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Episode 169 - Create a lasting community with Lauren Tetef Flourish Locally
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Episode Description:
In this episode of Get a "HECK YES"! with Carissa Woo, we chat with Lauren Tetef, the creative mind behind Flourish Locally. Join us as we dive into the world of [her industry/niche], uncovering the secrets behind her success and how she consistently gets a “Heck Yes!” from her dream clients.
Lauren shares her journey, insights into her unique “Woo Factor,” and her favorite sales techniques that keep her clients coming back for more. Tune in to learn actionable tips and get inspired to elevate your own business!
Main Takeaways:
- How Lauren built Flourish Locally into a go-to brand for [specific service or product].
- 3-4 actionable tips to help you [achieve a relevant goal].
- The secret behind Lauren's "Woo Factor" and how she stands out in a crowded market.
- Proven sales techniques to help you get that “Heck Yes!” from your ideal clients.
Connect with Lauren Tetef:
- Website: Flourish Locally
- Instagram: @flourishlocally
Tune In & Subscribe:
Don’t miss out on more inspiring interviews and business tips! Subscribe to Get a "HECK YES"! with Carissa Woo on your favorite podcast platform, and follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Connect with Carissa https://instagram.com/carissawoo
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Transcript
Podcast Review Request
00:00:00
Speaker
Happy Woo Wednesdays everyone! If you're loving my podcast, please give me a review. It'll take 30 seconds of your time. I haven't asked for a long time.
Digital Affiliate Marketing Benefits
00:00:11
Speaker
And also, wedding professionals, if you are waiting for inquiries, it's the time to learn digital affiliate marketing. It's changed my life. You can make passive income literally getting sales.
00:00:24
Speaker
um in your sleep and the best feeling in the world is to wake up and I just see my click funnels go off. um And it's like turning your expertise into a digital product. Now is your time to learn it.
Introducing Lauren Teetiff and Community Building
00:00:40
Speaker
And yes, today I have my dear friend Lauren Teetiff in the house. She is amazing. She works for unique world markets and her company is Flourish Locally.
00:00:53
Speaker
And she runs a networking event every month at Saltbox in Torrance. You guys should check it out. And she runs a lot of classes. I've been to a bunch with my kids and it's so much fun. We made little shrinklets for our bags last Sunday. um And today we talk about how to create a lasting community.
00:01:14
Speaker
And we really got deep into branding. So Wedding Pros, branding is literally everything and getting booking. So you are going to love this episode.
Carissa Wu's Photography and Podcast Journey
00:01:29
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.
00:01:39
Speaker
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,
00:01:57
Speaker
Time hacks 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.
00:02:10
Speaker
I hope to inspire you every Woo Wednesdays so that you say heck yes to listening to this podcast. See you guys soon.
Lauren Teetiff's Event Production and Heritage
00:02:20
Speaker
Hey everyone, welcome back to Get a Heck Yes with Lauren Titiff. She is the founder or of Flourish Locally, holding networking events and creative workshops designed to create tight network with a small town feel.
00:02:35
Speaker
in a big city, city of Torrance. Her networking events go from party vibes to group therapy sessions. And in ah just a few months, she has already seen members collab on projects and make money together.
00:02:48
Speaker
and I've been to a bunch of your workshops, three now. So I'm so excited to have you on and you're my good friend now. So welcome Lauren. Thank you for having me. I'm excited.
00:02:59
Speaker
Yay! So tell everyone, ah tell the audience, they get get a heck yes to audience who you are in a nutshell. Okay. i am an event producer at the end of the day. like That's like my thing. I love events. I love meeting people and networking. And so I produce a large scale shopping event.
00:03:19
Speaker
um That's my full-time job. And then I also host networking events and creative workshops. Ooh, nice. So the large scale networking events is called Unique Markets.
00:03:32
Speaker
ah Yes, shopping event is a Unique Markets, now Unique World. Now Unique World. So if you know, you know, it's been around for... I don't know.
00:03:43
Speaker
Has it been around for over a decade? 16 years. Yeah. i'll let so Yeah, that's huge. We could talk a little bit about that later, but we are going to get to your origin story and see, um learn a little bit about you. So what were you like as a kid? Tell us where you're from and anything about your family, anything you want to share?
