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I adore Spanki Mills! She’s one of those people you just want to be around! We met virtually a few years ago when I decided to click through from a  comment I’d received on the blog and I was just blown away by this girl’s talent. Lots of emails and a few guest posts later we finally got to meet in real life at WPPI and we instantly clicked!

Today I’m excited to share with you Spanki’s take on The Thriving Photographer! One thing that I think is so fun is to see what different photographer’s take from the program. For many, they just can’t get over what it’s doing for their sales… For others, they can’t believe that they finally have a marketing plan that is working and bringing in clients that before they’d only dreamed of… And for Spanki who’s already doing well with sales and marketing – She just keeps gushing over what it’s doing to organize her business so that it now work’s for her!! 

I love reading, watching and hearing the success stories of my Thrivers!! If you’re still wondering if this program will help you…. IT WILL!  (And with a money back guarantee, you’ve only got successes to gain!)

I first saw the news print backdrop idea in a Vogue Mag a few years ago. I’ve seen it recreated over and over and have to admit that I still haven’t done it myself. But to inspire both you and I… Here are some photogs who have had some fun with it!

P.S. If you’ve done something with newspaper, link up in the comments! We’d love to check it out!

From Grosgrainfabulous

Brittany Stover Photography

{Source: Pinterest)

On bluepoolroad

This is the true story of one mom (me) and her camera. I’ll admit that it’s a long one but I actually think that’s a good thing. All the hobbyist will be scared off leaving only the truly passionate and determined to learn the secrets.

THE NASTY LIE THAT I BELIEVED

Tell me (please don’t leave me alone on this) if you can relate… I am good at being busy, seriously it might be a talent, or more likely a curse when I consider just how good at being busy I am! I can sit down at my desk and work till my head very literally has hit the keyboard and still have a never ending list worth of “more” to do. I can go from cleaning, to blogging, to carpool, to dinner, to homework with the kids, bedtime routine and back to working and then crash on my pillow and wake up and do it all again. And the crazy thing is, I can sustain this kind of life for a long long time. I know because I did it for years.

As women, we are hardwired to be care takers, nurtures… Givers. I rather like this about us but if we are not careful these wonderful attributes can be misconstrued in our own minds to start believing that our worth is in our to-do lists. We feel guilt - a lot of guilt if we’re not being busy.  So we fill our days  - every last moment of our days with stuff and then we feel better about ourselves. Or do we?

It turns out that despite all that I was doing, all that I was seemingly accomplishing… I didn’t feel better. In fact I felt worse. I now had a whole new guilt to be consumed by and this guilt was so much more heart-wrenching then the first… I was terrified that I wasn’t giving enough. That my kids weren’t being given the mom that they needed, that my husband wasn’t getting the wife that he deserved and my business, (despite all of those countless hours) wasn’t showing any signs of growth or to be very honest wasn’t even offering any real contribution to my family. So I had to ask myself, why was I even doing photography?

I could try to say that I was doing it for the love of photography if I wanted but that was a lie. If it was really just for the love then I wouldn’t be charging. The love hadn’t been my only motivation, it was the idea of possibilities that got me to begin my photography business. The possibility of being able to create better experiences for our family through my supplemental income, that was what first planted the seed for me. But back then, that wasn’t even close to happening if anything their experiences had gotten worse because now I had work to do, all the time. 

THE EPIPHANY IN THE BACK OF THE AMBULANCE

So why am I telling you this? Two years ago, the kids and I were at the zoo. I was trying to take them to more and more fun places to curb the guilt of so often allowing my computer to take first priority. We were looking at the Alligators… I started to get hot so I walked us outside. I felt the world starting to pull away and everything was beginning to go dark. I left the zoo on a stretcher and I will never ever forget the look on my oldest face. The shear terror in her eyes as her mommy was rushed to the hospital. My body had betrayed me, I guess it was sick and tired of being forced to work on overdrive all the time. But in hindsight it was a major blessing. I hated that moment, i hated what I had let myself become, I hate the constant business, never ending guilt and shear exhaustion I felt all the time. I resolved to change.

Being busy is not an accomplishment and it does not make us better women. In fact it hurts our progress. When we are busy for the sake of being busy, we make for lousy wives,  so-so moms, and over extended business owners… And not surprisingly – Everything suffers!

There is a very vast difference between busy and productive. If we as women can learn to let go of busy and instead embrace the right kind of productivity we can enhance every aspect of our lives.

THE TRUTH THAT SET ME FREE

Now here’s the thing… I DON’T WANT YOU TO LET GO OF YOUR DREAM! That’s the ‘be reasonable’ answer, and I despise being reasonable. No, I’m saying you have to get better, more defined dreams! When I was trying to figure this all out, I kept hearing things like, ‘well, it may just be to much for you’ or ‘this may not be the season for you to be running a business’ but something in me just couldn’t accept that. I loved every single thing in my life. I wanted to be it all, but I had to find that better way, otherwise I would have to quit my dream.

Since you’re reading the post, I’m sure you can guess what happened… I figured out that better way. I learned how to work smarter, harder and more productivly. I learned how to organize my time and my priorities so that I could make sure that the people who matter most to me, felt it. I came to the realization that while I can be it all… I can’t do it all.

