In 2017 I travelled to South African for a powerful Wedding & Events industry retreat that changed the way I saw my business. I met a lovely lady called Liene Stevens the founder of Think Splendid who did an amazing job speaking on the behavioral psychology of millennials how decisions and made when it comes to their weddings. I was blown away by how well Liene’s communicated her industry knowledge and the level of research she had done. This got me thinking about how I could connect better with my clients/potential clients and how I could make the name and the service more personal than it already was? I asked myself. Over the duration of the trip different speakers talked about the seasons within business and how to reinvent/refresh your business & brand in a fast moving, ever changing world. However I loved our business name Just As Planned and it had come a long way and we had already done so much work to build the brand it and its reputation.
Even though Just As Planned was a great name and when I started the business back in 2011 I wanted a business name that translated very well what we did and how we did it, I knew it had served its purpose. I had the opportunity to speak with Liene in passing a few times whilst at the conference, however that ride to the airport & the last meal we had in South Africa changed everything for me. Liene asked me what my business name was, she told me how common the name was amongst the wedding industry then she went to work on her phone, did some searches and stated her case as to why the best move at that time would be to rebrand and change my business name, that was all the confirmation I needed.
She asked me for my full name and just like that she said, ‘thats it, Mati Gono events’. She explained and affirmed how the clients/couples I’d worked with in the past came to me because of me and what better way to rebrand than with my own name. I’d always meet people who said “Your name sounds like a famous persons name” I would always laugh at this statement. Using my name made the brand more unique, more visible and much more personal. Liene was right! I knew this change would be challenging as I had always been a behind the scenes type of person and this change would be a bold move. Liene asked for my Instagram page, then for my phone and just like that changed my business page name to Mati Gono Events and from there I was challenged and committed to moving my business up a level! So now is 2019 with a new logo and website, we find ourselves as a business building greater relationships with suppliers and attracting the right couples and clients that want their events planned by ‘Mati Gono Events”. The key tips to take away from this blog are:
- Invest in workshops & Industry Retreats that will aid your growth and expand your network.
- Be willing to learn from others (experts in your field)
- Do not get comfortable with where you are, as you can always do better (reinvent yourself).
- Connecting with others is 50% of the work done, before you even provide your service.
- Believe in yourself no matter what!