00:04:06
Speaker
Yeah, I am. I'm from l LA. I'm from like the Valley. ah and I think my big thing growing up was kind of splitting two identities.
00:04:17
Speaker
ah My mom is Japanese and Filipino. My dad is Caucasian and trying to figure out where to fit in, in the worlds that I lived in.
00:04:29
Speaker
um And I think that, is kind of my personality in general. I'm really adaptable. I try to jump in and say yes to things and be part of groups and like that. Um, but I think I was like that as a kid too. I was really friendly, I think. Um,
00:04:51
Speaker
else. I liked projects. I liked being in charge of things. I liked starting clubs. like ma what it What was it called? Babysitters?
00:05:02
Speaker
Babysitter's club. I wanted to start a babysitter's club. I wanted to start a crafting club, I'm pretty sure, when I was a kid. um So i was just always trying to get involved in stuff.
00:05:17
Speaker
Wow,
Cultural Background and Networking Skills
00:05:18
Speaker
so young. um Was your mom more like the Filipino side or the Japanese side or both? She's super American. She's from l LA before she is anything else. And so growing up, i was like, Oh, let's be more Asian. and She was like,
00:05:33
Speaker
Girl, I'm from LA. I don't even know what you want. That's funny. And I'm sure everyone says, are you Hoppa? What are you? Right? up I read very, I looked more Caucasian. i was very, I think,
00:05:51
Speaker
That was everyone's perception of me naturally. no one really believed that I was Asian, but my grandfather raised me or babysat me for really the first four years of my life. My grandmother was the champion in my life until I was 18 and she passed away. um And so really the two people that were my strongest connections to family in my more extended family were my Japanese and my Filipino side.
00:06:19
Speaker
And those are the people that I really resonated with and culturally I resonated with. um But also they're from Hawaii. So they're also not super Japanese and Filipino. ah So i have leaned much more into that as an adult and embraced a lot of that and kind of tried to find and dig more into what that means.
00:06:41
Speaker
But as an adult or as a child, I think I just didn't know where I fit in exactly. Interesting. Yeah, like I definitely didn't have that problem. So I'm curious, did it kind of feel like, like, should I hang out with Asian kids? Or should I hang out with the white kids? Or should I bring a bento box? Or should I bring peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Like, it you just didn't know?
00:07:01
Speaker
It feels like you're never enough for either side. It feels like, like, I can't hang out with the Asian kids because I don't look Asian enough. And I have white friends, but i identify more with another group. um But that did allow me to kind of jump around different groups and have lots of different pods of friends. And I still have that now. I still have, instead of having the one group that I grew up with from childhood on, which I know a lot of people do,
00:07:33
Speaker
I have one friend from this crowd, one friend from this job, one friend from, you know, and so collectively, I have a really big network, which is really amazing and helpful. And I love it um But yeahs like it yeah, it never was like,
00:07:48
Speaker
Everybody all in one go. Yeah, yeah. And now me and you are friends and we're we're making our own little posse.
00:07:57
Speaker
The dance posse. um see Yes, we're going to go dancing early birds club. Shout out to them tomorrow in LA. So let's talk about um you making these clubs like today. You know, they actually have the babysitters club on Netflix.
00:08:11
Speaker
So, you know, my kids could get inspired to make clubs, but what like inspired you to just make your own clubs? Was it little rascals or like, how did you come about the idea?
00:08:21
Speaker
read i read a lot. So I read all the babysitter club books. Um, think I just liked to be in charge and be in the boss of things from the beginning. So I was setting the rules. I was saying what we were doing.
00:08:39
Speaker
um and I think that that was like an easy way to do something and activate things. Like, but like activate a community, which I feel like later on, I actually understand.
00:08:55
Speaker
But I think that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to I i've always just wanted to do stuff. I've never been really a stagnant person. Interesting. You are a true natural born leader. So it definitely was innate. And I see that in you.
00:09:09
Speaker
Let's jump to high school. um What were you involved in then? And I'm sure you're involved in community. So I'm excited to hear this one.
Retail Management Career
00:09:19
Speaker
I was also in middle school, I did band.
00:09:21
Speaker
And then I did it a little bit in high school. And so I was a band kid. and was friends with all the band kids from junior high. And I wasn't in it the whole time in high school, but was still like friends with all of them.
