This Can't Be That Hard

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

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

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

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!

Building a photography business is in itself a work of art and creativity - no two businesses look exactly the same. What I love about that is that it means we can all build our businesses to fit our lives. On the flip side, not having a clearcut path can make it difficult to strategize and grow. 

Elin Azganun is a new-ish photographer. She's been in business for just over a year now, but her story is somewhat unusual in that she came into the business of photography from a business background and with a ton of research about how she wanted to run her photography business under her belt.

Today she's joining me to talk about how she set her business to be profitable from the start, and how that helped her avoid some of the growing pains new business owners often feel. I love Elin's story because while it's inspirational, it's also incredibly grounded and relatable. If you're in need of a good dose of motivation and encouragement, this episode will be the pixie dust you are looking for.

Links:
Elin's Instagram
Elin's Website

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 time is money (as the saying goes), then automation and outsourcing should be your two best friends. On the other hand, what often sets us apart in our small businesses are our personal touches and customer service, so many photographers (understandably) struggle to find a balance between personalization and profitability.

Longtime listeners know that I'm a big fan of automating my workflow and outsourcing work where possible, but I balance that with personal touches that my ideal customers appreciate. Today I'm taking you behind the scenes of my own photography business to share exactly what I outsource and automate, and why. Then, I'll help you find a formula for figuring out what you can streamline in your business without sacrificing the things that make your business special. 

Links 

• Check out Colie James for all your Dubsado needs

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!