Welcome to the Pet Grooming Business Podcast with me, Bill Betts, where we give practical business advice to help you grow your pet grooming business. This podcast is sponsored by Low Pay, the Low rate payment app that gives you more. So without further ado, let's get going. Welcome, everyone. Welcome to our next episode of the podcast. Really exciting episode. We get to discuss personal photography within your business.
So I'm joined by Edouard, who is over in Lyon in France, and Edward helps entrepreneurs that. Yes, that's you. Entrepreneurs give great first impressions to their clients through the power of photography. So welcome Edward, how are you? Hello, Bill. I'm very good, thank you. How are you? Thank you for joining me. Pleasure. Thank you for having me. This is, this is the wonders of the Internet and zoom and stuff like that.
Being able to talk to a professional in, in France and get you onto the podcast and stuff. It's fantastic, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely brilliant. Very happy to be here. Excellent. I'm always looking for different avenues to help people, entrepreneurs and pet groomers with their business.
And having known you through our, our coaching, our mentor, Robin, it's been really interesting listening to your journey and I wanted to bring you onto the podcast to talk about what you do and how you help entrepreneurs with their business. So maybe I'll let you sort of describe how you help entrepreneurs with your business. Cool. So I help entrepreneurs basically make a great first impression to the clients, but also the right first impression, the one they actually want to make.
So first I help them decide who they want to be, what first impression do I want to make? Do I want to appear confident, trustworthy? There's something that we can work on, definitely, and that appearance of quality and of great service. And then I help them, I coach them through passing in front of camera, which is really uncomfortable for most people. And so I help people just see this as an exercise like everything else, so that it just, it's a good time.
We have fun, we create the content they need and they then they can market themselves with a big smile and happy pictures. That's it. And obviously there's something that I see quite a lot within my industry. The pet grooming industry is, you know, many business owners shy away from the camera. Maybe in their personal lives, they're out there taking selfies and taking like, loads of photos.
But when it comes to our, our businesses, we, they tend to shy away from having their face at the, the forefront of their, of their business. They, the face on the, on the front of their Facebook page or, or on the about page of their website. So tell us a little bit about how important it is and the power of that professional photography and that personal, personal photo or the business owner.
So I do believe when you sell a service, people come to for your service for the problem, you're going to deal with them, but they're going to sign the dotted line, they're going to start, they're going to take out the credit cards for the professional that you are, basically. So it balances as well with social proof. Basically. If you have 1000 social proof and they don't know you, they're still going to go with you.
So it's still a power of the social proof obviously but, but if you meet somebody who has never heard of you before, that first impression they're going to have from you can make them decide very early if they want to work with you, if they believe you can deliver the value that you're promising for the money you're asking and if they are going to go through with it or not.
And it is very interesting to see people realize this because we, yeah, I think it's, it's, it's a very important thing to be careful of the first impression you're going to make. And so having professional photography is like the window of a shop. If it looks very bad, people are not going to get in, simply put. So making sure you have beautiful pictures to, to give that, that you're really great professional and just that is going to look great basically.
I suppose straight away just having a professional photo of yourself, a professional headshot of yourself, I suppose kind of tells subconsciously the customer that you, you feel confident in yourself and your business straight away, don't you? And I often encourage my clients to go out there and get professional photography like headshots of themselves and then maybe some action shots within their grooming parlor of them, you know, taking care of the people's pets, do it, delivering some of the.
And I often see that they have this done and not only do their customers become more sort of confident within their business, but the actual business owner themselves gets that confidence from it. Do you see that in the stuff that you do? Yeah, I do see a lot of my clients, they hate the idea of coming to take a picture, but then they know they have to take one.
Most I work with a lot with lawyers, with financial planners, those people who need to really inspire confidence, confidence in their, in their prospects. And after shooting with me, they discover that, okay, I can actually show that confidence that I have. They are really, really good Technically they are great lawyers or great financial planners, but they don't know how to show it, or at least they're not conscious of how they show it and if they're making their good first impression.
And so when you. My process is to teach them how to be charismatic in front of the camera. And over the course of an hour or so, we do a lot of shots and I keep showing them what it looks like. And so they have, between the beginning of this session and the end of it, all the pictures are really interesting at the end because they understood how to smile, how to dress, how to have a nice pose, to stand very straight, to show confidence. So, yeah, that transformation is very interesting.
