Freedom Focus Photography

189 - It's time for a reality check.Yes, you can do it all but do you have to?No! Guys, my life changed the day I figured out all the things in my business that I didn't want to do. Could I do them? Yes. Were they filling me with joy and satisfaction? No. Were they letting me spend time with my family and take all the trips I love to take? Oh hell to the no. Sara Monika, a documentary wedding photographer and photography educator in Ontario, Canada, figured it out too. She realized she wasn't taking as many clients as she could because she was too busy working on the nitty-gritty details of running her business. Sara joins me on the Hair of the Dog podcast this week and shares eight of those nitty-gritty details that you can outsource to a virtual assistant. What to listen for9:08 How $15/week can buy back 3 hours of your time 18:25 Why doing less actually earns you more 30:43 How many WEEKS of time Sara saves by hiring virtual assistants 38:10 The mythical balance between business and a personal life41:15 How to find your own virtual assistant  Some many of the recurring tasks in our business can be taught to a virtual assistant. Sometimes they even do it BETTER than us! (I speak from experience for that -- all the amazing graphics you see in HOD land are created by my incredible overseas team). When you start to get some help in your business, you not only free up time to GROW your business, you also get to take a little time off. Where to find SaraSaraMonika.com5 Days to Your Dream (and affordable) Virtual AssistantInstagramShine + Thrive on Apple PodcastsShine + Thrive on SpotifyJOIN THE PARTY: Connect with us on Instagram Explore valuable pet photography resources here Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers. Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that. Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

188 - Do you feel like you're just faking it sometimes? When you think to yourself "I am not good enough" or "I'll never be as good as Blabla," you are hearing imposter syndrome take over in your brain. And let me tell you, I do it too.  I have left sessions wishing I had planned better, realizing I missed that shot or thinking I screwed the whole thing up. My good friend Shelley Paulson does it too – and she's been in the business for almost 20 years! Shelley, one of the OG equine photographers, is my guest on the Hair of the Dog podcast this week and we're talking about imposter syndrome. Shelley started in the business in 2004 by photographing her own horses and quickly became one of the most sought-after equine photographers in the U.S. Yet she still struggles with feeling like she's faking it. Shelley and I take a deep dive into those feelings and talk about the strategies we use to silence those "you suck!" voices in your head. What to listen for11:25 The amplification of the comparison game due to social media14:12 Why defining your personal interpretation of success is crucial23:24 What affirmations can bring success to your session38:59 How constructive feedback can help move you forward in your craft50:31 The magic of practicing gratitude and how it rewires your brain Where to find ShelleyShelley Paulson PhotographyShelley Paulson Education & MentoringShelley Paulson Stock PhotographyFacebookInstagramYouTubeLinkedInJOIN THE PARTY: Connect with us on Instagram Explore valuable pet photography resources here Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers. Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that. Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

Like Nicole, Karinda Kinsler's soul dies a little whenever a client doesn't order artwork.Since we know how defeating that feels, today's podcast is here to help you avoid that experience.Karinda is an equine photographer based in Montgomery, Texas, but her clients come to her from all around the country, paying a premium price for her sessions. Through those sessions she's refined her sales process to a place where she regularly makes $6,000 sales, and she's sharing three of her strategies with us on this week's episode of the Hair of the Dog podcast.No slideshows.No "yes, no, maybe."No client walking away feeling uninspired and insecure.Yes, she does a few things differently than the way you may have been taught but after learning about how she does it, I  know I'll be changing up my process, too! What to listen for7:07 The significance of starting off on the right foot with pricing13:14 How understanding your client's personality is the first key to sales success23:29 Strategies to manage your client's insecurities during her reveal session31:35 The correlation between a big "love" pile and a $6,000 album sale34:07 Why it's important to know your client's desires and budget40:47 The impact of the way you shoot and how that affects how you sell Where to find KarindaKarinda K Equine PhotographyMaster Your Mind & MoneyKarinda's Podcast on AppleKarinda's Podcast on SpotifyInstagramThe Photography Business Tune Up Facebook GroupJOIN THE PARTY: Connect with us on Instagram Explore valuable pet photography resources here Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers. Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that. Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

