Dubai, UAE: Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of the BNI (a business networking organisation), calls it the Wedding Mafia. I call it Power Team. It’s the same concept when you want to do business in a more effective way – the referral marketing way.

So what is ‘Wedding Mafia?’ If you are a creative entrepreneur, whether a handcrafting individual or a creative arts SME,  you will definitely have in your network system people who can regularly give you business and you can also give them business back, in a symbiotic way.  In the ‘wedding mafia,’ the typical people in a contact sphere is the caterer, the florist, the photographer, and the travel agent.  Their target market is the same, i.e. weddings. So, if the photographer is contacted for the wedding, he is bound to give the florist and the travel agent the business as well. It’s a matter of symbiosis in an effective way that business goes around and comes around. Note, it is usually one person from each industry (i.e. one photographer, one florist and one travel agent). That means no competition.

 

Lovely patterns and textures of the Tareen sisters clothes line. Photo © Preethi Janice D'Sa

 

The cute baby clothesline from Rare Editons. Photo © Preethi Janice D'Sa

In the sales and the corporate business world, it would be called power teams. One example of such a power team, or a possible power team was when a group of us handcrafters and creatives decided to showcase our work at a cozy party.

 

Janys De Jewelry Line. Photos © Preethi Janice D'Sa

There was one fashion line by the Tareen sisters (fab couture Pakistani designer clothes and summer wear), one baby clothes designer line (Rare editions), one jewelry line (i.e. me and Janys De!), one handmade organic cosmetics line (Shirley Conlon’s website is under construction, but her beauty facebook page is up and running), and one organic fragrant candles line (La Vela Candles by Lakshmi Sukumaran).

 

The lovely Shirley Conlon with her organically prepared cosmetics line. Photos © Preethi Janice D'Sa

A close-up of Shirley Conlon Organic Cosmetics. Photos © Preethi Janice D'Sa

The target market was well chosen, and as I have a specific clientele that I sell to, I said yes. The experience was great as it was in an informal, cozy setting with the potential customers enjoying some home crafted food delights, while mingling (and buying!).

 

I opted for the Sandalwood/Vanilla essence from the deliciously smelling (and eco-friendly) La Vela candles. Photo © Preethi Janice D'Sa

Home made cookies and dessert, close to my display table. Photo © Preethi Janice D'Sa

 

I learnt this lesson the hard way. When I started to create jewelry, I wanted to make jewelry for everyone and in all styles, trends and techniques possible. After the Certified Network Program by the Referral Institute Middle East (thanks Phil Bedford!), I immediately decided to carve my own niche and then link with fellow crafters and artistes who complement me in my services.

So have you identified who your clientele is? Who is your niche market? Do you really enjoy working in that niche market (If not, change it because you really got to be passionate about what you are doing. When the going gets tough, only passion will save you and keep you going. Your friends won’t). Once you have done that, are there fellow artistes who complement what you do, so that you can create a cozy creative hub and come up with venue ideas to showcase your work?

I’d love to hear from you creatives and where you are at, in developing your own ‘wedding mafia.’

And here questions of type such if honestly strike me not much as I wrote everything higher. It is visible you simply you don’t want to read all this. As my parrot does.