Andy welcomes Rachel Birthistle to The Wedding Biz. Rachel is the Owner and CEO of The Lake Como Wedding Planner based in Como, Italy. In addition to her own events, she has worked with people like Lisa Vorce on Chrissy Tegan and John Legend’s wedding and many others. She says she is predominantly a wedding planner in a destination rather than a destination wedding planner. Rachel’s father was in the fashion industry, and from a young age, she worked in his factory doing tasks like snipping thread and packing items. She found the place fascinating and knew that being in the fashion industry was where she wanted to be. She started making her own clothes in school even though her friends thought her fashion style was a little out there! Rachel discusses going to design college, finding a job with a large retailer in London, traveling all over the world, and her decision to stay home. She speaks about going back to college for sports therapy and starting a clinic in her home. Her life took twists and turns but eventually led her to a position with a wedding planner and, ultimately, her decision to start her own extremely successful business. Rachel strives to make each client’s wedding an event starting when they get off the plane for their first meeting with her. With an itinerary of possible venues in hand, she begins to analyze the client’s style, how they interact with each other, and begins the design process in her head. Creating a sequence of contrasting events for her clients is what she loves most. What is your dream? If it’s to start your own business, what are you waiting for? You will never know if you can do it until you take a leap of faith and try. Rachel is someone who did just that; she found areas that were lacking in the wedding planning industry in Lake Como, Italy, and set out to change it. This is a learning experience for anyone with a dream, so sit back and listen to this very insightful episode. This episode is sponsored by Zola, the fastest-growing wedding platform that connects today’s couples with the right planners and vendors. Zola gives wedding professionals more control, better exposure, and higher quality leads - all with competitive pricing and no annual commitment. Create your free listing at www.zola.com/andy. Have you heard about Stop and Smell the Roses with Preston Bailey on The Wedding Biz Network? 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!   Show Highlights: [00:00] - Today’s sponsor is Zola. [01:03] - This episode is a revisit of Andy’s original interview with Rachel Birthistle. [01:46] - Welcome to the show, Rachel! [02:11] - She has a view of Lake Como from her office and says it’s hard to beat. [02:59] - Rachel discusses her childhood and how she knew she was going to be in the fashion industry as a small child. [03:45] - She didn’t know what part of the industry, but the design side fascinated her. [04:21] - Did Rachel have a strong sense of what her style was? [04:41] - Rachel started making her clothes because she didn’t have a lot of pocket money. [05:40] - She went to school for design in London but didn’t finish because she left to have her daughter. [07:13] - If you are positive when looking for opportunities, you can be successful. [08:06] - Rachel started working for a retailer in London who focused on menswear and got to travel a lot. [09:18] - Rachel explains the twists and turns she took from fashion into planning. [11:00] - She got introduced to the wedding industry from a friend who needed help and