Let’s talk about job titles and definitions. My philosophy on job titles is this: The more prestigious, the better.

Here’s why you want to assign powerful job titles right away:

1) If you are small and starting out, and this is especially the case in the event industry, you may not be able to offer a lot of money, but a title bump is sometimes enough to keep a great employee on staff until you are able to pay what they are worth.

2) It offers your staff a greater sense of pride. No one will ever care about your business as much as you do, so do as much as you can to give your team the motivation and encouragement to care.

3) When your team is out in the community, they will be respected more. If your associate planner is reaching out to a lead, “Senior Planner” in his or her signature line will be much more impressive to a prospective client than “Associate Planner”.

In terms of the structure of a job title, it doesn’t matter if it is Director of Operations, Operations Manager, or Vice President of Operations. It can be whatever you are comfortable with.

You want to see your staff succeed in their role, which means you need to make sure they are qualified for the title you are giving them. When they are successful, your planning business is successful.

When hiring your first employee(s), start small. Don’t hire an entire team on the first round of interviews. In my experience, 80% of them will not work out and you won’t have the time to properly train those who are valuable.

After you hire a new team member, working side-by-side with that person is imperative.

I have a bad habit of assuming everyone knows and understands exactly what I want and how I want it done.

I will toss ideas around in a meeting but never announce clearly what the final decision is.

I am still learning and improving on this, but clarity is key when you are trying to mold a company while simultaneously trying to train quality event staff.

Give your event planning staff a clear definition of what you want them to do. When you begin training someone new, ensure they completely understand every aspect of what is expected of them and when! I put ‘when’ in there because with today’s technology, it is very easy to expect an immediate response no matter the time of day. In an effort not to burn out your staff, exercise some discipline and make sure everyone understands when they are on the clock and what your expectations are regarding how quickly they respond to emails, texts, and phone calls.

Outlining these roles is the first step in painting that big picture of your event planning business. It will help define what you need in the company and what you can do without.

Trust me, it takes a lot of trial and error when hiring and training staff.  Don’t give up! You will make mistakes and learn from them. Know that you are doing great!

This is a guest post by Amanda DeVivo. Amanda is the owner of The Sassy Gourmet –  Food Photography with Style. Throughout the years Amanda DeVivo has touched many aspects of the culinary world. From owning a catering and retail business to building a successful Event Planning firm. Bringing together all the lessons from her business experiences, she has created a unique place where food establishments will benefit from her expertise and passions while she gives back along the way.

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