Today's guest is Alexa Kritis, owner of Alexa Kritis Events in Tampa, Florida.    Born and raised in New York, Alexa found her passion for weddings at a very early age, already working in the wedding industry in high school. After earning her degree in management and event planning from Lim College in New York City, she accepted a position as a wedding coordinator at a luxury hotel which required that she make the big and exciting move from the Big Apple to the Sunshine State. With vast experience gained from being on the venue and catering side of events, she felt confident she could plan and design events on her own. So Alexa Kritis Events was born. Early on in her business, Alexa dove into education and in learning everything she could. We met when she attended Planner Life Academy back in 2014. She joined us again a couple years later.   Alexa has always been a great part of the Planner Life community and an incredible supporter of Academy. So fun to have her on the podcast today. Something unique and definitely something we dive into in this episode is how Alexa created a freelancing brand to support large scale weddings and luxury wedding planners around the world.   It was through that experience she gained the insight, expertise, and importantly, the confidence to continue to build her own business. Alexa Kritis Events has been featured in Brides, Modern Luxury Weddings, 100 Layer Cake, Carats & Cake, and more.    In this episode we talk about:   - Discussing the journey and hustle in the wedding planning industry - Alexa’s Freelancing Experiences - The Importance of Hustle and Hard Work - Importance of continuous effort and visibility - Networking and proactive outreach as crucial elements - Leveraging successful collaborations for credibility - Overcoming skepticism and proving credibility through quality work - Learning and Growing Through Freelancing  - Working with different teams and adapting to new environments - Combining freelancing experience with personal business growth - Importance of charging appropriately for services - Ensuring comprehensive staffing to maintain event quality - Collaboration and Support in the Industry - Building a strong network for event support - Planning financially for additional staffing needs - Educational and Networking Events - Importance of setting goals for attending events like Engage - Importance of kindness and respect in professional relationships - Learning from various stages of business growth - Using events for networking and building trust - Importance of strategic planning and continuous effort   Tune in to hear Alexa Kritis share her journey from New York to Florida, her insights into the wedding planning industry, and practical advice for aspiring event planners.   Connect with Alexa Website | Instagram   This episode is supported by Planner Life Academy. In case you didn't know, we created Planner Life Academy for planners to have the education, tools, and resources we wish that we had when we got started. For me, I love sharing all the tips, tools, and insight into all the little ways you can provide an amazing experience for your couple, their family, and friends. I think one of the best places to really make sure you're making a great first impression is at the rehearsal. For so many planners, the ceremony rehearsal is something that is stressful and annoying, but I love it. And I think with the right script, you'll enjoy it too. So I created a free rehearsal audio recording where I walk you through exactly how I run a ceremony rehearsal. So you can have my tried and true process to create your own rehearsal script, allowing you to start every wedding with confidence and making a great impression.  FREE REHEARSAL RECORDING LINK