Worth Every Penny Joycast

Literally, I bet you could ask every photography business owner what their biggest challenge is and they would say, "oh, my biz is good – I just need more customers." If that's you, I am going to tackle this one head on today. And I'm pretty sure what I have to say is going to surprise you.  So hit play now to learn what kind of marketing you should be doing if you're a boutique portrait photograp...

When you're a photographer trying to grow your business, it means a LOT of taking one step forward and then 2 steps back when life I happens. It's kind of like trying to climb up a hill that's covered with a greasy slip and slide! There's a lot of guessing, stumbling, building up head trash, questioning yourself, working alone and trying to stay pumped up about the dream. So today, I'm sharing a S...

Do you ever feel like you just don't have the right personality to get clients?  Are you constantly overthinking what you say to clients, feeling insecure that you're going to mess it all up? Well you're not the only photographer who feels this way. If you identify with being more introverted than extroverted, you're going to love what I've got for you today.  After coaching photographers for over...

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. Read...

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…...

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. Read...

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 wor...

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 su...

You definitely don't need a photography studio to be a photographer and I'm living proof of that.  In my 23 years as professional photographer, I've been both with and without a studio. But when I got kicked out of my 3 rd studio a few years ago, I definitely wasn't expecting it.  Here's what I did to stay in business when a big hurdle was thrown my way.  Today I'm sharing 4 steps I hope will help...

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 port...

Major life changes. Whether we've planned for them or never saw them coming, we all experience them. A job loss or career change. A cross-country move. A new baby. A health issue. We've all been there. And as photography business owners, we may need to put your business on the back burner to attend to these life changes. That's why I developed the parking lot tool. Today I'm sharing how you can us...

Dear photographer who is ashamed by how little you make right now from your photography.  I see the crazy hours you're putting in.  I see you agonizing over your prices.  I see the gorgeous images you create for your clients.  And I also see things you don't. I see you taking the risk of being in business for yourself and forgoing the guaranteed paycheck, benefits and vacation. And because of thos...

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...

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...

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 s...

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...

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...

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 fro...

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 pl...

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 y...

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...

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 sess...

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'r...

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 sta...

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!