If you are new to Cedar & Rush, Work Smarter, Not Harder (WSNH) is a weekly column showcasing Chicago’s leading ladies – think CEO’s, entrepreneurs, and everyday women making a difference – and how they work smarter, not harder. I decided upon Monday so we can kick off the week as productive and s motivated as possible. If you love a particular piece of advice or have any tips of your own, please share by tagging #WSNH2016 on Instagram and Twitter.
Happy Valentine’s Day friends! Do any of you have the day off today? If you do, lucky ducks!
I am so excited to have Miranda Tassi of Chancey Charm for the first Work Smarter, Not Harder of 2016! I met Miranda this past summer after taking some photos for her new career move. She’s an absolute doll and an incredibly successful wedding planner. She recently moved to Charlotte with her husband, but I’ll let her share her story. She’s full of advice today, so I hope you have a pen and pencil handy!
Miranda, please explain your job and any other networks or projects you participate in on a regular basis. I was previously the owner, lead planner and designer for Events by Miranda Lyn – a luxury wedding and event planning firm in Chicago. However, my husband and I just moved halfway across the country to Charlotte, North Carolina to start the Charlotte location for Chancey Charm – one of the nation’s leading luxury wedding planning, coordination and design studios.
How did you get to your current position? I created my current position about three years ago by ripping off the band-aid and starting my own wedding and event planning company. My background includes over 6 years of corporate marketing and event planning. While I loved the collaboration, I am a Leo at heart (July 30th birthday!) and dominating personality just did not mesh with the “corporate life.” Although entrepreneurship definitely has its ups and its downs, there is not a day where I regret any decisions I have made and I LOVE what I do every day.
What time do you typically get up in the morning? I am typically up sometime between 6 and 7 AM. My husband and I have two (playful, amazing, kind-hearted) Pitbull mixes who, let’s be honest, run the show! However, I actually set my alarm for 5 AM and annoy by husband by hitting snooze about 20 times before actually getting up. ☺
How do you take your coffee and what do you typically eat for breakfast? I usually take my coffee with about 75% coffee and 25% almond milk. I am also obsessed with Chai Tea Latte’s – so delish! I am a serial snacker, so most of my meals are very small but happen very often. In the morning, I’ll usually just grab a Clif bar, granola or a handful of whatever fruit we have in the fridge.
Quickly walk us through your morning routine: For several years I have had an extremely nasty habit of waking up and immediately sifting through social media, emails, and articles for the first 30 -45 minutes of my day. I am really working on breaking this habit so now when I (finally) wake up; I head straight to the shower. After I’ve showered and brushed my teeth, I’ll turn on the Keurig (my best friend), lean against the counter and begin to sift through Instagram and any Facebook notifications while I wait for my coffee to brew. Once my husband leaves for work around 8:30 AM, I sit down on my computer and make a to-do list for the day (for the week if it’s Monday). Then I’ll feed our dogs, take them on a long walk and dive into my day!
What is the best way to get your foot in the door of your dream job? I don’t really think there is ONE best way. For one, networking has always been successful for me. No one will ever know about you, what you are trying to do, what you are capable of, etc. if you don’t go out there and show yourself off! I know this is hard; I myself struggle with the networking game or showcasing myself. I have read several great articles giving advice on the how to network, or tips for networking if you are an introvert, they were extremely helpful and are a great read; here are the links:
Two, if there is a company you LOVE and truly think you would be a great asset to them, take whatever job you can. After a year in Private Event Sales for Darden Restaurant Group (Seasons 52 Schaumburg), I finally had an opportunity on my plate to get into the corporate world (something I thought I wanted at the time). I was originally interviewing for an Executive Assistant role, replacing a girl who was leaving the company. They brought me back for a third interview and told me that said girl had decided to stay with the company and so the opportunity was no longer on the table. Here I am thinking, “Ugh! They couldn’t tell me this over the phone!?” However, they said they loved me so much that even though they didn’t have a set role, they still wanted me to be an employee of theirs. So even though I had NO idea what I would be doing, I took the job and instantly fell in love with the array of responsibilities that slowly but surely made their way to me. I went from having no set role, to being the right hand lady for four extremely successful executives (the Olivia to Fitz, minus the Scandal, if you will), being the face and creative mind behind 20+ corporate events and conferences per year, raising well over $150,000 for amazing causes, and more.
