We recently connected with Emma Clark and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Emma, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
Self-care is a very important part of my routine and has a huge impact on my effectiveness! Part of my self-care is creating simple boundaries that I stick to in order to maintain balance in my life. For example, on non-wedding weekends, I make a point of keeping Sundays open for personal days, so I schedule all of my meetings during the week or on Saturdays for clients who need to meet on the weekends. Having one protected day to myself makes all of the difference, especially during the busy summer months! I can return to work Monday morning feeling refreshed and able to focus on the tasks I need to complete that week. I also have a strict end time each day, so I check my emails for the last time at 5pm and then log off for the evening. These boundaries are crucial and keep me from getting overworked or exhausted.
For me, self-care also looks like journaling, spin classes, yoga, reading, hikes, being outside, etc. I try to do all of these things as much as possible and they have an overwhelmingly positive effect on my mental health and overall effectiveness at work!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My name is Emma Clark and I’m the creator and lead planner of Moss & Maeve Event Planning & Styling. I’m a Boulder, Colorado native who loves yoga, hiking and skiing (or really anything in the mountains!) As I completed my bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado in Boulder, I worked as an intern for a wedding planner, which is where my interest in this profession took off. After graduation, I moved to Denver and continued to work for and learn from event planners in the Denver area before launching Moss & Maeve in 2018.
Moss & Maeve is an event planning and styling company located in Denver, Colorado and has been featured in several international wedding magazines and blogs including Rocky Mountain Bride, Ruffled, Style Me Pretty, Magnolia Rouge and Wedding Chicks. At Moss & Maeve, we plan weddings all across Colorado and beyond and work closely with our clients to deliver completely customized weddings. Whether the event is simple and intimate or extravagant and grand, our goal is to handle all of the most important details of the day so our clients can truly enjoy their once-in-a-lifetime wedding experience. At Moss & Maeve we offer month of coordination, partial planning or full planning and design services.
Over the past year, our business has expanded exponentially and we were able to work at incredible locations like Aspen, Vail, Coors Field in Denver, and many more stunning venues. Since one of my favorite things to do is travel, my goal is to one day turn Moss & Maeve into a luxury destination wedding company. This year, we hope to continue to plan and execute many more destination weddings and expand our portfolio!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three of the most important skills that helped my company to become a success are patience, dedication and organization. All of these qualities played a huge part in the creation and development of Moss & Maeve. First of all, building a business does not happen overnight. It can be easy to become frustrated with stagnation during the process because building reviews and a portfolio takes time. Learning to be patient and trust the process was incredibly important to my journey.
I also had to be extremely dedicated to my goals and vision for myself and my company. I knew that committing myself to building this company was also a commitment to bettering myself and following my dreams, which made the hard work worth it. I still sit down each week to write out my weekly schedule and to do lists and commit to completing them every single week.
This brings me to organization, which is not only a huge part of planning a wedding or event, but also building a business. There were so many things to consider when I started this business: building a website, renting an online storefront, creating a blog, designing photo shoots for advertising purposes, getting an LLC, networking with other vendors, attending bridal shows, etc. I took things one day at a time and tried to be as organized as possible while tackling all of these tasks and wouldn’t have been successful any other way.
My advice for new entrepreneurs is to always remember why you are doing what you are doing–that you are committing to something you love! Be organized, be dedicated, but also practice patience and remember that you are only human and you can only do so much. Also, take the time to celebrate the wins when they happen! And try to enjoy the journey–you will look back on these early days of launching a company as some of the most creative and enjoyable days of your life!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
My biggest advice for dealing with overwhelm is to take a step back when you feel it coming on. It’s okay to take breaks and take some of the pressure off of yourself sometimes. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I set my work aside for a little while and practice yoga or mindfulness meditation to ground myself. It’s a simple activity that calms me down quickly and helps me re-center so that I can return to work with more focus and peace. I also remind myself of what I can control and what I cannot and do my best not to worry too much about the latter. Also, be understanding with and kind to yourself and take the time to be around people you love and do things that you enjoy. I believe that the more balance you have in your life, the more you can avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mossandmaeve.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mossandmaeve/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/moss-and-maeve-denver-co-2028959
Image Credits
Sarah Porter Photography Markie Mica Photography Abby Rindels Photography
