Luci’s guest, Brooke Summer runs a successful boudoir and glamour photography business, photographer and like me, helps photographers achieve success in their creative endeavors. She teaches, has a podcast named Business Straight Up Podcast!
Having the ideal clients is essential for your business. In this episode, host Luci Dumas speaks with Brooke Summer and she shares tips to finding the ideal clients for your business.
Key Points:
• It’s important to identify who you want to work with for your marketing. Think about the following ways to identify them…beyond where they live, what they drive, and their income
What do they fear, value, get exited about
What keeps them up at night
Think about previous versions of ourselves
• Knowing how you want to serve people will help you find the ideal clients.
• It’s important to dig deep inside you to understand yourself to find know what kind of individuals you will love to serve.
• Making sure text is on your website pages, especially your home page will bring in your ideal clients.
• Every single page on your website can be SEO specific.
• What you do for your clients matters and is valuable.
You can reach Brooke on her website businessstraightup.com, where you can access her freebies and resources.
Use code word luci (all lowercase) and receive $50 off for “Spiff Up Your Site” launching in May.
It is a scary and confusing time for all of us…including me. Survival and health for us and those we care about, financial fears in the short run, and the long term picture of how to continue to grow and thrive in our businesses is naturally all up for everyone.
I am sharing my thoughts not just for you but as a reminder of what I know and need to hear too.
PART ONE=My thoughts and experiences surviving and thriving through another life challenge
-Project yourself into the future
-Stay in the moment.
Fear comes from what we are thinking might happen in the future. Pain comes from thinking about the past. Realize that right in this moment you are fine…you can see, breath, have shelter, food, internet, people who care for you that you love. clean water…
-Meditate and BREATH, especially slow breaths out
-Take beauty breaks. Fill yourself with joy and creative activities that fill your soul
-Don’t suffer in advance. Appreciate how you feel now that is positive and comfortable
-Get support. Let people know when you need help. Ask for people to send love and prayers when you need extra help and even miracles
-TRUST that there is something “on our side” adding extra support during difficult times.
-Put positive affirmations on cards around your house. Create some “mantras” for yourself and think them as a habit…especially when you feel fear. Mine are “money comes to me easily and with love” and “Whatever happens, i will handle it” and “Thank you for everything. I have no complaints whatsoever”. “it’s all good”
-Have books wherever you sit and even in the restroom you can open and read something uplifting .
-GRATITUDE…list them out loud and on paper…both big and small
-Learn thought stopping techniques
-To sleep…fairy tales, reviewing a favorite movie or book, slowing thinking about a scripture or other uplifting poem you know by heart
-Of course eat healthy, take walks and other forms of exercise
-Connect with positive people…share what you feel with those who will not make it worse or discount what you feel
-Watch videos and listen to podcasts that uplift you, and give you a sense of peace.
PART 2= Thriving in business by what we do now
I have been in business full time for 38 years. There have been about 6 recessions including 9/11 and the 2008/2009 great recession. What I saw is a lot of people cutting their marketing budget to save money go out of business. I saw people with poor business practices go out of business. I saw people like deers in headlights, make no changes shut their doors. And I especially saw people lowering prices loose their businesses. What I did was step EVERYTHING up. I improved my marketing, my photography, my branding, my website. I spent time improving my systems, and getting more physically organized. I took LOTS of classes to grow. I kept a positive attitude and hung out with people that were also positive. I pampered myself with little joys. When things turned around, there was a lot less competition. And I had a stronger business and my sales average was higher with more happy clients than ever before. “Fear not” and get busy getting in a better position to thrive.
There are many important things to know to make your business a success! Luci Dumas speaks with pet photographer and PPA Photographic Craftsman, Arica went from owning a luxury retail studio to selling her business and doing “Pet Photography Road Trips”, as a traveling pet photographer. She shares what to know within your business to make it successful and profitable. Also tune in for some fun photography tips!
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” -Helen Keller
In this episode, host Luci Dumas speaks with Arica Dorff and they discuss….
• Arica shares her inspiring story as a traveling pet photographer • What is most important to know in your business • Examples of ways to be successful within your business
Key Points:
• Laying a foundation in your business with your core values is important for success. • Make sure you aren’t committing to something in your business that is going to burn you out. • In order to come up with pricing in your business, you need to look at your numbers and make sure they make sense. • Start your pricing on the higher end, not too high but higher and then increase it gradually, for example by 2% a year to avoid a large noticeable increase. • By eliminating your prices online, you can bring in more clients and steer them away before they know what you even have to offer. • By doing step by step sales you can increase what your clients are getting which will help steer them in the bigger package direction due to more quantity, quality etc. • By adding on things to your packages as examples to interest your clients, you can steer them towards higher packages. • You have many options within your business to mold it and present it how you want to. This includes remotely, on the road, your different products etc. • Fun photography tip! When photographing a family, always have an assistant for relief and to help get things back on track. When photographing a pet, for example a dog, always have them bring a family friend or close person to that pet to keep everything on track! • Not doing remote sales can benefit in many ways. One being that the people are in their environment and seeing what your products can do for them. • One last great tip from Arica, base your business model on the lifestyle you want to live. Don’t base it on what you THINK it should be, but actually what you WANT it to be.
About Thomas Vargeletis: Thomas Vargeletis is the founder and CEO of TV photography. It’s a highly profitable, Massachusetts-based real estate, photography, and videography company. Ever since building the six-figure photography business, Tom has developed a passion for teaching others the things that he’s learned from years of experience training and trial and error. He has his own called The Full Time Real Estate Photographer Podcast, and his book is the same name.
In this episode, Luci and Thomas discuss:
Things you need to know to get started as a real estate photographer.
Lighting, camera settings, and fundamentals of real estate photography.
Creating a business from your real estate photography.
Key Takeaways:
Real Estate photography is a high-volume field with a low barrier of entry, making it accessible to those getting into the industry.
Either you live in a house or you know somebody who does and you can practice the fundamentals and practice now.
People who persevere through failures will succeed.
“Learning real estate photography is a great way to fund your passion projects because you can take income from your photography while you’re learning and practicing. It’s just a great genre of photography to get into.” — Thomas Vargeletis
You are in for a treat today for sure. Jeff Dachowski is Award winning Master Craftsman photographer and is a member of PPA’s Board of Directors, a PPA International Approved Juror, Certification Judge, and a Vatican Approved Photographer. Jeff is the President of the Society of XXV. We have a great discussion on how serving the industry has benefited his life and business.
In this episode, Luci and Jeff discuss:
Taking the opportunity for learning wherever you can.
Passing it forward whenever and however you can.
Keeping in motion and picking your path.
Key Takeaways:
When we serve, we get to have great conversations with those who are further along than us.
If you want to be successful, talk to someone who is successful, and learn from them.
It is easy to change direction when you are moving then when you are standing still. Pick a road and keep on moving with your clear vision in mind.
“The ability to walk up to someone and make sincere, genuine connections is such a big deal.” — Jeff Dachowski
A big, exciting and maybe a little scary dream to have a successful, profitable and creative photography business doing exactly what you love for wonderful, grateful clients? Or do you want to bring your business to the next level of fun and profit.? If so, then this Podcast is for you.
For over 36 years, I have made a great living as portrait and wedding business, Luci Dumas Fine Photography, with no other source of income. No rich husband or lottery winnings, through the ups and downs of the industry and economy.
Now as a business coach with Insight Training for Photographers, I love love love to support photographers who want to do the same. This podcast is full of practical business info, and insights gained from my years in business, plus interviews with amazing people. My desire is to help you along on your joyful journey to success, however that looks to you.
