Today, we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Hetu.
Hi Jessica, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a wedding planner! I loved the beauty in the details and the overall joy of the day.
That’s why I pursued my dual degrees from the University of Central Florida in Event Management and Hospitality Management and took on roles managing weddings as well as other social and corporate events. In my 10+ year career, I’ve been lucky enough to have been a wedding planner and coordinator, venue manager, and catering director.
Throughout this time, one of my favorite parts of being in the wedding industry has been collaborating with other wedding vendors! After working side by side with them for years, I saw firsthand that these are some of the kindest, most talented, and hardworking people who go the extra mile to take care of their couples. Frequently, though, I also saw that they prioritized their clients over themselves, meaning that they worked longer hours and poured their hearts into their work, which led to stress, fatigue, and, ultimately, burnout.
Wedding vendors serve their couples in the planning process and onsite. They also juggle everything within their businesses, including answering emails, formulating timelines, writing blog posts, creating social media content, and more. This makes it incredibly difficult for them to maintain their mental health and well-being.
This is the heart behind Jessica Hetu and Co. We are on a mission to help wedding vendors avoid burnout by skillfully handling the back end of their businesses. It’s our goal to instill peace of mind in our wedding vendor friends, who we like to call our “friendors,” by tackling their to-do lists with the highest level of professionalism, meticulousness, and care.
By helping wedding creatives offload important tasks and projects, we provide them with the freedom to focus on other aspects of their businesses and lives.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being an entrepreneur, especially in the wedding industry, is challenging! It’s a demanding role with 10-12 hour days where you’re constantly on your feet. Plus, you sacrifice your nights, weekends, and holidays to serve your couples, all because you love it! Throughout my wedding career, though, I learned that being passionate about your work doesn’t make you immune to burnout.
There were many times when I stretched myself too thin because I cared so deeply about my couples, team, vendors, and work. However, I learned that de-prioritizing yourself is not the answer. This only led to exhaustion, weakened mental health, and a lack of creativity. During this time, though, I also learned that the way to overcome this is to intentionally create time and space to take care of yourself.
It’s also important to find a routine that works for you, whether taking Mondays and Tuesdays off as your weekend, adjusting your office hours, or scheduling breaks throughout the day. Outsourcing items like inbox management, blogging, social media, and email newsletters is also a great way to lighten your mental load!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Here at Jessica Hetu and Co, we are virtual assistants for wedding creatives who expertly manage your business’ backend to infuse freedom back into your everyday.
We strive to give you time back to focus on what matters most to you, whether that means growing your business, having a more flexible, well-balanced lifestyle, or simply doing the work that you love to do. With over a decade of industry experience, we can jump right into your business and manage your to-do list with the same level of expertise and care that you would give them. Just consider us a second “you!”
We have created our service packages based on the specific type of team member that would best fit your business needs. This includes bringing on a Client Care Coordinator, Marketing Content Creator, or Custom Projects Manager.
Our Client Care Coordinator package includes daily operational tasks, such as inbox management, timeline creation, and CRM management. Our Marketing Content Creator package synergizes blogging, social media, and email newsletter creation to maximize your marketing efforts. Last but not least, our Custom Projects Manager packages tackle specialized business projects, including CRM set-ups, automated workflow creation, website updates, and blog submission applications.
We are proud to be a team of fellow wedding professionals, here to help you uplevel your business and free up your life!
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The beautiful thing about the wedding industry is that it is rooted in tradition but simultaneously evolves to meet the times and current generation. In recent years, couples have adapted wedding traditions to align with their own personal preferences.
For example, couples may opt to have an adventure elopement or intimate wedding as opposed to a traditional, large wedding reception. They’re also intentionally incorporating unique elements, such as larger-than-life floral displays, private fireworks shows, and special guests like beer burrows or their alma mater’s mascot. I see this continuing more and more in the future as couples find even more creative ways to put their personal stamp on their wedding.
Another factor to consider is the use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI). CRMs like Dubsado and Honeybook already offer robust automation features, and I anticipate this will increase efficiency and scale. Automation and AI will help wedding businesses better secure new businesses, nurture current clients, and systemize processes like timeline creation.
However, it’s also important to note that no matter how widespread automation and AI become, wedding vendors will still need to put their personal touch on it. It’s imperative to set up any automation so that it sounds like you and your specific brand. After all, your personality is what couples relate to and, ultimately, why they book you!
This industry has been and always will be one that requires individualized attention because couples and their needs will only continue to grow more and more unique.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jessicahetu.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicahetu.va/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicahetuva
Image Credits
Desiree Hayes Photography, The Style Studio, The Event Queens, The Wildflowers FL, and Haus 820