And then they have those pictures that remind them of that work that you've done. And I always, I always sort of advocate the, you know, and this is the reason why you, you're as busy as you are. And I always advocate the, the, the finding of professional photography.
So obviously we've got, we've all got phones, we've all got amazing cameras on our phones and we can all take photos and, and some people might be listening to this and thinking, okay, I can go out and get some headshots done or I can take some photos, some action shots of what we do and I could just get a friend to go and do it, you know, but I've, I've seen the results of this.
We, we had a professional photographer come in just after lockdown and take some headshots of myself and of my, my wife's dog grooming team in the salon and stuff. And they're fantastic photos that we've used over and over and over again. You'll see it on all my branding. And then we introduced a new service and we had someone come in who was a customer just saying, I'd be really happy to take some photos of you and I'm going to call them snaps.
You know, I think it wasn't until we, we, we were given these photos that we realized, you know, and it's really hard until you see it, the difference between that for professional photographer, you can extract the lights, the positioning, the, you know, the expression, the car carriers. Carrot, you say, how'd you say it? The camera. Charisma. Charisma, thank you very much. Versus someone who perhaps haven't got the training, haven't got the tools and doesn't, doesn't quite get it.
It wasn't until we saw the two together that we really understood why hiring a professional photographer is so important for this. Do you Ever see that? Yeah, yeah, of course. Well, photography is, is a profession like any others. The more you practice, the better you get good at it.
And when I started, I'm a self taught in photography and when I started as a professional six years ago, I started shooting houses for the main reason, the simplest reason that houses do not move, they don't have emotions. So I could work on the technical side because I had to get good with my photography, with my camera, with appreciating the light composition.
But shooting people was overwhelming for me because when you're shooting somebody, the energy that you're bringing to the shooting is immensely important because if you are stressed, the person is going to be stressed. It's impossible to relax somebody, especially somebody who's really uncomfortable in front of camera if you are yourself not relaxed and in control of the situation. So first the professional photographer is going to be good at what it is.
So he's not worried about the technical aspects. That's the main difference between, for me between now and six years ago. And the amateur or the friend of a friend who has a camera or blah blah, blah, is not sure about the results. So he's going to focus on making good pictures but it's not going to be there to relax and make the person feel confident.
And especially I think with AI coming in to the more and more the capacity of making somebody comfortable is going to be more and more important because the technical side should go in the back backwards or be replaced a little bit by AI. This podcast is sponsored by Low Pay. Low pay is half the price of sumup and zettle. So you keep more of the money that you earn. Rate starts at 0.79%.
It was really interesting and again you can't really understand this until you see it and you sit there and compare the professional photography to like what you said, like the animal amateur photographer and how the, the angles, the light, the what they capture in the eye. There's sort of really sort of the difference in that. So it's a really interesting point to explore.
And you picked up there like the AI aspect of this and again, you know, we've all got access to cameras and we're all getting access to AI and stuff.
But we were talking before the podcast about customer service and customer care and I worry a little bit that if we start going down the road of filter or, or making a photo look more glamorous or touched up or, or different to actually the way the person is in, in real life, it could become a bit disingenuous I suppose when a customer turns up and sees the, the, the actual person or the, or the shop that's being changed by AI.
And I think, you know, this is another reason why it's really important to keep that photography real, isn't it? I agree with you and I think it's interesting to talk about now and in five to 10 years because we are as a species, we do adapt and get used to something very, very quickly. And so right now if you call a brand and you're asking for customer service and it's an AI answering you, you're going to be cringy, you're not going to be happy about that.
But I do bet that in five years it's going to be absolutely normal that we, it's like on websites, if you try to reach out Google or Facebook, you're never going to reach a true somebody. It's going to be a chat, automated chat and everything. So for the pictures right now it's the same thing. When we see clearly AI generated images, I cringe every time like most people do. It's like, oh, this is not genuine, it's a man made person, didn't make any efforts.
But I do believe in five to 10 years it's going to be pretty much accepted or normal like every day. It's like DVDs that replaced VHS and electric cars replacing engines. I don't know, there's so many things evolving and we actually get used to it. But right now it's still so important to have very good images that look genuine and not AI generated.
