Maria Mor

Last week I took a little road trip to the Tampa Bay area to attend the Southeast Photo Convention at the Rialto Theatre. To be honest I didn’t need too much convincing. I saw Twyla Jones as one of the photographers doing the live shoots and just like that my seat was booked. Further than that I had no idea what to expect.

Nonetheless, during my four hour drive I set an intention: “find one thing that inspires you and meet at least 3 individuals you can vibe with.”

After 2 days of business, creativity, photography, spilling my coffee twice, and freezing to death I didn’t just find one thing that inspired me, I found nine. Starting a (photography) business can be difficult, but with the help of these nine photographers lecturing at the convention, maybe taking the leap forward can be easier. Grab a pastry, pen and paper, and enjoy!

Twyla Jones…Soft “Oh My Gosh”

Kristen Privette – Soft Selling with intense results (wedding books):

1. educate with transparency: Every interaction matters and every word you utter matters. Talk about your product with the intention of educating and not selling. Use repetition and enjoy.
2. Become obsessed with your product: Kirsten’s obsession for printed collections rubbed off in the right way. The smell. The color. The paper. The quality.
   In order to sell something you have to fall in love with it. Then, like Kristen with her books, create collections that are print focused.
3. Show it and shut-up: With confidence show your best work, express the price, and shut-up. Learn to embrace the awkward silence while your client digests all of it.
   

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Eric English – Tell a story through marketing:

1. In order to create value, we ourselves have to be valuable
2. To tell a story you have to ask yourself “What is your WHY?”
3. Every aspect of social media is interconnected: The caption is just as important as the video or the photograph being published. Personally engage and draw your clients in with words!
4. People do not hear you until they know you, so let them hear your voice.
   

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Anna Coats – Marketing To Your Ideal Client:

1. Who is your ideal client: Post, write, and market to them. Figure out how to speak to them, educate them, and tell them a story. They buy what you believe.
2. Video has much higher engagement: Home page or About page of your website. It allows your clients to connect with you.
3. Use Instagram stories: They are raw, in the moment, and not perfect.
   

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Anna Nguyen – Connection and Trust:

1. Always allow for closeness with your clients.
2. Ask what your clients want. Call to say hello and see how they are.
3. Listen and then response: niche interest, been there done that, sympathize and listen, personal story tied to your product. BE GENUINE.
4. Remember people’s names and their stories.
5. Prep work: have a questionnaire for clients to answer: Most important people in their life.
6. Create a timeline and checklist of all the photos that will be taken at the event/wedding.

Ryan Brenizer – What is happiness to me?

1. Have more fun than the rest and you win.
2. return emails promptly or hire someone you trust to do it for you.
3. Create schedule that is balanced for you and stick to it.
4. Start early: set job hours that best suit you.
5. Eat the frog: do the thing that sucks the most first.
6. Notifications: kill them – set email session time and social media time.
7. Take real breaks: take care of yourself and do not feel bad about resting.
8. Mastery: Don’t try to be the best. Just try to stand out and practice practice practice.
9. Purpose: Feel that the work you do is part of something much larger than yourself.
   

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   Gian Carlo – Vision, Intention, and Experience:

   1. Try new things: embrace rejection knowing that certain things work and certain things do not. YOU NEED TO FAIL.
   2. Challenge the status quo: Push through things that are difficult and embrace the experiences that present themselves.
   3. Look inside yourself for inspiration. We all see the world differently and our creations are simply the expression of what we see in the world.

Josh Best – Characteristics of Success:

1. Learn to see obstacles as opportunities. Truly find pleasure in accomplishing something someone tells you, you cannot do. Find your inner indomitable spirit and believe you are THE person able to overcome anything.
2. NEVER STOP: Practice your craft, challenge yourself in all aspects of life, be aware and make changes towards self-growth, and LEARN from all avenues!
   

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Douglas Polle – Love is Universal:

1. Make yourself vulnerable. When stuck in a situation, think less and do instead.
2. Take risks knowing that those leaps of faith will only benefit you in moving forward.
3. Set your intentions clearly: WHAT DO YOU WANT?
4. Happiness is contagious so invest in people and give them your absolute best.
5. Market for love and bookings not for likes and approval.
   

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Ben Harley – Heart and Hands:

1. What does your heart tell you: what is the big picture? When things come from the heart it is a slow process, embrace that process.
2. After talks with the heart your hands do the work. DO DO DO. They are the ACTION.
3. Ask yourself who are you at your core foundation? VULNERABILITY; YOUR BELIEFS.
4. Success starts with self- worth…It comes with believing YOU ARE good enough.
5. Always find value in the present moment: You may not be where you want to be, but the blessings in the now are pretty awesome too.
6. THE GIFT OF GIVING A DAM ABOUT ANOTHER HUMAN BEING. People are always more important.

My friends, I feel the hustle just as much as you do. I know the feeling of defeat, but I also know the feeling of happiness far too well! I hope that at least the words of one of the ladder influencers  whispered in your ear a little glimmer of hope and embraced you with a warm motivating hug. In case you were wondering I also met more than just 3 people to vibe with at the Southeast Photo Convention. They all embraced my awkwardness!

~M