In this episode of the Creativ Rise Podcast, I'm breaking down exactly how Christy and I collect payments on time and in full, without chasing clients or hoping they eventually pay. If you're a photographer, filmmaker, content creator, or social media manager running your own business, this is the payment system, contract clause, and late payment policy we actually use. 👀

Go to our IG and send us a message that says “Contract Clause” and I’ll send you a free copy of our autocharge + late payment penalty clause!

Getting stiffed on an invoice is one of the most stressful parts of owning a creative business, and almost nobody talks about it. There will be a client who pays late. There will be a client who ghosts you completely. I learned this the hard way at 19, when I took a $2,800 Uber campaign in New Zealand, paid my own crew out of pocket to make it happen, and never got paid a dollar of it.

Most creatives collect payments through Venmo, Zelle, or bank transfers to avoid the 3% processing fee. It feels smart until a client goes quiet and you have zero leverage to actually collect what you're owed.

I'm walking through the exact system we built to fix this, including the contract clause that authorizes us to auto-charge a client's card the moment a payment is due, no invoice chasing required.

Here's what's covered:

• Why a 3% processing fee is cheaper than chasing an unpaid invoice
• The deposit strategy that locks in a client's card before day one
• The exact auto-charge clause we use in every contract
• Our late payment policy, including how the penalty compounds
• How to stop relying on Venmo, Zelle, or a client's goodwill to get paid

Set this system up once, and you'll stop chasing payments, stop stressing over cash flow, and get paid like an actual professional business. 🚀

P.S. This payment system is one piece of the puzzle. If you want every system we use to run a stress-free six-figure creative business, applications for the next round of the 6 Week Creativ Rise Mastermind open at the end of August. Message us “CRM” on Instagram or get on the waitlist now at www.creativrise.com.

FREE TOOLS & TRAININGS
→ Pricing Calculator: https://www.creativrise.com/pricingcalculator
→ Pitching Masterclass Course: https://www.creativrise.com/pitchingmasterclass
→ Sales Call Formula Course: https://www.creativrise.com/offers/RM2ZPtZx/checkout
→ Productivity Course: https://www.creativrise.com/productivity
→ Money Management Training: https://www.creativrise.com/moneytraining
→ Fix Your Inquiry Form: https://www.creativrise.com/inquiryform

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE
→ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/creativrise
→ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/creativrise

FOLLOW ALONG
→ Instagram: @creativrise | @joeyspeers | @christyjspeers

In this episode of the Creativ Rise Podcast, Joey and Christy break down how to go from $500 day rates to $10K-$15K months as a photographer, filmmaker, content creator, UGC creator, or social media manager. After booking $14,000 across two projects in just 14 days, they're sharing the 4 specific shifts that took their pricing, and their clients' trust, to a completely different level.

Most creative entrepreneurs think bigger budgets come down to having a better portfolio. They don't. Good work is the baseline now. Clients pay premium prices for trust, certainty, and results, not pretty photos or video. If you're still positioning yourself as the hired hand with a camera instead of the strategist running the project, you're leaving thousands of dollars on the table every time you book a job.

Here's what they cover:

• How to stop showing up as "the shooter" and start running the day like a producer your client can fully trust
• How to shoot for the client's actual business outcome instead of your own portfolio
• Why selling certainty beats selling your time, and how to price around deliverables instead of hours
• How to position your work as a return on investment instead of a "nice to have"

Whether you're a wedding photographer, brand photographer, videographer, content creator, or social media manager, these are the same pricing and positioning shifts that helped Creativ Rise Mastermind members like Nick, Adam & Clara, and Luel land $15K-$25K months this year.

Make these 4 shifts and you stop competing for $500 gigs with every other photographer and filmmaker in your market, and start getting hired, and paid, like the strategist you already are.

P.S. If you want our help installing these exact shifts in your creative business, open enrollment for the Creativ Rise Mastermind opens August 26. Get on the waitlist at www.creativrise.com now and we'll send you our free Sales Call Formula course just for signing up.

