. It is also such a great compliment to your existing wedding business! A photographer, florist, planner, videographer, or venue can easily adapt their marketing plan to start attracting clients looking to propose. And who will that client call to photograph their wedding day? Provide their wedding flowers? Plan their wedding? YOU!!

Download my FREE resource, “3 Reasons You MUST Add Proposal Planning Services To Your Existing Services NOW!!”

2. Pop-Up Wedding Packages

When I started my Proposal Planning company, The Heart Bandits, I knew I needed to diversify. Wedding Planning made sense but the market is so saturated and bridezillas are not my jam. So I decided to start a pop-up wedding business where I sell simple, streamlined pop-up wedding packages. This is a great way to diversify because once the packages are built, they are so streamlined that they are a really simple way to get a nice cash injection into your business. And these types of weddings don’t follow any traditional wedding rules. They are popular during off-seasons and they don’t take much time to plan. These packages are great for any wedding vendor to add on and pop-up weddings, microweddings, and elopements are all the rage right now due to the pandemic. When it ends, you will have a whole new source of revenue coming in!

Download my FREE resource, “The Ultimate Guide To Selling Pop-Up Wedding Packages“

The Heart Bandits Academy is the only educator teaching you how to become a Proposal Planner. Sign up here and follow my journey from being a Proposal Planner to educator teaching students around the world how to market their business to clients looking to propose.

Enrollment for The Complete Proposal Planning Blueprint Is Open!!

proposal planning

The Complete Proposal Planning Blueprint™ is open for enrollment for just a FEW more days.

This course is a MUST have if you are:

  • Wanting to start your own Proposal Planning business
  • A Wedding Planner wanting to add Proposal Planning services to your existing business
  • A Wedding vendor (photographer, videographer, venue, travel agent, jeweler, etc.) that wants to start marketing to Proposers
  • A Proposal Planner that isn’t getting as much business as you think you should

In this course, I teach you:

Module 1: Introduction to the Proposal Planning Industry (This is where I will teach you everything you need to know about the industry)

Module 2: Building your business foundation (Here I will teach you how to stand out in this industry)

Module 3: Getting started ONLINE (Here is where you are going to be creating your website, social media accounts, etc.)

Module 4: Getting started OFFLINE (This is where you will discover if you need a license, permits, etc.)

Module 5: Proposal Planning 101 (I am going to walk you through exactly how to plan a marriage proposal from A-Z)

Module 6: Create your Proposal Planning offering (This is where you are going to create your packages, price them, create all the documents you need to get up and running, and more)

Module 7: Proposal Planning Marketing Strategy (This is the big one – this is where I teach you everything you need to know about marketing proposal planning.  This can be applied to ANY industry that wants to focus on proposers!)

Module 8: Maintenance mode (Here you will learn how to make sure you continually get proposal clients and have a CONSISTENT source of revenue)

You will also get a Proposal Planning certification!

PLUS, you will get 3 bonuses:

🎊 Bonus #1: Secret IG Strategy To Get You In Front Of Your Target Audience Fast

🎊 Bonus #2: Case Study: Behind The Scenes Planning Of A Proposal From A-Z

🎊 Bonus #3: How To Re-purpose Your Content For Your Blog & Social Media

Learn more about the program or enroll here:

How Getting Featured In Media Can Boost Your Biz

My absolute favorite module of my Proposal Planning course is “Getting Featured In Media.” Why? Well because getting featured in media can really boost your business in ways you may not even know about. I want to talk about some of the ways that being featured in media can really boost your biz.

First, let me define “media.” Media is the main means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the Internet) regarded collectively. So this means TV, radio, print, and Internet.

When you are featured in media, there are 3 things that can happen that can really boost your biz:

1. Potential Clients Will See The Media

This is probably the number one reason people hope to get PR. When you are featured in a major media outlet, you are going to get your name in front of potential clients. Some of them may contact you right after the feature and some of them will save your information for later. They may even tell their friends about your services weeks or months later in conversation. So the more media exposure you get, the more potential clients will hear about you. Now this is an amazing benefit to be featured in the media, but not the only one.

2. Potential Partners Will See The Media

One of the things that typically happens when you are featured in the media that you may NOT think about is that potential partners will see the media. Now what do I mean by this? Well let’s look at my business The Heart Bandits. After I was featured in New York Times, I had restaurants, jewelry stores, and many other vendors reaching out to me. They emailed me to say they saw my feature and they wanted to collaborate with me. Creating a partnership can not only boost your sales, but can get you in front of a whole new audience.

3. Other Media Outlets Will See The Media

Unless you have been featured in a lot of media, this may never even cross your mind. But when you are featured in major media, there is a high probability that other media outlets will see it. Again, let’s take my company as an example. After I was featured in Good Morning America, I was contacted by the Oprah Network, Time Magazine, and LA Times. They wanted to feature me as well!

All of these reasons are EXACTLY why I urge all of my students to try to get media when they launch their Proposal Planning businesses or services. Not only that, but I walk them through my PROVEN techniques on how to get featured. And believe me, they work.

Just ask my student Jasmine from Jasmine Rose Events who just emailed me that she is going to be featured in The Boston Globe and she JUST LAUNCHED!!!!

If you want to find out how starting a Proposal Planning business can transform your life, download my FREE guide here:

3 Different Types of Services That Proposal Planners Offer

cancun marriage proposal

If you want to be a Proposal Planner or you are a Wedding Planner thinking about adding Proposal Planning services, this blog is for you.

For those of you that don’t know me, I own The Heart Bandits, the leading Proposal Planning company in the U.S. So I know a thing or 2 about Proposal Planning.

Now, there are 3 main types of services that Proposal Planners offer, and I am going to go over them here with you today.

1. Proposal Packages

What is a proposal package?  A proposal package is an “all-inclusive” package that typically includes a complete, pre-made proposal idea for one price.   An example of a proposal package would be a romantic picnic idea.  This may include a blanket, pillows, light appetizers, and wine and it would be sold for one all-inclusive rate.

Now you might be wondering, why would you want to offer a proposal package and the reason is that it can be a great cash injection to your business. 

You do a lot of front-end work to create the packages but then you sell them over and over again.

2. Custom Proposal Ideas

If you are the creative type, and you probably are if you are considering Proposal Planning, then this is the fun stuff.  With this service, the client pays you to dream up unique, memorable, and romantic proposal ideas.  They pay you for your time and expertise and you deliver them with great proposal concepts.

3. Custom Proposal Planning

What is a great idea without execution?  Absolutely nothing!  Custom proposal planning is where you turn the idea into reality with your flawless execution.

Some Proposal Planners offer just one of these and some offer all 3.  You could do whatever it is that you like, they all have their pros and cons.

If you think Proposal Planning might be for you, I have some resources to help you get started.

Private Community – Proposal Planning Academy Tribe

Top 3 Reasons You MUST Add Proposal Planning Services Now

4 Things You Can Start Doing TODAY TO Get Started Proposal Planning

Proposal Planning: The Heart Bandits

Photography: Cancun Studios