This Can't Be That Hard

Tech tools and software are an easy thing to accumulate. Most of us add tools when we find them, promising ourselves we'll dive in "as soon as we have time. Before long, we've got a giant tech stack that just kind of happened . In this episode, I'm talking about the costs of "tech debt" - not just the financial expense, but the minutes, hours, even cumulative days tha...

Ever wonder what it actually looks like to build a profitable photography business on lower prices and higher volume? That's what this conversation with Naomi Boyer is all about. After a rough year in 2024 where inquiries were down and the business just felt like an uphill battle, Naomi decided to try going all in on something she'd been developing on the side: school and event photograp...

What if the most profitable thing in your business isn't your highest-priced offer? That's the question behind this episode - and the answer might surprise you. I brought in two photographers, Jenn Chen and Allison Maxwell, who have each built something I find genuinely fascinating: a lower-priced, accessible offer that sits at the front of their business and funnels clients into their h...

You know that moment when you look at your bank statement and realize you're still paying for software you stopped using three months ago? Yep. We've all been there. Profitability isn't just about what you charge - it's about what you keep. And for most photographers, there's money unnecessarily leaking out of the business every single month that a little attention could s...

What if " Just raise your prices " is the wrong advice for right now? That's a question a lot of photographers have been sitting with lately - and honestly, it's one worth taking seriously. When budgets feel tight and bookings feel uncertain, the standard advice can start to feel a little tone-deaf. But here's the thing: there are real, strategic ways to increase your prof...

What if the reason your marketing isn't converting has nothing to do with your content... and everything to do with the part that comes after it? In this episode, Annemie and Dayna get a little theatrical to break down one of the most important (and most avoided) distinctions in your business: the difference between marketing and selling, and why you genuinely can't have one without the...

Picture this: you're cruising down the highway, passing billboard after billboard without really registering any of them. Then hunger strikes, and suddenly that McDonald's sign is the only thing you can see. That's how marketing works: you're not introducing yourself once and hoping for the best. You're showing up again and again, so that when your client's _"I n...

For a long time, SEO gave us a set of rules to follow. There were a lot of rules, and following them all wasn't ever _simple_, but at least the playbook was fairly clear. These days, though, the landscape has shifted… With the proliferation of AI tools and search algorithms, the way people find information online is evolving quickly. The rules around SEO are changing as well, and many photogr...

If you’re anything like most photographers, the thought of walking into a fundraiser, hosting an event, or introducing yourself at a networking mixer makes you want to put on your soft pants and climb back into bed. Which is exactly why I’m betting the rock quadrant of your marketing system is probably the one that needs the most attention. The truth is, in-person marketing can be one of the faste...

As the slow season fog lifts and spring energy kicks in, it can be tempting to try to chase the perfect marketing strategy… only to end up overwhelmed, second-guessing every move, and wondering why marketing always feels like a gamble. This month, we're doing something brand new on the podcast called March Marketing Madness, and for the first time ever, we have a guest host! This Can't B...

If you want your photography to be more than a hobby, getting your finances organized isn’t just a “nice to have” - it’s the foundation for a profitable, sustainable business. If you’ve ever promised yourself that “next year will be different” when tax season rolls around, this episode is for you. Today, I’m joined by Tiffany Bastian, a no-nonsense accountant with over 20 years of experience who w...

Organization is not just about what your clients see… it's also about how your business feels to you. In this episode, we dive deeper on our organization theme by looking at internal systems… the behind the scenes structure that keeps everything running smoothly. I’m joined by Stacey Rolfe of Tog Hub, who helps photographers build streamlined, sustainable systems inside their CRMs. Stacey sha...

Organization isn’t just about tidy desks and color coded planners… it’s about how your business feels to your clients. This episode is part two of our organization series, and we’re digging into external organization… the systems, workflows, and processes your clients experience from inquiry to delivery. I’m joined by systems strategist and photography specific VA Erin Wissig, whose work helps pho...

