Freedom Focus Photography

Latest Episodes:

The Coaching Journals pt. 1 May 16, 2023

Show notes

192 - Welcome to the Coaching Journals!

Today, we're launching a new podcast series in which we're airing coaching calls between Heather Lahtinen and two members of the Hair of the Dog's Elevate community.

Elevate is our next-level program where you get one-on-one contact with Heather and her team of coaches. In six months, you will learn how to set goals, take specific actions to benefit your business, get feedback, and refine and repeat.

We invited our Elevate members to enter to win extra personal coaching sessions with Heather, which would be turned into podcast episodes so you can pick up some juicy bits to propel your own business forward.

Our winners are (drum roll, please) Christi Baker of Christi Baker Photography in Atlanta and Monica Adalsteinsson of Pup + Me Photography in Phoenix.

Heather embarks on a six-month journey with Christi and Monica to work with them on mindset, business processes and all the magic Heather creates with her coaching clients.

Tune into the Coaching Journals to hear Heather help Christi and Monica set goals and meet them.

What to listen for

3:41 How many clients a month Christi needs to hit her revenue goals

8:38 The brain games she's playing to keep her from moving forward

14:39 Why we get stuck on the negative connotations of "selling"

26:43 How Monica is refining her client membership program

38:14 Why talking to more people nets more conversions

40:15 Where Monica is getting stuck and how Heather helps

Friends, this is just the beginning for Christi and Monica … and you! I am so stoked to see where our two photographers are going to take their businesses after these sessions with Heather.

And if you're interested in learning more about Elevate and how it can take your business to new levels, all the details are right here. Get ready to fly.

CONNECT + LEARN MORE:

Explore all things photography education at nicolebegleyedu.com

Ready to build a profitable photography business? Visit freedomfocusformula.com

Master the craft of pet photography at hairofthedogacademy.com

Follow along on Instagram - @nicolebegleyofficial

Crisis Management with Heather Lahtinen May 09, 2023

Show notes

191 - I received this email shortly before we left for spring break in Belize earlier this month:

Dear Nicole,

We’re canceling your Airbnb because we -- whoopsie! -- double-booked and you're out, sucka.

OK, sure, I'm paraphrasing but that is what happened.

And you know what? I was a wee bit frustrated. OK, not frustrated. I was legitimately pissed off.

But I had two choices in moving forward: I could stay pissed off, scorch the earth and cancel the entire vacation or I could take a deep breath, get some perspective and get moving on an alternate plan.

Guess what? Belize was an amazing vacation.

That I was able to process the information, calm down and get sh** done fascinated the heck out of our friend Heather Lahtinen. She turns the table on me for this week's episode of the Hair of the Dog podcast and interviews me on my crisis management skills.

What to listen for

1:52 The full thought process from anger to Zen with my Belize trip
8:14 The time I was almost locked out of New Zealand
12:51 The 3-step process I use to manage crisis situations
14:51 Why divergent thinking beats convergent thinking -- and what the heck that means
25:17 How I decided no matter what happens -- I win

As my business mentor James Wedmore says, our businesses will only grow to the level of problems that we are willing to deal with.

What, my friend, are you willing to deal with to grow your pet photography business?

CONNECT + LEARN MORE:

Explore all things photography education at nicolebegleyedu.com

Ready to build a profitable photography business? Visit freedomfocusformula.com

Master the craft of pet photography at hairofthedogacademy.com

Follow along on Instagram - @nicolebegleyofficial

Ninja Productivity with Heather Lahtinen May 02, 2023

Show notes

190 - Think about it for a second. What is stealing your time?

OK, I'm going to stop you right there because that's your big problem: thinking about it.

Our friend Heather Lahtinen, the master of productivity and top dog at Flourish Academy, recently learned that the best way to get things done is less thinking – more doing.

If you give yourself too much time and flexibility to do one task, you're also giving yourself time to cultivate self-doubt and avoidance. And you're painfully limiting the amount of time you have left to get everything else done.

Imagine if you set a timer to work on that one project for just one hour, eliminating all distractions like your phone and Facebook and your kids and … and … and .... Would you get it done?

