Mindset & Money Mastery for Photographers with Karinda K.
Mindset & Money Mastery for Photographers with Karinda K.
We Are Back!!! Plus - Special 5 Day Event Happening Next Week.
Have you ever wondered how a simple smile can transform your business (and personal) relationships? After attending the Maternity and Newborn Photography Summit in Dallas, I saw how kindness truly opens doors. Season 3 kicks off with a heartwarming episode, filled with summit stories and valuable lessons on building a successful photography business.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in your photography journey, this episode is for you. I dig into a few topics that sit heavy on my heart like overcoming fear and finding what works best for your business. Discover practical tweaks to boost profitability, from increasing session fees to offering premium products.
Join us as we introduce the Unicorn Photographer Masterclass (August 5th-9th, 2024) and a collaborative sales journal to track your goals.
Tune in for motivation, actionable tips, and a heartfelt thank you for your support.
Here’s to incredible growth and magic in your photography business!
Grab your seat for The Unicorn Photographer 5 Day FREE Masterclass: https://masteryourmindmoney.com/unicorn-masterclass
Grab Our Sales Tracker for Photographers:
https://masteryourmindmoney.com/sales-journal-for-photographers/
Join Your Magic Year here.
Use the code PODCAST to receive special pricing when you enroll.
Connect with Karinda!
- Website
- Schedule a Complimentary Diagnostic Call with Karinda
- Photography Business Tune-Up with Karinda K. - Free Facebook Group
- IG @Masteryourmindmoney
Thanks for listening!
Hey guys, it's been a while and I am incredibly excited to be coming at you today with a new episode. I didn't really know when I was going to start re-recording the podcast, but after the last few weeks I have had so many people reach out and be like Corinda, when are you dropping a new episode? What's going on, what's up with you? And I was about to sit down and do some work and I just decided I'm going to record a podcast and drop a podcast for all of you. So here we go. We just got back from the Maternity and Newborn Photography Summit in Dallas. We went as a vendor and we got to meet so many amazing people. It was absolutely a beautiful community of photographers getting together and learning and growing and that was so much fun. And I got to meet a few of you that have been listening to the podcast and you came up to me and were like I've been listening, I love this, and that was really cool to hear.
Speaker 1:I always say that the podcast is a little bit of a thing where you don't get to like, hear or see what people are thinking. So when I get to hear, people are actually listening to it and enjoying it. I love getting to hear that. So if you've been listening to the podcast over the last couple of years and you have enjoyed the podcast, I would absolutely love it if you would head over and leave us a rating and review and also send me a DM on Instagram or Facebook or reach out However you would love to reach out. You can reach out at Master your Mind Money on Instagram or just DM me on Facebook and tell me what you want to hear on the podcast this season, because I want to know from you what you want to hear about. Also, if there's somebody you're dying to hear from a photographer, an educator, whoever it may be let me know who you want to hear from. I think we're going to do some more guest interviews on this season, so make sure you do that. I am, like I said, so excited to be back on here.
Speaker 1:I decided to do this today on a whim and I just kind of wanted to share a few things that I repeatedly heard at the photography conference I was at this past weekend and share with you a few pieces of motivation and encouragement in your business. So, first things first. I just kind of wanted to share with you and encourage you that, wherever you go in your business, in your personal life, to just be kind, be friendly, smile at people, give them a nod, tell them hello, pay them a compliment. This really truly does go a long way. As a business owner. People notice when you smile at them, when you acknowledge them and when you compliment them. I cannot tell you how many people I've crossed paths with over the last oh, I don't know seven or eight years that I have been doing this and like, really been intentional in smiling, saying hello, leaving compliments for people in passing, and I have had so many amazing conversations. I met so many people just by simply being kind to them and saying something nice, or even just smiling at somebody when they walk past. So I want to encourage y'all just to include that as a part of your daily life and of your business.
