This Can't Be That Hard

If you’ve been in business for any amount of time, you're probably familiar with burnout - it happens to the best of us. A lot of the resources out there focus on how to avoid burnout, which is great until you suddenly find yourself in the middle of it with no plan for how to turn the ship around. 

In case you find yourself in the throes of burnout - now or in the future - my guest Krista Marie Lynch has some solid strategies to help you reframe and move through burnout, so you can get back to finding the joy and creativity in your business. 

Links: 

• Listen to Krista's Podcast - She Calls Her Shots 
• Download the Profit Planning Worksheet 
• Check out Krista Marie 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!

So many photographers feel annoyed at best (and overwhelmed at worst) when it comes to the financial side of running a small business - most photographers aren't born bookkeepers, but of course as small business owners, it's something we all have to manage.

Tanya Hirschy from Tidy Books Boutique is on the show today talking about why it’s important that we take some time to clean up our finances before the end of the year (hint: it can save you time, stress, and money!), and to give us some strategies for making that process as easy and painless as possible.

Links: 

• Download Tanya's Tax Checklist for Photographers 
• Follow Tidy Books Boutique on Instagram - @tidybooksboutique 

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’m all about sharing the mistakes I made in my business to help you avoid making the same ones…. and one of the biggest, most costly mistakes I've ever made was not bothering to create a sale at the holidays for the first 8 years of my business. When I do the math, I estimate that one mistake cost me north of $50K (it still hurts to write that number!) 

If the word “sale” makes you cringe inside, then this episode is for you. There are plenty of reasons you can come up with to not run a holiday sale, but today I want to share 5 really compelling reasons why I think you should. Listen in with an open mind - I think you’ll be surprised at what you might learn!

Links: 

• Take the Holiday Sales Quiz to find out how much you could make this year. 

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!

Every photographer's path to success looks different. Some of us went to school for photography, while others of us picked up a camera for the first time when our babies were born. I think one of my favorite things about talking to photographers is that no two success stories are ever the same. 

Today’s guest is someone I have Instagram stalked for a long time, both for her beautiful images and her powerful words. And over the last few years, I've watched as her business has exploded.

From a social media perspective, it might seem like Carmen Bridgewater is one of those photographers who hits it big out of nowhere, but just like 99% of success stories out there, there was a long road leading to her "overnight success!" 

Links: 

• You can find Carmen at CarmenBridgewater.com
• and follow her on IG @carmen.bridgewater

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!

Evan Berding is an incredibly talented custom furniture maker who happens to also be my one and only brother. What's funny is that for all our similarities (siblings, artists, entrepreneurs), there are also a lot of big differences. Evan and I take very different approaches to our work, and I always love chatting with him about how who we are has shaped the paths we've taken. 

Today I'm sharing our conversation about the challenges and benefits of being an artist in business - how some of those are specialty-specific, and how others are universal.

Links: 

• Follow Evan on Instagram to see his beautiful work: @EvanBerding
• Find him at www.EvanBerding.com 
• Sign up for the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love. 
• Join the free This Can’t Be That Hard Facebook Group - the most supportive, business-focused group for photographers out there! 

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!

VIP Days have been gaining popularity over the last few years as a way for business owners to offer high-touch, high-value services that deliver fast results to their clients. If you've ever wondered how you could expand your photography business, either to increase revenue, stand out from the other photographers in your area, or to allow for more flexibility in your schedule, today's conversation about VIP Days with Jordan Gill of Systems Saved Me is going to get your wheels turning! 

We're covering:

• What VIP days are
• Who they're perfect for
• How photographers can create VIP offers in their businesses
• The do's and don'ts of a VIP offer
• And more!

Links: 

• Find Jordan here: SystemsSavedMe.com
• And on Instagram here: @SystemsSavedMe
• Sign up for the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love. 

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!

Most of the time on this podcast I give you ideas for how to refine your business, streamline your systems, and improve your workflow. But today I want to talk about WHY doing those things is important. One of the (many) reasons it's good to have a well-run business is so can keep your eyes open for the golden opportunities that are all around you. 

Sometimes as soloprenuers, we're so busy juggling the many hats we have to wear that we can struggle to see the forest for the trees (especially during the busy season)... and that happens in larger corporations, too. Today, I'm sharing a short story about how a big company failed to do that in the hopes that it will inspire you to re-commit to the customer service that makes our small businesses shine. 

Links:

• Sign up for the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love. 
  
  
• Join the free This Can’t Be That Hard Facebook Group - the most supportive, business-focused group for photographers out there! 

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’ve been a photographer for any amount of time, you’ve probably had a card malfunction, or a drive corrupt, or watched as Lightroom choked in the middle of exporting a session. 

Oh 💩, right? In those moments, I always wish I could just pick up the phone and call my own personal IT department to make THEM fix it. 

This past spring, in the wake of the worst data nightmare that I have personally experienced, I was connected with Ryan Hamic of Zen Flow tech, who - it turns out - is exactly that: on-call tech support for photographers. He's a specialist in data recovery (and helping you avoid losing data in the first place).

Tune in to hear my tale of woe, along with Ryan's best tips and secrets for protecting your photography data... this episode could save you thousands of dollars and even more headaches! 

Links: 

• Follow Ryan @ZenFlowTech on Instagram
• Or find him at www.ZenFlowTech.com 
• Sign up for the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love. 

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!

For years, I've encouraged photographers to talk to prospective clients on the phone. For a variety of reasons, I believe it's the best way to not only book more clients, but to start the process of working together off on the right foot.

But these days, more and more people - photographers AND their clients - are reluctant to pick up the phone... which has led some of my students to explore different ways to initiate contact.

Sabrina Jill and Melissa Arlena are students of mine who've been using a different strategy that's been very successful for them. Instead of an initial call, they both use personalized videos to respond to inquiries, and their results have been fantastic. Today, they're taking us behind the scenes on the details of the strategy and why it works!

Links: 

• Find Sabrina's website HERE and connect with her on Instagram HERE
• Check out Melissa's website HERE and follow her on Instagram HERE 
• Sign up for the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love. 
• Join the free This Can’t Be That Hard Facebook Group - the most supportive, business-focused group for photographers out there! 

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!

One of the most common questions that I get asked here at This Can't Be That Hard is: “How do I get more photography clients?"

Right? It's the photography marketing magic bullet (say that 10 times fast!) that we are all looking for.

But as you know by now, I’m a believer that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for your marketing. It’s about trying different things, seeing what sticks, and above all, staying consistent. That said, I sure do love sharing fun, interesting strategies when I hear about them....

Today’s guest, Raymond Hatfield of the Beginner’s Photography Podcast is sharing a unique marketing tactic that worked like gangbusters for him. It’s a fun twist on marketing that I think will get your wheels turning and leave you with a smile on your face!

Links: 

• Check out Raymonds amazing podcast, www.BeginnerPhotographyPodcast.com 
• Sign up for the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love.
• Join the free This Can’t Be That Hard Facebook Group - the most supportive, business-focused group for photographers out there!

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!