FREE TOOLS & TRAININGS
→ Pricing Calculator: https://www.creativrise.com/pricingcalculator
→ Pitching Masterclass Course: https://www.creativrise.com/pitchingmasterclass
→ Sales Call Formula Course: https://www.creativrise.com/offers/RM2ZPtZx/checkout
→ Productivity Course: https://www.creativrise.com/productivity
→ Money Management Training: https://www.creativrise.com/moneytraining
→ Fix Your Inquiry Form: https://www.creativrise.com/inquiryform

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE
→ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/creativrise
→ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/creativrise

FOLLOW ALONG
→ Instagram: @creativrise | @joeyspeers | @christyjspeers

What if the problem wasn't your work... but the way you're pitching it?

After learning a new outreach strategy, Adam and Clara sent 71 pitches, received 57 responses, and generated over $38,000 in revenue in the last few months while living and working from the road in Australia.

Adam and Clara are travel photographers and creators from Australia who went from living in a self-converted bus to building a full-time creative business on the road, working with dream tourism boards & brands who benefit from content in the outdoors.

In this episode, we talk about how they transitioned into their new home on wheels, started documenting the build process, and completely changed their business through one major shift: learning how to pitch properly.

Their wager was to send 50 pitches and get 50 responses. They finished the Mastermind with 47 replies and have now received 57 replies from 71 pitches, leading to a huge flow of new opportunities with tourism boards, outdoor brands, and travel partners.

We cover:

• How Adam and Clara built a travel content business on the road

• The pitching framework that changed their outreach

• Why most creatives make their pitches too much about themselves

• How to position yourself as a problem solver for brands

• How they work with tourism boards and outdoor companies

• Why follow-up matters more than most creatives realize

• How they generated $38K+ after joining the Mastermind

• What it really looks like to build a creative business while living on the road

If you want to learn how to pitch better, get paid by brands, and build a creative business that creates more freedom, this episode is for you.

Follow them here - Insta: @adam.and.clara

P.S. If you're ready to make the same kind of shift Adam & Clara did, the Creativ Rise Mastermind is where that foundation gets built. Get on the waitlist for our August enrolment at www.creativrise.com.

FREE TOOLS & TRAININGS
→ Pricing Calculator: https://www.creativrise.com/pricingcalculator
→ Pitching Masterclass Course: https://www.creativrise.com/pitchingmasterclass
→ Sales Call Formula Course: https://www.creativrise.com/offers/RM2ZPtZx/checkout
→ Productivity Course: https://www.creativrise.com/productivity
→ Money Management Training: https://www.creativrise.com/moneytraining
→ Fix Your Inquiry Form: https://www.creativrise.com/inquiryform

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE
→ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/creativrise
→ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/creativrise

FOLLOW ALONG
→ Instagram: @creativrise | @joeyspeers | @christyjspeers

Get Your Spot In The Live Workshop - Book Your Next Client in 7 Days With a 7 Day Giveaway Funnel™ - Limited to 10 Spots

In this episode, Joey and Christy are breaking down the exact giveaway funnel strategy that generated $50,000 in inquiries in 7 days, and how photographers, filmmakers, content creators, and social media managers can use it to book more clients without a massive following.

Most creatives have tried a giveaway at some point. And most didn't book a single client from it. Not because giveaways don't work - because the giveaway wasn't built for the right person.

When you give away something generic, you attract everyone. And everyone doesn't book. When you give away something so specific that only your ideal client would care, you get a list of pre-qualified leads who already want what you offer.

That's the difference. And Christy learned it firsthand when she ran a targeted giveaway for Yosemite couple sessions and had $50K in inquiries hit her inbox inside of a week.

Here's what's covered:

• How to choose a prize that attracts your ideal client instead of freebie-hunters
• How to use ManyChat to turn every comment into a direct conversation with a real lead
• The follow-up strategy to use after the giveaway ends to close actual bookings
• The most common mistakes that turn a giveaway into noise instead of a lead generator
• How to structure the full funnel from post to booked client

If you've run a giveaway and heard crickets, this episode is exactly what you needed to hear first. 🔥

P.S. The Creativ Rise Mastermind reopens in 72 days. If you're a creative who is tired of undercharging for work you know is worth more, this is for you. The Creativ Rise Mastermind is coming up and spots won't last. Get on the waitlist at www.creativrise.com.

