How To Start an Event Planning Business: Step-by-Step Guide

Want to learn how to start an event planning business? It’s not as difficult as it may seem. You will, however, need to stay organized and be willing to keep working until everything is running smoothly.

In this article, we discuss some of the basic steps that can help you bring your dream of starting an event planning business to fruition.

How to start an event planning business: Stage 1
How to start an event planning business: Stage 2
How to start an event planning business: Stage 3

How to start an event planning business: Stage 1

1) Define your niche

Event planning can take on many forms, so it’s important to figure out what type of events excite you.

Just a few of the options include:

Weddings
Corporate events
Conferences
Parties
Concerts
Festivals
Fairs

While you may be interested in all of those, it’s often better to choose one type of event when you’re first starting out so you can focus your energy on perfecting your process. As your business grows, you can always expand into other types of events.

If you’re brand new to the event planning industry, a great way to gain hands-on experience is to work for another company before going out on your own. This can give you insight into what it takes to run such an operation and help you identify the types of events that appeal to you.

2) Create a business plan

While you’re looking around at the different types of events you might want to organize and defining your niche, create a business plan to guide you through the process.

Think of a business plan as the framework for everything you do once your operation gets going and a set of guidelines to help you deal with the everyday activities that will make your business run smoothly.

To that end, be sure to address topics such as:

Mission statement
Advertising
Price structure
Employee concerns
Accounting practices
Budget
Marketing
Equipment needs

Keep in mind that your business plan is a living document. As you accumulate experience in the industry, take the time to revisit, review, and refine your business plan to make it as relevant to your operation as possible.

For more help on putting together this important document, check out these articles from the Sling blog:

While these articles focus on specific types of operations, the principles and guidelines can be applied to any industry — including event planning.

3) Build a brand

As you progress through the steps of starting an event planning business, give some thought to building a brand. This often starts with choosing a name that reflects your business’s identity.

If you know that you want to focus exclusively on weddings, include that in your business name (e.g., Weddings Are Us). If, on the other hand, you want to eventually expand to all types of events, you may choose to go with a more general business name (e.g., Spectacular Event Planning).

Other variables that contribute to your brand include:

Logo
Website
Social media presence
Color scheme (for use on marketing materials, vehicles, uniforms, etc.)

As you develop your brand, highlight what makes you different from the other businesses in your niche — whatever that may be — so that you stand out from the crowd.

How to start an event planning business: Stage 2

how to start an event planning business - wedding

4) Apply for licenses and permits

Every event planning business, no matter the size, needs the correct licenses, permits, registration, and insurance to operate legally in the United States.

The process of obtaining and maintaining all of this paperwork can take time, so get started early once you are committed to bringing your business to life.

Because you’ll likely have to complete forms for federal, state, and local offices, it’s important to research what’s required to obtain:

Federal employee identification number (EIN)
State business registration
Local vendors license
Insurance

This latter item is especially important to have before you plan your first event because, if something should go wrong, the costs to your business (and to you personally) could be devastating.

5) Network

Networking is a great way to develop relationships within your niche and lay the foundation for your future work in the event planning industry. If the process seems daunting, divide it into three categories and tackle them individually.

Start by talking to other businesses you might work with along the way, including:

Venues
Caterers
Florists
Equipment rentals

Then, talk to complementary businesses that you might partner with to make your operation better.

Finally, build relationships with past, current, and future clients through referrals, networking events, and other customer-facing activities.

6) Organize your money management

Another important step in starting an event planning business is to organize your money management. Consider details such as:

How you’ll process payments
The types of payments you’ll accept
Pricing strategy
Budgeting
Financial tracking
Bank accounts you’ll need

In regard to this last point, it’s a good idea to open a separate bank account for your event planning business. Doing so will not only make recordkeeping and payroll much easier, but it will also simplify the process of paying business and personal taxes at the end of the year.

How to start an event planning business: Stage 3

stage 3 of how to start an event planning business

7) Hire a crew

When you’re first starting out, you may be able to run your event planning business on your own. Eventually, though, you’re probably going to need to hire employees to help out.

Hiring is an entirely different animal from running a business, so take some time to research the best ways to go about finding employees.

General steps include:

Writing a job description
Posting the job description online (and in other places)
Spreading the word that you’re looking for a new employee
Interviewing potential new hires
Checking references
Hiring them into your business

For more information on how to find great employees and perfect your hiring process, check out these articles from the Sling blog:

8) Implement a marketing plan

You can start marketing for your event planning business as soon as you have all your licenses, permits, and insurance. Getting the word out early can help you find clients sooner rather than later and provide much-needed income to keep your business going.

As you consider exactly how to implement your marketing plan, don’t limit yourself to the obvious channels like TV, radio, and local print media. While those are still great options, they can be prohibitively expensive for a small business.

Instead, try these alternative channels to get the word out:

Ask your friends and family to talk up your business
Post flyers on local bulletin boards
Put together a Facebook page
Build a website

9) Provide an exceptional experience

The final step in getting your event planning business off the ground is to provide an exceptional experience for your clients.

While you may have the broad strokes of the event down pat, think of little ways you can improve the experience for those who hired you and for the guests they’re entertaining. Going this extra mile can help set your event planning business apart from all the rest.

Manage your events and staff with Sling

Incorporating scheduling and workforce management software into your workflow from day one can give your event planning business the tools it needs to succeed. And, when it comes to organizing, managing, and optimizing your workforce, there’s no better app than Sling.

Sling offers a host of features, including:

Powerful employee scheduling
Labor cost controls
Built-in time clock
Task management
Geofencing
Communication
Integrations with other common business software

To get started or find out more about how Sling’s powerful features and tools can streamline your organization, your workflow, and your event planning business, visit GetSling.com today.

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This content is for informational purposes and is not intended as legal, tax, HR, or any other professional advice. Please contact an attorney or other professional for specific advice.

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