191 - I received this email shortly before we left for spring break in Belize earlier this month:

Dear Nicole,

We’re canceling your Airbnb because we -- whoopsie! -- double-booked and you're out, sucka.

OK, sure, I'm paraphrasing but that is what happened.

And you know what? I was a wee bit frustrated. OK, not frustrated. I was legitimately pissed off. 

But I had two choices in moving forward: I could stay pissed off, scorch the earth and cancel the entire vacation or I could take a deep breath, get some perspective and get moving on an alternate plan.

Guess what? Belize was an amazing vacation.

 
That I was able to process the information, calm down and get sh** done fascinated the heck out of our friend Heather Lahtinen. She turns the table on me for this week's episode of the Hair of the Dog podcast and interviews me on my crisis management skills.

What to listen for

1:52 The full thought process from anger to Zen with my Belize trip
8:14 The time I was almost locked out of New Zealand
12:51 The 3-step process I use to manage crisis situations
14:51 Why divergent thinking beats convergent thinking -- and what the heck that means
25:17 How I decided no matter what happens -- I win

As my business mentor James Wedmore says, our businesses will only grow to the level of problems that we are willing to deal with.

What, my friend, are you willing to deal with to grow your pet photography business?

JOIN THE PARTY:

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• Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
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• Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.