Can you run a wedding venue business without hiring employees, of course you can. Will you need help with the business, absolutely. But hiring full time employees or even part time is not a given. Let me share what we have done over the years.
Starting Out
When we started our wedding venue business, using our backyard, we were a family of 4. Dad, mom, and two of our children that were still home, ages 14 and 12. There is an age gap of ten years between the older two, and the younger two. How that came to be is a story in it’s self, lol.
The older girls were 26 and 24 when we started. And… as the story goes that is why we have the venue, they both were married in our backyard. What I’m getting at is, we had lot’s of family help when we started. As a side note, be sure and ask your accountant about paying your children and how that can work to their benefit as well as yours.
Hubby Les has been adamant from the start that hiring employees would not be an option. To pay off our house would require funds being left to our family. Plus, with the county regulations that were set for us it was not cost effective to hire employees. We chose the solopreneur route.
The Urban Dictionary says that solopreneur means:
An entrepreneur who works alone “solo”, running their business single-handedly. They might have contractors for hire, yet have full responsibility for running of their business.”
The Solopreneur Institute defines solopreneur as:
“An entrepreneur who prefers the freedom to run a business without any w-2 employees.”
Keep it Simple
Of course this meant evening and weekend work for hubby as he has a full time weekly J.O.B. I was the one home with the kids, we homeschooled. Venue showings, website upkeep, and things that needed to be done during the day, were done by me.
When first starting out it’s so easy to think you must have everything perfect, please do not tell yourself this lie! All it does is add pressure and sadly, many do not even start because they are paranoid about – perfect, ugh.
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It’s a given that getting things in place to start will take some time, plan for it. You might need to hire a contractor or outsource something. That is not an employee situation.
You might need help setting up your website. I have done this all on my own for years, yes it takes time at first, but then it just maintaining it.
Maybe you need a covered area, and you have the funds to build it or have it built. Our family pitched in to build our barn. Who do you know?
Planning
You can keep your costs low by planning and doing your research. Doing things on your own is a big plus when it comes to saving money, ask me how I know this?! By not hiring employees, and doing a lot of things on your own, your money will go further for things you will need.
Being a solopreneur can be fun, and wow, what a learning experience for family members. Real life situation skills that go far in the working world.
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Planning Tips for a Wedding Venue Business
Running a small backyard wedding venue business is very doable without hiring full or even part time employees. We pay our grown children for setup, and sometimes take down, of venue chairs, tables and a few decor items. Again, as your accountant what the rules are.
Hiring employees is such a hassle, at least in Washington State. We avoid doing it like the plague. You are the boss, you get to decide what is best in your situation. Yes, it is a lot of work. Keep things simple when you can, and enjoy the journey friends… It is worth it.
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