Heather joins me on the Hair of the Dog podcast this week to talk about the discipline you need to set your pet photography business up for success.

What to listen for

11:44 Why you should you schedule your free time first
15:17 How more scheduling = more freedom
19:06 Why giving yourself too much time actually limits you
24:22 How to shift from reactivity to productivity
44:43 Why resistance is something you should embrace

Do you want more on productivity and time management? Of course you do! Heather and I are hosting a FREE Power Hour on Wednesday, May 10, to share some hacks that will help you get the important tasks done while still having time for other aspects of your life.

This is for photographers at all stages of their journey and it’s an actual workshop – meaning teaching < working. By the end of the hour, you’ll have learned how to optimize your time and achieve more with less effort.

While anyone can join us live by registering here. You do have to be a member of the free Hair of the Dog community to catch the replay. JOIN US HERE.

CONNECT + LEARN MORE:

Explore all things photography education at nicolebegleyedu.com

Ready to build a profitable photography business? Visit freedomfocusformula.com

Master the craft of pet photography at hairofthedogacademy.com

Follow along on Instagram - @nicolebegleyofficial

Take Back Your Time with Sara Monika Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

189 - It's time for a reality check.

Yes, you can do it all but do you have to?

No! Guys, my life changed the day I figured out all the things in my business that I didn't want to do. Could I do them? Yes. Were they filling me with joy and satisfaction? No. Were they letting me spend time with my family and take all the trips I love to take?

Oh hell to the no.

Sara Monika, a documentary wedding photographer and photography educator in Ontario, Canada, figured it out too. She realized she wasn't taking as many clients as she could because she was too busy working on the nitty-gritty details of running her business.

Sara joins me on the Hair of the Dog podcast this week and shares eight of those nitty-gritty details that you can outsource to a virtual assistant.

What to listen for

9:08 How $15/week can buy back 3 hours of your time

18:25 Why doing less actually earns you more
30:43 How many WEEKS of time Sara saves by hiring virtual assistants

38:10 The mythical balance between business and a personal life

41:15 How to find your own virtual assistant

Some many of the recurring tasks in our business can be taught to a virtual assistant. Sometimes they even do it BETTER than us! (I speak from experience for that -- all the amazing graphics you see in HOD land are created by my incredible overseas team). When you start to get some help in your business, you not only free up time to GROW your business, you also get to take a little time off.

Where to find Sara

CONNECT + LEARN MORE:

Explore all things photography education at nicolebegleyedu.com

Ready to build a profitable photography business? Visit freedomfocusformula.com

Master the craft of pet photography at hairofthedogacademy.com

Follow along on Instagram - @nicolebegleyofficial

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome with Shelley Paulson Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

188 - Do you feel like you're just faking it sometimes?

When you think to yourself "I am not good enough" or "I'll never be as good as Blabla," you are hearing imposter syndrome take over in your brain.

And let me tell you, I do it too.

I have left sessions wishing I had planned better, realizing I missed that shot or thinking I screwed the whole thing up.

My good friend Shelley Paulson does it too – and she's been in the business for almost 20 years! Shelley, one of the OG equine photographers, is my guest on the Hair of the Dog podcast this week and we're talking about imposter syndrome.

Shelley started in the business in 2004 by photographing her own horses and quickly became one of the most sought-after equine photographers in the U.S.

Yet she still struggles with feeling like she's faking it.

Shelley and I take a deep dive into those feelings and talk about the strategies we use to silence those "you suck!" voices in your head.

What to listen for

11:25 The amplification of the comparison game due to social media

14:12 Why defining your personal interpretation of success is crucial

23:24 What affirmations can bring success to your session

38:59 How constructive feedback can help move you forward in your craft

50:31 The magic of practicing gratitude and how it rewires your brain

Where to find Shelley

CONNECT + LEARN MORE:

Explore all things photography education at nicolebegleyedu.com

Ready to build a profitable photography business? Visit freedomfocusformula.com

Master the craft of pet photography at hairofthedogacademy.com

Follow along on Instagram - @nicolebegleyofficial

3 Strategies for Smoother Sales with Karinda Kinsler Apr 11, 2023

Show notes

Like Nicole, Karinda Kinsler's soul dies a little whenever a client doesn't order artwork.

