I'm sure you’ve heard the saying "perfection is the enemy of progress," and today I'm sharing a story about how that can play out in real life. 

Sometimes we get so stuck in our ways - or so attached to doing things a certain way - that we end up with blinders on, stifling our creativity and limiting ourselves in business. Today's story illustrates how freeing ourselves up to be less than perfect can actually make us better - at art, and in business.

If you need a little nudge to try out that idea you’ve been sitting on, this episode might be exactly what you need. 

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

I spend a lot of time on this show highlighting other photographers' greatest successes, brilliant ideas, and ah-ha moments, but we all know that with the ups come the downs. 

But the downs don’t usually get a lot of audio time, right? Mostly because we’d all like to forget our worst moments... but when we're IN our worst moments, sometimes it's nice to know we're not alone!

This week, I've got a misery-loves-company-fueled show where I'm sharing one of my own horror stories, along with the biggest flops, failures, or freak-outs that some of my photographer friends were willing to share... and these do NOT disappoint!

This is a fun one - you’ll probably laugh out loud at least once, and there are lots of good lessons to be learned here - so enjoy! 

A Very Special Thanks to the following photographers for sharing these stories: 

@ashley_kaplan_photography
@brookebraggerphotography
@emmalaine Berry
@erinbrownphotos
@jayemcl
@jesskoehlerphoto
@jillcarmelphoto
@yellowroomphoto
@lindsaystephanyphoto
@meredithszinnerphotography
@rachelsimpsonweddings
@rosemcavoyphotography
@shalimar_b_photography

• Monthly Marketing Magic for Photographers: Get your first month of The Consistency Club for just $1

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

When I stumbled across Alison Amick Brett's Little Llamas Portrait concept earlier this year, I immediately wanted to share it on the podcast. 

Alison is a Florida-based family photographer who wanted to reinvent mini-sessions in a way that combined them with playdates …. and Little Llamas Portraits was born!

Little Llamas has been so successful that Alison is now fielding requests from other photographers around the country who want to essentially franchise her concept to put this system into place in their areas... a win/win if I’ve ever heard of one! 

Alison’s spilling all the details in today’s episode, but whether or not you're interested in playdate minis specifically, this is a great episode... her outside-the-box creative thinking is super-inspirational!

Links: 

• Learn more about Little Llamas Portraits for photographers

• Monthly Marketing Magic for Photographers: Get your first month of The Consistency Club for just $1

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

We've said it before and we'll say it again: Marketing is a long game, and this month's lesson is all about leaning into that: recognizing that your audience will need to "meet" you 7 or 12 or maybe even 20 times before they're ready to hand over their credit card, but that if you keep the faith and keep showing up - consistently - that those bookings will eventually happen.

• Watch the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love.
• Join the TCBTH Facebook Group - a supportive, business-focused group for photographers.
• Leave a review!

Last week we covered the three systems that every photographer needs in their business. (If you haven’t listened to last week's episode, I recommend you go back and start there first!)

Today I’m diving into the 3 biggest mistakes that photographers make when they set up those systems, how you can avoid them, and - most importantly - how you can optimize your system setups to help your business and customer experience run more effectively.

Want to see my systems map? It lives inside the “Streamline Department” at This Can’t Be That Hard University. To enroll (for free!), fill out the admissions assessment at thiscantbethathard.com/free

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

If someone asked you to quickly and clearly sketch out how your business works on the back of a napkin, could you do it? 

As soloprenuers, we wear so many hats that it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture. But stepping back periodically is critical to make sure all that effort is serving you. 

Today, I’m kicking off this two-part episode by sharing the three systems every photographer needs for a functional business, then next week, we’ll dive into the most common mistakes and issues I see in those systems. 

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

If you're a family photographer struggling to fill your calendar with ideal clients, you're going to want a notebook for this one. 

(No, seriously. I’ll wait. Go get one.) 

Daisy Zimmer is my guest today, and she's sharing a genius idea she came up with to reach new clients at a higher price point when she redesigned her business and switched to Simple Sales. Wanting to avoid the common pitfalls of model calls and inspired by the ambassador programs a lot of senior photographers run, Daisy launched a Family Ambassador Program, and today she's breaking down the entire process on the show.

Spoiler: it was tremendously successful, both in terms of marketing her business and in building relationships with her Ambassador families. If you're looking for a solid plan to expand your business reach, then grab that notebook and join us! 

Links: 

• Find Daisy on Instagram @DaisyZimmerPhoto

• Monthly Marketing Magic for Photographers: Get your first month of The Consistency Club for just $1

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

Even though I meet so many different types of people working in photography, one thing I think we all have in common is our artistic souls. That little part of us that gets excited and inspired by many different things all the time. Right?

On one hand, following every little idea you have can be problematic. You can spread yourself too thin, or become a jack of all trades (and a master of none).

But on the other hand, following some of your different passions and ideas can be a really excellent way to not only satisfy your creative brain but also diversify your income and protect yourself from the inevitable ebbs and flows of small business. 

Today I’m talking with Nikki Closser, a personal branding photographer who has branched out into many different income streams (some closely related to photography and others less so). Her path has been anything but traditional, and I think this conversation will leave you bubbling over with ideas for how you might want to expand your business life as well. 

Links: 

• Find resources on Nikki's Website
• Follow Nikki on IG
• Check out her Property Investment Company

• Monthly Marketing Magic for Photographers: Get your first month of The Consistency Club for just $1

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

Welcome to the Consistency Club, a monthly bonus feature of the podcast dedicated entirely to marketing your photography business.

This month Annemie and Dayna talk about the power of finding your smallest viable market - and how, when you learn to speak directly to them, your marketing really starts to shine. 

Don't forget! These episodes expire, so be sure you're subscribed to the podcast so you never miss an episode.

Links: 

• Purchase access to this month's templates or subscribe to get early access and special savings: www.thiscantbethathard.com/club

• Watch the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love.
• Join the TCBTH Facebook Group - a supportive, business-focused group for photographers.
• Leave a review!

Tell me if this sounds familiar: you write a to-do list for the day with the best intentions to make big strides on the project you are working on, only to blink and find that it's dinner time and you've only really accomplished a few menial tasks. Sigh. 

As the queen of procrasta-working (trademark pending), I've developed a strategy for myself that helps me focus my energy, accomplish the most important tasks each day and stay on track with my goals. If you struggle with this too, then today's episode is just for you my friend!

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!