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

In this episode, Joey and Christy are breaking down their full behind-the-scenes recap of shooting Coachella 2026, including the date mix-up that almost cost them the job, the 5 a.m. wrap time at the Neon Carnival, and the exact lessons every commercial photographer, filmmaker, and content creator needs to hear about pitching and shooting major brand events. 🫣

Most photographers, filmmakers, social media managers, and UGC creators stay on the sidelines of brand event work because they think it's "too intimidating" or they feel like they need a massive portfolio to pitch Coachella, Stagecoach, or any major festival. The reality is, brands are actively looking for creatives who show up with ideas, flexibility, and fast turnaround times, and events are one of the most underrated ways to get your foot in the door with dream brand clients.

Coachella is no longer just a music festival. It's a full-scale media festival where brands are spending seven figures on activations, influencer houses, and experiential marketing, and they desperately need creatives who can actually capture it all. If you're a creative entrepreneur trying to break into the commercial and brand space, this is the opportunity hiding in plain sight. 🔥

Joey and Christy walk through the flop that almost derailed the whole weekend, what they learned about working with massive brands on-location, and the exact framework for pitching yourself into high-paying brand event work in any city.

Here's what's covered:

• How Coachella actually works as a giant media festival (and why this changes how you should pitch)
• The exact pitch framework for landing brand event work at Coachella, Stagecoach, and local festivals
• Why fast turnaround times are one of the highest-leverage value-adds for commercial photographers and filmmakers
• The "human tripod" trap killing creative careers in the 2026 brand economy
• How to pitch ideas to brands without fearing they'll steal them and hire someone else

If you want more brand deals, more retainers, and more high-paying commercial gigs on your calendar, stop waiting for the perfect opportunity and start pitching the brand activations happening in your city right now.

P.S. Pitching brand events is one piece of the puzzle. If you want the full system on offers, marketing, pitching, and client experience that's landing our grads 5-figure deals (like Ian's $48K retainer locked in just this past week), the next round of the 6 Week Creativ Rise Mastermind is happening this September. Round 15 sold out and Round 16 will too. 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 is breaking down the exact five software tools he and Christy use every year to run their photography and filmmaking business - and the total cost is just $750 a year.

Most photographers, filmmakers, content creators, and social media managers are either overspending on tools they barely use, or piecing together a free-tool workflow that's quietly costing them in missed clients and dropped details.

The reality is, the software running your business directly impacts how professional you look, how many leads you close, and how smooth your client experience feels. And most creatives aren't running the right stack.

In this episode, Joey walks you through the five must-have tools for running a creative business in 2026 - covering lead generation, client communication, meeting management, project management, and campaign pre-production. ⚡️

Here's what's covered:

• ManyChat - how to build automated Instagram funnels that turn comments into leads (Christy's giveaway brought in $50K in inquiries in 48 hours)
• Loom - the $12.50/month screen recording tool that upgrades your pitches and cuts down endless email chains
• Fathom AI - the AI meeting note taker that records every call, captures every detail, and lets you stay fully present with clients
• Notion - how to build a pitching tracker that auto-schedules follow-up dates so no lead falls through the cracks
• Milanote - the visual workspace where mood boards, shot lists, and client approvals all live in one place

Five tools. $62.50 a month. A photography and creative business that books more, runs cleaner, and delivers a better experience every time. 🔥

P.S. The right tools help you run your business - but the right foundation helps you grow it. The next round of the 6 Week Creativ Rise Mastermind is coming, and it's where photographers, filmmakers, and creatives build the offers, marketing, and systems that power six-figure businesses. 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 the mindset blocks that are quietly keeping creative business owners stuck, undercharging, and playing small before they even give themselves a real shot.

Most creatives don't realize how much of their stagnation is self-inflicted. It's not the market. It's not the economy. It's not a lack of talent. It's the stories they tell themselves before a client ever gets the chance to respond.

Photographers, filmmakers, content creators, and social media managers work incredibly hard to build their craft, but then they get in their own way when it's time to actually grow. They call themselves new when they're not. They say no on behalf of clients before pitching. They hide behind perfectionism and call it standards.

In this episode, Joey and Christy walk through the most common ways creative business owners self-sabotage and how to stop it.

Here's what's covered:

• Stop calling yourself new - feeling new is part of growth, but it's not a reason to undercharge
• Stop pitching less than 50 times a month - low volume is the real reason you're not getting work
• Stop saying no before your client can say yes - say the price, then shut up
• Stop letting perfectionism masquerade as productivity - done is better than perfect, always
• Why the creatives winning right now are taking fast, messy action - and what that actually looks like

The creatives building six-figure careers aren't the most talented ones in the room. They're the ones who ship it, learn from it, and move on. 👀

Put what you learn to work: want to stop leaving money on the table and start pricing with confidence? Use the free Creativ Rise Pricing Calculator at www.creativrise.com, a pricing tool built for photographers, filmmakers, content creators, and social media managers.

