After 20 Years in Weddings, Here's What's Really Changing

After 20 Years in Weddings, Here's What's Really Changing

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449235/fan_mail/new] Tara Melvin has been planning weddings in Washington, DC for over 20 years. She has watched this industry shift three or four times over. Pinterest. Instagram. COVID. Now AI. And in this conversation, she said something that should stop every event business owner in their tracks. The competition is no longer the planner down the street. The competition is AI. And the vendors who do not train AI about who they are and what they do are about to become invisible. This is the real, behind-the-scenes conversation with Tara Melvin, founder of Signature Concepts and founder of the National Society of Black Wedding and Event Professionals (NSBWEP). She shares what 20+ years in luxury weddings have actually taught her about adapting without losing your soul, what she would do completely differently if she were starting today, and the trends quietly reshaping how couples plan, spend, and celebrate. In this episode: * What weddings looked like in 2004 versus what couples expect right now * Why couples have become the influencers of their own wedding day * The exact reason most wedding vendors are about to disappear from AI search * What Tara is telling her clients when they show up with AI-generated expectations * Why multi-day, dress-coded, culture-infused weddings are the new norm * The honest truth about boundaries when your clients are paying you six figures * What Tara would do completely differently if she started over in 2026 * The story behind NSBWEP and why community is the real legacy * Where the industry is heading by 2029 (and the trend most vendors are sleeping on) If you are an event business owner who has been quietly wondering if the way you have been running things still works, this conversation is for you. You are not alone in this. About Tara: Tara Melvin is the founder and principal planner of Signature Concepts, L.L.C. (formerly Perfect Planning Events), the founder and president of the National Society of Black Wedding and Event Professionals (NSBWEP), the founder of The Signature CEO Conference, and the creator of The Executive Mentor Program. She has been recognized as a BizBash Industry Innovator (2022) and one of BizBash's Top 500 Most Influential Event Professionals (2020 to 2021). Find Tara: Signature Concepts: signatureconceptsllc.com NSBWEP: nsbwep.com The Signature CEO Conference: thesignatureceo.com Instagram: @signatureconceptsllc | @nsbwep | @signatureceo About HFE: Hustle Free Entrepreneur is hosted by Jese Gary, founder of GEA Systems Studio and LuxeGiving. The real, behind-the-scenes conversation about running an event industry business. New episodes weekly. Free for you: If you are an event- or service-based business owner who needs the actual systems running behind the business you show on Instagram, grab The Complete Business System Stack at https://geasystemstudios.myflodesk.com/stack. It is the same map I walk paying clients through. 🎙 Thanks for tuning in to the Hustle Free Entrepreneur Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to:  ✅ Subscribe so you never miss an update  ✅ Leave a review—it helps us reach more entrepreneurs like you!  ✅ Share this episode with a fellow business owner who needs it 🚀 Ready to streamline your business and ditch the hustle? Grab my free resources at https://stan.store/greeneyedambition. 📲 Let’s Connect! 📌 Instagram: @greeneyedambition [https://www.instagram.com/greeneyedambition/] 📌 Website: greeneyedambition.com [https://www.greeneyedambition.com/] Until next time, keep building smarter—not harder!

