Episode ONE!!! WOW!!!

Let’s get this party started. Since it’s episode one, you might not even know me just yet. It seems only right to do an intro type show. So in this short episode I’ll give you a little bit about me, a little bit about what you can expect from the podcast and the reason behind it all.

So here we go y’all. A little bit about me:

I got my first big girl camera in 2005 and opened my first studio in 2007. Seniors quickly became my specialty, and I never looked back. My goal when starting this business was to always be able to be home with my boys, but let me rewind some a bit.

Before photography I was lost. I had been trying to figure out what I wanted to do for several years. My background is in accounting and after having my first son I just knew I couldn’t go back to 60 hour work weeks away from him. So I became a stay at home mom but couldn’t for the life of me sit still. I HAD to be doing something.

There’s no telling how many little businesses and side hustles I had. I love my boys, but I was not meant to just do play dates and mom’s morning out. I couldn’t. I was going crazy! When I picked up that camera though, something was different about it. I was lost, but in a totally different way. Lost in the dials and buttons, of course. But I was lost in wonder and excitement and opportunity and curiosity. I couldn’t put it down. That’s when I knew what I would finally do with my life.

I made a lot of mistakes, and I’m sure we will talk about them here over time. But through all of those mistakes and failures I created the business of my dreams. Here’s what my business looks like today. I work with about 40 seniors a year. My sessions are on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday mornings. No weekends. The commercial space is long gone. I have 2 part time office assistants. I pay myself on a regular basis and save for retirement - from that photography business.

If you’ve ever doubted whether your photography business can support you or not, I am here to help and I’m here to convince you that it absolutely can. And you can do it on your own terms.

This is it my friends - episode ONE of this podcasting journey of mine. Honestly, I can't believe I hit publish. Although, this has been on my dream list for years now. I'm a HUGE podcast fan so I knew in my heart that I would always start one. No m…

Now, what can you expect from me here?

First of all, I hope you’re good with this southern accent of mine because it’s all I got. I will flub over words. I will misspeak. I will laugh at my own jokes. I’m a straight shooter, no fluff kinda girl, so get ready for some tough love around here. Why? Because that’s how I was raised. And it helped mold me into the fighter I am for my business and my family today. It made me tougher and it made me realize just how capable I really am. And I know that you have it in you too to be successful in this business.

And what can you expect from the podcast?

We have the podcast broken down into seasons. A new episode will drop every Wednesday so be sure you subscribe to get the latest one. I’ll take 3 individual month long breaks a year to rest, recover and write new content for the show. That is the plan right now.

So what are we going to talk about here?

Oh goodness, who knows what will come out of my mouth! But you can expect A LOT of talk about systems and strategy because that is totally my jam.

We will discuss pricing, branding, messaging, websites, email, productivity, session tips, working through client issues, social media, products, model teams, workflow, balancing work and home life, being a working mom, self care, marketing, business books, style closets, anything and everything when it comes to senior photography. But the general theme will always come back to working smarter and not harder so that you can have your dream business too.

I’ll end with this y’all. Why?

Why in the world did I take on the crazy task of starting a podcast? Well, you’ll hear more of my story later on when I’m ready to share it. But I’ll tell you this much for now. I am starting this podcast because I wish I had had a friend in my corner to bounce ideas around with. I wish I had had more support at home. I wish I had had someone to believe in me and all my crazy dreams. I’m gonna be that person for you. Running a business like this on a part time basis with full time pay is completely doable. You can be a good mom or dad and a good business owner at the same time. You can be financially independent and you can be the designer of your own life too. I’m so excited to go on this journey with you my friend.

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!

* DON’T MISS THIS! *

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

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