Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Accomando.
Alexis, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It’s kind of wild, but I started The Little Things without any previous experience working as an event or wedding planner.
I graduated college just as the recession started, and the job market wasn’t exactly hot, so I decided I’d go back to school for a Master’s Degree to make my resume attractive to companies when they began hiring again. I spent 3 years in grad school and came out with a Master’s in Project Management and began working as a project manager for a software company and then a defense contractor. I actually really enjoyed the work that I was doing in project management, but I didn’t feel connected to it. And I really missed being able to be creative in my day to day life. I began to think about what life might look like if I could turn my passions into my work. Wedding and event planning felt like a natural fit for what I was good at (project management) and what I was passionate about (art and design).
What started as a seed in my mind quickly grew into an idea I couldn’t ignore. One day, I walked out of my office and realized my car was the only one left in the parking lot. It was the middle of the summer when the days are so long, and it was pitch dark. That night, I decided that two things: 1) if I poured the same amount of time and energy into working for myself and supporting my dream as I was then to support someone else’s dream, this little idea had a shot, and 2) I didn’t want to give myself a reason to wonder “what if I had started that event planning business I always thought about” in my older years.
From there, it was on! I put my head down and I did the work I needed to move forward in my business, and I did it every single day, even though I was still working my full-time job. Eventually, I was able to go down to part-time hours at my work, and after a while, leave altogether and focus all of my time and attention on The Little Things. It’s been a wild ride ever since!
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has definitely not been smooth (and I’d be surprised to hear anyone who’s started their own business say that it has!), but I try to look at each challenge I encounter along this journey as an opportunity for growth.
For me, the most challenging thing about starting my own business has been having to wear all the hats. I can design and plan the crap out of a wedding or event – which brings me so much joy – but then have all of these other facets of the business to tend to as well: marketing, accounting, PR, computer/tech stuff, payroll, website upkeep, legal stuff, hiring, managing the team, etc. Contrary to planning events, these tasks give me a migraine headache, but they have to be handled regardless. I had zero experience in any of these areas when I started the business, so the learning curve has been steep!
Interestingly, I hear this piece of advice doled out a lot to new business owners, and I totally disagree with it: focus on what you’re good at, and outsource or hire for the rest. While that sounds luxurious (and there have been times when I would have done pretty much anything to have some help but couldn’t afford it), I think there’s real value in learning the ins and outs of every facet of your business so that you have a tight grasp on every single piece of it. It’s one of the reasons I recently chose to redo my website myself rather than hiring someone to do it for me, even though I knew it would be absolutely brutal for me to do (and it was) – it’s one of my weakest points and I wanted to be sure that if something broke or needed tending to on the website, I could go in and fix it quickly myself rather than having to wait and depend on someone else to fix it with the same sense of urgency. The bottom line is that no one will care about or for your business as much as you do, so be sure you’re the one steering the ship!
My other piece of advice for women who are just starting their journey as business owners is this: LEAN IN (I wish I could put that in bold!). Listen to what your gut is telling you, listen to what your heart is telling you, and design your business in a way that makes sense for you. Read anything you possibly can about your craft, doing business in your industry, and about the things you’re not good at. Invest in your education – even if you’re only able to invest time right now – and you’ll reap the benefits as you move along your journey. Learn from someone you admire by offering to work for them at no cost. Send yourself to a workshop. Take everything you learn and apply it to your business in a way that works for you, and then take a step back from time to time to make sure it’s still working well. As your business grows, be sure your way of doing business is growing along with it!
Lastly (and this is important!): stay in your lane. Comparing yourself to other people is a waste of time, and time is something there’s not enough of when you’re a business owner. Success means different things to different people, to define what success means to you and you alone, and then put your head down and chase after it every single day.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into The Little Things story. Tell us more about the business.
