What if your photography business could keep booking clients, serving couples beautifully, and generating revenue—even when you're going through the hardest season of your life? Most photographers think scaling means raising prices or shooting more weddings. But true scaling means building a business that runs without you, whether you're on vacation, navigating a personal crisis, or simply choosing to step back for a season. In this episode, I'm sitting down with Jess, one of my Scale It graduates who transformed her thriving-but-exhausting photography business into a sustainable model with an associate team, full outsourcing, and systems that gave her freedom when she needed it most.

Jess specializes in intimate weddings with 30 guests or less, and she's not just a photographer—she's also a planner and day-of coordinator for her couples. When she joined Scale It in January 2025, she was in her fourth year of business, financially successful but stuck in "creative robot mode" every busy season. Fast forward to August 2025, and Jess has built and booked her associate team, fully outsourced key areas of her business with a VA, blog and Pinterest manager, and social media manager, and created systems that allow her to serve clients seamlessly without being hands-on. Most importantly, when Jess went through a difficult personal season, her business kept running smoothly in the background—even booking four 2026 weddings in one week while she was navigating one of life's toughest transitions.

In this episode of All Angles Photography Podcast, you will hear:

• How to build a photography business that runs without you through strategic outsourcing and systems
• Why you don't have to be burned out to need to scale your photography business
• How to structure an associate team for unique business models (like combining photography with planning services)
• The systems and workflows that allow your business to keep booking clients even during hard personal seasons
• How outsourcing actually works when you have the right training and SOPs in place
• Why scaling isn't just about vacations—it's about building a sustainable photography business that serves your life

SHOW NOTES:

https://clairehunt.co/blog/case-studies/jesss-scale-it-story-how-outsourcing-systems-and-an-associate-team-allowed-her-business-to-run-itself-even-during-a-hard-season/

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Apply for Scale It Mentorship Program—my five-month group mentorship focused on building associate teams, outsourcing effectively, and scaling your photography business for work-life balance
• Follow Jess on Instagram @jessicaluannphoto (changing this off-season, so keep your eye out!)
• Visit Jess's website to see her planning portal and unique photo + planning services at jessicaluannphoto.com

FOLLOW CLAIRE:

Claire's Instagram

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