Episode 022: Nancy Ray - Building a Team

Today’s guest is Nancy Ray of Nancy Ray Photography. Nancy has built a thriving photography business in Raleigh, North Carolina area, so much so that a few years in the business she realized that something needed to change for her to be able to both continue to grow her business and for her family to live the life they wanted to live.

She built a team. That’s exactly what we’re chatting about in today’s episode. Nancy shares with us how to know whether you’re ready to build a team, what she’s learned from her own experiences, insights into how to decide who to hire and how she evaluates candidates.

Before we get to the interview, I want to mention that Nancy is launching another platform for creatives over at nancyray.com, where she’ll be sharing all of her best resources on life, work, home and faith. If it’s anything like the resources she’s made available in the past, you’re going to want to check it out.

Also, if you’re interested in building a creative team, but would like someone to walk you through the process step-by-step, Nancy is opening the doors to her popular team-building course this fall, and you can find a link for that in the show notes. Be sure to check out the show notes at daveyandkrista.com for the resources we mentioned during the episode. I like to hear from you about what kind of content you like to see on the Brands that Book Podcast as we move forward. I’d also like to know what episodes you’ve enjoyed so far and why. To leave your feedback, head on over to Davey and Krista Facebook page and send us a message.

The highlights:
04:35 Nancy shares about her photography business and how she eventually got to the point where she needed to hire someone.
09:31 How Nancy determined what role to hire first for her business (and the value of starting with an internship).
17:00 The differences between an employee and independent contractor.
19:53 Where your business should be at before considering hiring somebody.
23:22 Creating and sharing a job listing.
25:23 How Nancy sorts through the applications.
28:23 Why Nancy uses a multiple interview process when hiring.
31:04 The training and on-boarding process when someone is hired (and the importance of feedback).
35:31 Making sure employees are in the right fit.
37:42 Communicating with clients about associate photographers and marketing their work.
47:43 How having a team enabled Nancy to take a three month maternity leave.

Nancy is a believer, wife, mama, photographer, blogger, and speaker. She owns Nancy Ray Photography and leads a small team of wedding and family photographers. Nancy speaks regularly at several conferences and retreats, sharing her inspiration and foundations in building a successful business and a balanced life.

She is passionate about her faith in Jesus, financial stewardship, strong marriages, and seeing small businesses thrive for God’s kingdom. She lives and works in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband, Will, daughters Milly and Lyndon (with another on the way), and great dane, Winston.

Find the show notes at https://daveyandkrista.com/btb-nancy-ray-episode-22.