Find Your Focus

Today’s guest is LaShonda Brown, an award-winning corporate film producer and Squarespace expert based in Virginia. LaShonda is also an expert on Canva, a graphic design platform used to create social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents, and other visual content. In this episode, LaShonda has some pertinent and helpful tips about how to use Canva, she shares the features that she believes are overlooked, and she also has some advice for creating stellar graphics. LaShonda is a firm believer that anyone can use Canva to produce high-quality graphics for their photography business without aero graphic design experience, which makes it an accessible tool for everyone! Tune in to hear about how photographers can up their Canva game using the animation feature, the number one mistake photographers make with Canva, and whether to choose the free account or Canva Pro.

Running a photography business isn’t always easy and can be stressful in pretty unexpected ways. In today’s episode, we dive straight into some of the most common fears that photographers have, tackle them head-on, and provide the best solutions for each. The first fear we bust is the idea that you’re not good enough. We take a few moments to remind you not to compare your photographic journey to others, and that other successful photographers have also had their fair share of bad days behind the camera. You’ll also hear about how you can and should be charging friends and family for your services, and why it’s so important to become a numbers person if you want to create a successful business. On the topic of charging, you’ll find out how you need to value your work too, and why you should never feel bad about charging a fair price. To end things off, we go into the inevitable difficulties you’ll encounter when handling tough clients, and how you can simplify liaising. Be sure to kick your fears in the butt and tune in!

Grabbing website copy builds trust, proves your value, and can help fill your calendar with bookings. Today, we speak with photographer and copywriter, Rachel Greiman, about how you can write copy that hooks clients. We open our conversation by talking about Rachel’s start in photography and the origins of her company, Green Chair Stories. After reflecting on how unique every photographer’s journey is, we dive into the importance of copy lenses — guidelines that narrow your focus and help you define your service, your clients, and your world view. We touch on how copy lenses give you a stress-free writing framework before asking Rachel for her top writing tips. Her actionable advice ranges from how to structure your copy, to insights into the purpose of each of your website pages. We discuss the top mistakes that photographers make on their website, what you can do to win over your future clients, and when and how you should add personality to your website. Tune in and learn more about writing website copy that sounds as good as your photography looks. 

Today we are talking to Chris Scott from Swift Galleries and The Print Maker System, both of which help photographers run a successful IPS or in-person sales business. Chris started out as a wedding photographer and noticed that the photography industry didn’t have anything out there to help IPS photographers with sales meetings from start to finish, so together with his wife, he built his own tools and program to meet the need of the market. In our conversation, Chris gives advice for those who are thinking about switching over to IPS but who find it overwhelming, explaining that it is not about getting it perfect right from the start but iterating and refining as you go. He points out the common mistakes people make in the transition phase and gets into all the reasons why IPS is beneficial for you and your clients, even though you might lose a few people in the process. Chris reminds listeners that they are running a business and that what they offer takes real skill, encouraging them to value their work and ask the price they feel their products and services are worth. Be sure to tune in to find out how IPS can enable you to make more while shooting less!

In order to market anything – your product, your company, or your ideas – you first need to define your unique brand. Your brand is not just the visuals, like your logo and your website, it also encompasses your brand identity. Today’s guest, Abby Grace, has 6 steps for establishing your brand identity, which is so important to running a successful business. With more than 10 years of experience in the wedding industry, Abby is a photographer based in the Washington, DC area, and her work has been published by many of our industry’s top editors. In addition to photography, Abby is also a speaker and an educator, teaching workshops for small business owners and fellow photographers. In this episode, Abby explains to us what brand identity is, why it is so important, and how to establish it. This is one interview that every photographer needs to listen to, so make sure to tune in today!

It's important to continue to set business goals and push forward, even during times of crisis. Today’s guest is Erin Youngren, who is an educator and photographer. In this episode, Erin talks about setting goals for 2021, and you might be thinking, “How do I set goals when there is so much uncertainty in the world right now?” Well, Erin has the answer for you. She walks us through exactly how to plan for the future, even during a pandemic, and how to set goals that will keep your business moving forward. She also shares some of the ways that she and her husband have kept their business on track, the apps they use for productivity, and she tells us about the Thrive Business Intensive, and how it could be beneficial to your photography business. This episode is certainly relatable for everyone in the photography industry, so make sure to tune in today!

Unlike many other art forms, photography is a field that is still largely inaccessible due to the high cost of equipment and the difficulty of finding people who are willing to teach. But our guest today, Sara Keith, and her business partner were determined to solve this problem by providing photography education to people from underserved communities in the Metro Atlanta area. In this episode, Sara shares how their dream for the non-profit was realized when they started Illuminate Atlanta and how they partnered up with various institutions to help children discover the joy of photography. For her, one of the most rewarding aspects of her job is watching children find and express themselves through the art form and witnessing its value as a therapeutic outlet since many of these kids face serious social and other challenges. Tuning in, listeners will hear about the range of free downloadable resources they offer and how they can get involved with and support the organization wherever they are!  

Stress is one of those things that can take the joy out of your photography career, but implementing good systems can help reduce it. Nobody understands systems as well as Dahlia Orth, and today she joins us on the show to geek out about how they have changed her life and how she can use them to help change yours. Dahlia is a photographer and systems specialist who has helped countless photographers get their life back through setting up systems and workflows that take away their stress. We talk to Dahlia about the stress she felt when her business started to grow and how implementing systems changed everything for her. Having learned the hard way, Dahlia made it her mission to help others so they did not have to do the same and she tells us all about the different photographers she has assisted, the specific needs they had, and the amazing transformations they underwent afterward. 

One of the things our guest today learned very early on was the power of social media and how it's not just about uploading nice content and hoping people see it and engage with it. In fact, there is an actual strategy and specific steps you need to take to really make it work and to help you grow your business. Today we are joined by Cyrissa Carlson from Sparkle Society. Cyrissa is a photographer and educator, who offers coaching for ambitious entrepreneurs. She uses Facebook Groups to connect with her clients on a more personal level and to make meaningful connections.

With half of small businesses closing down within their first five years, the odds are stacked against us. But you have an unlikely ally — your competition. Today we speak with Natalie Franke, the HoneyBook Head of Community and co-founder of the Rising Tide Society. As a pioneering voice of the Community over Competition movement, she helps foster creative communities and support networks for small businesses. We open our conversation with Natalie by talking about her journey into photography and how her love for being behind a camera complimented her college studies into visual neuroscience. After chatting about why there is no such thing as wasted time, Natalie opens up about the pressures of hustling and the lonely road of being an entrepreneur. As she explains, this inspired her to found the Rising Tide Society, a community dedicated to putting people before competition. We discuss the many benefits of connecting with your business community and Natalie shares some of the challenges that she faced when starting her movement.