The Festival Staffing Problem Nobody's Saying Out Loud

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449235/fan_mail/new]  How to run festivals, community events, and event production successfully? Don't fall victim to running your business with a system held together by spreadsheets, QuickBooks, Google Forms, and a prayer. This week, I'm back with Cat McDevitt, from Eventeny, and we got into the festival operations conversation I've been wanting to have. Not the highlight reel. The real picture — the Frankenstein systems, the volunteer data that will shock you, the vendors who are quietly deciding you're a reputational risk, and what the festivals that are actually winning are doing differently. If you organize festivals, produce community events, or have ever thought about scaling into that space — this one is for you. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ RESOURCES + LINKS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ → Check out Eventeny (affiliate link): https://meetings.hubspot.com/cat-mcde... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnZ5clpleTJWTEVOUFVnU1NNWkhWR0gwWjVzZ3xBQ3Jtc0tucmZnMURxZVVTUnpNTXBMMTFhanIwYWQ3Wm56YXdMZFQ3NUxWaTF2cnRVVWRKRGJQLXpralZsYU9obHJJVERjaGU2SU5XQl9CVGNQbW92Uzg5R1pJam5XdHZsbTU3aDlYTC1QdTZmXzM2YklNX3dqcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fmeetings.hubspot.com%2Fcat-mcdevitt%2Fjese-gary-affiliate-link&v=3zoI9V6GtZo] → Book a free demo with Eventeny: https://meetings.hubspot.com/cat-mcde... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbmRoMGRUd3BrNFY1T2JEWV9tSkhyMVlPZ294UXxBQ3Jtc0ttZDZCQmpnVk1OUWpieXBhZnNBMDhCanp5c2QxUml1NWFZNUlYeUFiTjFiSU00bXFoRG0xTkh6VXJ6WG9iZHVlUVhKdFFrYnRDUWxDZlNkczJQazlEMDRxTFE3dXE4aE5UcnM2VmxNUm9veFlhSDVxSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fmeetings.hubspot.com%2Fcat-mcdevitt%2Fjese-gary-affiliate-link&v=3zoI9V6GtZo] → Follow Eventeny on Instagram: @eventeny → Grab Jese's free After-Yes Checklist: https://chipper-creator-3415.kit.com/... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbWhfRlNGMWJkc01VVjlONGtBaUFHMFptWTF0QXxBQ3Jtc0trRHl1V1N1d1BqdDJTYTBEbUQ3bElQdy1FdWVJRXE3QlNzRk5pMDMyWHNBVUZiQURJcXVWZmdDcXRhVWR0TV9ITG1WMWROb2dJanpiVGJ2dzdiR3ZuVV92Z1NOSG41NHBXNldWLUhtR21uYmVPVXYzVQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fchipper-creator-3415.kit.com%2Fafteryes&v=3zoI9V6GtZo] ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ABOUT CAT MCDEVITT ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Cat McDevitt is the CMO at Eventeny — an all-in-one event management platform built for festival and large-scale event organizers. She works daily with producers running community festivals, music festivals, fandom conventions, farmers markets, and more, and has a front-row seat to what's working (and what's quietly breaking) in the festival industry right now. 🔗 Want a free business system audit? Let’s identify the gaps and opportunities in your event business → https://businessconsultantcompany2491... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbU05WTZoVUQ3aE5wZjR5bzFZNDZIdS03U0Q5Z3xBQ3Jtc0tuREpYdlJBeE8wS0ladmV4LXFuNDZjVkI2ZWtVMWVWdlpVb0dESFBpanBmTHBJYUFmczV4ZVZobDV0cEt4NEZpN1dEQk1ieW5lRTZTY1IzZDdjc0ROeEUzMXpsSmFmOXFsYlhaUFNDWm5rX2UyTjc1aw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fbusinessconsultantcompany24914.hbportal.co%2Fpublic%2Fsystemaudit&v=3zoI9V6GtZo] 🔗 Work with GEA Systems Studio to build your systems + automations → https://businessconsultantcompany2491... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa1dUMGI5MmplcWl2ekpVTGdGNWxhTV9ZTjBPZ3xBQ3Jtc0ttTVRxSGxGeE5DSlhucTJSRERFVko2ejBwcW85VUVVWlM2SEZIV2pQOThHQ2dKSWtHa19zcXE4U3hta2o1eHZ6RXF0TldlQlVzTHBnLVBkQ1dhZGJMYUNZRTcxRjZMTXJWNktMMEFOdXZsNmdQOWdPQQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fbusinessconsultantcompany24914.hbportal.co%2Fpublic%2FHBcreation&v=3zoI9V6GtZo] 🔗 🎧 Listen to more episodes of the Hustle Free Entrepreneur Podcast →  🎙 Thanks for tuning in to the Hustle Free Entrepreneur Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to:  ✅ Subscribe so you never miss an update  ✅ Leave a review—it helps us reach more entrepreneurs like you!  ✅ Share this episode with a fellow business owner who needs it 🚀 Ready to streamline your business and ditch the hustle? Grab my free resources at https://stan.store/greeneyedambition. 📲 Let’s Connect! 📌 Instagram: @greeneyedambition [https://www.instagram.com/greeneyedambition/] 📌 Website: greeneyedambition.com [https://www.greeneyedambition.com/] Until next time, keep building smarter—not harder!