We’re a wedding and event design and planning company focused on designing, planning, and executing epic celebrations! We love working with couples who’s priority is crafting a wedding day that is 1) fun, 2) personal, 3) thoughtful, and 4) just as much about their guests and the people they love as it is about them. It doesn’t hurt if they love food and flowers as much as we do, too! We’ve worked all over New England, in New York and Pennsylvania, and have weddings in Minneapolis and Hawaii slated for 2019. We’re counting down the days until we have the pleasure of booking a couple throwing a wedding in an international destination!
What am I most proud of? That’s such a tough question, but I’m really enjoying thinking about it – it can be hard to take a step back and think about the big picture when you’re in the weeds of the day today!
First and foremost, I’m most proud of the types of clients we attract and get to work with.
When I meet someone for the first time and tell them what I do, their first comment is almost always “you’re a wedding planner? Wow, that must be so stressful, you must deal with so many bridezillas.” And then I have the pleasure of saying that, actually, I don’t. I’ve put so much time and heart into designing our process with the goal being that the couples who choose to work with us feel cared for and supported throughout the planning process and have the opportunity to be excited about their wedding, rather than stress about it. And the process works! So, instead of fielding angry emails or acting as a therapist to a stressed bride, which is what I think people imagine my job is like, I’m putting together a cheese and charcuterie board and pouring some rose for our couples who come to the studio for their monthly meetings ready to tackle an evening of calm conversation and meaningful decision making. On their wedding days, they’re enjoying a glass of champagne and laughing with their friends as they’re getting ready for the ceremony, and they’re leading the charge on the dance floor all night. We’ve worked together to carefully craft a day that fully represents them and their interests and enables them to be 100% present and enjoying the day, and to see them doing just that on their wedding day is something I’m really proud of.
Secondly, I’m really proud of the team I’ve put together, who work just as hard for our couples as I do. 99% of the time, there’s nothing glamorous about being a wedding planner, and that is most true on the actual wedding day. We are first to arrive and last to leave, and usually spend all of those hours (12 some days, 18 other days) on our feet. It can be 100 degrees, or it can be raining. We might unpack, place, and repack 250 chairs in the same day. Sometimes, we have 15 minutes to place 250 ceremony chairs during a small sliver of sunshine in between storms. We might move hundreds of pounds of decor in a day. We might have a 5-minute window to change into our dress clothes in a portable restroom and still be in a full sweat when we emerge (or maybe that’s just me?).
Regardless of the hard work the wedding calls for, my team shows up with smiles on their faces and works efficiently and effectively. They go full steam for as long as is needed, regardless of whether their feet are sore or blistered, and then ask what else I need. They’re crying during the father-daughter dance, they’re laughing during the toasts, and they feel the same sense of accomplishment as I do when they watch every guest get up from their seats to flood the dance floor when dinner is over. They make each other laugh, they keep me sane, and I’d be nowhere without them!
Lastly, I’m really proud of how many of our couples are referred to us by other vendors whose work we love and admire. There are lots of wedding planners doing great work out there, so it’s always incredibly flattering when a photographer, or a florist, or a venue, for example – send a couple our way. When times get tough, I try to remind myself that we must be doing something right if vendors who work with tons of different planners are hoping their couples choose us.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
Oh man, I could go on about this for days! I love podcasts and audiobooks both for learning and for taking me away from work for a little while when I need a break. I’ll break the list up into a few of my favorites for both!
Books for business:
Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey
You are a Badass, Jen Sincero
Books for pleasure:
Small Great Things, Jodi Piccoult
Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
The Light Between Oceans, M.L. Stedman
Podcasts for business:
The Tim Ferriss Show
Being Boss
Gamechangeres: A Mastermind for Creative Entrepreneurs
Podcasts for pleasure, which are a relatively new addition to my life brought on by my wonderful employee, Mariel:
-Goop Podcast
-Unqualified, Anna Farris
-Serial/S Town/Dirty John/Up and Vanished for road trips!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.itstlt.com
- Email: alexis@itstlt.com
- Instagram: @____thelittlethings____
- Facebook: facebook.com/itstlt
Image Credit:
Mikhail Glabets Photography, Alison Conklin Photography, Zac Wolf Photography, First Mate Photography
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