Dear Jasmine,
Do you have any tips on organization, for when you were starting out all those years ago and had 30+ weddings in a year, how do you manage? I'm finding being a one woman team is so hard.. just trying to keep up with everything, but sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with the amount of things to do. I've both been in business for nearly a year now, and I thought things would get better, more organized… things would come together.. but they're not.
Sincerely,
Desperately Disorganized

Dear Desperately Disorganized,
There are business management software tools you can use to help, so if you're in a pinch, start there. I, however, found that working within a system limited me from organizing my tasks in a way that made sense to me. While tailored to what I need, it took some time to fine-tune how, exactly, things would work, but now I enjoy staying organized.

Here's a loose breakdown of how I organize each client when they contact me:
    Respond to email wedding inquiry
    Catalogue inquiry on my lead list
    If client wants to meet, schedule a consultation
    If client wants to book, receive contract and retainer
    Catalogue contract and retainer (make digital copies of each)
    Make an email folder for each client and place all correspondence in the folder (this makes it easier to access previous conversations)
    Deposit retainer
    Email receipt confirmation/invoice

I keep a list of where the progress is for each inquiry/client, so I'm never left in the dark or overwhelmed with statuses for multiple clients. I have another organizational list for engagement sessions and weddings (these are more workflow related), but the key is to create a systematic approach and keep a list/chart/itemized worksheet for each client. At any given point in the year, I can look at my workflow list and determine the status of an album order, when their wedding photos will be posted to their online gallery, or if I need to send them an email preparing them for their engagement session.

Desperately Disorganized, this approach works for me, so if you're interested in creating your own system, take an afternoon and list all client-related tasks, then create a workflow chart (in Excel, on a white board, in Google Docs, etc) and keep track of every move. As creatives, we like to see our progress and this in turn benefits our clients and ensures they're well taken care of. I wish you all the best!

Happy New Year,
j*