186 - If you're a regular listener to this podcast, you know I'm a big fan of gratitude and acknowledging our wins.  And holy cow, am I full of wins and gratitude today. J. Nichole Smith and I are still soaring from all the wins we counted at Global Pet Expo, where we re-introduced the pet industry to Animalhaus Stock Photography.  Global Pet Expo is one of the biggest pet-industry trade shows and to get in, you have to be either an exhibitor or a buyer. It is seriously exclusive and we were granted access to more than 1,000 pet-related businesses from around the world.  The response was overwhelmingly positive! Not only were they super excited about the stock photography available on the site but there was also one big clincher for many of those businesses: our new match-making service where we make it SUPER easy for them to hire commercial pet photographers by matching them with alumni of our Commercial Pet Photography Academy (more details on that soon).   As if that wasn't enough, we also invited three photographers from our recent class of Commercial Pet Photography Academy alumni to join us and kick-start their own commercial photography aspirations. Amanda, Angela, and Jennifer were voted by their peers to have the biggest breakthroughs from the course and that’s how they got their golden ticket to Global. While there they were unleashed to network with all of those businesses and use the knowledge they gained in the course to go home with huge successes, including some contracts to start negotiating!   On today's Hair of the Dog podcast, Nic and I take you behind the scenes of Global. We chat about all those wins and the future of the commercial pet photography industry.  What to listen for 8:19 The three ways pet-related brands can work with Animalhaus 14:21 The surprising thing pet brands know they need in their images 18:20 How our guest photographers booked clients at the show 26:43 Why you should explore commercial pet photography  32:14 Why you shouldn't explore commercial pet photography   Are you ready to expand your pet photography business and break into the world of commercial pet photography? Join us for the Transform Your Business with Pet Photography training series with a private podcast and live workshops.  We get started on April 12 but you can register now.  JOIN THE PARTY: Connect with us on Instagram Explore valuable pet photography resources here Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers. Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that. Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

185 - Do you know what Occam's razor is? Basically, it's the principle that the simplest explanation is most likely the right one. When we get wrapped up in fear and dread -- some of us get paralyzed into inaction -- the best solution may be the easiest one.   Take our friend Heather Lahtinen, for example.   She looked at her YouTube channel, realized she needed to update a bunch of videos and got struck by an intense feeling of dread. It would be a time-consuming task, especially with an old iMac that makes Photoshop feel like it's running through a vat of molasses …  Turns out one question helped Heather dig deep and she came up with an exciting new solution.   *Heather says hello to her shiny new Mac mini M2 friend!*  Heather is my guest on the podcast this week and we’re diving into the ways we can take all the tasks on our ‘Dread List’ and get motivated to actually tackle them.  What to listen for 7:46 The that task I dread the most 13:53 How outsourcing can be a possible solution 28:04 How one question led Heather to her breakthrough 33:32 Why you need to connect with a future vision of your business 42:00 Templates, workflows and automation … YES! (visualize my fist-pump)  Now, guys, Heather and I aren't saying you have to run out and buy a new computer or new gear to start tackling your "Dread List." But we do want to challenge you to find simple ways to motivate yourself and make those tasks a little more fun. After all, what if it could be easy?  Then you might find yourself knocking those tasks off your list like a boss!  Where to find Heather Flourish Academy Facebook  Instagram JOIN THE PARTY: Connect with us on Instagram Explore valuable pet photography resources here Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers. Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that. Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

184 - Get your sparkle pants on. This episode is going to be a doozy. There are few pet photographers who don't know who Kaylee Greer is. The brilliantly creative mastermind behind Dog Breath Photography and the author of Dogtography, Kaylee's energy is 24-7 overflowing and infectious.  Listen to this woman giggle and your day instantly gets better.  Here's the thing, though: She has struggled with her business – pricing, setting boundaries, comparing to the competition, all the things! -- just like you have. Er … just like we have.   That's right. We. Because I've been through it all, too.  Both Kaylee and I understand the complications of believing in yourself and launching your pet photography business. We get it.  So, today we're bringing you the top five biggest mistakes we both made when we were starting out.    What to listen for 9:17 Kaylee shares all the details about Shutterhound: The Conference 28:03 Why it's important to set clear boundaries in your business 35:17 You aren't too expensive. You offer a premium service. 43:43 Why not every inquiry is your ideal client 54:36 Look beyond pet photography for inspiration  I think we all know that success doesn't come without its fair share of mistakes and lessons learned. By sharing our mistakes, Kaylee and I hope we can help you either avoid them or overcome them if you're already experiencing the same struggle.  And P.S. don't miss the early bird pricing for the Shutterhound conference in Las Vegas, Sept. 5-6. It is going to be magical. I'll be there with my sparkle pants and I'm throwing out my old presentations to bring you ALL NEW stuff.  Where to find Kaylee Shutterhound: The Conference Adventures in Dog Photography on Apple Podcasts Dog Breath Photography Facebook  JOIN THE PARTY: Connect with us on Instagram Explore valuable pet photography resources here Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers. Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that. Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

183 - Do you ever have those days when you just don't feel like there's enough time to get everything done? Yeah, me neither. LOL! LIES! Some days, I feel like my to-do list looks like Santa's list in those kids' Christmas movies. Yours probably feels pretty similar.  That feeling like I never have enough time? That's a limiting belief -- and it doesn't serve me to work from a place of stress and lack. To help me change this belief, there's no one better in the world than Heather Lahtinen.  For this week's podcast episode, I turned myself over to Heather, my good friend, the head honcho at Flourish Academy and the leader of our Elevate program. I needed her help to work through some time management frustrations.  We hit "record" so we could share it with you, we set a timer for 20 minutes and Heather completely changed my life.  What to listen for 10:38 How my frustrations lead me to question all of my life choices 16:13 Why only certain interruptions throw me off 20:54 The way we start shifting this belief 26:38 The simple reframe that has completely CHANGED MY LIFE  It turns out five hours a day are exactly what I need to get everything done.  No, that's not right. Not need. Want.   Take a listen to this coaching call and you'll see exactly what I mean by that.  Where to find Heather Flourish Academy  Facebook  Instagram  JOIN THE PARTY: Connect with us on Instagram Explore valuable pet photography resources here Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers. Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that. Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

