What I Learned in My First 2 Years in Business
In 2020 I decided to completely reinvent my life. During the pandemic, I had been searching for more purpose especially when it came to my career and I was incredibly fortunate to find a professional photography course online. That course along with mentors I had met guided me through the process of starting my business as a photographer. It was then that I dove right in and changed careers and started my photography business.
Photography has always been a huge part of my life and I spent the entire year of 2020 honing my craft, learning how to set up my business, building a website, and setting up marketing systems to officially launch in 2021. It was an intense year of creativity and professional growth and I was finally on the life path I had always wanted.
So, now in January of 2023, I am looking back at my first 2 years in business, and here are the top 5 things I have learned.
Networking is one of the most important parts of being in business, especially as a solopreneur. I was inundated with so much information from the courses I was taking that I didn’t set networking as my top priority and I wish I had. I have learned that it is very important to meet other business owners not only to grow my network and get clients but to meet people who are at all levels and stages of their business because their advice and mentorship are priceless.
Accountability Partners are a must. Being a solopreneur can be lonely, and the amount of hats I have to wear to run this one-woman show is overwhelming at times - marketing, sales, social media, content creation, networking, client projects, etc. Having an accountability partner that is a fellow photographer has helped me stay on track and get feedback on my work.
Have a plan and budget for workshops and online courses and stick to it. I spent so much money on online courses and I wish I had really crafted a plan and budget because when I felt stuck and a course would pop up on my feed I would convince myself that was what I needed. Often the course was similar to ones I had already taken. I just needed time to implement the learnings before moving on to another one. Take your time and stick with your plan.
Working on your personal brand does bring brand clarity. There is a lot of pressure to create your personal brand (I’m one of the people pressuring you 🙂) and it really is one of the most important things for any professional. What I found to be true is the more you share your work and yourself online the more confident and authentic you become. At first, you might be doing what others are doing, and you haven’t quite found your style or your voice but the more you work on it and start to develop it you really get a better grasp on what makes you feel good and who you are attracting. This is how you start to differentiate yourself because you become more aware of your unique personality and talents and clear about who will benefit from them.
5. It’s true for me that when I found my purpose and made it my life’s work I never feel like I’m “working” or maybe it’s better to say I don’t feel like I have a job to go to. There is nothing more rewarding than waking up every day and doing what you love for a living. Are there frustrating parts to my job that I don’t love - yes - and things I don’t want to do - hell yes! But the majority of my work, my craft, is what feeds my soul, AND that has had the biggest impact on my life.
When you are happy everything in your life changes for the better. You leave things, people, and jobs, that no longer serve you. You care about being a better person and think about how you can best serve your clients to make their lives better. It helps you realize that material things no longer have so much significance because if you can have a successful business doing what you love, making the money you need to live, and doing the things you want, you have everything you will ever need.
This year, 2023, is the year of HUGE GROWTH personally and professionally for me. I am here to serve people who need beautiful photography for their businesses or themselves. I know the power photography has to transform how we feel about ourselves and I am grateful that I get the opportunity to give this to my clients. I will never take that for granted.
Happy New Year everyone and I hope you find what sets your soul on fire because it’s never too late to change your life.
xoxo