FREE TOOLS & TRAININGS→ Pricing Calculator: https://www.creativrise.com/pricingcalculator→ Pitching Masterclass Course: https://www.creativrise.com/pitchingmasterclass→ Sales Call Formula Course: https://www.creativrise.com/offers/RM2ZPtZx/checkout→ Productivity Course: https://www.creativrise.com/productivity→ Money Management Training: https://www.creativrise.com/moneytraining→ Fix Your Inquiry Form: https://www.creativrise.com/inquiryform

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE→ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/creativrise→ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/creativrise

FOLLOW ALONG→ Instagram: @creativrise | @joeyspeers | @christyjspeers

In this episode of the Creativ Rise Podcast, Joey sits down with 20-year-old filmmaker Will Latham of LumaWorks Video. Will graduated high school two years ago, skipped college, and has been building his video business full time ever since. In the six weeks of the Creativ Rise Mastermind alone, Will closed $73,000 in contracts, including his first five-figure deal and a 12-month retainer, going from charging $500 for product videos to landing $25,000 months before his 21st birthday.

This episode is a masterclass in what actually separates creatives who stay stuck at low rates from those who break through to high-ticket work, and it has nothing to do with your camera, your age, or your city.

Here's what's covered:

• Why video is worth more than $500 and how to position it that way by shifting from selling a deliverable to solving a business problem
• Value stacking and what it actually means — the pre-production meetings, brand deep dives, and multi-asset offers Will uses to charge 10x what he used to
• How to identify higher-leverage clients who have real problems, real budgets, and real reasons to say yes
• Cold outreach, follow-up, and the mindset around rejection — why Will treats every no as motivation and keeps swinging for the fences
• How age becomes an asset, not a liability and how young creatives can use their perspective to educate and win clients
• When to hire an editor and how to get over the financial and control hurdles that keep most creatives stuck doing everything themselves
• Why the Creativ Rise Mastermind gave Will a 24X ROI and what the single biggest mindset shift was that changed everything

Whether you're a photographer, filmmaker, UGC creator, or social media manager who's tired of undercharging and overworking, this conversation will challenge how you think about your pricing, your clients, and what your creative business could actually become.

P.S. If you're ready to make the same kind of shift Will did, the 6 Week Creativ Rise Mastermind is where that foundation gets built. Get on the waitlist for Round 16 at www.creativrise.com.

FREE TOOLS & TRAININGS→ Pricing Calculator: https://www.creativrise.com/pricingcalculator→ Pitching Masterclass Course: https://www.creativrise.com/pitchingmasterclass→ Sales Call Formula Course: https://www.creativrise.com/offers/RM2ZPtZx/checkout→ Productivity Course: https://www.creativrise.com/productivity→ Money Management Training: https://www.creativrise.com/moneytraining→ Fix Your Inquiry Form: https://www.creativrise.com/inquiryform

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE→ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/creativrise→ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/creativrise

FOLLOW ALONG→ Instagram: @creativrise | @joeyspeers | @christyjspeers

In this episode, Christy is breaking down why creatives lose deals to cheaper, closer, or more experienced competitors - and the exact middle funnel strategy that flips that around, even when you're the most expensive option in the room.

Most photographers, filmmakers, content creators, and social media managers focus almost entirely on portfolio content and conversion content. What gets skipped is the middle: the content that makes someone actually like you. And without that, even a warm inquiry turns cold the second they see your price.

Christy uses a story from her stay at the Montage in Laguna Beach to unpack why luxury brands are actually the most personal brands - and how that applies directly to your marketing. The Marriott is polished and professional. The Montage knows your name. That difference is what gets clients to choose you over someone cheaper, more convenient, or more local.

She also walks through the Identity Pillar Framework she teaches inside the Creativ Rise Mastermind: three specific content pillars that build the know, like, and trust factor your funnel is missing.

Here's what's covered:

• Why the "like" factor is the most skipped piece of the marketing funnel
• What luxury brands do differently (and how to apply it to your creative business)
• The Identity Pillar Framework and how to pick your three pillars
• What identity matching is and why it closes deals at higher price points
• Where to start sharing your pillars without overhauling your whole content strategy

Start building the middle of your funnel and the right clients will start choosing you - even when you're not the cheapest, closest, or most experienced option.

P.S. If you want to build the full funnel that closes clients at higher prices, get on the waitlist for the next round of the 6 Week Creativ Rise Mastermind at www.creativrise.com.

