This Can't Be That Hard

 Community is such an essential resource for any successful entrepreneur… no matter what we think, we actually CAN’T do it all alone!  Today I’m sharing a conversation I had this weekend with the core of my photography community… my ride-or-die ladies, Kate Thompson & Posy Quarterman . We’re chatting intentions and goals for 2021, the talks each of us is giving at our upcoming conference, The...

In this episode of Mini Mentoring, Melissa Dorman and I talk about tweaking the finer points of the SImple Sales System… specifically the pros and cons of adding more collections and the concept of sending a proofing gallery. Show notes: thiscantbethathard.com/podcast/075 Resources: New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources. J...

On January 7th, 2020, I officially launched the Simple Sales Blueprint for the very first time. I was brand new to online teaching, and having invested hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to get to that point, there was a lot riding on what came next. In celebration of the one year anniversary of that big day in my career, I’m sharing a few of the lessons I’ve learned about new ventures and...

In this episode of Mini Mentoring, Anouk Briere-Godbout and I talk about the mindset and strategies necessary to get some marketing traction when you’re brand new (never mind trying to do so in the midst of a pandemic). Show notes: thiscantbethathard.com/podcast/073 Resources: New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources. Join ou...

One of the perennial issues on almost any photographer’s to-do list is branding… whether you’re updating your website, fine-tuning your messaging, up-leveling your social media, or overhauling your visual branding (logo, etc.), all roads lead to your BRAND. On today’s podcast, photographer and branding expert Erica Benson talks us through her process and gives you actionable tips to help your bran...

Happy 2021, everyone! Before we get back to our regularly scheduled Mini Mentoring episodes, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on what 2020 has meant and what I believe 2021 can bring in our businesses and our lives. Show notes: https://www.thiscantbethathard.com/podcast/071 Resources: New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free r...

On this, the last installation of the holiday special episodes for 2020, I’m sharing my guest appearance on We Are Photographers , the Creative Live podcast hosted by Kenna Klosterman. I’m a long-time fan of Creative Live and of Kenna, and her podcast is one of my favorites - the guests she chooses and the stories she explores are always so inspiring. Kenna and I go way back (see the video below f...

This past summer, I released a series of episodes about business alignment. Ensuring that all the parts of your business are aligned is an ongoing and ever-so-important task, so I thought I’d package up the first two episodes for you to listen to back to back, and re-post the freebie I created to go along with them. Show notes: thiscantbethathard.com/podcast/069 Resources: New to the podcast? Go t...

Today I’m sharing the replay of an interview I did with Vicki Knights and Eddie Judd over on their fantastic podcast Shoot, Edit, Chat, Repeat where we talked about how to respond to inquiries, why it's so important to educate your clients before they book (and the best way to do that), how to get a client to make a spending decision, and how collections are an important part of the sales pro...

During the month of December, I’m taking a break from creating new content for the podcast, and instead sharing some stuff I think you’ll enjoy from the past year. Show notes: thiscantbethathard.com/podcast/067 Resources: New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources. Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supp...

During the month of December, I’m taking a break from creating new content for the podcast, and instead sharing some stuff I think you’ll enjoy from the past year. Today I’m sharing a conversation I had with Carolina Guzik on her podcast The Tog Republic. Show notes: thiscantbethathard.com/podcast/066 Resources: New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie...

When Kristyn Miller and I scheduled time to record this episode of Mini Mentoring, we had one plan for what we were going to talk about. Then, once we set the timer and actually talked it through, it turned out we had a whole different conversation on our hands. Show notes: thiscantbethathard.com/podcast/065 Resources: New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of...

Kahran and Regis Bethencourt are on fire. Their new book Glory was released last month and instantly hit the New York Times Bestseller list, and yet in the midst of promoting that, managing a full roster of private and commercial clients, working on their second book, and chasing their new puppy Pixel around, they made time to chat with me on This Can’t Be That Hard. You absolutely can’t miss this...

In this episode of Mini Mentoring, I’m chatting with Jaye McLaughlin about making changes in an established business and helping long-term clients adjust. Resources: New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources. Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to f...

Most photographers set out to run a relatively simple business, but it’s surprisingly easy to quickly make things more complicated than they need to be. In this episode, I’m going to give you a quick way to assess whether you’re overcomplicating your business, and if you are, an easy strategy for identifying where things need to be streamlined and simplified. Show notes: https://www.thiscantbethat...

In this slightly unusual episode of Mini Mentoring, I’m chatting with Dreama Spence, a photographer who planned and executed an UnSchooled portrait session concept this fall. She’s giving us all the details - from her offer and marketing strategy to how things went and what she’ll do differently next time. She’s even included a link to her sales page for you to take a peek at! Show notes: thiscant...

Get ready to be inspired! Carolyn Fong, Posy Quarterman, Sarah Sido, and Maryam Salassi are on the show talking about their creative solutions to Covid restrictions that they’ve introduced in their businesses, and even if these aren’t the right solutions for you and your business, they’re bound to get the wheels turning. Show notes: thiscantbethathard.com/podcast/060 Resources: New to the podcast?...

In this episode of Mini Mentoring, Martin Knowles and I chat about adding a new business line and business model to your existing brand without rocking the boat. Show notes: https://www.thiscantbethathard.com/podcast/059 Resources: New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources. Join our community! We'd love to welcome you int...

I don’t know ANYONE who wouldn’t benefit from a real win at the end of this insane year, so in this episode, I’m announcing that registration is open for an end-of-year challenge I’m putting on, and giving you all the details you need to know. As the name suggests, this challenge has been designed to earn you big money (at least $1000), but that’s just ONE of the wins… and there are two more after...

In this episode of Mini Mentoring, Amy Sanusi and I chat about the enviable but still problematic situation of being fully booked, but still wanting to serve your returning clients. The conversation ranges from good communication to setting boundaries to creating systems that allow you to prioritize returning clients. Show notes: thiscantbethathard.com/podcast/057 Resources: New to the podcast? Go...

There are a million ways to learn what you need to learn to be a successful photographer - books, youtube videos, online courses, workshops, conferences… even podcasts! But navigating that enormous number of resources can be frustrating, especially when the help you need is either very specific or very broad. One solution is to find a coach or mentor who has been there and figured things out, and...

In this episode of Mini Mentoring, Angie Wynne and I discuss whether it’s a good idea to raise your prices when it means that your prices will be higher than those of other local photographers in your area - particularly photographers with more experience. Show notes: thiscantbethathard.com/podcast/055 Resources: New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemi...

Navigating the subject of online privacy can be tricky… we want to be respectful of our clients’ wishes, but we have our own needs, too… particularly the need to share our work in order to get more work. If the threads in online forums are to be believed, my perspective on this subject is rather different from that of most people, but it’s worked well for me for several years, so I figured I’d sha...

In this episode of Mini Mentoring, Tristen Aque and I discuss the tricky process of getting referrals as a brand new photographer (and not just any old referrals, but bluebird referrals)! If you’re not a brand new photographer, never fear: this episode's got some good food for thought about referral programs in general, too! Show notes: thiscantbethathard.com/podcast/mm-053   Resources: New t...

Bookkeeping is one of those things… you know you need to take care of it, but you’d probably rather not dedicate one minute more than absolutely necessary to it, right? Trust me: I get it. That’s more or less how I feel, too, but today’s conversation is so straightforward, actionable, and filled with great pointers that I PROMISE it’s worth your time! Show notes: thiscantbethathard.com/podcast/052...