The Truth? I Never Had a Business Plan
When I launched Alice Heydon Events, there was no formal business plan. No Gantt chart, no 10-year forecast, no fancy pitch deck.
There was just an idea — that I could build a business rooted in creativity, service, and connection. A business that combined my decades of experience in hospitality and events with my love for storytelling and design.
I didn’t sit down to map it out. I just started.
Because the truth is, not only did I not want to waste time writing one, or really know how to write one, I actually didn’t want a plan that would box me in. I wanted momentum.
Plans Don’t Build Businesses — People Do
Over the years, I’ve learned that the best plans (whether that’s business or life lessons) are written through lived experience. And learning from your mistakes. Of which there are normally many! You can’t predict the clients who will change your direction, the collaborations that will spark your next evolution, or the opportunities that appear when you’re not looking. And you definitely can’t predict the changing economies, trends or cost of living crisis ebbs and flows.
A spreadsheet could never have predicted the quiet confidence that builds after nearly 7 years of seeing what works and what doesn’t in the events world.
My so-called “strategy” was showing up — every day — and doing the work. Saying yes when it felt right. Saying no when it didn’t. Learning to trust my gut, even when it made no logical sense on paper.
Adaptability Is the Real Strategy
Running a creative business isn’t about following a fixed roadmap — it’s about being nimble. When the industry shifts, or the trends change (and they always do), I don’t need to rewrite a business plan. I just pivot. Try new things, see what’ll work, go back to old things that worked in the past.
That flexibility has allowed Alice Heydon Events to evolve through intuition and alignment with my core values of dependability, gratitude, respect, empathy, joy, kindness and loyalty.
Look: A throwback to Alice Heydon Events’ first styled shoot
MOODY ROMANTICISM: When your vintage venue screams for black roses, pink chairs & gold accents.
Follow alice’s wedding planning journey → @aliceheydonevents
Experience > Excel
My corporate background gives me structure and discipline, and a deeper knowledge of process and procedure (though I may not implement in my business all the time!) My hospitality background and my life experiences of travel, uprooting my life to another country and now motherhood has taught me something far more valuable: how to read people, anticipate needs, troubleshoot the unknown and create calm out of chaos.
Those are business skills too. They just don’t fit neatly into a document.
Building With Heart
I still don’t have a business plan. What I have instead is vision — and a deep belief in my work, my clients, and the creative process that unfolds between us. But also me. I have a deep belief in me. That I can do it and that I won’t stop until I do.
Every year, I look at where I’ve been, what feels aligned, and where I want to go next. That’s my version of planning.
So no, there’s no 20-page plan sitting in a folder somewhere. Just a clear purpose:
