The best way to start a business is to just start. When it comes down to it, if you never start then you’ll never have a business. Believe it or not, there’s not a whole lot of overhead that comes along with starting a virtual assistant business, so I’m sharing the tools you need to build your business. First up, a G-mail account. You CAN use another email platform, but your G-mail account will integrate with so many more tools and it opens up the use of other business tools that you’ll be in da...
Mar 29, 2021•28 min•Ep. 6
Having a strategic plan for your business is the key to wild growth. Don’t believe me? I’ve lived it. Amy Lockrin is an operations and systems strategist and coach who excels in helping her clients build businesses that they love. We’re breaking down how you can strategically plan your business so listen in and learn more. Amy and I have known each other for years now. She’s my business bestie, my coach, and a former client. I have no idea where my business would be without her guidance which is...
Mar 24, 2021•33 min•Ep. 43
You’ve decided to become a virtual assistant. Now you’re probably asking yourself, where do I find clients? How do I make a real go at this new venture? On this bonus episode I’m digging into starting your virtual assistant business and building your client base. First things first, did you know that you have your very own network of people to find clients in? No I’m not talking about popping into everyone’s DMs and spamming them. I’m talking about making authentic connections and informing peop...
Mar 22, 2021•19 min•Ep. 5
Your gut really does speak to you. SO LISTEN! Have you ever found yourself on a call with someone and you KNEW that they weren’t a good fit. But, instead of listening to your gut you started working with them anyway and it all fell apart? Me too! Listen in and learn how to stop saying “Yes” to people you should say “NO” to. In the past 8 months or so, I’ve taken on a couple of clients that I knew weren’t a good fit. They either weren’t in my niche or they needed services outside of my scope of w...
Mar 17, 2021•21 min•Ep. 42
Have you ever had a job of any kind? Managed a household? Babysat? Managed money in any form? Then you have the skills to be a VA! Don’t believe me? Keep listening. The number one thing I hear from people who are considering moving to virtual assistant work is that they’re concerned they have nothing to offer. They’re concerned about the tech. They’re concerned about the time. They’re concerned about the taxes, legal, and owning their own business piece. But mostly they simply do not believe the...
Mar 15, 2021•20 min•Ep. 4
You are not like anyone else, so why does your website sound like everyone else? You may not actually have this problem, but Erica Comitalo is a content and copywriter who exclusively works with photographers to unlock their unique voice. She spends time listening to you talk about your clients and finding the words you naturally use to describe them. She then takes those words and crafts a subtle but effective message designed to positively repel any non-ideal clients while singing to everyone ...
Mar 10, 2021•36 min•Ep. 41
First things first, there is nothing wrong with asking for help. In fact, as your business grows, your family changes, and your life evolves, you’ll need more help than you could ever imagine. I talk about it all the time but I knew I had to dedicate an episode to learning to ask for help. I’ve mentioned it a few times on the podcast, but one of the first things that I outsourced was house cleaning. We have a toddler, large dogs, and horses. We need to have a clean house. But as the business has...
Mar 03, 2021•19 min•Ep. 40
Ever heard that phrase in marketing that when you speak to everyone you speak to no one? I’ve found that many photographers fall into this trap. Which is why Nicole Anderson joined me to chat about the importance of niching down in your business. I’m going to ask you a quick question and answer honestly, what type of photography do you do? Do you specifically do weddings and family? Branding? Boudoir? Or, have you fallen into the trap of doing ALL the photography? If so, it makes marketing your ...
Feb 24, 2021•42 min•Ep. 39
SOPs, or Standard Operating Procedures, are highly necessary for your business. Don’t believe me? Have you ever tried to hire someone but you didn’t know where to start because you couldn’t clearly define the role or need that you had? If you had SOPs on hand, that wouldn’t be a problem. Then when you hired this person, you’d have a clearly defined set of how-tos and tasks that they’re responsible for. Plus, if they had any questions, you’d be able to refer them to the standard operating procedu...
Feb 17, 2021•20 min•Ep. 38
It’s true. Photography is less about taking a photo and more about building a sustainable business with sound practices and procedures. Deevo joins me to chat about growing his own businesses and why he’s always known that it’s about more than just taking a photo. We’re diving deep into his actual business practices and why it’s important to have processes that take your customer from inquiry through the final product. In fact, he never even considered building a photography business until he ha...