182 - I know it's nice to think you can just put up a website, post a few times on Instagram and get found by tons of clients. I sure wish it was that easy.  It isn't. You have to actively market your pet photography business to get found.  One of the best ways to do that, according to Zoe Hiljemark, is local PR.  Public relations. AKA earned media.   We're talking about getting your name and work out there in your community through local news media, from newspapers to TV stations and social media influencers.  Zoe specializes in public relations and marketing for professional photographers, helping people like you be highly visible and have a thriving business … with lots of clients!  Zoe is my guest on today's podcast and we are talking about leveraging your story, the universal appeal of pets and your amazing images to get some buzz.  What to listen for 4:31  The moment Zoe realized the importance of professional photography 14:08 How to determine your "hook"20:13 Why there's no time like the present to get earned media 30:20 Who to send your pitch to 35:43 The press release isn't dead but … 42:33 Thinking beyond traditional news media  Guys, getting your story into local media outlets helps establish you as an expert in your field. A feature in the local newspaper or lifestyle magazine can do wonders to showcase your knowledge and skill as a pet photographer.  You build trust within your community and get the attention of potential clients.  Make sure you listen to this episode with Zoe and find the confidence to put yourself out there.  People love pets. People will love your work. People will love you. But they need to know about you first. Where to find ZoeZoeHiljemark.comA free press release template and other freebiesPR-Savvy Photographers Facebook Group InstagramJOIN THE PARTY: Connect with us on Instagram Explore valuable pet photography resources here Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers. Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that. Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

181 - Oooh, sometimes don't you want to just punch something? It's so easy to get frustrated when you're running a business, especially a photography business where you get to wear all the hats … photographer, marketer, accountant and on and on.There are more constructive things we can do, though, to ease our stress load and take action in our business. Johl Dunn joins me on this week's podcast episode to talk about the ways we bind ourselves up in fear, which prevents us from taking action.If you haven't heard of Johl yet, he's The Mindset Coach and his mission is to help photographers like us achieve success by living with a more positive mindset. His approach centers on three key aspects -- mindset, motivation and action --- and, in this episode, Johl gives us all kinds of juicy tidbits on how to hack those into your life. What to listen for:10:55 How decisive action and fear go hand in hand14:02 Tools to help you take that action25:55 The limiting beliefs that are holding you back36:10 How one small thought can turn into something great42:39 Get started with your conscious commitmentJohl's right. Life is too short to be stuck in our fears and not chase our dreams. He recently closed his multi-six-figure portrait studio business to chase his dream, going all in on his coaching business.What is your dream to chase and how can you manifest that reality?Where to find JohlThe Mindset CoachFacebookLinkedInInstagamJOIN THE PARTY: Connect with us on Instagram Explore valuable pet photography resources here Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers. Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that. Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

180 - You've heard the old cliché about death and taxes, right? They're the only two certain things in life. And neither one is pleasant. But Tiffany Bastian is, and she makes one of those certainties less painful. The taxes, of course. Tiffany is the founder of Bastian Accounting, an organization that works exclusively with photographers, helping them get and stay tax compliant. Her group provides online course education and full-service accounting, tax preparation and business formation.  Tiffany has more than 15 years of experience in the tax and accounting world. She has an master's in business administration in accounting and she's a Certified Advanced QuickBooks ProAdvisor. She's also an IRS Enrolled Agent. On today's episode of the Hair of the Dog podcast, Tiffany gives us a pretty detailed overview of what you can use as a tax deduction for your pet photography business … and what you can't.  I just know there's so much inside this episode that you aren't claiming on your taxes yet. With tax season just around the corner, it's time to figure it out. What to listen for:5:08 The key to writing off your OWN photo shoots12:36 Are dog treats a deductible expense?27:16 How to calculate your home office deduction38:00 Changing money due to Uncle Sam into a retirement contribution50:00 Why hiring a tax adviser actually saves you money Look, you can't just grab a drive-thru coffee on your way to a shoot and call it a write-off. Nor can you claim the gift of a canned ham.Wait … what? Yeah, that's what I said. Make sure you listen to find out what that's all about.Where to find TiffanyBastian AccountingA FREE copy of the Photographer's Business Expensive BreakdownFacebookInstagramYouTubeJOIN THE PARTY: Connect with us on Instagram Explore valuable pet photography resources here Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers. Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that. Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.