Today we are giving a great big gold star to True North Event Rentals! They joined us for our first event ever in Cape Cod back in November, and we loved what they had to bring to the table–that is, beautiful rentable tables! Have a look back through the photos from The 1st Cape Cod NotWedding, and see which ones they contributed. They are bound to have the perfect farm table design for your wedding in their collection! We asked the owners a few questions about the highs and lows of owning a small business, so vendors should read on for some great advice and encouragement.
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What has been the scariest part of owning a small business?
Scariest moment…. thats an easy one… cleaning out our savings account and retirement accounts to put everything we have into an IDEA. Literally starting from scratch without a scrap of wood or a saw to cut it, and betting everything you’ve managed to save… your retirement.. on a dream. Yeah, thats scary. As you begin to execute your plan, you get to a point where you’re sitting in a building surrounded by machinery and materials, the money is almost all gone and you think “what are we doing?”. That’s the point where you’re all in and you realize how fragile this little IDEA is and how much is depending on its success.
Describe a highlight or pivotal moment in your career.
As a small business entering our second season, we cant help but reflect on the ups and downs of our first year. We have been very fortunate to be recieved in the wedding community the way we have. With all the great rental companies available, we are always humbled when people chose OUR products to anchor one of the most important days in their lives. Having an article in Cape Cod Magazine and being included in Cape Cod View Magazine (before we even did our first events) were certainly significant milestones for us. More recently, our tables are being featured in an exhibit at TSE (The Special Event Show) in Nashville where event professionals from all over the country will see them. Finally being offered the opportunity to participate in The NotWedding, where some of the area’s most highly regarded wedding professionals put on a fantastic show, was also very important. Having recognition from the industry and peers lends legitimacy and relevancy to a business, but ultimately it’s the customers that drive reputation and sustain a company like ours. When we hit the middle of the wedding season last year and started booking for 2014 we knew there would be a second season for us…. that was our big moment!
What is the best part about your job?
What a cool way to make a living! When you extract the business aspects of it and boil it down to what you do during your day, there is so much to really enjoy. We love to build. Creating products from an idea on a piece of paper is very rewarding. Being able to go into the warehouse and look at all the products we have made and are still making is extremely satisfying. Destination weddings allow you the opportunity to meet great people from all over the world and all aspects of life, and (as anyone will tell you) over the course of planning a wedding you develop real relationships with people. When a client chooses your company out of all the great companies out there and is spending hard-earned money on your products, you cant help but feel very grateful and humbled. But we all want to see the final product. We LOVE to see the tables all set and decorated in the final stages. When the client gets to see their vision become reality, there is complete satisfaction in knowing you played some small role!
Images by owner Charlene Alger
What has been your favorite part of The NotWedding experience?
Having the opportunity to participate in The NotWedding was a fantastic experience for us. I think what is cool about it is that it’s a very large production that allows for intimacy and interaction between clients and vendors. It’s more typical of events we are seeing now in real weddings, where many vendors have to come together and coordinate what they do well to execute a fantastic event for the client. We were able to sit at a table WE made, with people who dont know us, and get actual feedback and relaxed conversation, which allowed us to spend more time with clients who were actually interested in our products.
Image by Shoreshotz Weddings