What resources do you use to stay organized and remember tasks? I am obsessed with making lists and crossing off accomplishments! My Day Designer keeps me at the right place, at the right time. I use Wunderlist to collaborate with the team, and AislePlanner to collaborate with my clients.
What mistake do you see people constantly make that they should be aware of? This might be tailored to me, or people like me, but I often see want-to-be entrepreneurs, business people in general, etc. try and become experts before getting into whatever industry or position it is that they love. The thing is, no one will ever be an expert because there is always more to learn, every single day. I am a strong believer in JUST DOING IT. If you want to be a wedding planner, do not read every book, and take every program, and go to every conference – just do it! The expertise will come along the way.
How do you conquer your inbox? My inbox is probably TOO organized (is that possible?). I have every single email tucked away in its specified folder and I probably have about 200 folders that keep my inbox organized. I hate to scroll through thousands of emails in my inbox, looking for an email that is most likely a response not labeled with the correct subject matter. I like a clean, empty inbox, so everything in my email has a ‘home.’
How do you format your emails? As I said before, I am a Leo, so while I am kind and big-hearted, I am extremely impatient and straight to the point. It bothers me to no end to receive an email talking about XYZ but the subject line references ABC. Ideally, I will start a thread with the appropriate subject matter and the first initial email will start with a warm welcome typically asking how the person is, wishing them a great week or day, and then I dive into the details. Any other emails in that thread are likely to be straight to the point with no fluff.
How do you make time for working out and staying healthy? Ugh, this is a work in progress. I was a big believer in Pure Barre (thanks to one of my vendor besties, Jenna Sprengel, of Avant Gardenia) but life lately has taken a huge toll. That is no excuse though! I am hoping to get back into the Pure Barre game at least a couple times per week. I love Pure Barre because it is a little bit of everything mixed together into one class, key word being class – if there are other people around, I am likely to work 10x harder. Some other small attempts I make are taking the stairs if I can, walking my dogs, and walking somewhere for lunch and/or coffee during the day.
What are your favorite tips for keeping an organized workspace? In the morning, my workspace starts out as a clean slate. Then by mid-afternoon, it’s a damn mess. However, when my day is done (aka when I close my computer, but work all night on my iPad or iPhone), I clean up my space to it can start again as a clean slate in the morning. I keep file folders for most paper documents and binders for each of my clients.
What other pieces of advice/tips can you share? I try and share this book with every female entrepreneur I know, as it is a great resource of keeping track of your business planning, goals, expenses and marketing (and its pretty ☺). My life savior is the Dream Job Business Planner from the Dream Job Shop. This business planner has five sections to organize your overall business including: big picture, goals, numbers, marketing, and monthly calendar. They also have note pages throughout for you to jot down ideas (always write things down!) and it is extremely sturdy so it won’t rip or tear if you carry it around in your bag. Check it out!
Favorites:
- Favorite Apps: Pinterest, Wunderlist, Email (more like a love-hate relationship), Dropbox, Asos, and OpenTable
- Favorite Resources: Creative Chics, Irresistible Selling (from former WSNH feature, Maria Bayer!),
- Favorite Books: Think Like A Lawyer, Don’t Act Like One by Aernoud Bourdrez; It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be by Paul Arden; You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness & Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero; How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes
- Favorite Programs: AislePlanner, Calendly, and soon-to-be Honeybook!
- Favorite Websites: Chancey Charm ☺, Nordstrom, Kate Spade, Houzz, One Kings Lane, and BrowseU
- Favorite Gadget: Safe to say I would be lost without my iPhone!
Miranda, thank you so much for being here today with us! Your advice is such a treat. We wish you the best of luck in Charlotte and please bring back some of that sunshine when you come back and visit us! You are truly an inspiration and congratulations on all your success. To follow Miranda on her new journey, be sure to check her out on Instagram!
Want more? You can find all Work Smarter Not Harder posts right here.