Do you think that would then give in say 5 years time and the new, the new norm sort of seeks, it seeks, seeps into our subconsciousness and it becomes harder and harder for us to distinguish what's an AI generated or touched up photo versus a normal photo. Do you think having professional photography might give you that edge over other people? Because obviously you're investing in a photographer, you're investing in their eye, you're investing in their expertise.
Maybe that would actually give you that edge over the people that aren't looking to invest in that photography. I do believe the power in a professional photographer in the next years will not come down to technicity or the beauty of the pictures, but the ability to create images that really look like you, like the authenticity parts of you and your business.
Because any pet grooming owner, a business owner can ask to have pet grooming pictures to AI, but then everybody's going to have exactly the same pictures. But if you do have Those amazing pictures of your own shop that you decorated as you want it to be decorated with you, your space, actually working and grooming a pet or actually smiling to the person or having a chat with the person, that's where the authenticity is I think going to be very, very important.
And so creating those images that are unique to yourself and like almost your brand, your personal brand has been thrown so much everywhere that's kind of hard to use and know what we're talking about, but still, yeah, having those pictures that really represent you and your business as you are you not like them, not other people, like your competitive advantage or something. Yeah, I think that'll that will be still very interesting in the future.
And the importance of hiring a professional photographer. And I think that's a really important point there. I've just written down values because I think you're touching on there. Although AI generated photos may become the norm and may seep into our subconsciousness as the norm as humans, we may still have really sort of tight values around authenticity, like you were saying.
And that could actually, like you said, give us the edge as business owners where we're going out there as an authentic person with authentic pictures, with authentic messages to people. And although there's the fancy high res AI images out there, you'd actually start to appeal to people's core values around authenticity and how they sort of push away from that AI sort of generated image and attract. And you'd actually end up attracting the people.
And like you said, you'd have an edge over competitors, competitives who decide to go down the AI route. That's kind of what I was thinking. Yes. So here I'd like to dig a little bit on where does it all come from? Like how, where does it come from, the first impression? So it comes from evolution, basically. So if there are any creationists out there, I'm sorry, that might not resonate with you, but I do believe evolution is a thing.
And the more I dug into charisma, first impression, the more you realize that basically any traits that we have today had a reason to exist because it helped us survive and reproduce. And so first impressions evolved because back then where we were tribesmen, hundreds, thousands of years ago, we were living in fifty people, hundred people, tribes basically.
And when you walk in the nature and you meet somebody that you don't know, you have to figure it out is this person wants something, wants to harm you, or wants to befriend you, and if he or she wants to harm you, can you fight him or not? So basically, friend or foe, fight or flight are the two questions you are asking. And those people back then who were not able to figure out the right answer are not our ancestors. Okay? They just died and they did not reproduce.
So that's why now, today we are human beings as a species, incredibly attuned to people. Body language and it comes down to micro expression. Like hundreds of milliseconds. You can have micro expression just in the subconscious of the person you are talking to is going to register it. The so AI is never going to replace this. We might get used to AI generated image and to have things change around us over the next few years for sure. But our brains still function the same way.
Basically, it's like high addictive foods. For example, like, we are hardwired to like and to eat a lot of sugar and fats because back then, million years ago, it was very rare. So our brain was like, eat this, it's good. You're going to survive. The thing is, now we have supermarkets, we'll fill with them. And we did not adapt. We are still eating this.
So I do believe the ability to connect with people and to be charismatic, to be kind, to generate interpersonal connection is going to be, it's never going to go away. That's, that's impossible. Yeah, I love that and I completely agree. And you know, I work with my clients and we talk a lot about that fear response and keeping you safe. And, you know, why does giving someone a higher price make you so fearful?
And again, it's going back to those really old times where you're like, oh, fight, flight or freeze and, and stuff like that. So I really, really understand that and really get that. So great point. And I think, you know, a really big top tip if you, if you're listening to this right now is, you know, I get asked quite a lot how it's a very competitive industry, the pet grooming industry and many pet groomers are surrounded by businesses. And I get told a lot.
You know, there's 10, 15 pet groomers in the town. How do, how do I as a pet grooming business owner stand out? And you know, one of the massive top tips here on this podcast is photos. You know, go and get yourself some professional photos to make you feel more confident and to make your customers and inquiries more confident as well. Like that shop window. You, you are the, the shop window when they're looking at you and they're making those micro judgments and decisions based on those photos.
