BECOMING YOUR OWN BOSS: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PAULINE BORRIS
By: Scott McLeod
Pauline Borris is the founder of award winning event design and wedding planning business LBS Events. Pauline started the business in 2014 after years of working in a management position within the hospitality and marketing including a run of 19 years at Costco.
The wedding industry wasn’t something Pauline ever saw herself going into until she attended an event on behalf of Costco at the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow. In that moment she saw an opportunity to go down a new career path while being able to fulfil her goal of having her own business.
She explains: “I always wanted to be my own boss. I’ve tiptoed into a few ventures through my life but I’ve always been wanted to be a leader in a job. I’ve worked at a management or supervisor level.
So it’s something I’ve always thought about, I just never thought it would be in weddings. It wasn’t something that entered my head until I was at a business event at Grand Central which had just been refurbished, and I just seen the opportunity for a wedding exhibition.
LBS was originally created to host wedding exhibitions and then it grew from there into the event hire and event management side.”
Being initially unfamiliar with the wedding industry Pauline decided to attend a course at City of Glasgow College to gain the necessary skills. When she started the course she thought she could run wedding exhibitions while maintaining her position at Costco before realising she had put all her energy into the business.
For a business like LBS it was not easy to get started as the wedding industry is incredibly crowded with a lot of strong competition. Pauline discussed some of the ways LBS went about establishing their name.
“The competition is definitely the most difficult part. Same as anywhere you have to prove yourself and the way you do that is by building trust.
I think reputation’s the most important factor in our business. People have learned to trust us and have learned to see the standards that we provide. We don’t tend to spend a lot on marketing instead we rely on good word of mouth.
When meeting suppliers or clients you have to have good communication skills so you can build that relationship. I would say getting good staff is one of the first things you need to do. You need staff that will reflect the standards of your business and who will make sure clients know what to expect from your business.”
LBS has built their reputation to the point they are one of the most trusted names in the UK wedding industry and have been recognised by several major awards.
They’ve been named Wedding Planner of the year multiple years in a row at the Scottish Wedding Awards including at the 2022 awards. At those same awards they’ve also been nominated in the categories of Event Decorators of the Year & Wedding Specialist of the Year.
They’ve hosted several wedding exhibitions or showcases at Grand Central Hotel and the Doubletree by Hilton Strathclyde. As they’ve more into the venue hire and event management side of the industry they’ve formed relationships with several hotels across the central belt of Scotland working directly with them as part of their wedding package.
Among the hotels they’re currently working with are Garfield House Hotel, Eglinton Arms Hotel and the Macdonald Crutherland House and Spa. Pauline has built on the relationships with these hotels over the years, cultivating a certain amount of trust and ensures that more couples know who LBS are.
Working within these wedding packages means that Pauline and her team can work within a couple’s particular vision for their wedding and deliver it to the highest standard.
As Pauline has become more of a trusted figure in the wedding sector, she has gone back to City of Glasgow as a lecturer in Hospitality and Events where she passes on the knowledge she’s acquired over the years.
She said: “I’ve had event management staff from various 5 star hotels and people I work with come along. To have your peers there, actually listening to you and showing them how to organise a wedding and how to keep up on wedding trends is quite a bit of pressure.
At the same time I feel proud because they’re listening to me and I can help put a standard across the industry. I never imagined myself being able to stand up and talk in front of an audience. “
When we asked her if there was a key piece of advice she gave to her students, Pauline had this to say: “I think customer service in our industry is prime. Being able to get a good rapport with someone is important.
It’s hard work going up the ladder, but once you get there, it’s worth every bit of the struggles. There are challenges in our business especially when starting out; you think I’ll never be able to do it. I tell them that determination is key.”
The wedding sector was among those hit the hardest hit by Covid as all activity was forced to stop due to mass gatherings being temporarily banned.
Pauline said: It was really hard because there was no business taking place during that time. I think wedding businesses are still feeling the impact from Covid with so many couples having paid for their wedding only to have to push it back.”
Adding to the difficulty was the fact that the government didn’t recognise the wedding sector as vital so they weren’t afforded the same support as other industries. Pauline joined the Scottish Wedding Industry Alliance (SWIA) in an effort to get businesses like her’s the support they deserved.
The wedding industry went through a year without any funding before progress was finally made.
In January of this year the Scottish Government allocated a fund of £25 million to support the wedding sector and its supply chains. These were provided in one off grants of up to £25,000 for eligible businesses impacted by Covid including wedding venues, photographers and caterers.
Pauline believed strongly in the SWIA and was unsure as to why the government initially made the decision they did.
As wedding season kicks off in the UK, Pauline talks about how recent events will impact this year’s wedding season compared to others.
“We’re not as busy as what we were previous years, but I think that’s down to how the economy is now. People want to take care of their money. Hopefully it will start picking up but I think people are very cautious now
More people are leaving things till the last minute. We’re getting people coming in saying, “Can I have this for my wedding? Which is in four weeks.” That would never have happened before now”
She added: “With the cost of living, we’ll see people pushing things back and paying more in advance. I think if you’re wedding planning you should set yourself a budget so you’re not stressing about money.”
Pauline talked to us about what the future holds for LBS and she revealed she’s looking to grow the business in markets.
“I’m looking to form partnerships within the Asian market. I like to work with all cultures and learn new things. I think it’s important to learn how the Asian market works as it allows us to work with different teams and see different styles.
This can help broaden my knowledge which I can later pass on to my students.”
