What is Tammy’s Table and should I be getting in on all of that?
We all have our own reasons for being part of Tammy’s Table. For me, it’s more about the connection than all the other benefits.
I’ve always been self employed in a way. I’ve been employed too, many places in many industries and positions. But I’m also been self employed the whole time as well. And it’s just different. People who have always worked for someone else, they think differently. They see the world differently. And I’m surrounded by employed friends. My parents were always self-employed, but that was before websites, social media and branding guides existed.
Having a group of business buddies helps me feel like I’m part of something that makes sense. A bit less weird, and a bit more like other people. And I have made some amazing business buddies. I can send them reels in the middle of the day or complain about my life and they will reply because they can.
And I do see it as a networking opportunity, I’m seeing connections with all the members and trying to work out if I can help them or they can help me. But it’s not like “THOSE NETWORKING” groups. You know the ones where they only have one of each industry and there is forced referrals. Nope. In fact I am often on a table with other graphic designers and other web designers and we just chat, compare the ups and downs and learn from each other.
Back in the day when I was a wedding florist, there were a lot of business networking groups that specialised in wedding businesses. There was so much stigma attached to wedding businesses – there still very much is! “You say wedding and they double the cost” and “wedding tax” get thrown around like wedding vendors are all driving around in Maserati’s, bathing in $100 notes and just enjoying stealing money from bride and grooms. And I can explain this to business buddies, they get it. Because they know the math involved in running a business.
Truth is, you say the word wedding and the risk goes up tenfold. Insurance costs more. Mistakes have greater consequences. Weddings are considered the best day of someone’s life. The emotions are heightened. Timelines are tight. It’s a lot. Doing flowers for a Wedding IS NOT THE SAME as for a birthday party.
But for my customers, my employed customers who don’t need to work out the costs of business, they did not get it. All they see if someone trying to “rip them off because it’s for a wedding” without seeing all the extra steps involved. And working in that industry it was hard. Constantly having people treat you like you were ripping them off starts to eat at your soul.
I worked a wedding with a fever of 39 degrees. I had spent the night throwing up. I had a hand towel which was soaked in iced water around my neck, which I kept wetting so frequently that my dress was drenched. It was the only thing keeping me cool enough to keep working. I had a bucket and a bunch of sick bags in my front seat that I had to time right with travel and setup. I worked 58 hours in 4 days, and upon leaving I drove myself straight to hospital because medication and iced water could not budge that fever.
If it was a birthday party, I could have called a florist and potentially found someone to drop off some table arrangements. I could have called the Birthday Girl and apologised for being deathly ill and refund all her money. She’d be annoyed 100% but it wouldn’t be “the worst thing to happen to her for all time” as it would have been if it was her wedding day instead. The opportunities to fix things are different and the consequences were insanely different.
* Those beautiful photos, I barely remember doing it I was so unwell!!!
My wedding florist business died out shortly after Covid. I wasn’t part of Tammy’s Table during that business. There were other networking and support groups that I was in, and they helped, but it would have been a different story if I was in Tammy’s Table at the time. I’m pretty sure Tammy would have organised an intervention with the whole Boost Modbury team, they would have made me see that I should close up shop and sell crocheted genitals instead. Well crocheted something, but I’m pretty sure Cass would have said genitals. Sara would have blushed, Nic would have laughed, and Kylie would make a Facebook post about it. And anyone that was table hopping that month would have thought we were all freaks and that would have been ok. And I would have been a less stressed version of myself maybe.
You can get in touch with Tammy, there is a Facebook page and a website, let her know I sent you, I might get a sprinkle donut. The groups are all very different and Tammy will slot you where you and your business will fit best. Might see you at a table some day!
Here some photos taken at some of our meetings 🙂
