Happy Hump Day everyone! For those of you starting out in the wedding business, my guess would be that you have a lot of questions. For those of you who are established, I would guess that you have much wisdom to impart based on your experiences {both good and bad}. So, when it comes to helping the wedding industry thrive, sure, we can read books and magazines and research and go through trial and error to figure out how to better our businesses– and we should – but we should also help each other!

If you’re new to the industry, or have been around for a bit but want to go to the next level, don’t be afraid to ask for help from someone who is established in the business and who you respect. Whether you meet them at a networking event or are simply Facebook friends due to mutual acquaintances, I encourage you to ask others to meet you for coffee or for lunch so that you can pick their brain on how they became successful. Sure, you don’t want to show up with a business plan draft expecting them to help you fill in the blank spaces, but they just might inspire and motivate you and provide some very real and very useful info to help lead you down the right path.

And, vice-vera! If you’re an established wedding pro, I know how busy you must be running a successful business, but when the opportunity arises, every now and then why not ask an entrepreneur who’s just starting out to lunch? Just to see how they’re doing and to talk the business with them. You don’t need to even offer help, but being a friend and a colleague that they can turn to and have in their corner is always a good thing!

So – when it comes to smart business, my two cents is that it makes sense to help each other. When we all succeed, the wedding industry succeeds.

And, hey, I practice what I preach! If you have a business question and need some answers but aren’t sure where to turn, why not Ask Stacie? Yep, as in me! Shoot me your questions in the comments below, and check out the next issue of ISS Magazine – some of your questions will be featured in the new “Ask Stacie” section along with my advice (thanks Samara for the idea) !