After 10 Years in Business, This Is What I'd Automate First

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449235/fan_mail/new] If you've been running your event business on sticky notes, mental checklists, and willpower — this episode is for you. In this solo episode of Hustle Free Entrepreneur, Jese Gary breaks down how to actually use automation in your event business without sounding like a robot or losing the personal touch your clients pay you for. This isn't a software pitch. It's an honest conversation about why so many event pros are stuck doing manual work that's quietly costing them clients, sleep, and revenue — and the simple, sustainable way to start automating one workflow at a time. In this episode, Jese covers: - The real reason your event business feels chaotic (and it's not because you need more clients) - How to identify the most time-consuming and error-prone tasks in your business - A strategic approach to choosing automation tools without wasting money on subscriptions - The 90-day rule for testing any new platform before you commit If you've been afraid that automating your business means losing the high-touch, white-glove experience your clients love, this conversation will change the way you think about technology in your business. CHAPTERS 00:00 Overcoming Business Stress and Mistakes 02:59 The Power of Automation in Business 07:30 Identifying Pain Points and Streamlining Processes 11:14 Embracing Technology for Efficiency 16:01 Implementing Automation Effectively 20:43 Learning and Adapting to New Tools 24:12 Creating a Better Client Experience ----------------------------------------------------- 🎁 GRAB THE FREE AFTER-YES CHECKLIST The exact post-booking checklist Jese uses to onboard new event clients without dropping the ball: https://chipper-creator-3415.kit.com/afteryes ----------------------------------------------------- 📲 CONNECT WITH JESE Website: www.greeneyedambition.com Instagram: gea_systems_studio TikTok: @greeneyedambition ----------------------------------------------------- 🎧 SUBSCRIBE TO HUSTLE FREE ENTREPRENEUR Apple Podcasts: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449235 ----------------------------------------------------- ABOUT HUSTLE FREE ENTREPRENEUR Hustle Free Entrepreneur is the podcast for event-industry business owners who are making money but drowning in the manual work of running their businesses. Hosted by Jese Gary, CEO of GEA Systems Studio and LuxeGiving. HFE is where the real, honest, behind-the-scenes conversations happen about building a profitable event business without burning out. #HustleFreeEntrepreneur #EventIndustry #EventBusinessOwner #BusinessAutomation #ServiceBasedBusiness #WeddingPlanner #EventPlanner  🎙 Thanks for tuning in to the Hustle Free Entrepreneur Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to:  ✅ Subscribe so you never miss an update  ✅ Leave a review—it helps us reach more entrepreneurs like you!  ✅ Share this episode with a fellow business owner who needs it 🚀 Ready to streamline your business and ditch the hustle? Grab my free resources at https://stan.store/greeneyedambition. 📲 Let’s Connect! 📌 Instagram: @greeneyedambition [https://www.instagram.com/greeneyedambition/] 📌 Website: greeneyedambition.com [https://www.greeneyedambition.com/] Until next time, keep building smarter—not harder!

