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Episode 154 - Design with intention not just trends - Martina Storiamia
72 Plays3 months ago
Happy Woo Wednesdays!
Hot Topic: Design with intention not just trends
Bio on Martina - Your favorite Italian wedding planner in California.
Connect with Martina
Storiamiaevents.com
Connect with Carissa Woo
https://instagram.com/carissawoo
www.heckyesvip - Get 10-15 leads a month
Thank you 17hats.com use code heckyes https://aftershoot.com/friends?ref=carissawoo
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Transcript
Introduction to Carissa and Services
00:00:00
Speaker
Happy Woo Wednesdays! Woo woo! If you need a new brand message, homepage of your website, IG makeover, and proven sales process that lets you close a deal with money in your bank, go to www.heckyes.vip. So today I have my favorite Italian planner in the Heck Yes House, Martina from Storia Mia. She's from Naples and I love her accent.
00:00:28
Speaker
I was blown away by the Wippa event she planned at the garland. I posted a cool reel about it on my Insta if you're interested. She really blew up her business really, really fast and you are going to be inspired by hearing her story and her hustle.
Podcast Purpose and Guest Introduction
00:00:44
Speaker
Today we talk about how to design with intention, not just trends. Enjoy!
00:00:55
Speaker
Welcome to Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. I'm your host, Carissa, and I've been a Los Angeles wedding photographer for over a decade. I've traveled the world, built my team, and seen it all. I now coach wedding photographers hit 10K a month and build a thriving business. In this podcast, we are going to deep dive into how top wedding creatives get that heck yes from their dream clients. We are not holding back on the struggles of the business and how to push through the noise. Some healthy hustle, mindset shifts, up-leveling your money story,
00:01:24
Speaker
time-packed because I'm a mom of two, a little bit of woo-woo, and most importantly, self-love and confidence are just a few of the many things we will talk about. I want to give you a genuine thank you for following along my journey. I hope to inspire you every Woo Wednesday so that you say heck yes to listening to this podcast. See you guys soon!
Martina's Journey from Naples to the US
00:01:46
Speaker
Hey everyone, welcome back to Get It Heck Yes with your girl, Carissa Wu. Today I have Martina Denopoli from Storia Mia Events. The name Storia Mia, meaning my story in Italian, embodies a core belief that every event is unique with a personal tale waiting to be told. She was born in Naples and is known to be the Italian planner. She is trilingual, English, Spanish, and Italian,
00:02:15
Speaker
and she just pulled off the most insane event at the garland two weeks ago for WIPA. I posted about it so much and on the WIPA Instagram and she was a planner so congrats and yeah you've been busy but welcome Bertina. Thank you so much Grace. It's an honor our being here and I've been listening to your podcasts and you know when you asked me to be part of one of one of the episodes, I was like, oh my gosh, yes, of course. um So thank you so much for having me. Oh, you're so welcome. Tell the audience briefly about who you are.
00:02:53
Speaker
Uh, yes. So my name is Martinez Carissa mentioned, and I found that story of Mia because I wanted to bring something to the industry that it was very, uh, specific, uh, with kind of like my different cultural, um, you know, like concept, I wanted to bring in like a different side of.
00:03:20
Speaker
how to design and execute an event. And I've been fortunate enough that for the last couple of years, I've been having great clients ah working on different um you know ah projects that it was challenging me to grow more as a business owner.
00:03:42
Speaker
um and as a planner as well. But also I grow so much into you know the community and meeting a lot of people and creating a lot of connections and relationships, also being part of WIPA. And I feel this is the right path for me and I belong. And it's beautiful and I look forward to do more and more. Yeah.
00:04:07
Speaker
I love that. That was beautiful. Okay, let's go into back in the day, young Martina. as oh man This is interesting because you grew up in Naples. So what was it like growing up in Naples? What were you like as a kid?
00:04:22
Speaker
Well, you know, it's funny that you mentioned that because i I had a very, very happy childhood and, you know, Naples, it is a big crazy town. I don't know if you ever been, but it is, ah you know, it's a big city and it's very, very diverse, kind of like l LA. It reminds me a lot of LA, like very diverse, a lot of cultures and sound, music, food.
00:04:46
Speaker
So I feel very grateful that I grew up in an environment that really taught me how to do different things and and connect with different people, you know, like the term like be street smart a little bit. So I am very happy about that.