Since we know how defeating that feels, today's podcast is here to help you avoid that experience.

Karinda is an equine photographer based in Montgomery, Texas, but her clients come to her from all around the country, paying a premium price for her sessions.

Through those sessions she's refined her sales process to a place where she regularly makes $6,000 sales, and she's sharing three of her strategies with us on this week's episode of the Hair of the Dog podcast.
No slideshows.

No "yes, no, maybe."

No client walking away feeling uninspired and insecure.

Yes, she does a few things differently than the way you may have been taught but after learning about how she does it, I know I'll be changing up my process, too!

What to listen for

7:07 The significance of starting off on the right foot with pricing

13:14 How understanding your client's personality is the first key to sales success

23:29 Strategies to manage your client's insecurities during her reveal session

31:35 The correlation between a big "love" pile and a $6,000 album sale
34:07 Why it's important to know your client's desires and budget

40:47 The impact of the way you shoot and how that affects how you sell

Where to find Karinda

CONNECT + LEARN MORE:

Explore all things photography education at nicolebegleyedu.com

Ready to build a profitable photography business? Visit freedomfocusformula.com

Master the craft of pet photography at hairofthedogacademy.com

Follow along on Instagram - @nicolebegleyofficial

What's New in Commercial Pet Photography with J.Nichole Smith Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

186 - If you're a regular listener to this podcast, you know I'm a big fan of gratitude and acknowledging our wins.

And holy cow, am I full of wins and gratitude today. J. Nichole Smith and I are still soaring from all the wins we counted at Global Pet Expo, where we re-introduced the pet industry to Animalhaus Stock Photography.

Global Pet Expo is one of the biggest pet-industry trade shows and to get in, you have to be either an exhibitor or a buyer. It is seriously exclusive and we were granted access to more than 1,000 pet-related businesses from around the world.

The response was overwhelmingly positive! Not only were they super excited about the stock photography available on the site but there was also one big clincher for many of those businesses: our new match-making service where we make it SUPER easy for them to hire commercial pet photographers by matching them with alumni of our Commercial Pet Photography Academy (more details on that soon).

As if that wasn't enough, we also invited three photographers from our recent class of Commercial Pet Photography Academy alumni to join us and kick-start their own commercial photography aspirations.
Amanda, Angela, and Jennifer were voted by their peers to have the biggest breakthroughs from the course and that’s how they got their golden ticket to Global. While there they were unleashed to network with all of those businesses and use the knowledge they gained in the course to go home with huge successes, including some contracts to start negotiating!

On today's Hair of the Dog podcast, Nic and I take you behind the scenes of Global. We chat about all those wins and the future of the commercial pet photography industry.

What to listen for

8:19 The three ways pet-related brands can work with Animalhaus

14:21 The surprising thing pet brands know they need in their images

18:20 How our guest photographers booked clients at the show

26:43 Why you should explore commercial pet photography

32:14 Why you shouldn't explore commercial pet photography

Are you ready to expand your pet photography business and break into the world of commercial pet photography? Join us for the Transform Your Business with Pet Photography training series with a private podcast and live workshops.

We get started on April 12 but you can register now.

CONNECT + LEARN MORE:

Explore all things photography education at nicolebegleyedu.com

Ready to build a profitable photography business? Visit freedomfocusformula.com

Master the craft of pet photography at hairofthedogacademy.com

Follow along on Instagram - @nicolebegleyofficial

Turning Dread to Motivation with Heather Lahtinen Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

185 - Do you know what Occam's razor is? Basically, it's the principle that the simplest explanation is most likely the right one.

When we get wrapped up in fear and dread -- some of us get paralyzed into inaction -- the best solution may be the easiest one.

Take our friend Heather Lahtinen, for example.

She looked at her YouTube channel, realized she needed to update a bunch of videos and got struck by an intense feeling of dread. It would be a time-consuming task, especially with an old iMac that makes Photoshop feel like it's running through a vat of molasses …

Turns out one question helped Heather dig deep and she came up with an exciting new solution.