Speaker 1:Most of my clients I actually get from meeting in person these days, from attending events, from going to horse shows, from just being around people and meeting people and talking to people, and really the best way to get those people to open up and talk to you is going to be smiling and paying them a compliment. A good friend of mine her name is Megan. She was a boudoir photographer and she is somebody that I took a lot of inspiration from and was a good friend of me back in the early days. She was actually a boudoir photographer that I hired for my own portraits before I got married and then we became friends and I will never forget her telling me like Corinda, if you want people to talk to you, just compliment them. And all of a sudden, when you take that into your business, conversations with strangers become a lot less scary. And I was laughing because somebody commented on a Facebook post and said something about the fact that I smiled at everyone at the conference and I was like heck, yes, like someone noticed. That's a really cool feeling. So go out into the world, smile at people, pay them compliments, and that will open up more doors to conversations than you know. So that's kind of the first thing I wanted to share with you. That, I think, is a great tip or piece of advice for your business.
Speaker 1:The other thing that really stood out to me at the conference and the many conversations that I had with people is photographers who've been doing this a long time. Like you've been going at this for years five, 10 years, 15 years even, and you're running your business and you're just like I just feel frustrated. I feel like it is so hard to make money. I feel like I'm doing the thing, I'm booking the clients, but I feel like there could be so much more out there for me. And you know, I think that sometimes, when you've been in business for a really long time, it is hard to come out and be like I need help.
Speaker 1:I know that there's something else out there. I know that there's a bigger path. I know that there's more of a future here. I know that there's something else out there. I know that there's a bigger path. I know that there's more of a future here. I know there's more growth possible. Because you feel like you've been doing it for so long right, and I want to just tell you that, even if you've been in business for 25 years, like it is okay to feel like there's something else. There's more growth. There's something that needs to change. I need to make some more money to make this worth it.
Speaker 1:Don't be ashamed in that, okay, um, because I could feel like a few of the conversations I've had with people, um, over the last weekend and also the last year, I have felt this trend that, like, there's this sense of like, embarrassment, of like I've been in business as long I should be doing that, but I'm not and I don't know how to get there. Um, I have a coaching client right now that um, and I'll brag on her here. Um, she's bit. She was on my very first like webinar that I hosted. Um, I think it was six years ago that I hosted my very first webinar for photographers and it was called probably something like what to charge your clients or what your session fee should be, and she was on that very first webinar.
Speaker 1:And um, finally, all these years later, she decided to join us in our coaching program and she's been in business for like 10 years, right, just doing a great job. She was booking events, she was booking portrait sessions, but she wasn't selling wall art. She was afraid that people were going to buy it and she was afraid that people weren't going to spend the money and she was just like I don't know if this is going to work. I don't think it's going to work. I don't think my clients will spend the money, but I don't have another option. I have to figure out how to make more money for my clients to make this worth it, to be able to live my life, to make more money, for my clients to make this worth it, to be able to live my life, to pay for my ponies, to do all the things I want to do.
Speaker 1:And she finally went through our wall art course and she finally had her clients, her first reveals with her clients, where she was able to sell wall art and guys, it worked Like. She made so much money in those first few reveals and she was like what the heck was I thinking all these years Like I doing? But now I know, and now I know that those people that are out there they're ready and willing to spend 10 times more money really like 20 times more money is that a word um with me than they were. I just wasn't giving them the opportunity and I think that was so cool to see her journey and to see her growth and to know that she was there pretty much from day one and getting to know her over the years and be like, kick her in the butt and be like, come on, let's do this, let's finally do it, and to see her finally take that step and succeed. So what I want to encourage you is that, no matter where you're in business, no matter how long you've been in this business, whether it's 20 years or six months, no matter how talented you feel like you are, whether you feel like you're the best photographer in the world if you've won all these awards, or you feel like your work is mediocre at best, wherever you are at, know that there is help out there for you and know that, like I am more than happy to talk with you.
Speaker 1:I was talking with someone on the phone yesterday and we were chatting for like over an hour and, um, they had posted in a Facebook group and a bunch of people tagged me and I offered to hop on the call while I was driving home from my chiropractor appointment. And, um, at the end of the call, I was like see, it wasn't so scary. And I said that because so many times I offer to connect with people, I offer to do hop on a quick diagnostic call with someone or just chat about their business, and so many times I can feel the hesitation of people when they're like um, I don't want to hop on a call with you. I know it's okay, it's fine, and I'm like come on, let's do this Right. It is going to be so good and it's going to be so valuable. And then people finally get on the call with me and they nine out of 10, they're like, oh my gosh, I'm so glad I did this. This wasn't scary like I thought it was going to be. So I just kind of wanted to tell you like I am not a scary person.