00:05:03
Speaker
but you know, ah like early 90s, there was this thing called MTV. I was one of those teenagers, you know, like in front of my TV, like watching all those movies or you know, like the music music videos and you know, like, so I've always dreamt about coming to the U.S., you know, that kind of like, oh, the America lifestyle and, you know, like the pop music and stuff like that. So it was always a goal that after I was graduating high school, I said, I want to go and try and see how it is.
Influence of Disney and Career Path
00:05:43
Speaker
And indeed, i ah that's what I did. I graduated high school cool and I moved to ah Florida. I visited Florida as my first kind of like stop.
00:05:54
Speaker
and I never left. It's been a long journey. um And you know, it's it's it's it's been a beautiful it's been a beautiful beautiful journey um kind of meshing those two cultures and then make my own in a way. But you don't live in Florida now, right? No, I lived in Florida in Miami for about 10 years. um And that's actually how I started in the industry. I started in hotels.
00:06:21
Speaker
um in food and beverage. I used to work at the Delano Hotel, so I don't know if you're familiar with it, but it was ah kind of like a luxury boutique ah hotel. Unfortunately, it's not longer there. I believe they closed up after COVID, but um that's where I started the journey of like private events, food and beverage. um And then I moved to California because I wanted to um get a program like a hospitality program that california had that's why i made the move and i got into the program and the rest it's history here in so called wow so that was right after college and yeah correct
00:07:01
Speaker
Cool. Yeah, going back to MTV, um yeah yeah I'm probably similar aging you, but Carson Daly looks like the same, which is really weird. That's so funny. For me, it was something that It was that, as I said before, right? Like we had so much diversity, but every time I was exposed to that aspect, it was something so different. so you the The music, the colors, the dresses, the dances, and it was so inspiring. and And I said, I want to be part of that. Like, I don't know how, I don't know when, because obviously I was, I don't know, 15 or something like that, but I'm like,
00:07:44
Speaker
I really want to be part of that world, even if it's for a little bit. And so that's why I'm here. Yeah, I feel like. WIPA is the MTV big money industry, right?
00:08:01
Speaker
Yes, yes. We should do like a theme event about that. I think it will be so cool. Oh my god, that's actually a really good idea. Okay, so going back to, um and by the way, I haven't gone to Naples, but I've been to Tuscany, but I would love to. Oh, beautiful. Okay, going back to you planning. this the last WIPA event two weeks ago at the Garland. um It was called Los Angeles and it was just like I walked into this like enchanted like oasis of like beautiful corals and the speech you gave about you know ah the life of the water fountain. Tell the audience a little bit about your vision for this and how you executed it.
Wellness Event Design Philosophy
00:08:41
Speaker
Yeah, so it was very intentional. As I said before, like I wanted to bring the whole purpose of my company, like the the kind of like the fuel behind is really making every event a unique representation of what we're trying to achieve, right? Whether it's a wedding, a social event, and a networking group, or et cetera. So for this particular event being wellness month,
00:09:08
Speaker
um being in such a beautiful, natural space at the Garland, we really didn't need to do so much, right? It was just naturally beautiful. So I really used the design, again, with intention and with kind of like an out of out of the box concept, if you will.
00:09:29
Speaker
um because I wanted to represent something new. I wanted to represent something that people are not normal, um used to see. And I thought that the way the garland was set up, it was just perfect for the idea. Meaning that when you think about wellness, you think about, you know, like maybe a spa setting or, you know, like a yoga studio, like we are so used to see those scenarios. And I said, I want to do something different. I want to do something that people hopefully can take home with them. um And I live by it and I hope I
00:10:09
Speaker
As I say, like I could share something about me through the design. um Meaning that wellness is not just one thing. you know It's not just going to do a yoga session or um you know go to the gym and and do squats and stuff like that. like Wellness, it's so much more than that, so much deeper.
00:10:29
Speaker
where It starts from you know your social aspect, like your community, your relationships, your you know your spiritual, whatever you believe in. It doesn't have to be one specific thing. It can be in nature or it can be in religion. like It doesn't matter, but all these dimensions put together and imbalance with each other are what create, you know, like a well-balanced life. So that's why we had like also like the fountain in the center and all those four dimensions, the emotional, the social, the spiritual and the physical to kind of like
00:11:06
Speaker
ah flow around like in harmony um yeah and like for example for me like i love i like yoga it's beautiful but if you ask what makes me happier is again going back to the MTV one it's dense right so it's like wellness for me doesn't mean being in uh quiet room, like actually the opposite. Like I mean, on the dance floor with like salsa music, whatever like, you know, energy it's going around me, that's that's my happiest place. So i I hope my design brought some joyful emotions and I was very, very happy to be part of it and work with Dina. She's amazing and I'm a big fan.