FREE TOOLS & TRAININGS→ Pricing Calculator: https://www.creativrise.com/pricingcalculator→ Pitching Masterclass Course: https://www.creativrise.com/pitchingmasterclass→ Sales Call Formula Course: https://www.creativrise.com/offers/RM2ZPtZx/checkout→ Productivity Course: https://www.creativrise.com/productivity→ Money Management Training: https://www.creativrise.com/moneytraining→ Fix Your Inquiry Form: https://www.creativrise.com/inquiryform

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE→ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/creativrise→ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/creativrise

FOLLOW ALONG→ Instagram: @creativrise | @joeyspeers | @christyjspeers

In this episode, Joey sits down with Ross Bernards, an adventure and outdoor lifestyle photographer from Fruita, Colorado, who tripled his business in 18 months and had two $20K months in the same year after years of feast-or-famine cycles and scattered strategy.

Ross had tried everything. Ads, outreach, tips from other photographer friends. Nothing was connecting because none of it was a system. He was firing tactics at the wall and hoping something stuck. The income rollercoaster reflected exactly how disjointed the approach was.

What changed wasn't working harder. It was overhauling how he pitched, building a real follow-up system, and learning how to communicate value in a way that actually got responses. His email reply rate went from roughly 3 out of 100 to 3 out of 10. For photographers, filmmakers, content creators, and social media managers who are putting in the work but not seeing the return, this episode shows what the turning point actually looks like.

Here's what's covered:

• Why his pitches were getting ignored
• Building a follow-up system that actually gets responses
• The mindset shift that made investing feel like a no-brainer
• Making his ROI back in 4 weeks

The work is there. Sometimes it just needs the right system behind it to turn into real, consistent revenue.

P.S. If Ross's story sounds familiar, the 6 Week Creativ Rise Mastermind Round 16 is where that kind of transformation happens. It's where we help creatives build the systems, offers, and pitching strategies that turn inconsistent income into a real business. Get on the waitlist at www.creativrise.com.

FREE TOOLS & TRAININGS→ Pricing Calculator: https://www.creativrise.com/pricingcalculator→ Pitching Masterclass Course: https://www.creativrise.com/pitchingmasterclass→ Sales Call Formula Course: https://www.creativrise.com/offers/RM2ZPtZx/checkout→ Productivity Course: https://www.creativrise.com/productivity→ Money Management Training: https://www.creativrise.com/moneytraining→ Fix Your Inquiry Form: https://www.creativrise.com/inquiryform

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE→ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/creativrise→ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/creativrise

FOLLOW ALONG→ Instagram: @creativrise | @joeyspeers | @christyjspeers

In this episode of the Creativ Rise Podcast, we’re breaking down how to handle pricing objections as a photographer, filmmaker, content creator, or social media manager. If you've ever heard "this is too expensive," "we don't have the budget," or "we found someone cheaper," this episode gives you a step-by-step playbook for responding without dropping your price.

Most creatives treat "it's too expensive" as a dead end. It's not. Every pricing objection is hiding one of two problems: a cash flow issue or a perceived value gap. Knowing which one you're dealing with is the difference between closing the deal and losing it.

We break down a live $5,000 brand photography offer example to show you exactly how to diagnose the real objection in real time, and how to respond depending on what you find.

Here's what's covered:

• How to handle the "it's too expensive" objection without lowering your rate
• The difference between a price objection and a value objection
• How to close deals using payment plans and phase-based billing
• How to educate clients on value so they stop comparing you to cheaper options
• Sales scripts and frameworks for creative entrepreneurs

Whether you're a wedding photographer, brand photographer, UGC creator, or social media manager, these sales strategies will help you close more deals, hold your pricing, and stop losing business to clients who say they can't afford you.

P.S. Handling objections gets easier when you already have confidence in your number. The free Creativ Rise Pricing Calculator helps photographers, filmmakers, and creative business owners figure out exactly what to charge for weddings, brand work, social media retainers, and packages. And if you're ready to build a full six-figure creative business foundation, get on the Round 16 waitlist at **www.creativrise.com.** Applications open Fall 2026.

FREE TOOLS & TRAININGS→ Pricing Calculator: https://www.creativrise.com/pricingcalculator→ Pitching Masterclass Course: https://www.creativrise.com/pitchingmasterclass→ Sales Call Formula Course: https://www.creativrise.com/offers/RM2ZPtZx/checkout→ Productivity Course: https://www.creativrise.com/productivity→ Money Management Training: https://www.creativrise.com/moneytraining→ Fix Your Inquiry Form: https://www.creativrise.com/inquiryform

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE→ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/creativrise→ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/creativrise

FOLLOW ALONG→ Instagram: @creativrise | @joeyspeers | @christyjspeers

In this episode, Joey and Christy are breaking down one of the most asked questions in the creative business space: should you put your pricing on your website? 👀

It sounds like a simple yes or no. But the real answer depends on exactly where your business is right now, and getting it wrong is costing creatives either bookings or time.