Speaker 1:I know I have a bit of a big forward, loud personality and I know I have crazy colorful hair, um, and I know I probably come across as this, like a really strong, confident person. But I love talking with people um one-on-one and I'm always happy to connect with you. If you reach out um, and I have availability in my schedule, I'm always happy to hop on a call and connect or just chat with you in the DMs. So don't be afraid to reach out for help. Don't be afraid to reach out and just connect with me If I have time. If I could, I would probably talk on the phone to 10 different photographers every single day and literally just all day long help people and just tell them everything they need to know to build their business all day long, because I love it so much and getting to talk to y'all and getting to connect with y'all really does just make my heart and soul so happy. So know that, wherever you are, wherever you're at, it is not too late. It is not too early to get help. I am always happy to chat with you, regardless of where you're at, and it is never too late to change.
Speaker 1:If you've been doing something for a really long time and all of a sudden you wake up one day and you feel like you just want to change something in your business because what you were doing is no longer serving you or what you were doing doesn't feel right anymore, just change, it's fine. And in that same context and this conversation, the person who said this to me I know listens to the podcast. So, um, if you hear this comment, yes, I am talking about you, um, but I'm doing it in a kind way. So the other thing I really want to encourage you is don't feel like if you want to make a big pivot in your business, you need to necessarily do it really, really slowly. Okay, cause I was talking with someone and they said I feel like I need to do this slowly. I feel like I can't just go all in, because that's not who I am, and I think that sometimes there's this urge to transition or make big changes in your business slowly, because it's scary or it's intimidating or you don't know if it's going to work or what if you fail right. But what I want to tell you is that if you take the time to learn and study and understand this big change or pivot that you're going to do in your business, that it is actually far easier for you mentally and for your clients and for the stability of your business to just make the big change Okay, and learn it, study it, understand it, feel confident in what you're doing.
Speaker 1:Don't use your perfectionism as an excuse not to do it, though, okay, I'll add that caveat, because sometimes you get so obsessed with learning and trying to figure it out and trying to get it all perfect that you never take the leap and implement the thing that you need to implement or the change that you need to make. Um, so I'll use in-person sales or selling wall art as an example. Right, whenever people make the transition from all inclusive digital files to selling wall art, whenever people make the transition from all-inclusive digital files to selling wall art. Sometimes I'll meet photographers that are like I'm trying to get my pricing together, I'm trying to get my process together, I'm trying to get my client experience together, I'm trying to figure out how to do reveals, and they've been doing that for years and that doesn't serve you as a business owner.
Speaker 1:But what I would say is get it good enough and then dive headfirst, because a lot of the learning and a lot of the confidence and a lot of the making it your own and feeling really confident in it it does happen because you understand it and build the system yourself. But it is further concreted into your business and it gets better by you actually doing the thing right. So you're not going to get really good at something. If you're only doing like five reveals a year. You're still going to feel like you're sludging around and trying to figure it out. But if you implement this system and then use some really smart strategies to get a lot of clients through your door, to do it repeatedly over and over and over again, then you're going to feel really confident with it and then you're going to be able to tweak real time as you go and optimize and make it better as you go. But some of that has to happen once you take the action and put it into place. So don't feel like you can't just dive headfirst into something in your business. Don't feel like you have to do it slowly. And also remember that diving in headfirst is good with proper preparation, but don't use your perfectionism as an excuse to not dive in and do the thing you need to do, an excuse to not dive in and do the thing you need to do.
Speaker 1:Um, and on that note to something that I think repeatedly came up, is this idea that, like, there's a lot of people out there in their photography business where you've tried to do something. Okay, so you've bought the course you've from the latest greatest educator and you've gotten the price guide and you've gotten the script and you've gotten the process from them and you've watched their videos, and it's like you've watched seven hours with the videos. You spend a day watching videos and you have the scripts and you have the guides and you're told like it should work for you, and this is. I've had a lot of conversations this last couple of months, so there's so many things popping into my head that have come up in these conversations. It is okay if you have done that thing and all of a sudden, you're looking at your business and you're going this isn't working, but you're watching everyone else say it works for them.
