Meet Hannah Guest | Owner & Lead Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah Guest and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
In moderation, risk can push you out of your “safety zone”, but there is a fine line of accepting some risk and taking on too much. Not going to lie, I struggle with that line in my business all the time. So far though, every time I’ve leaped, it’s made PIVOTAL moments in my business that I will never take for granted. With any business owner, a certain level of risk is taken on with each client, with each employee, with each recommendation of another business and so on. At some point you get used to these mundane-level risks, but the bigger ones are where the true danger or success lies, whichever way you look at it, you know how the saying goes “half full” or “half empty”. For example, last year I took the leap in a lease for a storefront. I was already paying so much in storage for all of my items and well, doing florals in your home isn’t quite conducive to a marriage. The studio that I FINALLY came across after months and months of looking was up for lease and I just knew it was perfect for the business, so I signed the dotted line and the rest was history (oh I sure wish it went that way). Instead, the next month, my business was short on cash because of all the new storefront advertising, licensing, insurance, certifications and fire extinguishers that I didn’t budget for on top of our usual spending for the business. Luckily, I was able to scrape up enough money for that rent check by selling some inventory off, but I was so guilty that I assumed too much risk too early on in my business. So, I collected my thoughts and hit the ground running on finding clients and growing my business. One month later, we hit record bookings and then the rest was truly history. Now that over a year has past, we’ve expanded our facility more and it’s been so exciting to witness the growth we’ve had since that turbulent-filled decision, that ultimately paid off in the end!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
So much about the wedding planning process is art, especially when it comes to the floral, decor and overall design. Weddings allow for so much creativity, but also so much personal and sentimental touches that must be carefully weaved throughout the event. From the very start of my wedding designing career, I had so much to learn so it was very dictated by what the client wanted (a.k.a Pinterest), but now that my portfolio is where it is today, more and more of our clients are passing the baton off to me to make critical design choices for their big day. It’s truly an honor to get to design for my clients and honestly, I feel like I get more giddy and excited than they do when it comes to their wedding vision.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Because it’s Fall, it would definitely start in Athens, GA for a UGA Football game, from there, it would be Cali N Tito’s for dinner (a cuban restaurant), then head towards north of Atlanta for apple picking at a U-pick farm, then indulge in some wineries either at Chateau Elan or Frogtown. Then, it would be head to the city to see the night skyline and ride the ferris wheel. You cannot go wrong in Georgia – seriously SO much entertainment, food and just good, Southern Hospitality!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout has to go to Claire of Claire Diana Photography. Early on in my business, I used one of her studios to meet with clients and also host events. During these moments, we chatted more about us, our lives and our businesses and she told me about when she first found a studio for her business. She mentioned that once she took the leap of signing the dotted line on a brick and mortar that so many more clients not only booked with her, but trusted her. This stuck with me and when I was looking for a storefront. I kept thinking “I don’t need to spend that money”, but multiple times I kept going back to Claire’s words and thinking, she may be on to something! Side note – Claire is going to be totally shocked that she made such a big influence in the decision, but seriously, it was like I had a mini Claire on my shoulder softly whispering in my ear “do it!” Sometimes you need that outside voice to also help you take on risks.

Website: www.yourbestguest.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/yourbestguest
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28993472/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/yourbestguest
Other: www.pinterest.com/yourbestguest/

Image Credits
Audrey Grace Photo Aurora Photography Nicole Flores Photography Brianna Marie Photography Heather Moss Photography