Master Wedding Planner™ Sonya Scott, MWP™, A Perfect Day! & Planner Success, Knoxville, Tenn.Family: I’ve been married to my husband, Charlie, for 35 years. We have two 20-something daughters and a 7-year-old granddaughter. Education: M.Ed. in Secondary Education from the University of South Carolina and a B.S. in Home Economics from CampbellUniversity in North Carolina. Getting started: As a preschooler, I was hanging a slip from my head and staging weddings with playmates. Watching soap opera weddings with my mother was a major event, and my Barbie and Ken were in a constant state of vow renewal. In 2003, I wanted a part-time job that would give me flexibility to be home when my younger daughter got out of school. I investigated career paths, and after searching online, discovered wedding planners really did exist outside of the movies. I discovered the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) during my online search, and the rest is history!On the ABC: I joined the ABC to take the Professional Development Program. I stay involved because of the friends and contacts made. Business goals: After 13 years of planning weddings, I’ve changed my business focus. I spent the first part of 2016 creating an online training course to help wedding planners run successful businesses. The last half of the year will focus on growing my destination wedding and honeymoon business. Business changes in the past five years: Most of our local, higher-end venues have wedding planners on staff, and more couples are waiting to hire a planner after they choose their venue. To combat this, I started a venue search service that enabled couples to have guidance choosing their venue without committing to a long-term relationship. I implemented an associate level of planning and coordinating which allowed me to charge a lower price without discounting my services. I also came to grips with the fact that I tended to give the same level of TLC to all of my planning couples, no matter which level they purchased. I started custom pricing my planning services based on the length of the planning process rather than on different levels of planning. This year, I put all of those services to rest so I can mentor other planners and focus on destination weddings and honeymoons.On evaluating success: I’m successful if I’m happy, my family is happy, and my clients are happy. Of course, in order to be happy, I have to make enough money to justify the amount of time I spend working and away from my family. One business mistake: I opened a wedding planning studio that I closed after four years. I thought the studio concept would be less stressful than wedding planning. It was much more time-consuming and sales-oriented than I anticipated, and it sucked the life out of me. I didn’t think big enough and far enough outside the box when I was looking for a different way to apply my wedding-planning knowledge. Mentors: At this point in the game, I know the wedding business pretty well, so I tend to seek out mentors in digital marketing, which are usually a good bit younger than I am. I particularly like Amy Porterfield.Inspiration: This question has always bugged me, because my strength is in planning schedules and timelines rather than design. Planners who don’t specialize in design tend to feel under-valued. Some couples need a planner to create their dream vision, and other couples need planners to get them down the aisle on time and make sure their day flows smoothly. That said, all planners need to stay on top of trends, and I do that by checking in with major wedding blogs.Marketing strategy: I work hard to keep my website ranked high. My planning site is number one locally, so I don’t do any paid online listings. I occasionally use Facebook ads to drive traffic to a key blog post. Once they get to the post, I give them an opportunity to opt-in to my mailing list. That allows me to stay in touch until they’re ready to buy. Favorite business book: The Big Leap, by Gay Hendrix, opened my eyes to the fact that I had an “upper limit problem” and helped me find the motivation to push through it. Other books: I haven’t had time to read it yet, but I downloaded a book on Kindle about newlyweds who kill their spouses. I couldn’t resist. Free time: I follow Southeastern Conference (SEC) football in the fall. The other three seasons, I anticipate SEC football. I also enjoy hanging with friends and family, walking, and channeling my dark side by watching the Investigation Discovery (ID) channel. Advice: Be yourself. No one can successfully copy you if you’re being you. If you’re young, play up your energy and enthusiasm. If you’re older, play up your wisdom and experience. If design isn’t your thing, don’t worry about photo shoots. Show off your knowledge by blogging about contracts and timelines. On giving back: I enjoy mentoring new planners. I always take time to answer their emails. So many people have told me I was the only planner who responded to their emails. It doesn’t take that long to pull up a template, then tweak it a bit. Little known fact: I spent 13 years teaching sex education to high school students. Every now and then, I run across a groomsman who cocks his head and asks me, “Are you Mrs Scott?” Awkward!