This Can't Be That Hard

As the year winds down, you might be looking over your expenses from the year... and I'd be willing to bet there are some pieces of software or tech that you're considering getting rid of.

Now I'm all for keeping an eye on expenses, But before you unsubscribe or cancel that software, I want you to listen to today's episode.

The fact of the matter is that good technology - the kind that make tasks faster, easier, or totally automatic - is one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to grow your business... you may just have to change your perspective a bit.

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!

Raise your hand if you've ever had a client ask to see their photos during a session... who hasn't!? Conventional wisdom tells us to encourage them to wait for the final, edited images before sharing, right? Well, today's guest is turning that advice on its head. 

Liz Hansen runs a highly successful (read: 7-figure) boudoir photography business... and credits her success with sharing her photos immediately after her sessions!  Today she's talking us through the business model that's working so well for her and sharing some really powerful business advice that applies no matter what your model is!

• https://milliondollar.studio/ Check out Liz's website and resources if you are looking to change to same-day sales.

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!

Standing out in the highly competitive world of photography can feel difficult or even impossible at times. Great photos feels like it SHOULD be enough, but it almost never is... so how can we market our businesses in a way that encourages people to book us on something OTHER than price?

The key is making your business impossible to compare to your competition. Today I want to talk about how you can figure out the special sauce only YOU can offer so that you can start focusing your marketing and finding those bluebird clients.

• https://paleontologista.com/ - The Punk Rock Paleontologist
• https://www.cheyennegil.com/ - Cheyenne Gil's Boudoir Photography
• https://www.theilenphoto.com/ - Matt and Tara Theilen Lake Tahoe Photography

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!

Happy December, and happy final Consistency Club installment of the year! This first year of the Club has been amazing... we’ve seen some incredible success stories of photographers building their email and social followings and - even more importantly - effectively translating that growth into booked clients and money in their bank accounts.

All that to say, if you liked being part of the Club this year, get excited: based on your feedback, we’re implementing some changes for next year that we believe will make your membership even more valuable to your marketing strategy in 2024!

Here’s a sneak peek at some of what you can expect:

• Free access to our first-ever Marketing Summit (coming in January!)
• Earlier drop dates (the 15th of the month before)
• Private podcast access to the audio lesson (listen on Spotify, etc.)
• An over-the-shoulder guide to each month’s templates (as in, rather than reading this newsletter, we’ll be talking through each month’s templates and the secret strategy as part of the audio lesson.)

I’m so excited for these changes, and - as ever - so grateful to be on this journey with you. Happy holidays!

• 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!

Today we are zooming way out to look at the big picture journey of running a creative business. My guest is Brian Hood, host of the Six Figure Creative podcast, and he is breaking down the six levels of freelancing -what it takes to move from one level to the next, and what pitfalls to avoid along the way. 

Whether you're just starting out in photography or a seasoned pro, today's episode is going to give you some clarity about where you currently are in your business and what goals or steps you might want to set for yourself in the upcoming year. 

LINKS:

• All the resources Brian mentioned in this episode can be found here

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!

Today we're talking about what you do when you have more business than you can handle.

Champagne problem? Maybe... but even if you're not there just yet, I want you to listen in... because this is a very real issue that EVERY photographer can benefit from!

Jill C. Smith is on the show talking about how she built an associate program in her family photography business. She has 3 associates in her very busy photography business, and has cracked the code on exactly how to find and train your team, then use it to grow your business. Today she’s taking us behind the scenes on her process (and how - if you're still in the growing phase - you can flip this strategy around to build your confidence and your portfolio)!

LINKS:

• Get Jill's Guide to Hiring Associate Photographers

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!

Working in a creative field comes with so many perks, but staying creative in the midst of the go-go-go busy season can be tough. 

Between the frenetic pace of the holiday season and the pressures of the end of the year, this is often a time when our creative well can start to run dry... at least MINE does. Never fear! I've got a system (of course I do!) for pulling yourself out of your photo rut. 

Tune in to hear how I keep my photos fresh all year long.

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 aren't familiar with LifeTouch, they are the ENORMOUS business responsible for most of the school portraits in the U.S. If you're based in America, chances are good that you've sat in front of a LifeTouch photographer at some point in your life... but the experience of buying photos from Lifetouch as a professional photographer and a mom has really put some things into perspective.

As some of you know, this is my son Oliver's senior year, and he recently went to get his yearbook photo done by a LifeTouch photographer, and today, I want to walk you through that experience.

You might not be surprised at what I discovered, but what I hope you take away from today is a sense of extreme confidence in the services we provide to our clients and the prices we charge for those services. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and your own experiences with school portraits in the Facebook group. Click the link below to join the convo.

LINKS:

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 love November. Somehow, it feels a bit like a Thursday to me... like even though we're not to the finish line yet, we're at least in the home stretch.

(It doesn't hurt that the weather this time of year in NC is basically perfect )🍂

But although the finish line is in sight, we're still in the thick of things. I don't know about you, but all I want right now is for everything to feel easy... which means takeout for dinner, When it comes to marketing, I want it as turnkey as humanly possible... so that's exactly what we've got for you this month!

Before we dive in, we can't let the month dedicated to all things gratitude pass by without thanking you for helping the Consistency Club become the success it has this year...Your subscription, your feedback, and your success stories humble us and fuel us to keep showing up, so thank you from the bottom of our hearts! 

In the meantime, treat yourself to a warm, seasonally-appropriate beverage and get ready to stay Consistent with your marketing...even at the busiest time of year!

• 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!

On the list of ways we are constantly trying to improve our businesses, one thing that might get overlooked is building inclusivity and accessibility in our customer experience. 

15% of the population identifies as neurodiverse and that number is growing every day. Today, Rose McAvoy is joining me on the podcast to share simple ways photographers can be more accommodating and accessible for our neurodiverse clients. (Side note: most of these benefit our neurotypical clients as well!)

A big thank you to Rose for bringing this topic to the podcast and for this important conversation - I know you all will have so many great takeaways from it. 

LINKS:

• Follow Rose on Instagram
• Check out her website
• Download Rose's Inclusive Guide for Helping Kids Get Ready for Photos (it's so cute!)

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!