00:09:34
Speaker
ah So that was one group. And then i was in drill team. So i wasn't a cheerleader, but I was in still similarly out on the field at the Friday football games. um And so kind of dance adjacent, kind of cheer adjacent, but also we were there with the band kids.
00:09:54
Speaker
um And then same thing where, yeah, i just had a bunch of different groups of friends that I learned a lot from. I think we're all just an ah an amalgamation of people that we meet along the way.
00:10:08
Speaker
And high school was the beginning of that for me, of meeting one friend over here, my best friend in high school is Korean. And so I love, love, love Korean culture also. And that I feel like very connected to.
00:10:21
Speaker
i learned so much about food and things like that. And so i feel like I just got to know so much from so many different people, even starting in high school. Wow, that's why me and you get along so well, which our friend Joyce said we would get along for so many years. But like, where I was in drill team, you're in drill team. I married a band geek. um We're both Aries. And what was the last? There was one more that you just said. Yeah.
00:10:50
Speaker
I forget, but... Oh, yeah, I had a Korean best friend. Childhood. My best friend was childhood, so I'm like, honestly, oh! of When Joyce brings, sometimes she'll bring me soup, and it is...
00:11:06
Speaker
Like the most comforty thing in the entire world. like, oh my God, thank you so much. Yeah, I know. I love her seaweed soup. It's so delicious. Yes. Aw.
00:11:17
Speaker
Okay, so ban, no, no, ban, drill team, lots of friends, finding yourself. Let's take it to college years. What were you like? And then you could even spring it on to like early jobs.
00:11:31
Speaker
I... I went to community college for a little while and but was not a great participant in that. I did, I had really good grades in school before. um i graduated high school with like some kind of presidential like seal of honor seal or something. I don't know, but I didn't really pay attention to things like that. And then by the time I got to like college, didn't really know what I wanted to do.
00:12:01
Speaker
And I think I was more in interested in the pursuit of fun and relationships than the pursuit of finalizing any kind of educational degree.
00:12:12
Speaker
So for a couple of years, I was registered for pice College. And then i did go to FIDM after a couple of years. um I was working the whole time, though. I started working actually when I was 16. And from a really early age was working almost full time, even when I was in school. So that was really, by the time I graduated high school, and then had some freedom, I was working full time immediately, but then was also just trying to get out and have fun as much as i possibly could.
00:12:49
Speaker
Well, what were you working at 16 full time? um I started at Hallmark and when I was 16. My mom was like, you got to go. You got to get a job. ah So I started working at Hallmark and was like an assistant store manager right away worked a ton. And then from there, yeah like the last two years of high school. And oh, so i worked there for a year and a half. And then I was at Vans and I worked for Vans for eight years.
00:13:14
Speaker
Wow. And started as a manager, not a store manager, but I started as a key holding manager and then was eventually a store manager for them for a few years so people probably think you're like a thousand years old from your resume i don't know my resume is so i'm like i was a retail store manager for basically 20 years and people are like how old are you old i'm real old oh my god that's where the asian genes come in
00:13:44
Speaker
oh my okay and you worked for anthropology right Yeah, and after Vans, i was a manager at Anthropologie for, i was there for almost eight years also, I think.
00:13:56
Speaker
So yes. So because for basically 20 years, I was a retail manager. And that was it. It was like three places. That's insane. Okay. Yeah, you have quite the resume.
00:14:09
Speaker
Tell us about like your um unique markets and like how you got that job and kind of what it's all about if people don't know.
Role at Unique Markets
00:14:18
Speaker
Yeah. So I am an event producer, which means I put all the pieces together. i work for someone who's very much a visionary and has really great big ideas.
00:14:28
Speaker
And i take those ideas and try and put them into action as best I can. So all of the logistics that go into like the background of running an event, that would be something that I do.
00:14:41
Speaker
And the way that I started that was I... had been in retail for a really long time. i was looking for something else to do and working for anthropology there. They bring on a lot of small brands.
00:14:52
Speaker
And i started getting interested in that as I was doing product training and meeting some of the owners of the businesses that they brought in. And so was like, how do I get out of retail? What do I yeah do after this?
00:15:05
Speaker
I went to FITM, but FITM is an associate's degree. It's not, you know, i I was managing people as a store manager that went to FITM and had graduated from FITM. Oh my God. It wasn't doing anything for me.
