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The Venue Nest Podcast

The Venue Nest Podcast

By: Ashley Shepherd + Kelsey Smith
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The Venue Nest Podcast is where real venue owners come to feel less alone, get clear on what’s actually working, and learn how to run a profitable, organized, and experience, driven venue without the overwhelm.

© 2026 The Venue Nest Podcast Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Turning Passion into Profit: Essential Steps for Wedding Venue Owners Ready to Grow

    Turning Passion into Profit: Essential Steps for Wedding Venue Owners Ready to Grow
    Jun 25 2026
    Scaling a venue business takes more than just booking more events. It requires the right people, systems, and mindset to move from simply owning a venue to building a sustainable business. In this episode of The Venue Nest Podcast, Ashley Shepherd and Kelsey Smith are joined by Alex, a Venue Nest partner and venue owner, to discuss the journey of growing a venue business. Alex shares how he went from seeing venues as a simple cash-flow opportunity to understanding the complexity of operations, staffing, maintenance, cash flow, and scaling across multiple locations. They discuss the importance of knowing your numbers, building strong teams, creating systems before expanding, delegating responsibilities, and surrounding yourself with the right people. Alex also shares insights on moving from one venue to multiple venues, the challenges of growth, and why community and collaboration are essential in an industry where many owners feel alone. Through Venue Nest, they aim to help venue owners connect, learn, save time, and build businesses that can grow beyond just the day-to-day operations. 00:00 Introduction 01:13 Alex's Entry into the Wedding Industry 04:57 Scaling to Multiple Venues 07:43 Advice for Buying a Second Venue 09:10 The Emotional Toll on Venue Owners 11:17 The Purpose of Venue Nest 13:50 When and How to Hire Staff 18:01 The Myth of Weekday Weddings 19:18 Final Advice on Growth Join our free community! https://live.venuenest.com/signup Follow Us Instagram https://www.instagram.com/venuenest Facebook https://www.facebook.com/venuenest YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VenueNest TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@venue.nest Website https://www.venuenest.com/ Venue Nest Podcast https://www.venuenest.com/podcast



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    21 mins
  • Connect, Learn, Implement, Grow: Inside Venue Nest

    Connect, Learn, Implement, Grow: Inside Venue Nest
    Jun 17 2026

    What if venue owners had one place to connect, learn, streamline their operations, and grow their business? In this episode, Ashley Shepherd and Kelsey Smith introduce Venue Nest and share the vision behind a platform designed specifically for venue owners and operators.

    Connect is the free Venue Nest community, created exclusively for venue owners and operators. Ashley and Kelsey explain how the platform helps owners connect with peers, ask questions, share wins, find collaboration opportunities, and access support from people who truly understand the challenges of running a venue. Unlike traditional social media groups, the community was intentionally built for venue owners and includes features designed to encourage meaningful connections and industry-specific conversations.

    Learn is Venue Nest University, the educational tier designed to help venue owners improve and grow their businesses. The platform includes lessons covering topics such as operations, sales, leadership, hiring, automations, and other practical aspects of venue management. Ashley and Kelsey discuss how the courses are built from real-world venue ownership experience and are designed to provide actionable steps owners can implement immediately.

    Implement is Venue Nest's venue-specific software platform. Built exclusively for venues, it combines tools for communication, automations, contracts, payments, layouts, and client management into one system. Ashley and Kelsey share how the software was designed to simplify operations, reduce overwhelm, and give venue owners greater clarity and confidence in running their businesses.

    Grow is the final tier, focused on done-for-you marketing. Designed for venue owners who are ready to scale, this service provides venue-specific advertising support to help attract more couples, generate leads, and continue growing their business without adding more work to their plate.

    Whether you're exploring venue ownership, opening your first venue, or looking for the next step in growing an established business, this episode offers a complete overview of how Venue Nest helps venue owners connect, learn, implement, and grow.


    00:00 Introduction to Venue Nest
    03:19 The Venue Nest Community
    07:35 The Structure of Venue Nest
    09:37 Venue Nest University
    13:02 The Venue Nest Software
    18:34 Meeting You Where You Are


    Join our free community! https://live.venuenest.com/signup

    Follow Us
    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/venuenest
    Facebook https://www.facebook.com/venuenest
    YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VenueNest
    Website https://www.venuenest.com/
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    22 mins
  • Trust the Process: Navigating the Rollercoaster of Opening a Wedding Venue

    Trust the Process: Navigating the Rollercoaster of Opening a Wedding Venue
    Jun 9 2026
    Building a venue is exciting, but what does it actually take to turn an idea into a thriving business? Before the first booking, there are business plans to write, funding to secure, city approvals to navigate, and countless decisions that can make aspiring venue owners question whether they're on the right path. In this episode of The Venue Nest Podcast, hosts Ashley Shepherd and Kelsey Smith share essential advice for new and aspiring venue owners. They discuss creating a solid business plan, conducting market research, securing capital, navigating commercial lending and city ordinances, and building a team rooted in strong core values. Ashley and Kelsey also explore practical hiring strategies, marketing a venue that doesn't yet exist, and using storytelling, social media, and community trust to attract future clients. Whether you're building, buying, renovating, or simply dreaming about owning a venue, their message is simple: stay persistent, trust the process, and keep moving forward. Through Venue Nest, they aim to create a supportive community where venue owners can connect, learn, and feel less alone in the challenges of building and growing a venue business. 00:00 Advice for New Entrepreneurs 01:54 The Business Plan and Market Research 04:09 Presenting to Investors 07:09 Defining Company Values 10:09 Effective Hiring Practices 12:28 The Challenges of Building a Venue 17:18 Selling a Venue That Doesn't Exist Yet 20:40 Building Trust and Community Join our free community! https://live.venuenest.com/signup Follow Us Instagram https://www.instagram.com/venuenest Facebook https://www.facebook.com/venuenest YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@VenueNest Website https://www.venuenest.com/



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    23 mins
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