We were lucky to catch up with Cece Heslin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Cece, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
Growing up, we moved around a lot, so I was frequently the “new kid” and was forced to learn to make friends and the best of the situation. Additionally, the market crashed when I was in high school and both of my parents were laid off, so that’s when I got my first job. My family has always been a great support system for each other and we stick together when times are difficult. Plus the outlook that difficult times are always temporary and there’s nothing we can’t overcome really contributes to my resilience and has helped me be a successful solo business owner. In fact, I started my business in 2020 because I was furloughed from my corporate job due to the pandemic.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I have always been a social butterfly – outgoing, chatty, ready for an adventure or party. I also have a the organization skills of a Type A personality, but am truly very go-with-the-flow. When I was in 7th grade, I told my teacher I wanted to be a party planner when I grew up and I was told “that’s not a real job.”
Halfway through college, I was exposed to the world of weddings and events through an internship and absolutely fell in love with the industry. Owning a wedding planning business wasn’t necessarily part of the plan, but when I was furloughed from my position as a corporate events planner and all events were put on hold due to the pandemic and no one was hiring in the industry, God gave me an unexpected opportunity to start working for myself and do what I enjoyed my own way. It’s been a special blessing now that we have a baby (and eventually more), so that I can take the time I need to spend with my daughter and not have the financial burden of daily childcare, but still bring in an income.
Weddings are a special type of event because they are each unique in their own way, from the personalities of the couple to their budget to how they want to celebrate. I believe that weddings should be a celebration of love and the start of a marriage after the party and every couple deserves to remember their special day in perfect bliss. That is why I want to help couples with all the details and communications and various aspects that go into the “production” of the event that they don’t even realize (it’s usually their first wedding, after all!), so they are able to let loose, be present, and enjoy themselves. My couples come from all over the country and have a wide range of budgets and visions, but they book me because they see that stress-free value I provide as well as all the pretty details.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Optimism (or faith)- being a business owner is hard. Being a parent is hard. Life is hard. But a good outlook keeps you motivated and moving forward and understanding that there are highs and lows, but there will always be good days ahead.
2. Communication- whether it’s being an extrovert or keeping track of all the information and details that go into planning a wedding, the ability to clearly articulate ideas/thoughts/feelings/plans is vital in any role.
3. Empathy or the ability to understand other peoples’ motivations- whether it’s my clients, their parents, or other vendors/partners, if I can understand their priorities and what is most important to them, I’m able to really connect with them and bring to life their perfect wedding day while making them feel comfortable with me and confident in the value and skills I bring to the table
Advice: network and meet people! I’m still not the best at it or always want to go to the next networking event, but the more you put yourself out there and talk to new people, the more you will develop all these skills. Customers don’t always choose who they work with based on price, product, or service – they want to work with people they feel a connection with, so you better start making connections!
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
Work-life balance seems to always be a hot topic… I had a good run of 4 years as a business owner, showing financial growth every year and consistently taking on bigger projects/events. Then I had a baby. We always knew we wanted a family and being successfully self-employed was part of that plan for childcare. However, balancing the business I grew and my clients while trying to make sure I’m fully present for my family and my daughter is extremely challenging and something I’m having to learn through trial and error. I also struggle with the feeling that I’m neither giving my current clients the time and experience my previous clients received nor giving my daughter enough time and attention.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.celebratebycece.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celebratebycece/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/celebratebycece
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecelia-heslin-mcwp-mba-28336495/
Image Credits
Birdeye Media
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