Mama MOndays. 13 most loved apps and tools for productivity.

Hi there! Welcome back! Today’s Mama Monday’s is a fun one! After being in business over 7 years I’ve gotten to know the world of productivity apps and the things that help me stay streamlined and on task. This work from home mama needs to keep her straight and there’s a handful of apps that help me do just that and I thought I’d share them today!

1. Trello

Trello is amazing. I have been using it for YEARS. It’s great for home life and work-life equally. It’s the dream list maker and you can share them with employees and family. I use it for work for myself mostly, but on event week’s can send my employees event lists. It’s colorful and fun and easy to use. For home, I use it for house project lists and ideas that I can shoot over to Chris. It’s the ultimate organizer.

2.Canva

A must-have for social media. Makes me feel like a graphic designer and I’m the farthest thing from techy. So many options and customization offerings. I would be lost without this app.

3. Planoly

My favorite Instagram planning app.

4. Google Docs app

One of my most-used apps. I keep most things on Google docs for other vendors and clients so it’s super easy to pull up floor plans, timelines, and other event details straight from the app and easily share them.

5. Asana

Such a great tool for business. I love Asana for collaborations and projects with others. It allows everyone to know what tasks need to get done and gives a clear direction of an end goal.

6. Toggl

My favorite time-tracking app. This is what I use when I need to move quickly; from one task to another.

7. Evernote

Another great tool for organization. I love that it saves voice notes, images, notes, files, really whatever you want. Everything is stored on the cloud so you can access it from anywhere.

8.cozi

The best app for a working mom. Similarly to Trello, I can share the kid’s schedule with Chris easily, shopping lists. If Chris needs to work late one night, it’s in the Cozi app so I can keep on top of his schedule and it sends him a reminder to pick up Caroline from dance or appointments. He can also send me things to add to the grocery or Amazon list. It also sends me bill updates and reminders-like bring Valentine’s to preschool. This is like our family hub.

9. Grammarly

I love Grammarly so much! I’m literally writing this post with Grammarly. It is my spelling and grammar FBI agent fixing all my mistakes. it helps me sound more professional and keeps me from making dumb errors.

10. HootSuite

The ultimate social media organizer. All SM sites of yours in one spot. This tool has been around a while and takes a bit to figure out, but it is a game-changer when managing multiple platforms.

11. flodesk

This is what I use for email campaigns. LOVE.

12, Honeybook

It took me a while to make the switch to Honeybook, but after a few years of using it I don’t know why I ever waited. This is where all my contracts and invoices get sent from. I also love the collaboration feature which has been helpful for me in finding new clients. My brides love the ease of use and I love that you can change it to fit your brand.

13. zoom

This one is an obvious choice given the season of life we are in. This is our main way of having consultations right now and I have 0 complaints.

Thanks for reading!

Warmly,

Michelle

EVENT ASSISTANT POSITION

I am hopefully going to make this post short and sweet! So let's get right to the basics! 

I am on the search for a One Sweet Day in May team member! 2018 is booking up and I sat down the other day to plan out a few logistics. I have a few wonderful ladies that assist here and there on design and event days, but Chris has been my right-hand man on every wedding day since we started this business! Well, he is getting promoted to DAD here very soon and will not be able to be so hands on and will not be joining me (for the most part) on wedding days as he will stay home with baby Schmidt.

So after much thought, I have decided to bring on a permanent assistant!

Here are the details...

1. I am looking for someone to assist with designing (mostly Fridays) here in my home just outside Richmond, Virginia for a minimum of 5 hours. 

2. I would prefer that this person reside in the Richmond area for convenience purposes.

3. Assist on event days. We typically do 15 floral weddings, and 4 full planning and design weddings (though this is subject to change and you will always have at least 4 months notice)

a. With full-service floral weddings, there is a 3-5 hour window for setup.

b. With full planning, you will be needed for approximately 12 hours. 

4. Must be ok with using your vehicle on event days to transport florals and decor. 

5. Must be hardworking and be able to be on your feet for hours at a time.

6. Experience is not necessary, but an interest in the floral and/or wedding industry is a must. There will be set days to train on florals if needed. 

7. I am looking to bring someone on board no later than August 1st, 2017. 

8. This is a paid position and will be paid per event. Mileage will be paid also if applicable. Salary TBD.

If you are interested in this position, please email me at Michelle@onesweetdayinmay.com with a little about yourself! I will be interviewing in the near future! 

Images by Andrea Pesce

Thank you!

Michelle 

One Sweet Day in May is growing!

Earlier this Summer I realized things were growing with One Sweet Day in May much faster than I ever anticipated. Bride bookings were rolling in for this Fall and 2016 weddings as well as 2017 inquiries (what!) A wonderful feeling, yet at the same time terrifying. It's only me here. One girl trying to rule the floral world...well, that might be a bit of a stretch, but sometimes that's what it feels like. As much as I love OSDIM, my life outside of flowers and weddings is very important to me. I love my family so much and maybe it comes with the territory of owning your own business, but sometimes they take a back seat to all the emails, meetings, and weddings. Not always, but it's definitley been something that has happened more than I'd like to admit this year. It's been hard and as I was looking forward to the busiest season yet, what could I do to make things easier for myself and allow me my more time with Chris and friends?  Going into the busy season, I knew I couldn't do it all (as much as I want to be able to) 

My word of 2015 is build. It is meant for all aspects of my life. I wanted to build One Sweet Day in May into the little business that could, wanted to build my marriage in it's first year, and wanted to build our newish house into a home. All things that I can happily say, I've done. The house does still have a long list of projects, but I've come to accept that it always will. So back to earlier this Summer....

I had heard a lot about outsourcing from other business owners, but honestly thought I couldn't afford it. Hello! I'm in my first REAL year and who in their first year needs an assistant? The truth was though, I needed help. I knew One Sweet Day in May couldn't keep growing that way it was without a little help.  Brides are my #1 priority and because of that many other things weren't being kept up to date. So in July after some price restructuring and drawing up a business plan, I took the leap and announced I was looking for a part time assistant. Enter, Caroline! 

Now, first things first, I have to credit Anna of The Richmond Wedding Collective for this one. Anna sent Caroline my way for an interview and I'm so grateful! Thank you Anna! Secondly, (and this has nothing to do with me hiring her) I just love the name Caroline. Chris and I have always had the name Stella in mind if we have a girl someday, but I secretly believe we would actually name a daughter Caroline. It's my favorite. 

Caroline has officially been with me for 2 weeks and so far has made my life so much easier. Between keeping the website, blog, and Pinterest updated, and me picking her creative mind, she's made my busiest month to date so much easier. Caroline will be assisting on event days with setups and bouquet deliveries as well as attending venue walk throughs and bridal appointments. Yay! She wants to gain as much experience as possible and it's a great feeling knowing that you're not just using someone to help you, but you're also teaching and guiding someone to build their own dreams. It's probably my favorite thing about this new step in my business.

A little bit about Caroline, she is a Junior at The University of Richmond and is a super talented dancer with the UofR dance company. Hearing about her auditions and pieces she has parts in this year is so fun! Caroline has dreams of becoming a wedding planner one day and I just know she will make a wonderful one! The girl is going places! 

A huge thank you to my girl Natalie Jayne Photography for taking the time to snap some pretties!

Happiness overload friends! You'll be seeing way more of this pretty girl and a way more relaxed Michelle! Hooray! And when you're seeing the website and other OSDIM platforms looking all fancy and up to date, that'll be Caroline doing her thing behind the scenes. 

Have a good one friends! 

Love, 

Michelle