00:11:50
Speaker
Yeah, I love her too. um It was one of my favorite events. so Oh, thank you. Yeah, I had a great time and everything was about it was like, okay, I could post these photos for probably a year. My favorite, I didn't take them, but and it took a lot of content. ah But yeah, let's talk about early years after doing the hotels in Miami.
00:12:12
Speaker
um you being in in the vet space, how did you start Story of Mia? And then how did you kind of niche to like being the Italian
From Disney to Entrepreneurship
00:12:21
Speaker
planner? Like how did that, I know, I know obviously like you're from Naples, but tell me like more of the background about that. Yeah. So um when I moved to California, I graduated ah from Cal Poly Pomona. So that was the program that I was interested in. And mainly because it's one of the best hospitality program like ranked in the country, so I wanted to be part of that, but also they had a ah student sub program through the college that you could be, you know, you you could apply to work at Disney. So again, me being from a different country, again, Disney was always something
00:13:03
Speaker
that I looked up to right like you see it as a child with your family so it was always kind of like a dream to ah wanted to learn that aspect as well so through the college college program I got into Disney so that's also why I was in California why I ended up in Orange County ah because I got into the program in in the resort in Anaheim. And um that was kind of like my first big corporate global brand that I started working for. right So coming from food and beverage in the in the hotel world, moving into this big global corporate
00:13:50
Speaker
you know, ah universe. And then, unfortunately, COVID happened, right? And we all know that, you know, those times were a little bit of a kind of like a path change for a lot of us in the industry. And after that, i um I was no longer with Disney, unfortunately, but maintain great relationship with the entire team. um And I took with me everything that I learned in terms of how to build your brand, how to represent your brand, um you know, how to communicate with clients and how to showcase customer service. So everything that I learned through my days, like with my days through Disney, like it's still with me um and it's part of me with my company.
00:14:41
Speaker
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00:15:21
Speaker
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00:15:44
Speaker
tell us how you're feeling. Like, I want to just know a little bit more about your thoughts. It's beautiful. And you're, you're awesome. It's beautiful. I'm speechless. I just like the fact that it feels like myself, like I can, I feel myself when I see this. Oh, man. Well, you got me pumped and excited for this. Carissa, thank you.
00:16:05
Speaker
Yeah, and that's a dream job to land right out of college. Yeah, absolutely. And it was everything again, everything was intentional with if I make this move is because this is what I kind of want to come out of it, right? Like everything has to and you know, it's kind of like goal setting of like, I want to try to get it into that college because eventually I want to try to get into that college program with Disney, because that will be like a good step into my event industry career, starting from like the biggest brand in the world. um And so I am very happy that it happened even though for a little bit, you know, because of 2020, but it still happened. It's still with me and it will always
Career Goals and Networking Success
00:16:52
Speaker
be with me. So it doesn't matter. um The time, it matters what I got out of it and who, what made me as ah as a professional and as a business owner nowadays.
00:17:04
Speaker
um So after COVID, again, I worked for another amazing company. They were on a smaller scale, so like a small business company and in a luxury market. So I had an amazing experience with them as well. And then I realized that I really wanted to do my own creation, right? Like I said before, I wanted to now being on my own and really bring out what meant for me, creating a wedding, an event, um you know, after all these experiences around me, I said, I think I'm ready. I'm going to go for it. And it's scary. And
00:17:45
Speaker
yeah It's very scary, um but it's so fulfilling at the same time when you make things happen and and they come from you and they come from a place of love and, you know, passion for what we do every day. um So that's how Astoria Mia events was born. Thank you for sharing. That's my journey. Yeah, it's, yes, yes, long journey, but happy to be here now.