00:15:21
Speaker
ah so i Went and looked up a bunch of networking events and started going to those and met Sonia, who owns Unique World, through that.
00:15:32
Speaker
And it was a really... She's the type of person that takes a chance on people. And even though I didn't really have an events background, she kind of tapped me and was able to bring me into her brand.
00:15:45
Speaker
And I ran her event space and office building in the Arts District, downtown LA, for two years before COVID. And then after COVID, I was the only person that came back on with her full time and then was running the markets and have been running the markets for last few years.
00:16:03
Speaker
Dang. I kind of want your life.
00:16:07
Speaker
It's fun. It's stressful. um But it's really, i and i do the markets in a few different cities. So I get to go to LA and Washington, DC.
00:16:18
Speaker
And then I'm going to start doing Portland now also. So wow I'll get to go to the cities and and meet all the small business owners that I work with there. um ah They pop up with us for one weekend at a time.
00:16:31
Speaker
in those different cities and there's like an application process so people apply they get selected and then we roll out the red carpet for them for a weekend wow that's crazy just paint the picture real fast before we go into hot topic like um what it's like to go to the unique markets and a little bit about like how you create it you don't have to say like everything but like just like in a nutshell
00:16:57
Speaker
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00:17:11
Speaker
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00:17:23
Speaker
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00:17:37
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00:17:52
Speaker
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00:18:17
Speaker
When you walk in, it is a room full of over a hundred small business owners. So it's all categories, candles, clothing, hair accessories, all the things that you can imagine that people make.
00:18:31
Speaker
And it's people that either some people are working out of their house and they have maybe in a room where they're making stuff or it's their kitchen table.
00:18:42
Speaker
And they're housing all of their product at home. And then some people are already working at a bigger scale. So they have warehouses where they're fulfilling product and shipping it nationwide.
00:18:53
Speaker
So it's a range of different categories and really business levels that sell with us. And so you're able to shop directly with those people. where normally those people only have an online presence.
00:19:06
Speaker
So most of them, very, very few of them have actual brick and mortars that you're able to visit. So this way they come to one location and you see all of those people at once and you get to meet the business owners and get to like,
00:19:20
Speaker
see the product in person and feel it and touch it like you would a retail store, which i think is so important. It's the whole community and connection thing. It's really exciting. And yeah and it's like the most trendiest people.
00:19:35
Speaker
yeah like and yeah It's absolutely beautiful. attended a couple times, so I'll link it up for the next one. I want to attend with you for sure. Yes, thank you. Yeah, Sonia's built something really beautiful over the last 16 years, and she really was the foundation for everyone to kind of take this model and use it as a blueprint.
00:19:55
Speaker
So... Wow. yeah i was incredible so gee Yeah, you are the OG. Like I just wish you were like a little bit more social on Instagram because I want to see like more of your life and like, like these events and like going. okay see lina i need I need someone to tell me more consistently to
Social Media and Community Building
00:20:14
Speaker
do that.
00:20:14
Speaker
So I'm gonna I'm gonna take that feedback. Okay. yeah right right I'm interested in your life. I want to see what's going on. Like, I do these Daniel Lives, like reels, but I'm like, I want to see your life.
00:20:26
Speaker
Okay, okay. It's just too interesting. Like this. I feel like you could have like your own show, like, ah girl boss or whatever. That's really nice. okay
00:20:38
Speaker
Okay. I don't think it's that interesting. So I'm really gonna work on it. It's interesting for any like girl that likes clothes and like fashion and like cute stuff and like cool events. So like me, that's what I want to see.
00:20:51
Speaker
Okay. Okay. I'm going to get it together. Anyways, you could um kind of go into hot topic. I'll ask you like what your hot topic is. And then you could talk about like salt box a little bit. So Laura, what is your hot topic and why is it so near dear to your heart?
00:21:09
Speaker
My hot topic is how to create a community that lasts. And one of the things that I learned from my job at Unique is that community is the most important thing to me. And it kind of really highlighted all the things I've done over the years really led me to be with people. I, being a retail manager for so long, how do you work talking to people all day, every day and still have excitement about it?
00:21:37
Speaker
um and I realized after working the markets for a really long time, that that was the thing that I missed more than anything. of Like when I'm producing a market, 99.9% of the time is spent on my computer. And really the thing that I love is being at an event and having conversations with people and being with a team.