P.S. Pricing confidence starts with having the right foundation under your business. The next round of the 6 Week Creativ Rise Mastermind, Round 16, is coming and it's where photographers, filmmakers, and creatives learn to build offers, close deals, and grow businesses that actually 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, Joey and Christy are breaking down the most common pricing questions they get from creatives in the wedding and brand space - and their answers might flip how you think about pricing entirely.

Here’s the key: pricing is branding. What you charge signals who you are, what you're worth, and whether clients can trust you before they ever respond to your quote. Most creatives obsess over their website, their socials and their portfolio - and completely overlook that their price tag is doing just as much talking.

Ep 279 tackles the questions that trip up photographers, filmmakers, content creators and SMM’s.

Here's what's covered:

• Why cheap pricing can actually scare clients away (and what to do about it)
• How price anchoring works and why your lowest package might be costing you money
• Whether to list your pricing on your website or keep it hidden
• How to handle "can you lower your price?" on a sales call without caving
• Who should say the price first - and why the old rule is wrong

Once you understand that your price is part of your brand story, every pricing decision gets cleaner and more confident.

Want to price your next job with a proven framework in under 5 minutes? Use the free 2026 Creativ Rise Pricing Calculator at creativrise.com/pricingcalculator. Built for photographers, filmmakers, UGC creators, and social media managers.

P.S. Round 15 of the 6 Week Creativ Rise Mastermind is live right now, and three weeks in, members are closing deals that would have made them nervous to quote six weeks ago. $8,500 brand deals, $5,000 pinned post packages, nearly $100K in contracted payments. Joey said it himself - nothing shifts your pricing faster than being around people who are actually doing it. Get on the Round 16 waitlist at www.creativrise.com before applications open this 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

BIG UPDATE: The brand new 2026 Creativ Rise Pricing Calculator is here! As always: completely for free! If you’re a photographer, filmmaker, content creator or SMM & struggle with how to price your work - start using this tool here.

What is your pricing strategy?If it’s merely based off the photographer down the street, a low day-rate, or just going with your gut and hoping for the best - this episode (and new tool) is for you.

In this episode, Joey walks through the exact pricing framework creative entrepreneurs use to charge confidently for brand photography, wedding packages, UGC content, and social media management retainers using the Creativ Rise Pricing Calculator - which you have access to, completely for free.

Most photographers and filmmakers are undercharging - not because they lack confidence, but because they never had a real starting point. So every quote becomes a guess. You borrow a number from a competitor, hope it sounds reasonable, and spend the rest of the project wondering if you left money on the table.

This episode fixes that. Joey breaks down the math behind pricing creative services and walk through their completely rebuilt free Pricing Calculator for 2026 - a step-by-step tool built for wedding photographers, brand creatives, UGC creators, and social media managers. 👀

Here's what's covered:

• Why creative pricing anxiety is a math problem, not a mindset problem
• How to calculate your floor price before quoting any project
• The value multipliers most photographers and filmmakers skip
• How to price wedding packages, brand shoots, and SMM retainers with one framework
• How to use the free Pricing Calculator to find your number in minutes

Once your number comes from real math, quoting with confidence isn't hard anymore. Download the Creativ Rise app and open the free Pricing Calculator to put this into practice right now.

→ 2026 Pricing Calculator: https://www.creativrise.com/pricingcalculator

P.S. Round 15 of the 6 Week Creativ Rise Mastermind is live right now - two weeks in, members are already closing $7,500 brand deals, $7,400 elopement packages, and multiple four-figure projects in the same week. This is exactly what happens when pricing finally clicks. Get on the Round 16 waitlist at www.creativrise.com and be first in line when applications open. Round 16 applications launch 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

You've probably heard the advice a hundred times: "just find clients with more money." Cool. Super helpful. But if that were all it took, you wouldn't still be sending $500 invoices.

Here's the truth nobody talks about: the size of your paycheck has almost nothing to do with the size of the company you're working with. It has everything to do with the size of the problem you're solving.

In this episode, Joey and Christy break down exactly how to make the shift from cheap clients to higher ticket clients - and the one mindset shift that unlocks scaling your creative business.

Here's what they cover:

• Why bigger paychecks come from bigger pain points - not bigger companies
• The difference between low-stakes and high-stakes content - and how to tell which one you're being hired for
• How to identify revenue-driven industries that actually have budget to spend
• Why pitching outcomes instead of deliverables is the key to closing higher-ticket deals
• How to position yourself as a problem solver - not just a content creator

Once you start chasing painful problems instead of pretty projects, everything changes - your invoices, your clients, and your confidence walking into every pitch.

P.S. This is exactly the kind of strategy we build inside the 6 Week Creativ Rise Mastermind - helping creative entrepreneurs go from low-ticket work to running full 6-figure businesses with high-value clients.

Round 15 just kicked off with an incredible group of creatives already in motion. If you’re watching this thinking “that should’ve been me,” get yourself on the Round 16 waitlist now and be first in line when applications open. Round 16 Applications launch in August 2026!

(http://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