What if the secret to a calmer, more creative business isn’t another color-coded planner or a prettier desk, but a system that actually works for you - quirks, chaos, and all? If you’ve ever felt like organization is just another thing on your to-do list (or that you’re “bad” at it), today's guest has a message you're going to want to hear. Ashley Rose of Systems Over Stress joins us to...

If you’ve been following along with our systems theme, you’ve already worked through marketing, sales, and fulfillment, the three core systems that can absolutely run your business. But even with those dialed in, many photographers still feel stuck on the income rollercoaster… great months followed by scary quiet ones. In this episode, we focus on the final piece of the puzzle: building a repeat a...

Last week, we talked about building a marketing system that helps you consistently attract new leads without burning out, but great marketing alone isn't enough. If inquiries aren’t converting into bookings, or bookings aren’t turning into great client experiences, your whole business starts to wobble. That’s why this week I’m zooming in on sales and fulfillment. Instead of chasing yeses or w...

If there is one thing that burns photographers out faster than almost anything else, it’s marketing. What is supposed to feel like connection often feels more like an endless cycle of posting, scrolling, and second guessing… all while the rules keep changing. In this episode, I’m kicking off our Systems Theme by talking about how to build a marketing system that actually feels like connection (and...

We're kicking 2026 off with some big milestones around here! At the time this goes live, we're crossing the six year anniversary of the launch of Simple Sales and the almost six-year anniversary of the podcast. On top of that, we recently crossed half a million downloads AND this is episode 350! With all these stars aligning, it felt like the right time to pause, reflect, and make some i...

If you’ve ever felt stuck between pricing models or frustrated by sales systems that don’t quite fit, this episode will hit home. For our final episode of the year, I’m resharing a conversation I had with Jill Smith on The Business Focused Photographer Podcast about the story behind Simple Sales, how it came to be, and why it’s still the system that completely changed the way I run my photography...

Marketing can feel like a mystery sometimes… especially when you’re trying to figure out what actually works versus what just burns time. This week, I’m resharing a conversation I had with Kim Box on The Motherhood Anthology Podcast where we talked about one of my favorite topics… marketing that actually moves the needle. We got into the difference between marketing tactics and marketing systems,...

AI is everywhere right now… and whether it excites you or makes you want to pull the covers over your head, it’s here to stay. This week, I’m resharing a conversation I had with my friend Colie James on her podcast Business First Creatives. Colie is one of those people who always gets my wheels turning, and this episode is a perfect example of that. We talked about how AI is showing up in our busi...

Most photographers know the feast-or-famine feeling all too well… one month you’re booked solid, and the next you’re wondering where the next client will come from. In this week’s episode, I’m resharing a conversation I had with Kimberly Espinel on her podcast Eat, Capture, Share, where we dig into one of my favorite topics: building recurring revenue through a portrait membership. We talk about h...

When you’ve been in business for a while, it’s easy to fall into the habit of focusing on tactics… what to post, what to charge, what to offer next. But sometimes the real growth happens when you zoom out and look at the bigger picture. This week, I’m sharing a conversation that originally aired on Leah O’Connell’s podcast Photo Fuel. Leah and I dove into the parts of business that don’t always ma...

Earlier this year, at the Reset Conference, Dayna asked a handful of photographers one simple question: What advice would you give to your past self? Their answers were honest, funny, and full of hard-won perspective. The exact kind of reminders you need when you’re tired, busy, and maybe in need of a little encouragement. From pricing and boundaries to burnout and balance, these short conversatio...

We’ve all had those weeks where the inbox is overflowing, deadlines are creeping up, and everything feels one small hiccup away from chaos. When that happens, it’s easy to blame your motivation or time management. But the truth is, when things feel chaotic or inconsistent, it’s usually not a motivation problem... It’s a systems problem. In this episode, I’m breaking down the five core systems that...