When Your Business Model Stops Working (And What to Do)

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449235/fan_mail/new] The event industry is shifting — and if your business looks exactly the same as it did two years ago, that might not be stability. It might be a warning sign. In this solo episode, Jese breaks down what she's seeing across the event industry right now: changing client behavior, unpredictable booking cycles, tighter budgets, and a market that's rewarding different things than it used to. She walks through three strategic ways to pivot your business when you see the signs of change — without blowing everything up or starting from scratch. In this episode, you'll hear: * The specific shifts happening in how event clients buy, book, and spend * Why pivoting your audience might be the most powerful (and most overlooked) move you can make * How changing your positioning — not your service — can transform your inquiry rate overnight * When it might be time to ask the hard question: is this even the right business model for where I'm going? * The difference between a panic move and a strategic pivot This one is for every event pro who's been feeling the shift but hasn't known what to do about it. About Hustle Free Entrepreneur: Real conversations for event industry business owners who are making money but want more freedom. Hosted by Jese Gary, CEO of GEA Systems Studio and LuxeGiving. New episodes every week. Links: * Free After-Yes Checklist: https://chipper-creator-3415.kit.com/afteryes 🎙 Thanks for tuning in to the Hustle Free Entrepreneur Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to:  ✅ Subscribe so you never miss an update  ✅ Leave a review—it helps us reach more entrepreneurs like you!  ✅ Share this episode with a fellow business owner who needs it 🚀 Ready to streamline your business and ditch the hustle? Grab my free resources at https://stan.store/greeneyedambition. 📲 Let’s Connect! 📌 Instagram: @greeneyedambition [https://www.instagram.com/greeneyedambition/] 📌 Website: greeneyedambition.com [https://www.greeneyedambition.com/] Until next time, keep building smarter—not harder!

I Almost Quit My Business… Here’s What I’m Doing Instead

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449235/fan_mail/new] Struggling with burnout or thinking about pivoting your business? Most entrepreneurs are secretly stuck in a business cycle they no longer love — and don’t even realize it. I open up about my raw, honest journey through burnout, tough decisions, and the redefinition of success in her 15-year event business.  In this episode, let's break down how to make smart, sustainable shifts without losing everything you’ve built. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or questioning your next move as an entrepreneur, this episode is for you.  I share a real and honest look at the ups and downs of entrepreneurship—from navigating burnout to making tough decisions about pivoting your business. This isn’t about quitting… It’s about evolving with purpose. You’ll discover: 1. How to recognize burnout before it breaks your business 2. When it’s time to pivot vs. push through 3. How to build a more sustainable business model 4. The role of self-awareness in leadership and growth 5. Practical ways to implement new strategies without chaos This isn’t just another “success story” — it’s a blueprint for redefining what sustainable entrepreneurship truly looks like.  You’ll hear how life changes, industry shifts, and personal growth all play a role in building a business that actually works for you—not one that drains you. If you’ve ever wondered how to step back, reassess your strategy, and move forward with clarity, this episode gives you the framework to do just that. 🎯 Ready to simplify and scale your business? → Need help setting up systems that support your next pivot? Learn more about GEA Systems Studio: https://stan.store/greeneyedambition 🛠 Tools to support your business: → HoneyBook (CRM + client management): http://share.honeybook.com/greeneyedambition → ConvertKit (email marketing): https://partners.convertkit.com/wlu5gufp2imm #EventBusiness #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #BurnoutRecovery #HustleFreeEntrepreneur #SmallBusinessTips #BusinessStrategy 🎙 Thanks for tuning in to the Hustle Free Entrepreneur Podcast! If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to:  ✅ Subscribe so you never miss an update  ✅ Leave a review—it helps us reach more entrepreneurs like you!  ✅ Share this episode with a fellow business owner who needs it 🚀 Ready to streamline your business and ditch the hustle? Grab my free resources at https://stan.store/greeneyedambition. 📲 Let’s Connect! 📌 Instagram: @greeneyedambition [https://www.instagram.com/greeneyedambition/] 📌 Website: greeneyedambition.com [https://www.greeneyedambition.com/] Until next time, keep building smarter—not harder!