00:21:57
Speaker
so From there, i still do that full time, but being in l LA is a really, really big. um It's like a really big community. It's really spread out. So because we're in Torrance, because we're in like a smaller area section, i mean, LA is all neighborhoods, but I really wanted to focus more locally and get people that were in my own backyard together on a more regular basis.
00:22:23
Speaker
So I started Flourish Locally, which is targeted to be very hyper local. It's targeted to all of the small business owners that are here in our area.
00:22:34
Speaker
We do monthly gatherings where it's a networking event. It starts as everybody just coming in having a conversation, meeting each other. And then we all sit down for almost an hour to talk and really hold space for people. They share their business concerns. There's a topic of discussion. So it's kind of like a group therapy session for your business. And it's an open forum. So everyone's able to contribute their thoughts because that's where like ideas are inspired and creativity is sparked.
00:23:09
Speaker
So that is what I do. And then i also do creative workshops where we do lots of fun things. I made these mean these earrings after the last one that we did. I know. I was like, I want those.
00:23:22
Speaker
I want those in my life. I feel so plain. yeah It's just so fun because one of the women that came to the workshop brought earring bags and that wasn't even necessarily the workshop. It was just charm making. And I was like, yeah, yeah.
00:23:37
Speaker
obviously Kelly's like can I wear can I make earrings was like no you don't have ears here I need to get club on earrings see this is where it's at I have it right here I have some frozen ones Kelly was like oh you should wear this I'm gonna get club on earring bags literally writing it down right now oh my god Okay, I'll give um while you do that, I'll give the audience a little bit of context. So um I've known you for a while by our friend Joyce, our mutual friend Joyce, she had a um dress maternity line. So I photographed you and she kept saying it was called Shop Blue Mare. It's not around anymore, unfortunately, but it was amazing. But she always said you and Lauren are like very similar.
00:24:23
Speaker
should be friends. it so we're like okay whatever so years passed and you know we all have two three kids now so um we finally connected again and you hired me to be the photographer at your next networking event salt box so um we planned to hang out first um before the event and i walked into salt box and it's it's co-working space but very very large and it's like 10 minutes from my house so So crazy that I had no idea about it, but it's just beautiful. It's big. um They do, you have a big warehouse, you do logistics.
00:24:59
Speaker
There's multiple like spaces for like photography and living room and kitchen. um so I was really blown away. um i did the event. It was awesome. And then now I've been coming to all like your specific creative events. Like I went with my daughters to make key chains. And then ah last Sunday we made little trinkets, uh,
00:25:20
Speaker
to put on your bag. So it's just like this network of Lauren. I love it so much. And they really are, they've been my partner for over six months now, and we're going to continue. And I love that they are able to allow me to hold all of these events in their space. So it's an office building and warehouse space.
00:25:43
Speaker
And there's open common space where I'm able to host these networking events and creative workshops. And it's really fun because I like everybody being, again, it's the same thing, right? Even though it's South Bay and we're only a small part of Los Angeles, even Torrance and Redondo and Hermosa, like it's all still a really big area. So there are so many things that we don't know about our own backyard.
00:26:06
Speaker
And this is one of them. So I'm glad that you found it. Yeah. How did you connect with Saltboxx? They sponsored the market. So they actually came on board and I partnered with them for one of the unique markets.
00:26:21
Speaker
And then afterward, because they have an office in Torrance and they knew that I lived right down the street, they I started a partnership with them um to be be able to bring people into the building.
00:26:32
Speaker
Yeah, we're such Torrance girls and our kids go to the same school. I forgot about that. the um yeah We're like the same person. We are.
00:26:45
Speaker
Oh my God. And I like Filipinos. I know, right? Yes, all these connections. Yeah. Okay. So what was your life like maybe before this um flourish locally? And like, what did it bring to your life? um After like creating all this, all these um meeting new people and like bringing people together, like, um talk a little bit about that.
00:27:10
Speaker
Before Flourish Locally, I still went out a lot. I still did a lot of stuff. i liked having dinner with friends. I liked going to different events, but everything was as it had been, I think my whole life where it's really piecemeal. I was meeting a friend here. I was going to this one group here, but I really wanted to bring all of the people that I know and respect and I'm interested in hearing where they're at and their journey into one place.
