Courtney Wolf: How Your Self-Worth Impacts Your Finances

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Making financial decisions in your business doesn’t need to be stressful. I know that’s easy for me to say with my background in finance…but today’s guest has a fresh perspective on money that I think you’re going to really resonate with!

Courtney Wolf is the Principal Planner at Invision Events, a full-service design and planning firm specializing in weddings, corporate gatherings, and destination events. Based in the southeast and named one of BRIDES Best Planners in America, they curate award-winning events from coast to coast.

In this interview, Courtney shares her unusual path to entrepreneurship, how she was able to double her take-home pay (after becoming a mother and taking maternity leave!), and how your self-worth affects your finances.

If you feel like you’re making financial decisions from a place of fear, or you’re afraid to raise your prices, hit play on this episode!

From Corporate Sales to Planning Weddings

In 2012, Courtney was working in corporate sales for Fortune 500 companies. It was through planning her own wedding that she discovered her love of project management. A one-off conversation with her photographer led her to the owner of Invision Events, Julie Bunkly.

Julie was looking to hire help in her business, so Courtney sent her an email. “We met up at a Panera, sat and talked for about three hours, and the rest is history.”

Courtney’s strategy and logistics balanced Julie’s visionary personality perfectly. “Put us together and we’re unstoppable.”

The Power of Partnership

In 2017, after a long few years learning the ropes at Invision while working her corporate job, Courtney took the plunge to full-time. She and Julie joined forces and decided to split revenue and expenses equally.

By 2018, they’d booked their first 7-figure event – followed by their first 6-figure client fee the following year.

Know Your Numbers

Having a clear cash flow system helped Courtney feel comfortable leaving the stability of the corporate world. Knowing exactly how much they had coming in and going out every month made it easier to make decisions, identify patterns, and plan ahead.

This is why it’s so important to track your numbers! Not only to make better business decisions but to give you peace of mind. If you need help, check out The Blueprint Model!

Money and Self-Worth

“I find that our relationship with money, specifically as women, is a direct reflection of our relationship with ourselves,” Courtney says – and I couldn’t agree more.

Your sense of self-worth inevitably extends to your relationship with money. I see this all the time with my students, especially around pricing. Just know that if you struggle with finances, you can change your relationship with money!

“Anything is possible but it starts on the inside,” Courtney says. We often make money more emotional than it is. But money comes and goes. It’s a renewable resource – and the less attached you are to money, the more of it tends to appear.

Make Decisions Based on Hope, Not Fear

Courtney shares the story of how stressed she was before taking her first maternity leave. She’d automatically assumed that because she was taking 6 months off, that would negatively impact her finances.

A call with her coach helped shift her thinking: “What if you become a mom and you actually make more money and have more time freedom? Who says that because you’re becoming a mom, your business has to go downhill?”

Courtney’s maternity leave in 2021 turned into her best year yet (with over $200,000 in take-home pay). In 2022, she surpassed $400,000…so I think it’s safe to say becoming a mother has only helped her business grow!

You can read more about how I planned my own paid maternity leave here!

Adding a Second Revenue Stream

What was behind that massive growth in 2021-2022? During the pandemic, Courtney co-founded an online membership community (Educate, Empower, Encourage) to help other wedding industry entrepreneurs break into the luxury market.

Her growth strategy for that second business was to get proof of concept first, then refine the offer and pricing. When demand holds steady, then you can increase your prices.

Courtney and her co-founders set a goal to enroll 100 members in the first year – but they reached that number in the first week! The community has continued to grow ever since.

You Know Your Business Best

One of the biggest lessons Courtney has learned in business is to trust her intuition. “No one will ever know the intricacies of my business, my money, my audience, my growth, or my needs better than myself.”

Outsourcing is valuable, but you know your clients best. An outside consultant doesn’t have the same heart for your work as you do. In both businesses, Courtney has been burned before, but she treats herself and others with grace.

“I try to be a gentle observer of life. I look at it without shame or guilt or pressure and ask, ‘What went down here? How can we continue to go down this road but not repeat this?’”

You Make the Rules

As a mom running multiple businesses, Courtney says it’s important to remember that, “You make the rules for your family and your business.”

The first step is to know what you want, even if that looks different from the people around you. “Get clear on what you want, believe that you’re worth it, and then take action to design your support system.”

Courtney always takes care to fill her cup first. “That took a long time to come to grips with. But when I’m 100% me, then I can show up as the coach, planner, wife, momma, friend, and daughter that’s required of me.”

The Best is Yet to Come

The best advice Courtney has ever received came from her high school teacher who told her, “The best is yet to come.” She didn’t fully understand it then, but she does now.

Her career in corporate sales was successful from the outside. But as an entrepreneur, she has time and financial freedom she never dreamed of – and the best is still to come. “Just when things get really good, they get better.”

More from this Episode

To hear the full story and more about Courtney, press play on the player above for the full interview or click here to download the transcript.

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Courtney Wolf

Courtney Wolf, Invision Events’ principal planner and a founder of Educate | Empower | Encourage is a business and life coach wrapped up in a wedding planner’s body. She’s been dubbed a “personal trainer for your small biz” and a “small business therapist.” Her background includes a degree in Marketing as well as her MBA and with this lens she views our industry objectively and runs all things operational and client facing for Invision. Consider her your personal cheerleader and someone who will transform you into part of the “get it done” crew. Twice named by BRIDES as a Best Wedding Planner in America, Courtney serves high end couples from coast to coast.

Courtney believes when you change your business, you change your life. She uses her natural gifts and talents along with her formal business education, training, background and experiences to help creative small business owners operate sustainable and long term thriving businesses and brands while enabling them to step into the fullest version of themselves. An activator and expander and she will motivate you in ways you never knew possible and dreams bigger for you than you’re able to on your own. The momentum and clarity you will gain working with her in any capacity will blow your mind and rock your world. Simply put, she’s a results-oriented influencer. She resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Greg and two year old son, William. Most days you can find her hitting up an Orangetheory class, squeezing in a Perspire sauna session and then getting a good blowout with a Starbucks Venti Iced Chai (light ice!) in hand.

CONNECT WITH COURTNEY:

Website | Instagram

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