Feb 10, 2021•52 min•Ep. 37
Businesses need processes to run efficiently. If you’ve been listening for any amount of time, then you know that I love and appreciate all of the processes that help a business stay on track. The same can be said for your marketing processes, but so many times I’m asked about creating a true marketing process. Honestly, no system or process is right for every business. However there are a few things that you can do to ensure that no matter the system you use, you have an efficient process for m...
Feb 03, 2021•26 min•Ep. 36
Creating impact is the goal of most every business owner I know. But how does one go about creating an impact when much of their work is local? Listen as Lisa Staff shares the impact she has created through photography in her tiny community of Hilton Head and why relationships are the key to impact. Over the course of 20 years Lisa has brought her own special flair to the world of photography. She captures life moments, branding, editorial images and more all with the goal of telling stories tha...
Jan 27, 2021•41 min•Ep. 35
Unless you’ve built your photography business specifically around one big milestone in a person’s life, I’m looking at you wedding photographers, then client retention strategies are huge. Client retention is one of my favorite topics to talk about, so listen in to learn strategies for retaining your clients as a photographer. First of all, first impressions make a huge difference. I love bringing on a new client and then getting to send them a welcome gift. They feel appreciated, I’m leaning in...
Jan 20, 2021•19 min•Ep. 34
Have you ever considered switching your sales process to in-person? When Angelica Pompy decided to do it she saw huge changes in her business and now she knows she’d never go back. Listen in to hear more about her story, her photography, and why she’s a firm believer in in-person sales. Angelica has always loved the art of photography. Creating a safe space for her clients to realize that being in front of a camera doesn’t have to be scary and awkward is one of her favorite things to do. She’s a...
Jan 13, 2021•39 min•Ep. 33
2021 is starting off big for Success Beyond the Lens. We just launched a brand new website, a new course is opening up soon, and we’re officially opening up Done in a Day system setups! It’s going to be a great year and I wanted to start it off right. Letting you know my hopes and goals for the year and by sharing my word for the year. My word for this year is “trust.” Trust isn’t something that comes easily to me in many cases, but for this year I’m looking to trust in myself that I can make bi...
Jan 06, 2021•24 min•Ep. 32
Do you believe it’s possible to go from being a graphic designer to a booked out wedding photographer in eighteen months? Listen to my guest, Joy Michelle , and I chat about how she did it, the importance of branding, and much more on this episode. Joy is an intimate wedding photographer, a YouTuber, and a coach to other creatives like herself. She helps photographers go from passionate to profitable through courses, her Facebook group Photo Boss, and coaching. Learn how she got her start in pho...
Dec 30, 2020•26 min•Ep. 3
It doesn’t matter if you like numbers or not, as a business owner you have to understand your money. Katelyn Magnuson is the freelance CFO and knows how to help you work through your numbers to reach your goals. Katelyn spent her 20s moving through various roles between corporate and the online space. What she learned is that our parents’ and grandparents’ way of doing money… no longer works. We chat about how you can set yourself up for success and which money habits you need to establish now. ...
Dec 23, 2020•43 min•Ep. 2
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… and again… and again… You HAVE to have a functioning and efficient CRM to grow and scale your business. Now how you use the CRM may be different depending on the way you run your business, but not having one is not an option. (I mean it is… but only if you’re not looking to grow!) So the first thing to consider is how much automation you want or need to have. What does that mean? So many things! When someone completes a lead form, do you want an email t...
Dec 16, 2020•22 min•Ep. 1
Coming into 2020, I like many others, had big plans, dreams, and expectations. Despite the way it has actually turned out, I’ve still hit some big goals and made some huge changes. Looking back, this has been a great year for my business and my life and I’m so excited to recap it in this episode. Covid really seemed to take over all aspects of my life when the lockdowns happened. I went from having my son in daycare and working in my office to having Davie home and having to abandon my office. W...
Dec 09, 2020•28 min•Ep. 31
After surviving an abusive relationship, starting over from scratch with her parents, and then building a business that she’s proud of, Diji Shujahi found herself stranded due to Covid. Listen as she shares her story and why all of the twists and turns have led her right to where she’s supposed to be. Diji grew up in Abu Dhabi, far from her family’s Indian roots. After she finished school her parents set her up in a disastrous arranged marriage. She got to stay in Abu Dhabi for a time, but when ...
