The next LVL Academy is around the corner and as the ladies at LVL get ready to welcome the fifth class, we are preparing to do the same. You see, Aisle Planner has been a part of LVL Academy (for every academy) since the very first one. So today, we thought we would take some time to reflect on this beautiful partnership, what we love about academy, and why we're proud to be a part of it.
Education is important
Regardless of where you are in your career, education is important. From building a strong foundation to making the effort to learn everything about what’s new, the need for education seems to be one of the few constants in an ever evolving market.
When you are just starting out, you don’t know what you don’t know. And yes, you could (and should) learn from trial and error or endlessly Googling things on the internet but when you are building a business in a service industry, there tends to be little room for error. You want even your very first client to walk away having had nothing short of a mind-blowing experience so, investing in your education from the start will set you up for long term success.
Fast forward a few years (and a couple dozen weddings) and you can plan a wedding with your eyes closed. What often happens though, is that things feel different and you might not be able to put your finger on exactly why. Truth is, you were so busy kicking ass that you didn’t really feel the changes in the market until you definitely knew something was up. In situations like this, and they are inevitable, it is important to continually sharpen your skills to keep yourself in kick-ass mode.
That’s one of the reasons we proudly sponsor LVL Academy – because it’s not a one size fits all workshop. Whether you are brand spanking new or just need to fine tune some skills, there is plenty of great information to be learned.
Finding Mentors Can Be Hard
There are a lot of people with experience but not everyone is an expert. And, when you are looking for a mentor to show you the ropes, challenge you, and push you out of the nest when it’s time to fly, you want to have full faith that your mentor actually knows what they are doing.
So, what makes a good mentor? In our opinion, a good mentor is someone with first hand experience doing whatever it is you want to learn and the resume to back it up. For the same reason we probably would all be nervous if we found out our surgeon had only performed a procedure once before, a mentor should have so much experience that wisdom just oozes out of them. (Ask Heather and Lindsay how many weddings they have under their belts and see if your jaw doesn’t hit the floor.)
But in addition to mentors having impressive resumes, they need to be great teachers as well. It is much easier to learn from people who have a documented process with demonstrated success but it is much more valuable when mentors look at the way they do things as fluid. Mentorship is a two-way street and an open minded mentor is one who is willing to admit and learn from their mistakes and pass along those lessons as well as listen to new ideas and debate them. Never pass up the opportunity to work with a mentor like this. And, whether or not you walk away from LVL Academy with a formal mentor, you’ll definitely walk away with access to some of the industry’s best.
LVL + AP
We can’t talk about the reasons we love LVL Academy without talking about the emotional reason. We have a soft spot for female founded and lead companies here at APHQ and are thrilled to have Team LVL as a part of our girl gang!
In an industry that is overwhelmingly female and an academy where 100% of the attendees have been women, we can’t help but get a little overwhelmed by the idea that we are playing a small part in a larger effort to empower female business owners. With people like Heather and Lindsay at the helm - people who actively want to share resources and not hoard them, people who are working to build a collaborative network of driven professionals – damn, we are excited to be involved!
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