Nicole Begley (00:00)
Welcome back to the Freedom Focus Photography podcast, everyone. In today's episode, Heather is chatting with one of our Elevate members and it is a conversation that everyone needs to hear because no matter how long you're in this business, there are going to be times where you are going to be at an event or a marketing promotion and you're going to walk away and you're going to tell yourself, well, that was pretty unsuccessful.

Well, you're not alone when that happens. It happens to literally all of us. What you're going to hear today is what happened with our elevator, Susie, what happened to her at CatFest, her goal, the numbers, and the very human moment of feeling very disappointed. But you're also here, the shift that changed everything for her. And honestly, this is the kind of shift that separates the photographers who stay stuck from the photographers who keep growing.

So if you've ever left an event feeling discouraged, questioning whether it was worth it, whether you're even cut out for this business, wondering why it didn't go the way that you had hoped, this episode is totally for you. So let's dive in.

Nicole Begley (01:02)
I'm Nicole Begley, a zoological animal trainer turned pet and family photographer. Back in 2010, I embarked on my own adventure in photography, transforming a bootstrapping startup into a thriving six-figure business by 2012. Since then, my mission has been to empower photographers like you, sharing the knowledge and strategies that have helped me help thousands of photographers build their own profitable businesses. I believe that achieving $2,000 $3,000 sales is your fastest route to six-figure businesses.

that any technically proficient photographer can consistently hit four figure sales. And no matter if you want photography to be your full-time passion or a part-time pursuit, profitability is possible. If you're a portrait photographer aspiring to craft a business that aligns perfectly with the life you envision, then you're in exactly the right place. With over 350,000 downloads, welcome to the Freedom Focus Photography Podcast.

Nicole Begley (02:01)
I wanted to share with you what happened at CatFest on Sunday. OK. CatFest. Good. Because I had worked with you and Nicole on an offer for many sessions. I had a goal of

either eight bookings for the mini sessions or eight gift certificates sold or a combination of both. And by the end of the day, okay, so first of all, my assistant that I hired for that day, she was just like, she's, we are going to crush your goals. I'm so excited. We're going to have so much fun. was like, yeah, girl, awesome. ⁓ I got one mini session booking and one gift certificate sold. Okay. Two. Yeah, I'm really good at math. So I added that up right quick too. Yep.

She was like, I'm really sorry we didn't crush your goal. feel like, you know, a couple of years ago when you were first selling the gift certificates and we sold like seven in one day, it was so awesome. Like what happened there? And I was like, you know, I don't know. It could just be anything. Anything could be different. I've got like 20 people on my email list now. I've got another 12 that I'm going to sign up and I got home and I told Justin, yeah, I only sold two and my goal was eight. And he was like, nice.

25%. You got a quarter of your way to the goal. Nice job. And I was like, Holy shit. I love that guy. So it was just like, it just all, he reframed everything for me and I wasn't sad. I was like, I mean, I was like, okay, I'm gonna let myself be sad for like five minutes. But then tomorrow I'm going to like hop on this. I'm going to send everybody an email. They have two more days.

I didn't get anybody else to sign up after like with those follow-up emails. Yet. ⁓ Yeah, was just interesting how different it would have been from even a year ago, but let alone two years ago. Tell everyone how that shifted for you because they want to know. I would have been like, ⁓ I'm not cut out for this. I'm not into selling. I can't do this.

I don't want to try again because it's heartbreaking when I get a no. ⁓ like a lot of people said no, like straight to my face. Yes. No, thank you. We're not interested in that. I was like, darn, OK. ⁓ So it was like a, yeah, so it was just different. And yesterday I followed up, I followed up a couple of times. Nobody bit.

But then today I was like, okay, well, I'll send out the same offer to my big email list and see if maybe I get some more. And then maybe I'll do a Google ad. Maybe I'll start posting it on my Facebook. Maybe I'll start like throwing it out there and throwing it out there and throwing it out there. And then maybe I will book all eight because it's never over until you say it's over.

And it's never over, right? Like you're going to continue to do things, do something to continue to get clients. And this is just like part of that machine that's rolling. What's the self concept now versus a year ago?

hmm.

The self-concept now, wow. I don't know that it has changed much, because a year ago I had just gone full-time with my studio. And there was a little bit of fear, but I knew I had like a cushion and everything. And now I'm like, okay, I've made it a year. ⁓ I know. I'm not gonna say it's diminished, but it has changed from.

I'm a full-time photographer now too. I'm still in building mode. I'm building. Like I think last year I was hoping that I was just going to jump off and fly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Now I'm like, Whoa, hold up, hold up, hold up, hold up. We're sweet. I'll have some building to do. Yeah. Like don't forget that you're still building.

And there's some acceptance and like, there's like some freedom in that, right? Yeah. And there is acceptance. There is like, you know, I'm, I'm still just scraping by paying my bills and getting them paid, but I'm barely like this month with like, eek, might have to pull a little from that cushion, I'm still building. But you're paying your bills. Yeah. Like period. Don't say, don't like eliminate the word barely. Oh, okay.

I have the self-concept of someone who pays their bills because I pay my bills. Yeah. Right. Okay. Tell me the thought. So you, you sell the two, you're kind of like, ho humming. What's the thought there versus when Justin offered you a new approach. Tell me, tell me the thought before and the thought after. ⁓ yeah, I only sold two. I only sold two.

