Today I want to share something with you. I want to share my failures with you. I want to put them on the table and layout it all out, not for you to keep a running tally and point fingers and not for you to say to yourself " wow she really had no idea of what she was doing" , I didn't but so what , but I am sharing this with you for you to say the exact opposite and for you to cheer with me " SO WHAT" 

Failures: 

1. In 2011 I launched my business with no business license.

2. I worked for free my first year in business.

3. In 2013 , I hired my first employee with no guidelines no structure.

4. I poured so much into my business the first three years , I'm sure I sucked at being a wife.

5. I offered a tiered wedding coordination services , oh the stories I could tell about that.

6. In 2011, I launched a coffee + chat wedding planner networking event , no one showed up.

7. In 2012, I was so eager to have my own studio that I signed a lease in this old run down building , renovated the inside of the office, I am talking flooring walls, furniture the works. The truth...with all the work I did on the inside , it still didn't change the fact that the outside was old and ran down. I never actually had any client meetings in the space .

8. In 2012, I purchased a pro camera and started a photography business because I liked doing photos so much, In 2013 I closed that business. I hated photographing tired whiny  children and shooting one unorganized wedding was all I needed to know to know I never wanted to be paid again for shooting people. 

9. In 2012 I shared a really great business idea with a peer , she took the idea and implemented it herself. 

10.  In 2016, I Planned the beginning stages of an Educational retreat and Soiree and cancelled it 60 days out. 
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11.  From 2011- 2015 I didn't think I was worth it. 

Successes: 

1. Since 2012 I have been a licensed business, proudly paying local and federal taxes.

2. In 2014 I begin to see my first profits .

3. 2015 -Present day I have the best team and I know how to set expectations and guidelines that makes it fun and rewarding for everyone to come to work .

4. Present day my spouse is my number one supporter and no amount of money can make me more proud or happy just to spend a day off laughing and hanging out together. 

5. Three Wedding Planning Services that fully encompass my strengths and talents are more than enough on the menu of services.

6. 2014 I launched a bridal show that leveraged me as a leader among peers and showcased my expertise to potential clients. Vendors still ask when the next show will be although I have now moved on to new ventures. 

7.Present day I have a studio in a beautiful executive plaza that is just as beautiful on the outside as it is on the inside and have called it CTC headquarters for the past four years.

​8. We work with the best of the best photographers in the greater Metro Chattanooga area and happily refer our couples to use these amazing teams for their photography coverage and I have hobbies that I keep totally separate and private from work. I learned that everything I have a love for doesn't have to turn a profit!

​9. I share openly with other still present day but one thing I do different is I act on my ideas. I don't hoard them, I put them into action. 

10. I developed a marketing plan for my mentoring program and spent the time that I would have spent on the educational retreat and soiree and devoted that time into my mentoring clients.

11. I am worth it! Even if it means weekend with no couples to serve but a weekend in the sun , working or not I am worth it !

I have so many more failures I could share and they have all happened through the span of my career , not just the beginning days. 

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” - Denis Waitley

The point is SO WHAT, your failures do not define who you are or where you are going, so whatever the let down is of today , reassess and get busy. You have no pride to loose in trying something, SO WHAT if it doesn't work. Failing only matters if you have no intention on picking up the pieces and then trying again otherwise SO WHAT! Stop letting your pride get in the way. You are worried about what will people think if it doesn't work out. Who cares what they think because whether you WIN, LOSE OR DRAW there will always be an opinion. So to all my people out there, who are feeling the spread I am putting down on this peanut butter and jelly, let me hear you loud and proud SO WHAT! 

Shaun Cox of  www.TheShaunCox.com. Shaun Cox  is a Wedding Planner , Wedding Industry Mentor based in
 offering  training, consulting and education of Wedding Planners and wedding creatives nationwide. Shaun Cox is the owner of Cue the Champagne Event Planning + Design  Chattanooga and Cleveland Tennessee Premier
Wedding Planning and Event Studio Owned by Coordinator and  Senior Wedding and Event Planner Shaun Cox.
Cue the Champagne Event Planning + Design offers Wedding Day Event Management Services formerly known as Day of Wedding Coordination, Full Service Wedding Planning Services, Elopement Planning and Event Design Services for all your Social and Corporate Events.
Cue The Champagne Event Planning + Design caters to Weddings and Events
in Cleveland Tennessee, Chattanooga Tennessee, and surrounding Tennessee, North Georgia  Wedding locations and Worldwide. ​