For photographers, filmmakers, social media managers, and other creative entrepreneurs, this question comes up at every stage of business. Too many creatives either hide their pricing and lose trust, or post it too early and kill their inquiry volume before they have a chance to sell. Joey and Christy have been on both sides of this debate in their own businesses, and in this episode, they're giving you a clear framework to decide which move is right for you.

Here's what's covered:• When hiding your pricing is actually the smarter sales strategy• The inquiry volume benchmark that tells you whether to show your pricing or not• Why making pricing hard to find destroys trust faster than a high price tag ever will• The "starting at" approach that works for almost every creative business• How to filter out low-quality leads without losing serious clients

If you've been going back and forth on this, this episode will help you make the call with confidence and build a website that works for your business instead of against it.

P.S. Knowing what to put on your website is one piece - knowing how to price, package, and sell your offers is what turns inquiries into booked clients. Round 16 of the 6 Week Creativ Rise Mastermind is coming up soon. Get on the waitlist at www.creativrise.com.

FREE TOOLS & TRAININGS→ Pricing Calculator: ⁠⁠https://www.creativrise.com/pricingcalculator⁠⁠→ Pitching Masterclass Course: ⁠⁠https://www.creativrise.com/pitchingmasterclass⁠⁠→ Sales Call Formula Course: ⁠⁠https://www.creativrise.com/offers/RM2ZPtZx/checkout⁠⁠→ Productivity Course: ⁠⁠https://www.creativrise.com/productivity⁠⁠→ Money Management Training: ⁠⁠https://www.creativrise.com/moneytraining⁠⁠→ Fix Your Inquiry Form: ⁠⁠https://www.creativrise.com/inquiryform⁠⁠

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE→ Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/creativrise⁠⁠→ Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/creativrise⁠⁠

FOLLOW ALONG→ Instagram: @creativrise | @joeyspeers | @christyjspeers

In this episode, Joey and Christy are breaking down what just happened inside Round 15 of the 6 Week Creativ Rise Mastermind, where 37 creatives booked $611,407 in just 6 weeks, and more importantly, what you can learn from it as a photographer, filmmaker, social media manager, or content creator trying to grow your business.

This isn’t a one-off result or a lucky round. This is a pattern. Across 155 deals, 17+ retainers, and creatives from all over the world, we’re seeing the same moves create the same outcomes again and again. If you’ve been wondering how people are landing $5K, $10K, or even $20K+ projects, this episode breaks it down in a way that actually makes it make sense!! We are so proud of everyone in Round 15.

Here’s what’s covered:

• The real reason some creatives stay stuck at $500–$2K jobs while others jump to $5K–$10K+ projects
• Why solving “high-stakes” business problems is the key to unlocking higher-paying clients
• How better offers (not better gear) dramatically increase your income ceiling
• The sales call shift that helped close 155 deals in just 6 weeks
• Why proximity to the right people can completely change what you believe is possible
• The role of imperfect action and why speed beats perfection every time

P.S. If you’re listening to this and thinking, “I want to be in a room like that,” Round 16 of the 6 Week Creativ Rise Mastermind is happening this September. Round 15 sold out and Round 16 will too. Get on the waitlist now at www.creativrise.com.

FREE TOOLS & TRAININGS→ Pricing Calculator: ⁠https://www.creativrise.com/pricingcalculator⁠→ Pitching Masterclass Course: ⁠https://www.creativrise.com/pitchingmasterclass⁠→ Sales Call Formula Course: ⁠https://www.creativrise.com/offers/RM2ZPtZx/checkout⁠→ Productivity Course: ⁠https://www.creativrise.com/productivity⁠→ Money Management Training: ⁠https://www.creativrise.com/moneytraining⁠→ Fix Your Inquiry Form: ⁠https://www.creativrise.com/inquiryform⁠

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE→ Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://apple.co/creativrise⁠→ Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/creativrise⁠

FOLLOW ALONG→ Instagram: @creativrise | @joeyspeers | @christyjspeers