00:27:38
Speaker
So that was what Goers Locally did for me. It allowed me to gather all the people and have them meet and have them network and I really like everyone in my network. I really like everyone that I'm friends with.
00:27:52
Speaker
and So to be able to have them all meet and connect and make money together and help build their networks, that was really important to me. And I think that was the biggest thing that it allowed me to do was to kind of bridge the gap between making all of these piecemeal plans and being the host of an event, which is one of my favorite things.
00:28:14
Speaker
Yeah, I can see you're like really happy. And I think the first i bet event we went to, like it was a lot of people, the softbox one. It was like, I don't know.
00:28:25
Speaker
Did I do headshots for like 50 people? You did headshots. Yeah, you were like so zen. And like, I feel like your heartbeat would just like, not flatline, but like very leveled. And I'm like, oh, like you're so calm in like these situations. I love chaos.
00:28:41
Speaker
Yeah.
00:28:44
Speaker
Dude, are we the same person?
Love for Chaotic Events
00:28:47
Speaker
doesnt It's like when you say like you love going to events, I'm like, we? Like, it's so me. It's so crazy. Because there's so much going on and because I'm a really high stimulus person, I need to be like constantly like excited and motivated and have momentum.
00:29:04
Speaker
And so when there's a million things going on around me, I can focus on all of them at once and I know exactly what's going on. And it brings me peace. piece somehow you're like talking like i don't know you're preaching to the choir right now photographers I am so thrilled to announce my new sponsors after shoot an AI editing company they do AI editing unlimited cropping and straightening I am seriously blown away by the precision and five hours a week I get back in my life
00:29:38
Speaker
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00:29:52
Speaker
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00:30:08
Speaker
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00:30:22
Speaker
After shoot, I can't thank you enough for giving me back my time to focus on this podcast. Oh yeah, back to the podcast. I always say this story, but like I went to... Oh, no. My husband's... The garage is opening, so I'll say it really fast. but we We went to Big Bear, and he's like... In the nature, he's like, oh, like with the trees. is so beautiful.
00:30:43
Speaker
And then I was like, hey, whatever. And then we go We come back, and then I go to the Festival of Books at like USC and it's like crazy chaos and I don't even like books but then i was like this is my jam you know like it's like there's booths everywhere there's authors there's food there's people and people running into me I was like I love the hustle and bustle like this is this is so much fun I can't wait to come back Yes, I agree. a hundred percent. I just need like stuff happening and it keeps me excited. It keeps me engaged.
00:31:18
Speaker
Yeah.
Branding and Marketing in Business
00:31:20
Speaker
What would you say like torrents, businesses, um successful businesses, businesses, what separates them to becoming successful and not, I know that's kind of like an open ended question, but do you see any like um similarities or um any insights from working with so many different businesses in the past forever?
00:31:43
Speaker
i think in general, the thing that separates people is the, I mean, like having a great product, but also being able to brand and market it really well.
00:31:55
Speaker
Um, I was just talking to someone about this yesterday that there was a product that she loved because she tried it but she really paused and hesitated buying it because she consciously thought, do I want to pull this out of my bag and use it? It was like a moisturizer or something, you know?
00:32:19
Speaker
is this something that I want to invest in when I open my bag and I pull it out and people are like, oh, what is that? Because she's someone that likes nice things. She's someone that and so really important to her to have things that bring her joy and the product itself brought her joy, but the packaging really didn't.
00:32:42
Speaker
And there was a pause moment. And I think because the the market, all markets are so saturated, right? It's yeah never been easier to create your own brand, to sell your own product.
00:32:54
Speaker
So now with how much there is out there, how do you break through? and I think that's the message that I hear over and over again in the networking events at the markets. Just in general, how do you break through?
00:33:07
Speaker
And you have to be able to not only have a great product, but you also have to be able to have like great branding, great packaging, a great story. Like you have to be all of the things. wow And so it's not, it's not easy because who can do that? Who can do all the things, you know?
00:33:25
Speaker
um So sometimes it just takes money yeah funding to get really great branding and get a sales team and all of those things. But if you're a really small business and you're trying to make it on your own, um focusing what it looks like, I would say even just photography.
00:33:45
Speaker
Yeah. Great brand photography. If you're just selling online, if I could say one thing, that's the thing to do. Is it what? That's, that would be the thing to do to have the great photography of the great branding and the great packaging. Yeah.
