The Podcast for Pet Photographers
Listen free below, or join the Club for access to extended episodes
S16E12 | From burn out to happiness in doing all the things with Allira Fontana
I initially reached out to todays guest to chat all about her Facebook group for pet parents, and we did get into the details of that but we also covered much more because today’s guest was a complete open book!
I’m talking about Allira Fontana and if you’re considering offering event photography for horse shows, the first part will certainly be of interest to you. Then we switched gears and chatted about that Facebook group- why she started it, how it grew and why Allira isn’t worried about losing clients with it.
If you’re a member- you’re really in for a treat, and maybe even a bit of a wake up call. Allira shared the importance of understanding animal behaviour as a pet and equine photographer- and how she went about learning that, and then we got into her marketing strategies. If you’re looking at an empty calendar, hearing Allira list off her upcoming marketing calendar will be quite the eye opener!
I don’t think I’ve ever had an interview with such variety so no matter what stage of business you’re in- be sure to tune in.
S16E11 | Don’t let fear hold you back with Alex Cearns
We’ve heard it before, business is not for the faint-hearted and today’s guest agrees.
I’m talking about Alex Cearns who’s been in business for 15 years and has worked with pet photographers from all corners of the globe.
We covered many topics including the usual business structures, marketing and products, but the common theme throughout was not to let fear hold you back in business.
If you’ve caught yourself getting down after comparing your average sales to other photographers, or beating yourself up over the peaks and troughs of business, Alex’s message is sure to hit home.
In the members second-half, Alex shared how she’s booking 250 clients a year, what they’re buying, why they don’t ask for digitals and her thoughts on social media for marketing.
There’s great takeaways from this episode no matter what stage you’re at in business, so tune in!
S16E10 | Guaranteeing a minimum $2000 sale with Jane Thomson
Over the last few years I’ve seen how trends have changed and pet photographers around the world have introduced new business models and pricing structures.
But today’s guest is the exception.
She found what works for her early on, and she’s sticking to it. By pricing herself this way she is consistently hitting her averages, and attracting the type of client she wants- all by word of mouth!
I’m talking about Jane Thomson whose work is pure art and absolutely gorgeous, and I am stoked to have her on the show today.
S16E09 | Clients are everywhere, but some areas are worth traveling to with Blue Amrich
We often hear educators saying that you can find clients anywhere. I know I say it, and I believe it because we really need so few clients per year that we can find enough no matter where we live- well almost.
Today’s guest agrees, but she also pointed out that some markets are easier than others which is why she happily travels two hours to her client shoots back in Boston, instead of trying to find clients in her new hometown.
By making this decision, she also realised she had to make more money per client. So two years ago, Blue Amrich re-designed her business model to meet that new required average sale. In today's episode, she shared what Beyond the Fence looked like then and the biggest change she made to ensure that drive is worth it.
S16E08 | Business lesson learned over 14 years+ as a pet photographer
Today’s guest is no stranger to this industry. She has been setting standards for pet photographers for a decade or so, but today she’s here not to talk about education, but her journey as a pet photographer and the changes she’s made throughout the years to meet her business goals. I’m talking about none other than Nicole Begley and I’m wrapped to have her joining us today.
S16E07 | Five Tips to Make Google Love your Website as a pet photographer with Claire Lauer
If you’d love to have more enquiries coming to you from people who are already searching for the exact thing you offer- amazing pet portraits, then be sure to tune in to today’s episode.
Our guest, Claire Lauer helps photographers rank higher on Google to increase organic bookings and in this episode she shared tonnes of actionable tips to help you do the same as well has her favorite SEO tools. Even after this last 12 months of increasing my knowledge around this topic, I also grabbed some great tops and will be implementing a few changes on my own sites thanks to this episode!
S16E06 | Skipping the shortcuts and staying focused on a million-dollar business goal as a pet photographer with Gabi Kline Leon
Today’s guest, Gabi Leon of Gavriella Pet Photography, moved to the U.S. 4 years ago. In the lead up to her move she laid as many foundations as possible to be ready to hit the ground running. Since then, she’s stayed focused on her goal which is to offer a high-end luxury photography business and build a million dollar business.
She isn’t quite getting consistent bookings yet, but the ones she does get, spend enough that it doesn’t matter- which by the way, is on average between $5-6k.
She’s gotten creative with her marketing too and in this interview, she shared one strategy that I haven’t heard of before and if you’re aiming for high sales, you could certainly replicate.
S16E05 | The journey from dog sports to portraits with the help of great education with Michelle Crandall
Today’s guest launched her dog sports photography business in late 2019.. Within months the 25 upcoming events she’d booked had all been canceled due to covid. Having quit her career job, she was forced to pivot and spend most of 2020 learning as much as she could to relaunch as a pet portrait photographer. Implementing everything she learned, her focus became building relationships which now means most of her clients come from referrals. I’m talking about Michelle Crandall of Pets in Focus and you’ll want to tune in to hear all about that and her business today.
S16E04 | Making the most of connections to start a business with Kim Hoshal
When today’s guest moved cities, continuing her landscape photography as her primary income felt impossible without local connections. She considered the contacts she did have and realized they were in the dog world. Combining her love for dogs with her love for nature, Kim Hoshall utilised these contacts to launch a pet photography business. She’s tried many different pricing structures and marketing strategies in the last ten years, and in today's episode- we spoke all about them!
S16E03 | Knowing your why and taking action leads to a high reward for Ina Jalil
This week’s guest found herself with a quiet start to the year after her biggest lead generator, a local event was cancelled right before she was taking time off for an overseas trip. I’m talking about a returning guest to the show, Ina Jalil who instead of allowing herself to mellow in stress, invested in more coaching and took action. Fast forward four months, she’s had a 5 figure sale, her highest to date, and is almost fully booked until Australian winter.
Tune in to today’s episode to learn how she turned business around and before that, the perhaps surprising impact of her rebrand- which has helped her business mindset!
S16E02 | How a structured business plan lead to a $200k first year in business for Ryan Erickson
I initially asked today’s guest on the show when I learned about his super successful truck studio and we did talk about it, but he also shared so much else including what gave him the confidence to take out a loan to build this business.
I’m talking about Ryan Erickson who last year, in his first year of full time business turned over more than $200,000 from 150 clients spending an average of $1500 each. There’s tonnes of really great insights and learnings in the first part of this episode, but if you want to know how he found those clients, and here the benefits of his business plan and what that included, be sure to listen to the members-only half.
S16E01 | High sales start with a flawless processes, and a great location helps with Kim Buccheri
How does an $8500 average sale sound to you with a cost of goods of just 5%. That is reality for today’s guest who deliberately moved their studio location to be in a town that aligns with their studio brand. I’m talking about Kim of Kimberly Sarah Photography. She joined us back in season five to share all things client experience and I’ve got her back today to share her insights into achieving consistently high sales. They’ve also just launched a new business, Hey Winston and if you’ve ever dreamed of outsourcing your sales- then it is for you!