So, you know, top tip there. And yes, we, we Invested it. But five years on, we're still using those photos. You know, we're still using it in our branding, in our website, in our leaflets and our brochures, in our banners and everything. So it's a really good investment. But let's talk about the objections that you get because obviously you work with entrepreneurs and you, you're a big advocate for getting this done, but you must get some pushback. And then again, that same fear.
What do you find people saying when they had, when they. What barriers do they put in, put up to having these photos done? So there are two main ones. It's the budget. I don't have the budget right now. So it's budget slash timing. It's never the right time. Also, because, you know, Daniel Priestley explains that you have three components to buy. It's emotion, logistic, sorry, justification and urgency.
The problem with photography, it's never urgent, so people postpone it very often, like, oh, do I have to put 1,000, $2,000 into a photography shoot? So that's the main problem. It's never the right time. Even though it's costing you business, it's costing your business to not have those professional photography. But so the hardest part for me is to make them understand, yes, it is an investment. It's not the spending, you're not buying food that you have to consume.
It's an investment, you will get money back from it. And also, I think one reason it's hard to make a living as a photographer sometimes, it's because that return on investment does not depend on photographer, it depends on the business to actually use the shots. And that's why marketing agencies, I think, are more profitable at least than photographers, because they can actually, they are providing the value and the retail investment that people want, which is more customers, more leads.
We just provide good pictures. But if they don't use it, it's going to be, it's going to be the trouble where they're not going to use it. So that's the first. Can we, can we just dive into that a little bit more? Because I find that really interesting, what you're saying about that. And I've already said to you, didn't I? You know, we paid, I can't remember, it was under £500, but I think it was more than 300 for a morning sort of photo shoot with the, with the photographer.
And that was around 2020. And straight away, I've already, already said to you, you know, we've used those photos time and time and time again. And updated our websites, brochures, leaflets, flyers, you know, social media posts. So like you said, it's an investment and it's an investment that we, once you use it, you know, you've got to use it to make sure that it pays off.
However, like you said, there's no way of you actually being able to put a financial sort of number on how much money that's got you. I suppose that's one of the issues, isn't it? But I suppose you got to believe you've got to trust the process in a way. And I'm very surprised when you said about, you know this photography is kind of on the back burner of people's priorities when they're setting up a business.
But actually I kind of bring branding and personal branding and the branding of the business to the very forefront of like it's one of the most important things to start with when you're starting a business, isn't it? Yes, I completely agree and I've been not a victim, but I've been guilty of this as well. When I started as a photographer, I was just throwing, trying to get clients showing my portfolio. So basically the project, what I'm selling the service.
But people don't buy a service, they buy you. They buy the problem that you're resolving, they're buying the emotion that you're going to make them feel. So people spend so much time developing a service or product and believe that is the only thing that matters. But they don't worry about how they are perceived, their way of selling the brands that you have, personal as a professional or the brands of their product, services, depending on what they're creating.
But this is what people are buying like I do my values align with who that person or that service, that product are and all my problems are going to be solved by what I'm selling. And so creating your brand when you start a business is immensely important. But it's never in the mind of people, it's never the most important thing and it's okay when I have the money, when I'll have my first clients and I say that will help you get your first clients like you should. That should be a no go.
But I can see the frustration in you. Like I don't know, this is so, like this is so pertinent. This is it, this is the trouble. Of course. In fact we were talking about leads earlier and getting, you know, when, when you stop marketing yourself, you start traveler the dip of the wave and comes back in if you don't Promote, market yourself. You're not going to get those people. And I've been guilty of this as well. So I don't, I cannot throw the work as we think, as we say in France.
But it is frustrating. But I decided to be frustrating with myself that I'm not convincing people enough. And thank you for the opportunity to maybe. Yeah, I mean, I suppose when, when people look at setting up their own business, you know, and this I always say, like, we don't know what we don't know and, and there's no one out there, you know, you don't go to school. I think it's the same in France. They don't teach you how to set up a business at school.
They don't teach you about like going out into the world as an entrepreneur. It's all about, you know, we learn from what's around us and obviously there's business coaches that help us along the way. Like, like I do. But you don't know what you don't know. So when you're, when you're starting your business, you might think, you know, I need a logo, you know, it's the first thing that springs to mind and I need a website, a Facebook page.