00:34:04
Speaker
That's how you're going to break through and people are going to remember you. Yeah. Yeah. Going back to like you being on social media, I feel like you are like your package branding and like your outfits are so on point and like your earrings and your hair and your nails and your um your jewelry and like all the color and like it's just, but you don't post about like your outfits. I'm like, I want to see your outfits.
00:34:27
Speaker
Like, you know, like they're the cutest outfits I ever seen in my life. And I'm like, you are your walking brand and people come to your workshops because of you. You are your brand. So, so yeah. Yeah.
00:34:38
Speaker
okay Okay, the other day at the at the last networking event, this woman, I love her so much. She came in and i was like, oh, you look so cute. And she was like, well, I was very excited to come today because I really wanted to see what you were wearing. And I felt like I had to live up to all of your outfits. So she dressed up and it made me so happy.
00:34:59
Speaker
Same. Yeah, yeah. Oh my God. Totally. at the first one, I was like, I have that red dress, but it didn't look like that when I wear it. You really jazzed it up. Thank you.
00:35:10
Speaker
really appreciate that. Yeah, your outfits are something else. You have to post about it. I'm just like, I want to be your posting person. like Okay, okay. umm go I just have to find something that I can like, you know, like a place where I can put the camera, where I can like but show every show that's a really easy lauren it's called a tripod i'm gonna do it i'm gonna go to that yeah it's called a tripod and window light okay okay i'm gonna do it i mean the best place is at the warehouse you know that place where you trip really hard know that's like the best light area
00:35:47
Speaker
I'm going to do it. yeah Okay. So I forget, but a lot of wedding professionals are listening. um And some of them are struggling to create their brand and they're kind of blending in and they're just, people are just scrolling past them, not inquiring.
00:36:03
Speaker
um Give them like one thing they could do today to make their brand like more powerful, more compelling and more like stop the scroll. Yeah. I worked with a lot of wedding professionals when I was running the unique space.
00:36:16
Speaker
um And I think the people who stood out and got the most traction were the people that, I mean, exactly what we've been talking about that made it about their branding.
00:36:28
Speaker
It's the people that, really hone in on their specialty. um And whether that be really bright colors, whether that be really amazing portraiture or very moody photography, or they're the planner that always has outrageous themes at their weddings, whatever that kind of POV is to find that and embrace it and highlight that, highlight it across all of your
00:37:01
Speaker
all of your web presence, your website, your social channels, all the things. Cause I think that is the thing that everyone's looking for. Yeah, I mean, my brand is colorful. So I'm always on like TikTok shop or Shein and like getting, ah just type in colorful um cardigans. And um like, for instance, I shot ah like a three hour wedding yesterday. And for some reason I get a lot of classic rides, but then they happen to be driving like a red, like old classic truck. So I'm like, I put them in front of the truck and that's like probably the only thing I'm going to post because it's on brand. Yeah.
00:37:41
Speaker
But that totally makes sense. And I also think you have really good portraiture um where it's like, you know, I've seen the difference between somebody that does a lot of where it's like the whole...
00:37:54
Speaker
the whole wedding party and it's like they're like their focus is more on like the um like landscape of the event where I feel like you're really good at capturing people and moments and so you know like that I also see from your POV and that's just scrolling your feed and seeing your website it's like really clear right away and I think that makes me connect with you And I think that that is what clients
Wedding Industry Insights and Vendor Strategy
00:38:21
Speaker
are looking for also. They want to immediately be able to connect with you. And whether that's like you personally or the work that you do, think that's great.
00:38:30
Speaker
Oh, thank you. I received that. Yeah. a Planner told me a long time ago that she's like, if you could shoot details as good as you shoot people, you would be like a 10 wedding photographer. And I was like, damn.
00:38:42
Speaker
That
00:38:45
Speaker
something that I really like about the wedding industry. Also, it's so like brutal in a way where people are so direct and straightforward I really like that.
00:38:57
Speaker
Yeah. So direct. Yeah. Blunt. Super blunt. Okay. Couple more questions. What is your, um, best heck yes technique? I'll kind of spin this into people signing up for unique markets as vendors. Cause it's probably not cheap.
00:39:12
Speaker
Um, like learning from Sonia, like she's like a guru. She is like girl boss. Um, What is like her approach or like, how did you help her become, um get her approach of getting these yeses from all these vendors throughout all these 16 years?
