Andy hopes that you will join him in this episode as he chats with Tim Chi, the CEO of The Knot Worldwide which provides leading wedding marketplaces personalized wedding websites, planning tools, and registry services with its brands in multiple countries across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The Knot Worldwide also includes lifestyle brands and this is actually Tim's second time joining Andy on the podcast, previously having been on episode 147 which Andy highly recommends that you go back and give a listen. Andy and Tim talk about the COVID-19 pandemic and how it impacted Tim both personally and professionally (as well as the wedding planning industry in general). Tim shares that he deeply misses in-person human connection and what negative consequences have come out of that being removed from the equation, such as many professional relationships becoming more transactional rather than personable. From that, he explains the importance of relationships maintaining cordiality and how he goes about doing that. The pandemic and shutdown has been a very challenging period of adjustment not only for couples who had been planning large weddings for 2020 and into 2021 but also for wedding planning professionals like Tim and his team. Morale was down for a lot of people (humanity in general, in fact), and Tim describes how, as a leader, he worked to boost morale and keep it up, emphasizing the importance of staying in regular communication and holding on to the reminder that the struggle was temporary – that weddings would eventually pick back up again. He also stresses the importance of practicing empathy and giving others grace, patience, and understanding. Andy had such a blast talking to Tim again and strongly encourages you to, once again, go back and listen to the first episode in which Tim was featured as it was a wonderful and insightful conversation about Tim's background. Be sure to check out Tim and The Knot Worldwide online, and also be sure, if you aren't already subscribed, to subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss an episode! Have you heard about the brand new show on The Wedding Biz Network, Stop and Smell the Roses with Preston Bailey? Listen as Preston shares the secrets, tools, and technologies behind his extraordinary ability to create a theatrical environment out of any space. Also, don't forget about Sean Low's podcast The Business of Being Creative, where Sean discusses the power of being niched, pricing strategies, metrics of success, and so much more. You can find both shows on The Wedding Biz Network.   SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ Become a patron and support Andy and the show! If you are so inspired, contribute!   Time Stamps [0:34] – Returning guest Tim Chi, C.E.O. of The Knot Worldwide is revealed to be this episode's guest. [1:50] – Tim reflects back on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected him personally. [2:46] – Tim shares what the plans are for reopening his doors in the near future. [3:59] – Tim provides general reflections on how the pandemic has impacted his industry. [5:30] – We learn how Tim has run a global company during a pandemic. [7:56] – Andy and Tim discuss company culture and how Tim kept morale up during the shutdown. [10:30] – Tim and Andy talk about how Tim maintained effective leadership during the shutdown and how important holding onto cordiality is. [13:25] – Tim discusses what he is seeing as far as weddings in the near future are concerned. [15:50] – We learn what The Knot Worldwide has planned for the future. [17:06] – Andy shares where online we can find Tim and The Knot Worldwide.   RESOURCES The Wedding Biz Podcast - Episode 147: TIM CHI, CEO, The Knot Worldwide: Combining Technology and Trends to Innovate the Wedding Industry   Find Tim: The Knot Worldwide - WebsiteThe Knot RegistryThe Knot Worldwide - LinkedIn ProfileThe Knot Worldwide - Instagram Page The Knot Worldwide - Twitter Page   On Clubhouse, follow Andy @andykushner and join his club