My goal is to help transform your photography business into a productive and profitable one, so that you can run both your business and your home from a place of purpose.

I want us all to be able to live intentionally, running our businesses and not the other way around, letting them run us. That is not a fun place to be!

So I’m so excited you’re here! I’m going to talk to you about some areas where I really messed up when I first started my photography business. And I still mess up a good bit today! But I thought we’d start here in hopes of helping you guys avoid those same mistakes.

So let’s dive right in.

As a new photographer, I was so excited to take on the world with my camera. And boy did I!

I photographed everything from newborns to weddings to families and pets. I finally found my niche with high school seniors and haven’t looked back!

The problem way back then was that I really didn’t know how to run a business and to be honest, my photography skills . . . let’s just say . . . were not what they are today.

I made so many mistakes as a new photographer - from pricing myself too low to saying yes to every request and so many more!  In this episode of the Senior Studio Success Podcast I am revealing some of the biggest mistakes I made early on in my…

So here we go with the first of many mistakes along the way . . .

1. Not setting boundaries with clients

I made myself available to my clients anywhere and at any time they needed me. Big mistake. I let them text me on my personal cell phone or facebook message me with any question they had. I answered emails late at night. And then I would get mad when they would send one right back. Hey, I was answering so it must be ok, right? So dumb of me.

Just because we live in a digital world doesn’t mean we have to be fully accessible at all hours around the clock.

Solution: I set up regular business hours and I posted those everywhere. They are in my email signature, on my contact form, in our what to expect emails, in our session prep magazine - EVERYWHERE. Clients are very clear now that I am a mom first and that business happens during normal business hours. And they respect that. Life is so much simpler (and quieter) now :)

2. Saying yes to everything

Guilty. Bring on all the volunteer wok, all the free shoots. It’s good exposure, right? Umm, no. And it certainly doesn’t pay the bills. It left me frazzled and feeling taken advantage of. That stopped. I realized that I am only one person. As much as I’d like to I can’t make it to every networking event or be the hero for everyone’s favorite charity.

Solution: I learned to say yes to the things that aligned with my priorities. I also learned that there are only so many hours a week for paid sessions. Filling those with “marketing opportunities” and “great exposure” wasn’t cutting it. Now, it took some time to build my business, but I also wasn’t getting as burnt out either.

3. Paying too much attention to my competition

This began to affect me in several ways, mostly emotionally and creatively. So I cut myself off from them basically. I stopped looking at the highlight reels, comparing myself to their successes while belittling my own. Their journeys are quite different from mine. Their realities are too. And someone else’s success didn’t mean I was failing.

Solution: Get to know your competition. Know their strengths and weaknesses. But don’t obsess over them. The more time you are watching them, the less time you are paying attention to your own business. The time you spend concentrating on your competition is time you could be spending on your clients or prospects.

4. Not understanding my costs / Not knowing what my time is worth

This is a big one. I was just throwing numbers around because they looked good on paper or because someone else’s price list looked nice. I was clueless. And it showed in my profit and loss statements early on in my business.

Solution: I poured over my numbers. I created spreadsheets left and right! It’s so important to know your costs. This includes printing costs AND overhead - insurance, taxes, website, marketing, equipment maintenance & upgrades, continuing education. How much did I want to bring home as a salary? How much did I need to make an hour to do that? How many hours were spent on each job? Once I knew all of those critical numbers I learned how to price myself correctly. Profits are nice y’all. And we shouldn’t be ashamed of them! Paying yourself a salary should be on the top of your list. Otherwise why are you spending so much time away from your family? Go back & listen to episode 2 if you wanna know how to not go broke as a photographer.

5. Taking clients on out of fear of missing out

This is quite possibly the biggest mistake I’ve made. I’ve messed up a few times over the years. Said yes to clients I knew were not a good fit. And that resulted in heartache and lots of sleepless nights. It is not worth it! I repeat - NOT WORTH IT! I no longer feel bad for not getting a job. It is completely ok to say no. That’s not a bad word. And you know why? Because that allows you to say yes to some other very important things (and people) in your life.

Solution: Go with your gut. Always. If it doesn’t feel right, do not bend, just walk away.

So there you go. Some of the biggest mistakes I’ve made as a photographer. There are plenty more. Believe me! And if you stick around a while I’m sure I’ll share them all.

You may know this already or maybe not. But once a year I launch my business mentoring program called Studio Secrets. If you need somebody to come along beside you and help you do business the right way so that you can bring home a paycheck, spend more time with your family and save for retirement then you need Studio Secrets.

The doors open November 4th for something very special for a handful of photographers who are ready to get laser focused on their businesses.

Studio Secrets is a 6 month business coaching intensive where we dive deep into your business together. It’s not a DIY course on one or two topics. This is EVERYTHING you could ever need to know (and all the tools & resources) to run a senior photography business - branding, messaging, websites, pricing, sales, marketing, social media, senior model teams, systems, workflow, automation and SO MUCH MORE! And bonus - you get me to lead you through it in our hot seat calls and a private community to bounce ideas around with.

If you’re ready to turn your expensive hobby into a thriving business be sure you are on the waitlist. You can do that at www.seniorstudiosuccess.com/studiosecrets.

Plus everyone on that wait list will save $500 on launch day - November 4th. Woohoo! I can’t wait to work with you!

If you want to continue this conversation there’s a facebook group dedicated to all the business stuff behind our pretty pictures and I’d love to have you there.

I’d love to connect with you on Instagram as well. Screenshot this episode, tag me and share it to your story! And if you’re the type of person who loves to help other people the biggest and most awesome thing you could do right now is to give this podcast a rating and review on iTunes. That helps it get found by other amazing photographers around the world who want to build their dream businesses too.

Until next time my friends, see ya soon!