00:39:30
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, she is because she started, like she really was the foundation of all of these indoor pop-up markets. Like it, it didn't exist really before she started doing it.
00:39:41
Speaker
So I think her being the OG and really understanding what people are looking for from the experience of that is the thing that, had people coming back year after year after year. And now I think it's the personal connections, you know, the specific outreach, the, Hey, like we recognize you, we see what you're doing.
00:40:03
Speaker
When we look through applications, we're looking at every single person's website, Instagram, What is their POV? What does their product look like? What is their what are what are all the categories that they sell?
00:40:15
Speaker
So it's really an investment in each of the businesses that we work with. And I mean think that is it. It's the investment in really really driving the community. Wow. Yeah. Those personal connections that she's built. That's amazing. And I have to get her on the podcast one day through you.
00:40:35
Speaker
Yeah, I love that. um And then personally for you, like what's your best heck yes technique for getting people to sign up for your your events and your workshops? Wedding pros.
00:40:47
Speaker
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00:40:59
Speaker
Sky is truly the limit in the digital space and you can just stop trading your time for money and scale your business. And life just got a lot easier.
00:41:10
Speaker
Get your weekends back and comment at me at Carissa Wu, the word info, and I'll send you a free sneak peek guide on how to make passive income. And if you're ready to start making money from home while being there for the moments that matter, I can't wait to connect.
00:41:28
Speaker
I just like to talk to everyone. I'm really interested in other people's stories and I really like taking as much time as I can to be able to have conversations with people.
00:41:39
Speaker
So Ashley, who you met at the last one who brought the earring packs, I met her at another event that I did, um where I just like popped into somebody's event and I was teaching macrame and we just had a really long conversation.
00:41:53
Speaker
And those are the things that like, she's in my backyard. She's part of my network now. And that will hopefully continue. And she would invite more friends. And that's how, that's how Flores locally has grown.
00:42:04
Speaker
and mean, that one of that 50 people, i i didn't do any advertising. It was all just people tapping their friends and saying like, Hey, this has been around for three months, I think at that point. you should come check it out.
00:42:16
Speaker
So that's it. yeah, see that. i see that in you. Cool, okay, so three minutes left, rapid fire questions. What is your best mom hack, boss mom hack?
00:42:29
Speaker
o Oh my gosh, rapid fire. I feel the pressure of that. um I think that it is really close being really clear in my communication with my children of what the expectations are.
00:42:46
Speaker
of that. And I've heard you do this too, where it's like, I'm working, i need 15 minutes, like same, I am going to get on a call. um My husband works from home sometimes too in the mornings when we're trying to get ready for school. I take the kids to school in the morning and he's on a call and the expectation is, Hey, he's going to be on a call. You need to be quiet or you need to go play in your room. And just like being really clear of what we do and what we're doing. Cause all they do is see us on a computer.
00:43:13
Speaker
They don't know what we're actually doing. Yeah. Yeah. So communication with my children. Yeah. Very direct. one I'm glad you said that because I feel like I just have to like ingrain that in my head.
00:43:25
Speaker
um What is like you are like extrovert and you're talking to people a lot. So how do you decompress?
00:43:31
Speaker
I started exercising. I mean, honestly, only like two years. Yeah, I looked at your Instagram. was like, you lost a lot of weight. It wasn't even two. It was like a year and a half ago. I started working out a lot more. I walk a lot. I don't even like work out actually. That's not true. both That's a lie. i walk a lot and i do some weights at home, but I think that's my decompression. i um spend a lot of time on the phone with my friends while I'm walking.
00:44:02
Speaker
And that's my like, okay, everybody else can get out of my head, out of my space. And here's where I'm at. Yeah, I love that. I'm the same as you. So this is a fun conversation. I'm excited to go the dance party with you tomorrow. um And where can everyone find you and kind of get connected to your workshops?
00:44:22
Speaker
I'm at flourish locally on Instagram and flourish locally.com is my website. and everything's listed there. And if you follow me on, like, if you're trying to get off social media, if you follow me on Eventbrite, it'll send you a notification when the next ah events come out.
00:44:38
Speaker
Yeah, good to know. Thank you, Lauren.
00:44:47
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.
00:45:03
Speaker
See you next time, wedding pros.