joyofmarketing

When someone cancelled an appointment with me recently and blamed it on a lack of childcare, it got me thinking about what family first actually means when you are a parent running a business. Family first is one of those things that’s easy to say…but is harder to actually LIVE when you’re serious about growing a photography business. I have super strong feelings on what family first REALLY means…and when people are using it as an excuse in business. Here’s what family first means to me and 3 tips for LIVING it without holding your business back from what’s possible.

RESOURCES:

WORTH EVERY PENNY JOYCAST SHOW NOTES:

https://www.Joyofmarketing.com/podcast/episode-69

INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/sarah.petty

FREE COPY:  NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING BOOK FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

www.joyofmarketing.com/freebook

FACEBOOK GROUP:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ditchthedigitals

BOUTIQUE BREAKTHROUGH 8-week workshop starting SOON!

www.joyofmarketing.com/boutiquebreakthrough

Which are you, friend? The tortoise or the hare? Over the years, I’ve learned that we all pretty much naturally identify as one or the other. So which is actually better if you're building a photography business? On today’s episode, I’m digging into what to do whether you’re the tortoise or the hare to keep your photography business moving forward without falling victim to comparison fatigue. Ready to dive in? Hit play! 

RESOURCES:

WORTH EVERY PENNY JOYCAST SHOW NOTES:

https://www.Joyofmarketing.com/podcast/episode-68

MIRRORLESS CAMERA GIVEAWAY ($2,500 value)

https://www.instagram.com/sarah.petty

INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/sarah.petty

FREE COPY:  NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING BOOK FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

www.joyofmarketing.com/freebook

FACEBOOK GROUP:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ditchthedigitals

Have you ever wanted something SO badly, but it just doesn’t feel like it’s in the cards for you? 
After being laid off, my student Tracy Lee Knuff decided to make Photography her main gig.

But 6 months later, she’d photographed 22 sessions and made $0. 

Tracy was working all the time…pumping money back into her business and that’s when her husband gave her a deadline. He said, “Tracy, make it work or find a new job.”

What this remarkable woman did next will inspire you that anything is TRULY possible. Hit play for a mind-blowing story. 

RESOURCES:

WORTH EVERY PENNY JOYCAST SHOW NOTES:

Joyofmarketing.com/podcast/episode-67

MIRRORLESS CAMERA GIVEAWAY ($2,500 value)

https://www.instagram.com/sarah.petty

INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/sarah.petty

FREE COPY:  NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING BOOK FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

www.joyofmarketing.com/freebook

FACEBOOK GROUP:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ditchthedigitals

When I had my twins, I immediately knew I wanted another baby because all I could think about was them both leaving me for college at the same time! Last week, that THIRD baby packed up her car and headed from IL to Florida for college. As I wiped my tears, I realized that over the last 21 years, I spent an inordinate amount of time prepping my kiddos to leave the nest and to be independent and successful when their time comes. So here are 4 things I did a little differently because I’m an entrepreneur that might just help you as you prepare your kiddos for independence, no matter what age they are. Let’s dive in!

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!

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.

You may not know, but I played college volleyball at Memphis State (now the University of Memphis). What I didn’t realize until recently since I have been spending so much of my time watching my daughters play volleyball, is how much the mindset I developed as a college volleyball player impacted how quickly I was able to grow my photography business. 

So today, I’m going to share 3 tips to help you develop an athlete mindset (like I did) so you can get your photography business on the growth fast track. 

I truly believe that if you can master these, you will see dramatic growth in your photography business. Hit play if you’re ready to grow!

If only you could read your photography clients’ minds, am I right? 

Well, with a few easy tweaks to how you talk about what you do as a professional photographer, you will not only know exactly what your photography clients want, but you’ll find it gets easier and easier to book them for sessions and sell your products, too. 

Today I’m sharing 4 things you can do to help your photography clients get what they want (photos of the people and pets they love) and you can get what you need (revenue to keep growing your photography business and allowing you to put #familyfirst). So what are you waiting for? Hit play now!

What the heck are you supposed to when your photography business is slow? Well here’s a hot idea. How about a Pooch Playoff?

Earlier this year, several my Peak Performance coaching students kicked off a pet photography promotion to raise money for pet charities while growing their photography businesses at the same time.

Collectively these professional photographers have photographed over 100 sessions, generated tens of thousands of dollars in income and donated thousands of dollars to their charities.

Today I’m joined by one of my Peak Performance coaches and 6-figure photography business owner, Jill Gray, to talk about the promotion she created, Pooch Playoffs. You’ll learn what this pet promotion looked like and the results of this fun campaign during the slow season.

Does approaching and marketing to a potential photography client who you'd love to photograph make you feel creepy?

Marketing in your senior photography business can be hard.

Darren, one of my Peak Performers shared with me his struggles of starting conversations with high school seniors without feeling creepy on a recent laser coaching call for my Peak Performance coaching students.

Whether you're a guy, or an introverted photographer who doesn't feel confident starting a conversation, this is for you.

Here is how to talk to potential clients without the creep factor.

Today I’m talking about something every single photographer in the world can benefit from….can you guess?

It’s how to make today the best day ever. 

I first shared these 4 steps in my opening program at Go Boutique Live, my 3-day live, business event for portrait photographers and it was a hands down favorite.

So whether your photography business is stuck in neutral or it’s got momentum and is starting to take off, click play to hear the 4 steps to help make today your best day ever.

Has this ever happened to you, photographer? 

>> An unexpected, HUGE expense that you don’t know how you are ever going to pay for.  It’s one of the most terrifying experiences an entrepreneur faces. Since I’ve had a photography business for 23 years now, it’s definitely happened to me a few times. So today I’m talking about how you can recover when it happens to you. Click play to tune in!

I want to welcome all my photographer friends back from my 3-day event for portrait photographers, Go Boutique Live, with a special recap show. In case you weren’t at the event, it was INTENSE, INSANE inspiration and growth! But to boil down 400 slides into a short podcast episode felt pretty impossible. So I asked the 1200 photographers who were there to give me their biggest life-changing lessons from the event. And here they are! From my community to you….here are the crème-de-a-crème Joy Nuggets from Go Boutique Live. Grab your notebook, pop in your earbuds and hit play.

For the last 15 years, I’ve worked side-by-side with Andria, my studio manager. She started with me as a photography intern while she was finishing up college. Once she graduated, I didn’t let her leave! So what does she do now as the studio manager of Sarah Petty Photography? How do we work together? What do her days look like? That’s what this confessions episode is all about.

Hit play to listen in.