This week, we touch on a subject responsible for causing a lot of stress and overwhelm in the balloon industry - Copy Cats. We dissect the term and differentiate it from taking inspiration and setting trends. We also learn how to approach a colleague when we feel they are copying our work word by word, and what the best way is to hop on a trending theme and put our own spin on it. 

What You'll Learn:

- Why it is so common to find really similar works in our industry

- Why we shouldn't see imitations of our work as something negative or take it personally

- How to approach someone that is copying our work

- Why being inspired by someone else's work is not a bad thing, and how we should deal with it

Today's episode is a reality injection - we won't sugar-coat the fact that you'll find many copycats in the industry. We can focus on taking the positives from its existence instead of being affected by it or stressed, since the issue will be there regardless. 

Resources:

- Get our FREE guide on how to make money instantly in your events business https://bit.ly/balloonsmeanbusiness  

- Connect with Katherine Lyndon https://www.instagram.com/dressyourdaydream/ 

- Connect with Michelle Lemmer https://www.instagram.com/theventsclique 

In this episode, we discuss the pros and cons of working with celebrities and influencers. We go through some of the events we did for influencers and share the valuable lessons we learned from those experiences. We also talk about the value of doing giveaways and competitions and how to leverage your local community to get more bookings. 

What You'll Learn:

- Our first experiences working with influencers - was it worth the effort?

- Paid or unpaid events bring the same amount of pressure over our shoulders

- The benefits of strategically picking a celebrity, influencer, or micro-influencer to work with 

- The value of word of mouth, and why we should never overlook it

- The benefits of doing competitions and giveaways

- Why connections are so important to leverage your local community

Before working with a celebrity or an influencer, there are a couple of things you must have in place. Always remember your work's value, and evaluate the benefits you'll get from working with a local or international influencer. Be specific and intentional, and ask yourself what you want to achieve with that collab: followers, bookings, growing your name in the local community? 

Resources:

- Get our FREE guide on how to make money instantly in your events business https://bit.ly/balloonsmeanbusiness  

- Connect with Katherine Lyndon https://www.instagram.com/dressyourdaydream/ 

- Connect with Michelle Lemmer https://www.instagram.com/theventsclique 

What You'll Learn:

- How we felt when we started our journey and what that taught us about the importance of community

- Why keeping a curious and open-to-learn mindset will make the difference for you

- The importance of getting to know your clients and letting them know you

- Why it is impossible to ever get bored in the events business industry

- How to deal with self-criticism, the copycat effect and self-doubt

Like in any industry, the beginning always feels like diving into a deep ocean - it's lonely and you feel out of place, unsure of what to expect and from where it'll come. One of the best things to do is to get close to like-minded people, regardless of where they are in their journey. You can help grow and evolve those behind you and learn from the ones ahead in the game. 

Resources:

- Get our FREE guide on how to make money instantly in your events business https://bit.ly/balloonsmeanbusiness  

- Connect with Katherine Lyndon https://www.instagram.com/dressyourdaydream/ 

- Connect with Michelle Lemmer https://www.instagram.com/theventsclique