Book Review: The Gold Standard by Colin Cowie

This one is for our fellow industry friends. Are you trying to figure out how to get your planning, floral or photography business to stand out amongst the rest? Our Founder and Creative Director, Becca Atchison recently finished Colin Cowie’s The Gold Standard: Giving Your Customers What They Didn't Know They Wanted, and shared  rave reviews with our team for its help in answering the question, “How do we stand out in the crowd when we’re in a very crowded space?”

Colin Cowie is considered a renowned expert in the hospitality industry. He’s been  producing, designing and creating luxurious events for clients of notoriety for decades. In his most recent book, he shares his advice, tips and tricks for making your business distinct amongst competitors. After devouring this on our most recent flight to Miami to visit the team at Nuage Designs, Inc., Becca decided to share her biggest takeaways from The Gold Standard: 

Be Agile  

Over the past three years, most people have learned (or been forced to learn) how to adapt and in this industry, Cowie says it’s the key to success. The Gold Standard discusses how powerful the ability to quickly pivot is while being able to simultaneously remain compassionate, empathetic and agile. While this is a skill that is hard to master, it’s one that will separate you from the rest. In recent years, we’ve come up against a lot of tests; road closures, missing shipments, delayed printing services, but we’ve kept calm and pivoted in every situation without our clients ever noticing. Even in the beautiful chaos, it’s our goal as your event designers and planners to make sure everything appears both effortless and flawless.

Develop a Deep Connection

One of the biggest ideas that Cowie shares in his book is that of emotionally connecting with clients and their families. He explains how important it is to really connect with your client, making them feel special, seen and known at all times. Reigniting, sustaining and maintaining these emotional connections by simply showing up or sending a small card for an anniversary, birthday or other celebratory milestone, goes a long way. This is a true cornerstone of our business. As you’ve heard by now, no two celebrations of ours are the same. Whether virtually or across the table in-person, we take the time to get to know our clients over a shared meal or design meeting, because we know how intrinsic our ability to connect with a client’s truest desires is to their day. It’s with great pride, we know you’ll remember your experience working with us, forever.

Have Keen Attention to Detail and Elegance 

This is a two in one because it is that important. To be successful in the hospitality industry, you must have an eye for details and logistics while having the  ability to maintain elegance in all that you do. As planners, we notice and pay attention to the little things, and other people do too. Elegance, as simple as it may sound, has the ability to elevate any, and every style. Adding elegance and scrutiny of the details, ensures a hospitality business will stand the test of time. 

For those fellow wedding pros, we highly recommend reading Cowie’s The Gold Standard to reinvigorate your passion and continue to hone your craft. If you’re ready to take further steps in your business, check out our sister brand, RRE Method for coaching opportunities, online courses and other continuing education experiences with our team. 

If you happen to be a potential client, we’d love to gain the opportunity to meet with you, and share more about our approach and how we tie many of the nuances discussed above into our unique approach to wedding planning, design, and production. Get in touch!