IT CAN BE YOUR REALITY TOO

Let me share with you what has happened for me… I have gotten my photography business to where it only takes about 12 hours a week to run but can bring in $8,000 a month and I started working with the kind of clients that I had only dreamed about before. I was able to begin funding those experiences and not just once but many times over. In fact my passport finally got some use…. And then it was used again!

My friday nights are now reserved for date night with my husband and my weekdays are filled with laughter from my kids… And my business – well I am the original test dummy for The Thriving Photographer.

Now before you try to tell me that this can’t happen for you…. Let me ask you. WHAT IF IT COULD? Photographer’s from all over the globe and with no expieiernce to 10+ years of expierience have taken the challenge, invested in themselves and guess what. They are Thriving! (you can read there testimonials here, here, here and even more here. 

What do you have to loose, I mean really loose? Not the money, since there is a money back guarantee. And what do you have to gain, I mean truly gain if I can change your photography business and the way you experience it forever? What would that mean in your life?

Leave a comment and tell me what experience you would love to create for your family through your photography business…

Happy Mother’s Day. This year give yourself your life back!

The sun has arrived… Even in the Great Northwest! I love the way I feel in the Spring! I get so energized with this need for new accomplishment that just takes over and I find myself making new goal lists, getting down and dirty with my scrub brush and accomplishing more than I normally do. You can’t help but feel optimistic when the sun is shining!

Our month long giveaway for May is designed to help you catch the Spring excitement too! You’ll get down and dirty in style with the Designer Wash Gloves, be ready at any moment to jot down your latest and greatest idea with the handmade notebook and when you’re out capturing happy memories, you’re camera will be toting a fab new chevron strap.

It’s a good Month to win the giveaway! And don’t forget, the giveaway lasts for the whole month of May. You have chances to enter every single day and on the last day of the month, our winner will be chosen! And don’t forget, you can’t win if you don’t enter! And if you;re saying, “I never win” that’s what our Jan, Feb, March and April winners thought too! So good luck! I’ll be sending you your prize box with everything you see above.

Check out the AMAZING VENDORS from our May Giveaway!

1. Green Chevron Camera Strap Cover by A Diva & 3 Dudes (Check her out on Facebook!)

2. Handmade Notebook by Tam2311

3. Straw Shine Fedora from Target (donated by Go4ProPhotos.com)

4. Designer Dish Gloves by Katherine Rohrbacher

5. Note Pack from Target (donated by Go4ProPhotos.com)

6. Memory Journal by K&Company

To Enter the Giveaway…

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you considered having a makeup artist and hairstylist on your professional team?  Doesn’t that just sound impressively chic?  I remember thinking it did when I first got the idea, and feeling very intimidated at the idea of making it happen.

I wanted to do everything I could to make the experience that my clients enjoyed with Leah Remillet Photography stand out and I thought that being able to offer the services of a makeup artists would provide one more way for me to do just that!  Now here is the fabulous news, it’s actually incredibly easy to make it happen and I’m going to share with you the do’s and don’ts that I’ve learned over the years!

DO a Google search for makeup artists in your area and compile a list of 3 to 5 artist/stylists that you’re interested in working with!

DON’T go for Artists/Stylist that are in retail locations and won’t travel. You want small business owners (like you) who are willing to travel to either your studio or your client’s home.

DO plan out some questions you’d like to ask such as what do you charge, how’s your availability usually and do you offer makeup and hair? (My current Artist does both!)

DON’T forget that you’re going to need to pass the cost onto your clients so it shouldn’t be more than your own Portrait Session Fee! (Ideally it should be 25% or less and definitely no more than half your Session Fee)

DO call all of the artists/stylists on your list. Find out who sounds friendly, customer service oriented and willing to offer a special price for your clients. (Remember you’re planning to recommend them to all of your clients, that’s big!)

DON’T work with anyone who treats you inferior in anyway! They will ultimately be a representation of your business (you referred them) and you want to feel confident that your clients will be treated like the V.I.P.’s that they are!

DO ask for a trial run before you start referring your clients to them. Set an appointment for the artist to do your makeup/hair so you can be confident you’ve made a good decision.

DON’T miss this opportunity to jump in front of the camera and update your own self-portrait after the trial run (after all, you’re look’n all done-up & foxy!)

DO think outside the box! Makeup isn’t just for your Seniors and Boudoir Sessions. Lots of Mommy’s need a little extra TLC to give them that confidence boost they need to get in front of your lens. (My mamas who choose to be professionally styled are always super grateful they did it!)

DON’T forget to mention to your clients that you have a Professional Makeup Artist available to them for an additional charge during the scheduling call.

DO offer to give digital files for your stylists/artist to use on their website, with your watermark of course!

DON’T try to charge them for the files. You’re building a relationship and it’s FREE marketing for you!

DO remember that offering the services of a professional makeup artist and hairstylist is just one more way you can demonstrate the level of service, care and professionalism that your business model stands for as a Thriving Photographer!

I hope this has been helpful!!  If you have any tips you’d like to share or burning questions you really need answered, leave a comment below! 

Congratulations to Tabitha who will be recieveing a wonderful box on her doorstep full of fabulous items from our April giveaway! …And thank you to all who participated!

The May giveaway will be debuting soon… It’s just not quite ready for you, and we of course want to make sure it’s perfect for y’all! I’ll send out an email to all of our fabulous photographers when it’s ready so make sure you’re signed up for our newsletter! Just look right over to your right —–> at the top of the side bar. See ya’ in your inbox!