00:18:16
Speaker
Oh my God, that's that's a such an awesome story. I want to dive deeper, but I can't. um Yes. I guess maybe one more question before Hot Topic, but how the hell did you start? just like and That wasn't not that too long ago. So what were the early years? like Was it just using your network? like How did you get to be so amazing so fast? Oh, thank you. You're so kind. Yeah, it's funny because I think I I had a conversation with Dina, I believe the other day while we were at the Garland. I'm like, hey, you know, I've been in the industry for a very long time, but i my business, it's about two years, like two and a half, right? Like that's when I launched the first, and she said, I don't believe it. I never i would never guess. And I said, yes. I was like, I was saying like after college, but wait, 2020.
00:19:14
Speaker
thats like yeah yeah it's been It's been everything fast paced in a sense um and because I really went all in with everything I had. I believed in this brand so much and I don't want to sound you know like um hockey or anything because I'm um i'm not, but like I really believed in what I could bring to the table and what I could offer. And there are so many amazing professionals and even planners, like we know so many and I look up to them, you know, they're like my mentor in a sense. But I also know that I have a different perspective based on culture, a different perspective based on, you know, my story, my life, and I can bring that
00:20:05
Speaker
difference into, as I say, like any project. So I think that is what makes me, you know, kind of like stand out in a sense, yeah you know, we can have um just a diverse, you know, concept coming out of anything that I take on. um And so since I started, I did a lot of networking. I joined, yes, I joined obviously WIPA, but like other groups that really, really added value to the relationships that I was making. So one connection at the time, one little project at the time, leads to a ah bigger project, leads to another connection and so on and so on. And I haven't stopped, it's been almost three years um and I haven't stopped moving towards that direction. Wow. You're a mover in the shaker. Yeah, I will continue doing it because it really brought so much growth and development in such a short time.
00:21:16
Speaker
So i'm um I'm on a mission. I love it. And it's not cocky. You got to believe in yourself because no one else will, especially in the beginning. i Yeah, I'm like, oh, I do this. I have passion for it. I believe in it. And you know obviously, theres there are things that we learn on a daily basis. like I learn every every time I learn something new. And I'm happy to learn every time something new. like That's how it should be. yeah But yes, I believed in in what I could bring to the table and my brand. Then I said, let's share it with the world. I love it. Let's get into Hot Topic. What is your Hot Topic and why is it so near and dear to your heart? My Hot Topic is, um and I think we discussed this already, is you know everything done with intention. Yes.
00:22:08
Speaker
starting from design, starting from again, building a connection, you know, going to a network meeting, like everything has to have an intention, because one, it brings meaning to what we do, right? If we just do it for do it, or at least I want to speak for myself. Like if I just do a thing just because like, it doesn't fulfill me as ah as a person, like it doesn't have any meaning. So everything that I do, um I see what the goal is behind and what can bring me either as a person or as a business value, like all this with
00:22:51
Speaker
intention, it it it makes it it pushes me and it challenged me to just do more and and and become again, like a better person, but also a better professional in the long run. Did your parents teach you this because, you know, just the fact that you researched like Cal Poly Pomona to know they have like hospitality program and to understand that, like I feel like at that age, I wouldn't even understand to what intention means. So where did this, where does it kind of stem from?
00:23:26
Speaker
Well, they, I love my parents, they have been super supportive. um and And, you know, that obviously they're amazing people in my life. I am a first um college graduate in my family. So I'm actually the first one.
00:23:45
Speaker
Yes. i And I think because I took what I saw from them, you know, my parents got married super young, my mom had me a 19. And as a matter of fact, she's like my best friend now, like we're, we're so close. And so I kind of, it's not that they really taught me how to do it, it's just me seeing what they didn't do that I wanted to do differently. So like, for example, my mom gave up going to college because She was pregnant with me and you know like she got married super young and I said, well, I kind of want to do the opposite. I don't want to get married young and I don't want to have kids yet. I want to go to college and I want to
00:24:31
Speaker
open a business and I want to operate under you know certain certain like standards for my brand. And so I will say they taught me but indirectly. if that Yeah, that's so interesting. Let's talk about designing with intention, not just um you know going with the trends. What does that mean to you?
00:24:51
Speaker
Yeah. And actually, actually thank you for saying that because this is something always that I tell my clients when we have our consultation, I say, you know, like trends are going to come and go, right. And you keep scrolling Pinterest and Instagram and TikTok and everything is beautiful. Yeah.
