Our Pawning Planners clients barter for services by trading items in exchange for event coordination, wedding photography, wedding officiant services, estate Liquidations and more. These clients compromise 60% of my client base and often have no idea what the value of items taken in trade actually are.
My refurbishing skills come in handy when stripping, staining and upholstering items and, I’m very picky about the process. All items offered for sale at Visit Our Treasure Chest At Texas Twins Treasures! Are upholstered in exclusive silk loomed heavy upholstery weight fabrics because my background of selling high end furniture taught me that quality over quantity are very important to clients who purchase from me.
My specialty is antique furniture and when considering a trade, I often “test” the structure of the piece to ensure that the time and expense necessary are worth it in the long run.
From wedding ceremonies to funeral memorials and everything in between- we get done fairly unique requests for services and are looking forward to our very first 80’s themed backyard prom party along with a storage liquidation and upcoming weddings. When you love what you do it shows! Hundreds of happy clients later, Texas Twins Events and The Pawning Planners continue to give a window for families with very little money to enjoy a Life Event aka Dream Event.
A few weeks ago, we had our very first “Friendship Ceremony.” The clients often have some pretty unique requests and this event bonded three very good friends wiry commitments to always be there for one another.
Yesterday I met with a client who wanted to incorporate their child into the wedding ceremony in September. Creative input by the client often makes my job easier with handwritten vows or other “emotional elements.”
Children are always unpredictable and fun at weddings by bringing joy to the guests with their innocence and charm.
Although my client base is somewhat diverse- they all have one thing in common, the desire for a beautiful event with very little money.
Many other wedding and event planners contact me in order to ask “how it all works?” The answer is hard work and dedication along with occasionally being willing to work for free.
When clients have no money or no trade, I fund them myself with revenue from Pawning Planners Apparel and sales from Texas Twins Treasures.
In order to be successful at bartering for services, you have to be able to successfully generate a profit from the refurbished items. Knowing what it will take to “flip” an item or refurbish it is the very first thing anyone bartering must do. I actively research antiques and their value in order to know the approximate selling price by factoring in the amount of fabric along with the cost of reupholstering it.
Attending auctions to find new pieces to add to my Texas Twins Treasures inventory has taught me that a few of these bidders are really hardcore and willing to outbid you over and over. I’ve learned not to show any emotion when previewing an auction in order not to “tip off” other bidders.
Since September is a really busy month, I’ve decided to start my real estate classes in November so I can start 2017 off with a bang by adding real estate to our “brand.”
Everyday is a new adventure with my multigenerational Texas Twins Events/Pawning Planners Team and with Leigh Ann and our latest Little Pawner “Maddy” Blais being in California now, Leigh Ann is excited to collect photos of Maddy to add to our latest venture- Texas Twins Treasures greeting cards featuring our Little Pawners.
Maryssa and Makenna wanted to make twin cards since there are very few options and after recognizing Maddy has some pretty funny facial expressions, Leigh Ann jumped on board to get us some pretty funny photos for birthdays, Christmas, get well soon and thinking of you occasions. Little Pawners greeting cards will be available in September on my Texas Twins Treasures site to help fund Pawning Planners clients with no money or no trade.
Continuing to expand our brand in order to generate revenue takes creativity and hard work but, we are dedicated to “changing the wedding & events industry one barter at a time” in order to make events affordable for everyone…
Wendy M Wortham We Offer Low Cost/Budget Friendly Event Services & Photography- Texas Twins Events
Comments by Wendy Wortham