}
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The 10 Minute Fix to Avoid Losing Your Wedding Planning Business
Scenario: Your computer crashes, gets lost, or is stolen.
What would you do if your laptop (containing all planning files, business notes, financial records, contracts, design files, etc.) is stolen or your hard drive crashes? In an instant, hundreds of hours of work AND your planning business could be lost. You may have some copies on your phone, tablet, or in paper form, but you likely do not have a backup of everything if you use your computer hard drive as the main storage location.
Stressful, right? I cannot even imagine. Especially when you realize this could have been prevented in 10 minutes by signing up for an online cloud storage service.
Hopefully, this post will inspire you to get in gear TODAY and ensure all your client and business files are stored properly in an online location.
Cloud storage (often referred to as cloud-based storage) is the process of saving your computer’s data in the remote location of a cloud service provider. This is instead of storing everything on your computer’s hard disc, which is very risky. Cloud storage can be accessed anywhere there is internet service. Google Drive and Dropbox are two of the most well-known service providers and they offer both free and paid versions and a variety of storage size needs.
When you’re working with cloud storage, every single time you make changes to a file (such as updating a wedding day timeline or wedding budget to the latest version) it will be synced and updated across all of your devices (computer, phone, tablet, etc.) that you access from the cloud-based service you use.
Most cloud-based storage is incredibly user-friendly. You don’t need expert or technical knowledge to get started!
You don’t need to worry about backing up your data. If you have any hardware issues with your computer, you are still able to quickly access your business and client data on other devices.
Are you taking a working vacation? Don’t worry about dragging along that bulky hard drive! You can easily access client details from your hotel’s business center or your phone.
Wait, you’re worried about not having internet? Some cloud-based storage options even keep a copy of your data on your computer as a backup. This is so helpful when you need to access files without an internet connection. I love this feature of Dropbox (affiliate link).
As a planner, there are A LOT of files you’ll need to share with your couples and vendors. With cloud services, you can share data with your clients quickly, easily, and securely. It’s also easy to share data with anyone on your team. And having everything cloud-based means no contractors or employees will accidentally delete important files or information.
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of cloud platforms out there, so how should you go about picking the best one for your wedding planning business?
First, you need to understand what you’re using the cloud for. What will you store? How frequently do you need to access files? How much will you be storing? If you’re uploading a few client detail files versus keeping full client galleries from past weddings, you’ll need to choose a platform that offers scalability – meaning they’ll automatically warn you when you’re nearing your storage limit and you can purchase additional storage, if needed.
Second, don’t compromise on security. Data in the cloud is vulnerable to hacking attacks, so you’ll want a platform that is secure and uses end-to-end encryption. However, if what you’re storing is not sensitive info, you could get away with just SSL (Secure Sockets Layer, aka normal website security).
Finally, you’ll want to identify features that match your needs. Pay attention to uptime track records (is it a reliable platform?), integrations (how can you make backing up data work within your workflow?), and how each platform you’re considering handles syncing and restoration (many are automatic). If you constantly generate new files, you’ll want a continuous backup and you may want to overwrite old copies of the same files.
Cloud storage can truly save the day when it comes to protecting your files from any risks as well as enabling clients and team members to have better collaboration. The two cloud-based storage services we use and see other wedding businesses use most often are Dropbox (affiliate link) and Google Drive.
Get your business files backed up today!
Do you want to feel confident and professional as a wedding planner?
The Wedding Planner’s Toolbox is a complete set of business templates and tools for professional wedding planners. As a wedding planner, you have one chance and a huge responsibility to plan and coordinate the perfect wedding day for your clients. The Wedding Planner’s Toolbox gives you the tools to get things done correctly.
Timeline templates, consultation forms, questions to ask vendors, planning checklist, and much more!
A complete set of templates, checklists, and tools for professional wedding planners.
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