00:25:10
Speaker
in again what is your real story like what this wedding or event is going to represent it's what you are as a person as a couple and ten years from now when you look back at your photos or your your memories you really want to have the feeling of saying that was my story, it belonged to me, it represented who are who we are as a couple, right? like And so that's the intention that I'm talking about is it doesn't matter if right now, I'm just gonna use that as an example, like the rustic table and chair and farm chair are a trend, they're beautiful, perfect, but if rustic is not your,
00:25:58
Speaker
like core, if you don't love that, don't do it because it has to be trendy, like do it or do whatever you feel it's right for you and what really represents you as as as people. So it's i again, I believe in this concept and I think all the couples and all the weddings that I've done so far with all of that,
00:26:20
Speaker
you know that like philosophy yeah and every time they look back in their photo they're like oh my gosh like it's perfectly us like it represented us to the tee like it was so like ah detailed in what we wanted out of it and you know each couple is different some couple wants to do more flowers some couple wants to do more um activities like we we customize that with what the couple really want
Personalized Wedding Designs
00:26:50
Speaker
at that point. And I think and in the long run, that's what it matters the most. It's what they want it out of the day, not what we see on Pinterest or social media.
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Speaker
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00:29:33
Speaker
Yeah, what kind of quite probing questions you ask them to kind of pick their brain and um because you know they could be like, the people are just like, oh, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, you told me, you told me. So how do you kind of ah pull it out of them?
00:29:50
Speaker
Yeah, so um I kind of like peel the onion in a sense, you know, kind of like like trying to go deeper into, okay, so tell me a little bit about your upbringing, you know, like where did you grow up? What was something like, the you ah um did you do any sport? Is there anything that you like in particular in in kind of like music or like food, like any like culinary?
00:30:16
Speaker
preferences. So once I start asking those questions, I kind of like, I can kind of like see where, ah where they're leaning towards, right? Like, for example, if they say like, you know, I grew up in a very small town, or I grew up in a very big city, you know, like, that's already like a big difference of kind of like setting an aesthetic that they might be attracted to. um And I think it's also trying to get to know them as people like individually and um you know a little deeper than just what you like, what you don't like.
00:30:52
Speaker
it's also what do you do when you want to have fun, right? Like as I said, like for me is dancing. So I asked like, do you have any hobby? Like what do you do when it's your day off and you go out with your couple and you guys want to just have fun. Oh, we like to go to the movie. So it's kind of like more quiet, more reserved, or you like to go to a fair you know, and and like roller coaster, like you can kind of like tell from those um preferences one you start talk once you start talking to them a little more. um And this is why I i see the value more on the full planning aspect, because I really get to connect with people. And I learn about
00:31:39
Speaker
little things here and there that then we can bring to life, right? Like for example, one of my clients last year, they were really into Harry Potter, um but obviously we did not do like the full wedding. Like it was not like a Harry Potter, what but they really liked Harry Potter. So we used those small details here and there to kind of bring some of those elements alive, but obviously kept it as a beautiful wedding.
00:32:07
Speaker
ah you know a romantic all the way through but because I learned that they were Harry Potter fans I was like oh that's so cool we can definitely bring some elements here and there and and stand out to make it again like it's your story so let's bring it to the table.
00:32:23
Speaker
Um, and oh yeah no, it's really, a really cool thing to tell that to your clients from the very beginning because they, it's kind of like you can bring it back, right? Like if they get overwhelmed with right on this and this and this, I saw that something tears. Oh no, I saw this and now it's better, blah, blah, blah. Like it's like, okay, let's bring it in to who truly are because we forget because we're just.
00:32:49
Speaker
overwhelmed overwhelm with all the the messaging and all the stuff you see and you like just go down the Instagram, Pinterest rabbit hole. So this is actually something I never heard. I wanted to ask you a question, but what was maybe like one of your favorite like weddings that you planned and like the vision behind it?
00:33:08
Speaker
Oh, I'm gonna be biased now. But I had a very beautiful wedding in Italy last year, Villa Cimbrona. So it's, it's a beautiful is actually this picture right here in the back.
00:33:24
Speaker
beautiful, bit one of the most beautiful venues in in on the Amalfikos in Rabelo. And it was just dreamy all the way through, you know, and again, I'm biased because it is my hometown, you know, I'm i'm from Naples, so bringing bringing in clients from the United States to Italy. It was just a dream come true, right? it's What I always envisioned where my company would go eventually is to kind of like show American market
00:34:04
Speaker
what Italy can do. And it's not just the wedding day. It was the whole weekend experience. We got to do wine tasting. We had like ah like a pasta day. We had a like a boat tour. So it was the whole entire experience, not just the wedding itself.
