“Alongside great systems and routines, habits are key to becoming, and staying, organized” – Chrissy Halton.
A fabulous quote that encapsulates this episode of the Profitable Photographer Podcast–it’s all about getting your business organized using a CRM!
Our host, Master Photographer and Photography Business Coach Luci Dumas, sat down with guest Charlotte Isaac. Charlotte is a Business Operations Consultant who gave up her role as a Corporate Ops Manager so she could serve small business owners one-on-one. She loves working with clients who love their clients, especially photographers!
Through her signature program, Ease Seekers Society, and her DIY Dubsado training, Charlotte helps overwhelmed and overworked Entrepreneurs build customized solutions so they can serve their clients better, automate busywork, and feel confident in their business. Sounds like we could all use a little Charlotte in our busy lives!
We are so excited to blow your mind with all Charlotte’s got to offer! She’ll go over:
What the heck is a CRM ?
When to automate and when to hire
Designing and automating a welcome packet
Personalizing your automated check-ins & planning moments to surprise & delight
The many, many possibilities offered by a CRM
And how do we know it’s time to automate? Charlotte says, if we do something over and over again, it’s a perfect opportunity for automation!
You don’t have to do this whole photography business thing alone! Let Charlotte show you how to make life a little easier.
“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen, again and again, fear must be overcome again and again.” Abraham Maslow
Today is a solo episode with “yours truly”, Luci Dumas, on the topic of how to decide to jump, pause, or walk away…i.e….the challenge of making decisions and taking action in one direction or another. I go deep into what to consider when creating something new, or leaving something you have tried that isn’t serving the big picture anymore.
There are so many decisions we make every single day in our photography businesses, right? Little ones and big ones. So…many…things. I am sure you have had lots of these and will have more
How to market, what to charge, where to spend our time.
Should we hire help and how do we find them?
Is it time to move, quit a job, leave a community of friends, colleagues, a spiritual community, or a relationship? These are often such hard decisions. Even changing camera systems or photo labs or letting someone go that is working for us is not easy.
This podcast episode explores this topic including fun tips when you have a choice in front of you, on how to decide:
the coin toss
the mirror test
the gut check vs. the fear factor
the energy evaluation
I am not suggesting I am a master at this. I often stay too long and miss out on opportunities or just wasted time and energy, with little to show for it. I wish I had left the full-time wedding industry and jumped into baby photography sooner, spent more money and time hiring a coach and getting more help years ago, tried more new ideas, and even found a studio space that was bigger than the one I was in for decades. But…I have made enough great choices in life that have helped me have 40 years of success, travel, fun…and so can you.
Hot off the press! It’s another incredible episode of The Profitable Photographer Podcast!
Join our host, Master Photographer and Photography Business Coach, Luci Dumas, as she gabs with Branding and Website Designer Emily Foster about all things branding!
Not only is Emily a Branding and Website Designer, but, to our delight, she SPECIALIZES IN WORKING WITH PHOTOGRAPHERS! Too perfect! With 7 years of design experience and a background in event marketing, she loves everything related to photography and the wedding industry. (BONUS: She’s also a recent bride so she knows a thing or two about the current client-side of wedding photography.)
According to our guest, “branding is the visual voice of your business.” It is THE key to ensuring that your company’s message is getting out in the world and attracting those fabulous ideal clients along the way.
And guess what! Your brand should be effective, not just pretty! Tough stuff, we know, but Emily is here to help!
Here’s just a taste of Emily’s tips for branding:
Make sure your logo is scalable and easy to apply. Keep it simple! (And make sure it looks good both in color AND in black and white)
Figure out where your ideal clients are finding you. What questions are they asking?
Keep track of your audience. Using a CRM (customer relationship management) will help you organize who is who.
Listen now for the full gamut of Emily’s branding and design wisdom!
Today, our hostess and Mastercraftsman Photographer Luci Dumas sits down with Michael Mowbray, master photographer, author, teacher, IPC juror and entrepreneur. He is deeply involved in all aspects of the photography industry.
His DeForest, Wisconsin-based studio focuses on seniors, headshots, family, and commercial photography, while his MoLight brand of lighting equipment has quickly become a leading reseller of Godox flashes and MoLight’s own unique lighting products.
Michael is the author of the popular photography books Shoot to Thrill and The Speedlight Studio (Amherst Media).
Listen in as Michael discusses how he was able to thrive as a photographer and business owner amid the most uncertain of times, beginning with the establishment of his company on 9/11.
The photography biz ace also talks about the entrepreneurial spirit that has driven him from an early age, the importance of being capitalized, and how one can even tell whether or not owning a business is for them.
Finally, Michael speaks on the advantages of off-camera flash in improving the quality of natural light photography.
Key Topics:
Navigating turbulent economic times as a photography business owner (7:56)
Delegating tasks and knowing when to hire (13:33)
Michael’s thoughts on entrepreneurship (19:31)
Knowing whether or not entrepreneurship is for you (26:22)
Establishing your content pillars (29:41)
Why it’s important to be capitalized as an entrepreneur (35:09)
Justifying higher prices (40:17)
The advantages of off-camera flash (42:55)
How to ensure your photos don’t look “fake” when using off-camera flash (48:43)
How to use a light meter with off-camera flash (52:25)
“If you were going to a networking event in person, what would you do, how would you respond to people approaching you, what would you share with them? These are the exact same things that you would do on your Instagram profile.”
Today, our hostess and Mastercraftsman Photographer Luci Dumas sits down with María Oliva, Founder and CEO of SMS Media, a social media coaching business for wedding vendors based in the DC area. She is on a mission to change the way wedding vendors approach Instagram by helping them create sustainable and fun strategies!
Listen in as the digital marketing master shares how Instagram can become your go-to tool for attracting dream clients and why it’s important to niche down in order to maximize your ability to reach and start building relationships with those clients.
Referring to Instagram as “a free networking platform online,” Maria encourages any photographer looking to build a brand to be proactive in starting and continuing conversations, and to personally extend invitations to those who interact positively with their posts to join their community.
She continues on to offer a treasure trove of practical tips and strategies to grow your Instagram following and, ultimately, your client base. These include using hashtags effectively, creating posts based on your content pillars, finding opportunities to collaborate with local vendors, and visual branding best practices.
Key Topics:
Why Instagram is a great tool for attracting your dream clients (5:25)
Overcoming excuses that stop you from investing in your business (10:49)
How to build a community on Instagram (15:41)
Using hashtags effectively (23:45)
Establishing your content pillars (29:41)
Collaboration with vendors on Instagram (33:37)
Making money on Instagram (36:11)
Understanding the buyer’s journey (38:44)
Visual branding on how to provide value on Instagram (41:49)
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.
