Today we’re going behind the scenes with professional portrait photographer / early childhood educator, Shalicia Johnson, because she just got her first Julie – a $3,501.25 order! 

You may be wondering what the heck is a Julie? In our community of professional portrait photographers, a Julie is a photography client who invests over $1,000 in printed portraits. And we celebrate like crazy when portrait photographers get their first Julie because we know if they can get one $1,000 portrait order, they can do it over and over again. We even give out a special Julie Award at our annual 3-Day event, Go Boutique Live, to all students who get their $1,000+ client. 

So pop in your earbuds and hit play to hear Shalicia’s story of how she got her first Julie, what’s changed for her since then, and how you can start getting Julie’s, too!

Major life changes. Whether we’ve planned for them or never saw them coming, we all experience them.

• A job loss or career change.
• A cross-country move.
• A new baby.
• A health issue.

We’ve all been there. And as photography business owners, we may need to put your business on the back burner to attend to these life changes. That’s why I developed the parking lot tool. Today I’m sharing how you can use this tool to get back to your photography business faster when life needed you to pull over. Let’s do this.

Dear photographer who is ashamed by how little you make right now from your photography. 

I see the crazy hours you’re putting in. 

I see you agonizing over your prices. 

I see the gorgeous images you create for your clients. 

And I also see things you don’t. I see you taking the risk of being in business for yourself and forgoing the guaranteed paycheck, benefits and vacation. And because of those risks, I FIRMLY believe, you are justified in earning a higher wage. If you are frustrated by how little you are making and how much you are working, you NEED to listen to this today.

Sometimes the thing that gets you the most PUMPED and lights your pants on fire to TAKE ACTION is to hear how somebody JUST LIKE YOU really did it.

And when I say really did it, I’m talking about one of my students who was a shoot and burn photographer who took her average client orders from $200 to over $2,000 working very part-time at her photography business.

Her name is Andee Anderton and I'm so excited for you to meet her. Andee is a momma of 2 precious girls under 3, who’s growing a photography business that provides for her family while being present at the same time. 

Not too long ago, she was in the same spot you’re in right now: 

• Struggling with the business part…but LOVING the photography. 
• Answering inquiries for sessions through FB messenger and agonizing over whether to tell them $200 or $175 for a session. 
• Feeling down when client after client ghosts her after she shares prices.

Pop in your earbuds to hear Andee’s inspiring story of what she did to get to where she is now. 

I made so many excuses for why I couldn’t succeed in my photography business. 

Over and over those first few years.

And then I wondered why things weren’t working. 

This was my story until I remembered something I picked up from my dad.

Today, I’m taking you deep into what I learned from him and what happened when I stopped making 7 key excuses.

I’ll show you how I broke through them one at a time, so you can, too.

Hit play now!

Oh my gosh, wait until you hear this conversation with my coaching student and six figure photography business owner, Jill Daugherty. 

I invited Jill on the Joycast because I know her story is like so many of yours. As a portrait photographer with a lot of competition and four super active kids, Jill found herself constantly frazzled, doubting herself and stretching herself so thin. She realized she needed to find a different path for her business if she was going to be the mom, the wife and the photographer, she wanted to be. 

In this episode, Jill takes us along her journey over the past few years of growing her confidence and a six figure portrait photography studio in a rural area that is jam packed with good photographers. 

In just the last few months, Jill has been able to purchase a new minivan, pay off her studio build out without taking on debt, invest in new lighting equipment and get a new laptop. This conversation with Jill will inspire you and leave you with actions to take to start implementing today. Hit play and let’s get you pumped!

Why do we keep shoving things that don’t fit into our lives as adults? 

The harder we push, the worse it gets. 

Like adding the wrong clients into the wrong model and hoping it will all fit into the way you dreamed your life and your photography business would look like. 

If you wonder why you’re working all the time and not making any money…this episode is for you, friend.

I’ll show you 4 changes you can make to your photography business to BOOST your portrait orders.

What could you do with an extra $1,000? What about an extra $3,000? A lot, right? 

There are times when you need cash for something you want in life and you don’t have a pile of money sitting there to make it happen. 

Whether it’s a family vacation, school tuition for your kiddo, new gear, or an education opportunity to improve your skills, today I’m sharing a few of my favorite, little known ways to use your photography business, and even things you already HAVE, to generate the cash you need for the things you want. 

And while I’m at it, I want to let you in on a little secret. My signature 8-week workshop, Boutique Breakthrough, is starting soon. So the ideas I’m sharing today are also here to support those of you who want to enroll. 

Grab a pen and paper and hit play because this is gonna get good;-)

Eventually every photographer hits a ceiling and their photography business growth slows. It happens because our current skillset can only get us so far. 

If you’re wondering:

• How can some people grow a bigger photography business than others?
• Why some photographers grow faster than others? 
• Why really talented photographers struggle to grow their business?

Hit play now to hear three big aha’s from photographers who are in growth mode.

During the pandemic, Jean Lachat unexpectedly lost her well-paying 9-5 job with benefits and paid vacation. It was a really scary time.

On this episode of the joycast, Jean joins me to share how she recovered and DOUBLED her salary by building a portrait photography business in suburban Chicago, Illinois (despite the world being shut down).

If you are working for someone else and hating it, hit play to get inspired like nothing else.