But what we don't think about is how actually maybe we don't give credit to our customers is how sophisticated customers are. Maybe not outwardly sophisticated, but behind the scenes in the, you know, subconsciously customers are quite sophisticated. And yeah, we can go out there and stick a logo out there and make it look nice and you know, come and come and use our services, but our customers actually looking for more.
You know, we live in a time where maybe 10 years ago you could go out and be a pet groomer with a logo and you'd be busy. But everything like you said, AI is changing, business is changing, customers buying are changing. The Internet's changed a lot. So are we neglecting the fact that our customers and potential customers are a bit more sophisticated than they used to be and they may be looking for a lot more from businesses that, than they used to.
So, you know, logos, professional photography, good brand colors, fonts that you use and stuff like that? You know, I think, I think there's a lot missing there, isn't there? Absolutely. That made me think of when I was studying marketing during my studies they were comparing two generation of buyers, basically my parents generation which during one day, if they were buying, going to, I don't know the equivalents but like low budget supermarkets. Yeah, we've all got Audi or Audi exactly.
For Example, they're going to go buy brands for clothes that are pretty low budget as well in general. But our generation who were raised a little bit more with TV and Internet, we could buy in the same day, go to Aldi for food, but then go spend $200 in a dress or something by watch. And so because we are looking more for the status that that brand is going to bring us when we're buying a product or for services, we are trying to get to a new stage and we are more aware of this.
And also because I think marketing just evolved and got more and more better. Sorry, better and better at pushing our buttons and are making us want new things. So I think yeah, the customers, we became much more sophisticated as marketing became more better and better at pushing us wants and new desires and, and yes, that's why you have to complexify your yourself and show a few values and what you believe and your, your way of working.
Yeah. And don't get me wrong, people will go out there and they will have a logo and they will get business but then there often becomes a bit of dissatisfaction with the business that they're getting. Maybe they, they're struggling to charge higher prices, you know, and I kind of like. It's pretty horrible.
But you know, if we start to look at our branding and how we professionally present ourselves out there, we will start to attract a whole new different kind of client which then would probably be happier or I'm not going to say probably because I know they are because I've seen my clients do it. They lift their branding, they go out and get professional headshots, they go out and work on their colors, their fonts, their logos, their websites.
They lift their branding and it immediately lifts their business and they just enter a whole new different business world where they're charging higher prices, they're happier with their clients, their clients are giving them great feedback and it's like a, it's a switch. It's like, wow, I can't believe this is happening. And it's such as simple as looking at these real basics around branding and professional photography. Absolutely. So sorry, go. No, no, I would say had nothing.
But I believe you said about this, don't we? So here we are. So I think we've got the message across about, you know, have a look at your branding and look at how you present yourself out there on the market. Yeah. You know, the Internet is your, your 247 shop window to your, to your business. So look at how you're presenting yourself.
And I love listening to people like you said Daniel Priestley, Jason Greystone and that as you talk about and Robin Ray, they, they talk about how, you know, Richard Branson's profile and personal branding is stronger than Virgin, you know, and he has far more followers that the, you know, is so important that people buy into people. So we've got to focus on that.
But obviously all I also want to talk about is how you help your customers because like you said at the very beginning, many people are fearful and don't want to be put on camera. They don't like their photo taken. When I had my photos done, I don't know, it was just like I was in a period of self development and change and I just didn't, I suppose I didn't really think about it. I just knew I had to go and do it to be successful. So I took a deep breath and just did it.
And I followed my mentors guidance and what they told me to do and I just did it. Like, I suppose I come from a disciplined organization. In the police service, you get told to do something, you do it. So maybe that helped. But obviously you, you come across people that are uncomfortable in front of the camera and really struggle with anxiety and worry about getting those photos done. So how do you have a process or how do you help them to, to get those, the great shots that you want from them?
Yeah, that is a very, very interesting subject. And it's being uncomfortable in front of a camera. That's the first thing I say to people. It is entirely normal. We are, as we said, evolved over millions of years. Camera were invented 130 years ago, so that brain of ours has no idea what it is.
And basically when you're chatting with somebody, even through zoom, like right now, you're interacting, you're not thinking about how you, what you're doing with your hands, what you're doing with your face, how are you posing your body language, you're not thinking about any of that. But you end up in front of a camera and suddenly like, oh, what do I do with my hands? How do I smile? Is that a good smile? Is that so you are cons. So you are used. I'm not getting this from, from French.