00:34:27
Speaker
um and I was just so full after that seeing all these people just like being amazed by like a simple you know like a simple glass of wine you know or something like that like it was very fulfilling um and obviously the weddings but was the wedding was beautiful because the venue is it's amazing and I yeah I still dream up about that day I was gonna say that sounds like a dream come true it was very very beautiful so I'm um I'm very thankful that I I had um that under the belt, definitely. I love it. OK, speak to wedding pros or engaged couples. um Give them maybe one tip that they can take away today about planning their wedding or wedding planners listening, how to help you with being intentional about their design. um What would you say to them to just be like, OK,
00:35:24
Speaker
Here's a prompt for you to think about planning your wedding and being intentional. Like what would you say to them? I will say again, it's to stay true to themselves because yes, there is so much out there that we get ah bombarded with photos and and you know ah information. And yes, it's very overwhelming. So keeping it real and keeping it
00:35:58
Speaker
again, like who you really are as a couple, I think is key to say to stay in the lane, right? Like to say, this is who we are, this is what we wanna do. And yes, there's so much beauty around, but we really want to represent who we are as a couple. What was our story maybe when we met and what we want you know this celebration look like for our friends and
Networking and Industry Relationships
00:36:25
Speaker
family? meeting So I would say just like, instead of instead of stretching thin, dig deeper in really what means um for them to to see come to life. I love that. I have to ask, what is your best, heck yes, sales technique? All right, so I always say that
00:36:56
Speaker
Well, first of all, I want to say that the heck yes, the way you do it, it's yours. You're the one and only heck yes. um that It's so cool. I love it. But for me, when I connect to potential clients, I always tell them, you know, there's so many wedding and event planners out there and I really want them to connect with who I am as a person because Eventually, they will be dealing with me, you know, with the rest of their planning journey right 12 months, six months, 18 months, whatever the the ah time calls for. So I will say
00:37:39
Speaker
You know, really connect with the planner that you feel is closer to your vision to your values, and just who who we are as, as a people right and sometimes <unk>s it's not with me sometimes they're not meant to be with me and it's completely fine, because then the clients that they say, heck yes, we want to be with you is because they really really.
00:38:02
Speaker
like not just the service that I offer because let's be honest like as I say like I love all my colleagues even planners like we all do amazing work but it eventually will be narrowed down to who we are individually as people and how we connect with our clients so that is my biggest sales point and say you know these are my packages obviously we can do x y and z but You have to like me and you have to like working with me and then we'll take it from there.
00:38:33
Speaker
I like you. Heck yes, here we go. yeah Okay, one more question before rapid fire questions. Speak to the hearts, again, to any professionals. I don't want to say that we're struggling anymore, but trying to get off the ground and maybe pick up the pieces after COVID, it's been four years, but still, what would you say to them to just kick their butt today and make it happen?
00:39:04
Speaker
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00:39:29
Speaker
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00:40:14
Speaker
Yes, that's that's an ah that's a wonderful question. And I really believe in the the value of the you know networking. And I know this is in it's it takes time. It does take time. it You need to put a little bit of effort behind you know wanting to bring your business forward growing, developing, building relationship. And like we keep repeating the same thing over and over. But that is what in the long run will make other people and other business send out. If you keep going out, you keep being relevant, you keep building relationship. And then in the long run, because it doesn't happen overnight. So I think this is what
00:41:02
Speaker
other people that they're, and again, like struggling, like we all have our struggle, right? i Like we all have our insecurities, but knowing that you have a support circle and knowing that any questions you have, or you someone has your back because you have built those relationships. So this is what I've been doing. This is what I put on my cart. When I said I went all in, it's because I really,
00:41:31
Speaker
when with um you know all my all my time and energy to say, um I just want to meet everyone who's in the industry right now.
