Photo credit: White Rabbit Photo Boutique
Two years ago today, on 10/25, I was laid off from my office job. At the time it was depressing, frustrating, and scary. But two years later, I know it was the best thing that could have happened to me. So now, every year I celebrate 10/25 as my Let Go Day. I wrote a lot about my transition from unhappy corporate puppet to blissfully self employed in last year’s Let Go Day post so I won’t rehash it all here. Instead, I am going to use this special day to make two big announcements!
The first announcement has to do with Disneyland weddings …. no, I’m not announcing a grand Vow Renewal quite yet.
As long time readers know, I started Budget Fairy Tale to document our Disneyland wedding, from the planning to the wedding and beyond. I was very pleased when other Disneyland brides and grooms started finding my articles via Google, and over four years later, my articles about Disneyland weddings are some of my most popular posts. But as my life has evolved so has this blog, and while I still want to write about Disneyland weddings, my articles tend to get buried and the focus of this blog has become somewhat disjointed and confusing, which results in a frustrating experience for new visitors to my blog. That’s why I’m starting a new site – Married at Disneyland!
My goal for Married at Disneyland is for it to be a hub pointing to all of the best Disneyland weddings information on the web. The site won’t have a lot of new information, put will instead link out to existing articles, blog posts, and pictures, making that content easier to find.
I’ve been working on this idea for over a year and I’m happy to finally get it underway. The site is still a major work in progress and probably will be for some time. And of course, much like Disneyland, Married at Disneyland will never be finished. I will continuously add to it and update it as photographers post new wedding photos and information changes.
I’m also happy to announce Married with Disneyland has a companion Facebook Group, also called Married at Disneyland. (Synergy!) Yes, there is already a Disneyland Brides Facebook group, but that group is restricted to couples who are under contract or have already had their wedding. Married at Disneyland is for everyone.* So please, look us up on Facebook and request to join!
*Except rogue weddings. Boooo to rogue weddings.
My second announcement is a new business venture. Earlier this year, a friend of mine asked me if I could teach him about social media. I thought this was the silliest question ever – I mean, doesn’t everyone know how to use social media? My friend works as a teacher on film and TV sets and has generally been too busy to keep up with any kind of social media, but was now launching his own company/brand and asked if I could help him set up his social profiles and give him a quick overview of all the different platforms. “I’ll pay you for your time,” he said.
Light bulb moment.
I was discussing this with my Mastermind Group and I said, “Do you guys think there’s a market for this in the wedding industry? I’ve helped wedding professionals with their social media as a Virtual Assistant before, but do you think people would hire a Social Media Consultant?” Their answer was a resounding yes. From there I attended a few wedding industry networking events where I introduced myself as a Wedding Blogger and Social Media Consultant. I saw lots of eyes light up, I handed out a lot of business cards, and I have been asked a LOT of questions about blogging and social media for brands.
And that, my friends, is how a new business venture is born.
I recently hired my friend Chelsea from Olive and Ivy Design to help me completely rebrand my website, Mindy Joy Media. It now showcases my three job titles:
Freelance Writer
Social Media Consultant
And I’m excited to announce I’m hosting a FREE webinar this week! Social Marketing 101 will teach wedding professionals the importance of having an active presence on social media, and a quick overview of how to effectively use the most popular social networks.
The webinar is this Wednesday, 10/28, at 11am Pacific time. The webinar will be geared towards wedding professionals but anyone is welcome to come and learn! However, space is limited so I request you register your spot here: https://mindyjoy.clickmeeting.com/social-marketing-101/register
As of this month, I am no longer taking new clients as a Vacation Specialist. My license is still active so I can happily book travel for my friends and family, but I am no longer pursuing this as a career. Letting go of it was very difficult and I’m a little sad about it, but I’m excited to pursue some new opportunities!
So that’s just a little update from me! Thanks for reading this far, and thanks to everyone for their kindness and support. A special thank you to my Mastermind Group – Liz and Renee – for your constant encouragement, and to my husband for helping me push through every time I’ve wanted to give up. And a special NO thanks to my cat Vela, who recently has been been waking me up in the middle of the night by scratching at my containers of craft supplies I store under the bed. I get it, Vela!! I own too much stuff! But 3am is no time to be passive aggressive about it. What a jerk.