You're not conscious. Basically you have to become conscious of everything you're doing. And so I reassure people it's completely normal. Okay. And second, have a beginner's mind. That is, you cannot expect to look like Natalie portman or Leonardo DiCaprio in your first headshots. Basically it's being photogenic is about attitudes. It's about being confident from a camera, it's about grabbing the light properly. It's about a good posture.
And it's like everything else, like learning piano or painting. It is learnable and you have to learn the basics. And the Natalie Portman. Sorry, the Natalie Portmans and Leonardo Kritikaprio. This world spent tens of thousands of hours in front of a camera. So you have to have realistic expectations, which are give a great smile, have a good posture and have decent pictures of yourself and stop judging yourself. That's the third step.
It's learn how to stop looking at yourself with just judging yourself immensely. Like, seeing the bad things. And I do believe that's the negativity bias that we have as human beings. Whereas the negative things in our lives have much more importance than the positive things, because that could back also when we were tribesmen, bad things could mean death and good things could mean, oh, I feel good.
So evolution made a very important thing about bad things because they could make you not reproduce. And so when you judge yourself, see, oh, my mouth look like this. I don't like my arm look. Yeah, but look at all the rest and everybody else not. I'm not focusing on all this. So you need to start looking at yourself differently with kindness, which is really not an easy thing to do. But that's why we.
I try to coach people before the session and help them figure out this thing out and write down a few things, like gratitudes, for example. An exercise that I really like is try to write down 10 to 20 things that your body helped you do today. Like your buddy helped manage your body, make you be able to eat a great meal, to enjoy a good wine, to walk around, to dance, to swim. You can breathe, you can digest, you can run, you can ride a boat, motorbike. You can do amazing things with your body.
But looking great in front of a camera, that is not something your body has been designed by nature to do. So you have to look at the picture saying, oh, okay, my body in that position, I look like this. That's just a picture. My body is awesome. I can do great things with it. And, okay, let's find a good position that suits you. And that's why we have to practice and get over the idea of everything has to be perfect at the first shots.
Basically, it's a process of learning and practicing and keeping a beginner's mind. And that's working very well for people. During the sessions, you must. You must see people turning up with what I call like limiting beliefs. So they've probably grown up in a, they might have grown up in a house where they're being told that oh, stop showing off. You know, don't be a show off. You, you get. Or they have a bit of like imposter syndrome. Like who am I to get to have photos of myself?
Like nice professional photos. So there's quite a lot of sort of mental battles to get over, isn't there? To, to put yourself in that position where you're having those photos done. Oh yeah, yeah. In France as well. In France is you cannot be rich, you cannot be important. You can. Vanity is very badly regarded in France. So I really, really feel this, I struggled a lot with this and still struggling.
But working on is assuming that you've, you matter and people and you can bring value to people. And so you have a right to sell yourself and to, and to show and to have those great pictures that put you as great. It makes you look as great as possible, basically. But it's as you said, it's a change of mindset. You have to rewire the way you're thinking because it's. These are limiting beliefs and you can change them.
But it's a. As I like to tell people, I will not make you love yourself in one photo session but I can make you accept yourself, which is the first step by helping you do that new path of thinking which is okay, that's what I look like. It's just a picture, it doesn't matter. Let's try another one. Loving oneself is a lifelong work. We're done. That's another discussion. Maybe I'll work through a six month program one day but as of now it's okay. Your goal is make great picture.
Don't worry, it's going to go great. And one last thing interesting is I tell people because you are judging yourself very harshly. We are very self conscious. Ask other people what they think of the pictures and if three, five people say that picture is awesome, like you look very great in that picture, you need to accept that you look great in that picture. Even if you don't like yourself, you need to take that then. So it's not advice. French barrier. Sorry. The opinion. The opinion.
Thank you. Of people to heart because people those pictures to be meant to be seen by other people and to make first impression on other people. So accept that if three, five people tell you those pictures are awesome, okay, just accept that they are awesome. Use them as much as possible and that will help you see the benefits as you were saying of bringing new customers and giving a good first impression to your. To your prospects. But it's a long, a long walk.