00:41:42
Speaker
So that is the little piece of advice I hope to see, you know, to meet more people. And, and, you know, there are people that have been in the industry for 10, 20 years. So those are the people that you want to look up for and say, teach me, like, I want to, I want to see how you do things because it's going to make me a better professional. So this is the work that I think you know, people should do and I know it's not easy. I know the networking and going out to events and it takes time and money and energy. I get it. ah ah But I see all the
00:42:23
Speaker
I see the value like, um you know, kind of like the aftermath and all that. So yeah yeah. I was intentional about going to the last event because I got you on my podcast. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Everything happens for a reason. Like you have to really maintain a, and also for, you know, like goal setting for one's
Branding Lessons from Disney
00:42:46
Speaker
selves, right? Like I do that with my own, you you know, to-do list. I'm like, I do this.
00:42:52
Speaker
and I hope this is gonna take me to this, right? and If it doesn't take me to this, then what do I, how do I grow from whatever, you know, whatever the the the event is or whatever the connection is with, if it's a WIP event or like a gala or, you know, a but like anything, how do we then expand from here and take it to the next step?
00:43:21
Speaker
Yeah, it it's not work, but we can do it. It's worth it. Okay, these are more fun rapid fire questions.
00:43:29
Speaker
Early, I mean, late 90s. What was your favorite MTV, MTV band or like, oh, band boy, behind her. Please don't hate me. Cause I know a lot of people still are like, are you best or favorite thing you took away from Disney that you incorporated into your business? I love the question and definitely is the representation of a brand.
00:44:07
Speaker
whichever brand can be, you know, you have your brand, I have my brand,
Infusing Italian Culture in Weddings
00:44:11
Speaker
right? Like all other professionals that we know, it's really how you talk, how you dress, how you represent yourself when you are in a social environment, like in front of other people, in front of potential clients.
00:44:29
Speaker
then you represent it like how do you really showcase and represent your brand? Because eventually, again, going back to when people then wants to hire you, they hire you what they like and trust, right? And so if they like and trust my brand, then as a consequence, you know, they're gonna they go ah buy my services. And um being in Disney, we really,
00:44:57
Speaker
had to embrace who we were as cast members because everything ultimately was for the brand, you know? And and I love that, you know? Like, I thought it was so powerful that I, um obviously, want ah on a smaller scale, because Disney is so big, but on a smaller scale, I took with me and I made a part of Story of Mia. Wow. In one word or phrase, how would you make a American wedding more Italian. I like that. um I will say the, I am a big supporter of, and if Brittany is listening to this podcast ah from Sky Story Films, she will be laughing at this right now. I'm a big supporter of food and beverage. Obviously that is my background, but I also think that
00:45:56
Speaker
at the end of the day, people really remember and talk about food. yeah And so I'm a big supporter of giving the right balance with you know, and make sure that the menu and the food experience, it's equal or at least ah kind of like similar to everything else that we see around the room, right? Like if we have huge florals and the best band and you know, but then we don't have ultimately something that will pair with the experience when we serve food or wine
00:46:36
Speaker
or anything that it's kind of like, you know, ah like a cleaner experience. um I will try always to incorporate that and showed and kind of like to express how people ultimately they will appreciate if we pay a little bit more and attention also on that planning on that like food and beverage planning aspect.
Connect with Martina
00:46:56
Speaker
Oh, yeah, food is everything. And lastly, what is your favorite salsa song? What gets you up and dancing?
00:47:07
Speaker
or any song and Oh my gosh. Well, there's so many, but I will say definitely Mark Antony. Am I here like a Mark Antony or like, okay, Celia Cruz is a big one too. okay you know Those classics. Yeah. Oh my God. Me too, Mark Antony. Where can everyone find you Martina and work with you?
00:47:30
Speaker
Yes, so I have a website actually I'm about to launch my new website so I will be doing that I think end of the month on storia mia events.com it's a fresh newly page so I'm very very excited and I'm on Instagram as well for storia mia and um my personal is the Italian planner if someone wants to connect with me personally and just ask questions and, you know, like new business owners, if they're launching their business and they just have question for me, I'm always happy to answer and walk them through what I i did in the beginning. So, yeah. That's very generous. Thank you, Martina. This is a great conversation. Thank you, Carissa. It's been a pleasure and congratulations on your podcast. I listened to them again and they're very, very inspirational and I'm i'm honored to be part of it.
00:48:29
Speaker
Thanks for joining me this week on Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. Make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, or tell a friend about the show. Take a screenshot and post to IG. Tag me. Also, don't forget to download my free guide on how to become a lead generating machine. See you next time, wedding pros.