Women to Watch: Megan Gillikin, Educator and Coach for Wedding Planners

Fun Fact: I found Megan Gillikin back during my days as a wedding planner. I used to listen to her podcast every week. (Wedding planners: Here’s your sign to subscribe to Weddings for Real.)

One thing led to another… and the internet wove its giant spiderweb of connections, and our paths briefly crossed again. And after I caught up with Tayler and she mentioned Megan’s name…I knew I needed to reach out to Megan about the Women to Watch series.

Megan owns The Planner’s Vault and hosts the Weddings for Real podcast.

And with so many of my readers and followers being centered in the wedding industry, I knew you’d want to get to know Megan… if you don’t already. She’s a vault of knowledge (no pun intended).

So without further adieu… meet Megan Gillikin.

When did you start your business and why?

I was a wedding planner from 2010-2022 and sold my planning business in 2022 to go all in on education and coaching.  I’ve been in the education space as a Coach/Educator/Podcaster from 2018 to now but it became my full-time focus in 2022.

I fell in love with helping and mentoring small business owners one-on-one on the side as a planner and then started a podcast in 2018 that led to a more national presence of speaking and coaching inquiries. I then found my niche in helping wedding pros in the messy middle stage of business ownership.

What do you feel makes your audience special?

They have the drive and initiative to do the work and find their path despite all the things that may be hurdles they have to overcome (imposter syndrome, financial setbacks, busy lives, etc)

Why do you use Squarespace for your website?

Ease of use and updating!

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about starting their own business?

Know that you’ll never have it all figured out, so don’t wait for that moment to start and don’t let other people’s opinions who don’t matter slow you down.

If you could go back in time and do something differently, what would you do and why?

I wish I had embraced and owned my knowledge sooner and been less worried about what people would think or fear of failure.  My biggest hurdle I constantly have to overcome is myself and my tendency to play it small out of fear of judgment. I’ve been learning to quiet my inner critic for years now but the work never stops.

How long did it take you to launch your business once you decided to do it?

Once I decide I really want to do something, I like to move quickly (I blame my ADHD and the Enneagram 3 combo).  I decided to start a membership for planners (The Planner’s Vault) in the fall of 2019 and launched it in February 2020. 

How did you promote your website when you first started out? Has anything changed between now and then? 

I did a live launch first to open the doors to my membership.  Since then, yes, I have updated it and refreshed the brand, messaging, logo, and copy in summer 2022 to grow along with the business growth. I’ve also added a template shop and other ways to work with me outside the membership which has been fun growth!

Did you start your email list when you launched? What is the most effective way you have grown your email list?

Yes! Live launching my membership and giving helpful coaching (live) and valuable freebies away for free to gain interest – that and the podcast!

What would be your entrance song? You know—the one playing as you walk on stage?

“Ready for it” by T Swift.  I actually made this happen at WeddingMBA this past year and felt like a total badass! 🙂

What does a typical day in the life look like for you?

Wake up around 6:30am, few sips of coffee followed by a 30 min walk, 

7:30-9am: Mom-mode of breakfast and getting my girls out the door for school, 

9am-4pm: workday where I am  normally doing coaching calls, podcast recordings, team meetings, or creating content for my membership.  

4pm-8pm: I am in mom-mode from followed by  some evenings where I work a few hours to wrap up projects or items on my to do list that I need to check off!

11ish:  Bed!

How do you keep track of what you have to do?

Daily brain dumps (separated into personal and professional lists) and then time blocking the most important tasks that I’ve highlighted from that list each day around my appointments.

What are you currently reading, or what do you recommend?

Time Magic, Unwinding Anxiety, and Unreasonable Hospitality are 3 of my favs this year!