*Heather says hello to her shiny new Mac mini M2 friend!*

Heather is my guest on the podcast this week and we’re diving into the ways we can take all the tasks on our ‘Dread List’ and get motivated to actually tackle them.

What to listen for

7:46 The that task I dread the most

13:53 How outsourcing can be a possible solution

28:04 How one question led Heather to her breakthrough

33:32 Why you need to connect with a future vision of your business

42:00 Templates, workflows and automation … YES! (visualize my fist-pump)

Now, guys, Heather and I aren't saying you have to run out and buy a new computer or new gear to start tackling your "Dread List." But we do want to challenge you to find simple ways to motivate yourself and make those tasks a little more fun. After all, what if it could be easy?

Then you might find yourself knocking those tasks off your list like a boss!

Where to find Heather

CONNECT + LEARN MORE:

Explore all things photography education at nicolebegleyedu.com

Ready to build a profitable photography business? Visit freedomfocusformula.com

Master the craft of pet photography at hairofthedogacademy.com

Follow along on Instagram - @nicolebegleyofficial

The 5 Biggest Mistakes with Kaylee Greer Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

184 - Get your sparkle pants on. This episode is going to be a doozy.

There are few pet photographers who don't know who Kaylee Greer is. The brilliantly creative mastermind behind Dog Breath Photography and the author of Dogtography, Kaylee's energy is 24-7 overflowing and infectious.

Listen to this woman giggle and your day instantly gets better.

Here's the thing, though: She has struggled with her business – pricing, setting boundaries, comparing to the competition, all the things! -- just like you have. Er … just like we have.

That's right. We. Because I've been through it all, too.

Both Kaylee and I understand the complications of believing in yourself and launching your pet photography business. We get it.

So, today we're bringing you the top five biggest mistakes we both made when we were starting out.

What to listen for

9:17 Kaylee shares all the details about Shutterhound: The Conference

28:03 Why it's important to set clear boundaries in your business

35:17 You aren't too expensive. You offer a premium service.

43:43 Why not every inquiry is your ideal client

54:36 Look beyond pet photography for inspiration

I think we all know that success doesn't come without its fair share of mistakes and lessons learned. By sharing our mistakes, Kaylee and I hope we can help you either avoid them or overcome them if you're already experiencing the same struggle.

And P.S. don't miss the early bird pricing for the Shutterhound conference in Las Vegas, Sept. 5-6. It is going to be magical. I'll be there with my sparkle pants and I'm throwing out my old presentations to bring you ALL NEW stuff.

Where to find Kaylee

CONNECT + LEARN MORE:

Explore all things photography education at nicolebegleyedu.com

Ready to build a profitable photography business? Visit freedomfocusformula.com

Master the craft of pet photography at hairofthedogacademy.com

Follow along on Instagram - @nicolebegleyofficial

Heather Changes My Life in 20 Minutes Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

183 - Do you ever have those days when you just don't feel like there's enough time to get everything done?

Yeah, me neither. LOL! LIES! Some days, I feel like my to-do list looks like Santa's list in those kids' Christmas movies. Yours probably feels pretty similar.

That feeling like I never have enough time? That's a limiting belief -- and it doesn't serve me to work from a place of stress and lack. To help me change this belief, there's no one better in the world than Heather Lahtinen.

For this week's podcast episode, I turned myself over to Heather, my good friend, the head honcho at Flourish Academy and the leader of our Elevate program. I needed her help to work through some time management frustrations.

We hit "record" so we could share it with you, we set a timer for 20 minutes and Heather completely changed my life.

What to listen for

10:38 How my frustrations lead me to question all of my life choices

16:13 Why only certain interruptions throw me off

20:54 The way we start shifting this belief

26:38 The simple reframe that has completely CHANGED MY LIFE

It turns out five hours a day are exactly what I need to get everything done.

No, that's not right. Not need. Want.

Take a listen to this coaching call and you'll see exactly what I mean by that.

Where to find Heather

CONNECT + LEARN MORE:

Explore all things photography education at nicolebegleyedu.com