Not as much as I have done in the past. I was it today was just wildly unsuccessful. What a waste of time. Oh, good one. Wildly unsuccessful. And then, oh yeah, I sold two and then I started like seeing all the other good stuff. Like, yeah, I sold two. That's income. Right. I made money. Right. And while I was there,

somebody found me online and scheduled a session with me for November 23rd. While I was doing this fast, someone else went and booked Amazing. So basically three clients, basically three. I did get three clients, one of which I didn't feel like I was like, I didn't even have to try. Right. I got the 20 people on the email list because I was running out of business cards. So we were like,

people who asked for business cards, we were like, you know what, why don't you sign up for our email list instead? And they were like, that's even better. That way I won't get lost. da da da. 12 kitten adoptees came through to be in my little photo booth. I got those people also are on my email list. And.

And would you say like you were, I should have written it down, I'm sorry, but a minute ago you were telling me also the number of ideas it led to. Like you were, you're going to do this, you're going to follow up on that. You're going to send out this. How many, if you could estimate how many ideas did you rattle? It was like five different things, was it like? Well, it was that I was going to follow up with all the people that, ⁓ that sign up for the email list. I was going to follow the up and give them the

offers for another two days. So like if you book before Tuesday midnight, you still get the gift certificate kind of thing. then, after that, I offer it to the rest of my newsletter list, which is big. And at the same time on that email, I was like, Hey Chicago people, I'm coming to Chicago. like, there's that too. kind of started like opening people's

Okay. reason I'm asking you that specifically is it's worth you writing down. I sold two, I booked another client, I added 20 new emails. I am going to offer again. This led me to offer again, then to my entire list, then to Chicago, then everything else, because let me ask you something straight to your face. Had you sold 10 or 15 gift certificates at CatFest, would you have done all of those things?

⁓ Maybe, not. Right. Every time I have a goal for people joining Elevate and it's lower than that, it leads to five new ideas. So which is better for me? Having reaching my goal for number of people in Elevate or getting five new ideas.

The ideas. mean, every time it is better for me to fall short of my goals every single time because it leads to action. get like this fire in my belly and then I'm, I'm going to create this. the visibility workshop. come on. we'll do this. We'll do this. I get all of these ideas that benefit ultimately benefit you and then future people and elevate those ideas are like longer lasting.

then say hitting the number, right? Yeah. I wouldn't do that. Susie, I promise you, or at least for me, I don't know about you, but on the last thing that I did for LV, um, for clients in four weeks, had I hit my goals, I would not have done those five things. I promise you. Cause I'd have been like, Oh, nailed it. Killing it. Look at me. Amazing. Yep.

I would have been like, Hey Justin, I'm picking up Chinese for dinner, picking up Thai food, picking up burritos. Party at my house, right? But it led you to some introspection, which produced ideas that you then took action on and you felt, you felt bad. You felt yucky for like five minutes. Justin turned it around. You, you turned it around with your own thinking. And then it led to all of this positive.

So I guess CatFest was wildly successful. Wildly. Wildly. Huge. And not a waste of your time. Correct. In fact, the best use of your time because it was wildly successful. Yeah. What if you have the self-concept of someone who always turns it around and makes it work for you? Then nothing, nothing scares you.

because you always turn it around and make it work for you. And I happen to know you personally, and I happen to know that this is true, that you actually do this. So then like, who cares? I know I've told you this, but the phrase waste of my time is not in my vocabulary. I just don't believe that I'm ever, ever wasting my time because of what you just demonstrated. Either I'm going to get the clients or I'm going to get the ideas.

And when I get the ideas, it's because I had to process my feelings and work through a self concept, which makes me better, faster, stronger, poor, bring on the failure. All of it. I can do it. Isn't that crazy? And it's all from a shift in the self concept. Yeah. But on the surface, if you just told a regular old person, my goal was 10 or eight and I got to.

Any normal person be like, yeah, that sucks. But guess what, Susie? We ain't normal people here. I didn't wake up today to be mediocre. Neither did you. Let's go. Let's go. I'm gonna write that down. I didn't wake up today to be mediocre. That's so awesome. Let's go. I go all the way. Every day, Susie, every day. Because yes, Amy, this is a house of champions.

If you are in my house, we are champions. I mean this, like literally my kids and figuratively metaphorically with all of you. If you, you want me on your side because I'm a champion, you're a champion. We're all champions. Even when we're not making the revenue or things aren't going our way.

Amazing. I think I saw somebody comment, think it was Abby that commented, it's failures are great because you get to stretch that I'm figuring it out muscle.

And how do you build a muscle? You work it with some pain. That's right. Let's go. Okay. Thank you. Thank you for sharing that. What a great lesson. If you found yourself nodding along or agreeing somehow with Susie's story, thinking, yeah, I've had that experience, then hell of a is exactly where you need to be. Because this is the kind of coaching mindset work

and support that happens inside of Elevate every week. We help photographers redefine what success looks like, move through challenges and build a business that actually works and doesn't feel horrible. You don't have to figure this out alone. You just have to be willing to talk to me. Of course, this link is always in the show notes,

I hope that you found this useful.