What Founding Business in Heels Taught Me About Community and Growth

Long before I owned a wedding school, I started a networking community for women in business called Business in Heels. It grew to around 50 branches across 9 countries, and I sold it at the end of 2014.

People sometimes assume that chapter has nothing to do with weddings. It has everything to do with weddings. Almost everything I believe about community, growth and leadership in the wedding industry, I learned building Business in Heels. Here are the lessons I still use every week.

1. People join for the content and stay for each other

When you start a community, you think it's about the speakers, the topics, the information. That's what gets someone through the door the first time. What brings them back is the person they met at the coffee station, the woman who introduced them to their accountant, the friend who understood exactly what it's like to run a business on your own.

Wedding businesses are the same. Couples might find you because of your Instagram, but suppliers recommend you because they like working with you. Your referral network is a community, whether you've thought of it that way or not. Treat it like one: show up, introduce people, celebrate other people's wins, and make it easy to work with you.

2. Growth needs a model, not just energy

Growing from one event to dozens of branches in several countries didn't happen because I worked harder. It happened because the format became repeatable. There had to be a clear way of running things, so that local leaders could deliver a consistent experience without me in the room.

I used exactly the same principle later when I grew a wedding planning business to a team of 18 planners. If the business only works when you personally do everything, it's not a business that can grow. It's a job with your name on it.

Ask yourself:

• Could someone else run your enquiry process using only what's written down?
• Could a new team member set up a wedding the way you would, using a checklist?
• Do you know which parts of your work are genuinely "only you", and which are just habit?

If the answer to the first two is no, start there. That's usually the first job we tackle in coaching.

3. Local leaders make or break a network

A big network is really a lot of small rooms. Each one lives or dies on the person running it. The best local leaders weren't always the most experienced in business. They were the ones who made people feel welcome, kept their promises, and followed up.

For wedding business owners building a team, this is gold. When you hire, the technical skills can be taught. You can teach someone to build a run sheet or condition flowers. It's much harder to teach someone to care about the couple in front of them. Hire for character and train for skill.

A big network is really a lot of small rooms, and each room lives or dies on the person holding it together.

4. Women in business need permission to talk about money

Some of the most important conversations at Business in Heels weren't on the program. They happened afterwards, when someone quietly admitted she'd been undercharging for years, or didn't know how to ask for a payment that was overdue.

The wedding industry is full of women running businesses, and I hear the same conversations now. Talented planners, stylists and florists feel awkward about pricing because the work is personal and emotional. They worry about seeming greedy. I want to say this as clearly as I can: charging properly is what lets you keep doing the work you love. It's not greed, it's sustainability.

It's one of the main themes in my talks, and something I come back to in booked out and still broke.

5. Know when to let go

Selling Business in Heels at the end of 2014 was a big decision. Founders often hang on too long, because the business is part of their identity. But knowing when a business needs a new owner, or when you need a new challenge, is a leadership skill in itself.

It's also why I understand the other side of the deal. In 2022 I bought The Wedding Academy, which was founded in 2004 by Kylie Carlson and has trained more than 11,000 students online. Buying an established business teaches you respect for what's been built, and responsibility for what comes next. I write more about that in why I bought The Wedding Academy.

How these lessons show up on stage

When I speak to wedding associations, conferences and venue groups, Business in Heels is never far away. The stories are different now, but the themes are the same:

1. Community as a growth strategy: how suppliers, venues and planners can grow together instead of competing for scraps.
2. Building something that runs without you: systems, leaders and repeatable formats.
3. Money confidence: pricing, asking and being paid properly.
4. Leadership in creative industries: leading people who care deeply about their work.

I love rooms full of wedding professionals because they remind me of those early networking nights. Ambitious people, a bit tired, very talented, and hungry for honest conversation. If that sounds like your members, have a look at my speaking page or read about how I approach leadership.

And if you want the practical business side in writing, The Wedding Business & Marketing Handbook is part of my eight-book Wedding Handbook series.

Three questions to take away

• Who are the five suppliers you most enjoy working with? Invite one of them for coffee this month, with no agenda except helping each other.
• What part of your business could run without you if it were written down? Write it down this week.
• What money conversation are you avoiding? A price rise, an overdue invoice, a team wage. Put a date on it.

Book Jac to speak at your event

FAQs

What was Business in Heels?

Business in Heels was a networking community for women in business founded by Jac Bowie. It grew to around 50 branches across 9 countries before she sold it at the end of 2014.

How can wedding businesses use community to grow?

Build genuine relationships with other suppliers and venues, refer generously, show up consistently and make it easy to work with you. Referral networks are one of the most reliable sources of quality enquiries in weddings.

How do I make my wedding business less dependent on me?

Write down your processes, create checklists and templates, and train others to deliver them. Start with your enquiry process and wedding-day set-up, then hire for character and train for skill.

Does Jac Bowie speak about women in business and leadership?

Yes. Jac speaks to wedding conferences, associations and venue groups on leadership, community, pricing confidence and growing a wedding business, drawing on Business in Heels and her years in the wedding industry.