Dec 02, 2020•50 min•Ep. 30
Proposal season is coming! Are you ready? Honestly, by the time you listen to this podcast it will already be upon us, but as long as you start implementing some of these tips each day, you will be golden. So, take the time to enjoy Thanksgiving, finish up your fall sessions and editing, and then it’s time to get down to business on your marketing plan! One of the best ways to approach proposal season is to make sure that you have your organic feeds up to date and feeling current. You don’t have...
Nov 25, 2020•28 min•Ep. 29
Building a national photography business is certainly not easy, but for Morgan Nagle staying local was never the plan. A year after starting her business she had to move and she realized that she didn’t want to miss out on the growth she’d seen in that market. Listen as she shares her story and how she’s begun to build a team to better serve her clients. Being able to photograph couples and clients around the nation is a dream come true for Morgan. She now travels all over the country with open ...
Nov 18, 2020•36 min•Ep. 28
I have had anxiety my entire life. At times it has been crippling and other times it’s just an annoyance but either way anxiety is something I live with and battle. Becoming a business owner, and all the things that it entails, has had me re-evaluating how I manage my anxiety and ways to productively push through. I didn’t always know that I had anxiety. In many ways I thought I was just paranoid or that it was normal to immediately think the worst of every situation. It took an old boss of mine...
Nov 11, 2020•23 min•Ep. 27
Building a successful business takes time, dedication, and drive. Building a successful business while still in high school? That takes grit and determination as well. Hope Taylor was able to do it and she is sharing her story and how she managed a successful relocation to build her business bigger than ever. Hope started her photography business as a junior in high school, but senior year it really started to take off. She was doing senior portraits for her peers and realized that she loved it....
Nov 04, 2020•29 min•Ep. 26
If you’re ready to get your books overflowing for 2021, then you need to focus on your marketing strategy. Listen as I share the best ways to stay on top of your marketing today in order to build your business in the coming year. First things first, you have to know that 2021 is going to be huge for photographers. Many people had to move their weddings from 2020 to 2021 and as such, will be looking to re-establish communication and relationships with their vendors. You need to work on your marke...
Oct 28, 2020•19 min•Ep. 25
Horses are amazing creatures. They can help you make a living in so many ways, but they’re also intuitive, kind, caring animals that deserve all the love and attention you can give. Erica Hills has always loved horses, but when she realized that she could combine her love of horses with her passion for photography she knew she’d found her calling. She initially went to college to pursue a degree in psychology. In fact she earned her Bachelors and later went back for her Master’s as well. But a c...
Oct 21, 2020•35 min•Ep. 24
Did you know that your successful business starts with your thoughts and your mindset? If you surround yourself with negative self-talk and limiting beliefs, then you’re likely not going to see the success you want and need, because your mindset is off. That’s why this episode is all about the mindset shifts you need to make to see greater success in your work and your business. Step one...stop calling yourself and your business a hot mess (or whatever terminology you use.) If you don’t want to ...
Oct 14, 2020•14 min•Ep. 22
Your marketing strategy is the key to getting eyes on your business. One of the best ways for photographers to do that is with Facebook Ads. Now I’m no Ads expert, but Becky Burgess of Splash Owl Media is. She has spent the last decade + navigating the Facebook ads platform and staying up to date with all of their many changes. In that time she has learned amazing strategies for getting the absolute best bang for every buck you spend. Becky is joining me today to talk all things ads. Everything ...
Oct 07, 2020•41 min•Ep. 22
Here’s the thing, we all have a life to live, and if you’re listening to this podcast, then you also have a business to run. You shouldn’t spend your life worried about your business because if you’ve organized everything properly, they’ll both have the right amount of time and space. Now, does that mean that everything goes perfectly 100% of the time? No! But you shouldn’t be spending the majority of your days feeling stressed and unsure of how things are going. I’m sharing my tips for properly...
Sep 30, 2020•32 min•Ep. 21
When you’ve found the right niche for you and your business, things just start to happen. While it doesn’t always seem like this is true, that’s exactly what happened for Kira Wood. Listen as she shares how she niched down into boudoir photography and why it was one of the best things she’s done for herself and her business. Kira started into the business doing family photography. She did everything from engagements, weddings, to newborns. Then one day a friend asked her to do a boudoir session ...
Sep 23, 2020•29 min•Ep. 20