So in a way, one of the barriers that you experience with your customers, I suppose, is French culture. You know, the culture of. Probably from when they rejected royalty and the monarch and stuff like that, being posh and, you know, bread riots and all that sort of stuff sort of feeds through in the, in the culture and not showing off and stuff like that. Yeah, it's possible. I did not dig very, very much into this, but be a sociological, sorry, sociological study.
Very interesting to do in France. We do have a problem with putting yourself on a pedestal to show that you have status, that you reach, that you're earning great living. It's really difficult here, for sure. It's really not ingrained in your. Don't stand out. Now, that's how I've been raised. And I know I've been in public schools all my life, so that's the general idea for sure. Don't stand out. Look like everybody else. Success. That's a big word here.
That's actually quite good, though, because you could empathize with your clients, can't you, and say, look, I know how you feel. I've been raised the same. I've got the same sort of feelings. But I know, having done this, that pushing through those barriers can really make a difference for you. Yeah, actually it is a very personal thing for me that I'm doing this. I have a big history of being a big, big introvert. I ended up in University at 16, so I was very, very young.
So my adolescent school years were really, really not fun. And I spent my life trying, especially starting university, trying to make friends. I just wanted people to like me. And because I did not have this in high school and before that, so I was kind of studying everybody saying, oh, why is this guy funny? Why does he have a lot of friends? And I was trying to appreciate all the things.
And the more and more I learned, the more and more I got into be able to, you know, strike great conversation with people and make friends. That took me 10 years of traveling and meeting new people constantly. And then I became a photographer. And then I had a new challenge, which was not just making people like me, but actually selling something. And then I dug into. It's not just about your portfolio. It's about you and how you can. Can show yourself. And I had to learn all of this.
I didn't, did not have a coach or a teacher. So I went through Books and lots of experimentation. So I can definitely tell people like the person you see now who has been able to just have a good chat in front of camera with Bill right now. I was really not like this five years ago and 10 years ago. It's unimaginable. It's amazing evolution, self development, isn't it?
And you know, and I think for, for business owners that I think are listening to this and maybe haven't got professional photos of themselves or, or just think about it, this is part of that self development. This is part of the self development of your, of yourself obviously, but also development of your business as well. And that's really important.
And I suppose we've got to say you've got to trust us a little bit and sort of trust the, trust the knowledge and trust the process and give it a go. And I, I guarantee that, you know, you go out there and start working on your branding, things will start to change for the better for you. Definitely. Absolutely. Trust your coach, trust the professional, you're hired. And if any.
And I was thinking like, if anyone wants a bit, wants to have a look or, or some inspiration, by all means they can go and check out our dog grooming website, www.a-zanimalcare.co.uk and go and have a look at the About Me page and have a, have a look through. There's quite a lot of stock images on there at the moment. We're just trying to rectify that with some professional photography and stuff around the animals and the services.
But go and look at the, the, the headshots of the, of the, of Emma, my, my wife and also the staff members as well. And have a look at what we've done there and take a bit of inspiration from that. Obviously it was coming out of lockdown, so it was nice and Sunny in 2020, so they're all very well tanned. It's not, it's not touched up. The photos are genuine, trust me. Would you like to give us. Do you have a website that people can go and look at or Facebook page? Do you have anything on there?
I'm mostly on LinkedIn and on Instagram where I talk about charisma. So first impressions, sales, sometimes everything that comes back to entrepreneurship. I talk about being oneself, self acceptance. And you'll find the link to my website, but it's in French though I haven't translated it to English yet as I'm working. Yeah, the websites get translated automatically, although not always fantastic translation, but most of the time you can follow it.
You ask your browser to translate it and it will do it for you. So what's the, what's the name of the Instagram page? Eduard de Mar D E M A R L Y Edward the French way with ou instead of a W. Eduardo Marley and follow me. Connect, send a message. A pleasure to accept. Yeah, brilliant. Well, thank you for joining us and for sharing your insights on professional photography branding headshots to AI. We've covered a lot of topics there, haven't we? Yeah, we did, we did. Thank you for having me.
Really enjoyed it. You're welcome and we'll see you soon. I hope you have enjoyed this podcast. Please make sure you give us a like or a review to help people find it. The podcast is sponsored by Low Pay. Head over to www.blowpay.com to find out more about their payment solution. Sat.