Speaker 1:And if you are in that boat right now where you've bought the latest and greatest price guide scripts system, whatever that's like here watch this and do this and it's going to be amazing and everything's going to change, right, but then all of a sudden, you put it into place and it doesn't work for you. You're not alone and you're not the only person that feels like that. You're not alone and you're not the only person that feels like that, and what I want to encourage you, if you're in that place, is to take a step back, look at those things you've implemented in your business and really ask yourself if you understand them. Because what I see happening a lot in the photography industry is and I'll kind of start from the beginning right, you buy the script for the phone call with a client and you get a client on the phone and you're trying to read the script, but the script wasn't written by you. The person who wrote the script is different than you are. The person that wrote the script speaks differently and has a different personality and different values than what you have.
Speaker 1:So all of a sudden you're hanging up for your info calls and you're frustrated because the script didn't work and your pricing is a copy and paste of someone else's. So you're trying to sell that pricing on an info call with a client, but you don't really believe in the pricing because it feels so far of a reach from where you are at this moment. So if you have something on your price list let's say you have an 8x10 and it's priced at $350 because that's what someone told you it should be, because that's what they do. But you're getting on an info call with a client and you're telling them about your pricing and when you tell them that an 8x10 is $350, you feel like that is absolutely insane. Your clients are going to recognize and feel that and they're never going to book with you.
Speaker 1:So take the time to examine what you're doing in your business. If you're you're, you've done the copy and paste. This is what someone told me I should be doing. I'm implementing it. Ask yourself do I really understand this? Have I really made it my own? Because the info call only works if you've built the script yourself and you understand why the different pieces of the script need to be there. The pricing guide only works if you believe in the pricing, if it makes sense to you, if you understand why you have to charge that much for an 8x10, if you know the logic and the numbers behind it and the reason why that 8x10 has to be $350, then you might feel confident selling it for $350. I'll tell you what I do not sell my 8x10s for $350. I just chose a random number to throw out there for all of you, um, that are listening, but you catch my drift right?
Speaker 1:If the thought of going to a client's home and helping them pick out their outfits or getting on an in-person reveals meeting at a studio or in your client's home doesn't feel good for you, then why are you trying to do it? Right, and I'll go back to this Some things might feel uncomfortable, because discomfort is not always bad. Okay, discomfort is not always bad. Stretching yourself beyond your limits is not always bad. But knowing whether, like this, actually this thing in your business actually truly is indicative of who you are as a person and what you believe in, and something that you understand and know that it is essential in your business and it is helpful for your clients, then it's not going to be good for you to do that thing unless you fully believe in it. Okay, so I'm giving you permission whatever things right now in your business that you feel like you've kind of just followed someone blindly and done that is not working for you to take a step back and to reevaluate that thing.
Speaker 1:Um, and I'll be honest, I did this for a lot of years. There were a lot of years when I would go to a conference or workshop or I'd take a course and I would go home and I would just burn my business to the ground and I would take everything that person taught me and just like plop it in my business blindly and go what works for them, so it must work for me. And then a year down the road I would look at it and go what the heck was I thinking this is stupid, it doesn't work for me and I need to go back. And then I would take good pieces of what I learned from that person and I would implement it into my system and tweak what was already working for me. And so I took a lot of years of me not just blindly trusting and doing what others said I should do at my business for me to get where I am at and that's a big thing that you know.
Speaker 1:I really think is important for me to share and to teach people as an educator is I want you to have the tools to make an empowered decision and an educated decision for yourself and your business that you believe in and that works for you, because I am not the same person as you are, or anyone else in this world for that matter. So me saying here's exactly what I say, what I do, here's my exact pricing, and just plopping it over and handing it to my coaching clients does not do my coaching clients any good at all. So be cautious and be aware of those types of things as you're learning and growing and building your business. I feel like I've gotten off on so many random little tangents from things that have been popping up in my head today, um, but the other thing I kind of wanted to share with y'all is those of you that are already, um selling wall art. You're doing a little bit here and there. You know you have those clients spending two or $ thousand dollars. Um, I talked to quite a few of y'all like that this past weekend and um, I kind of wanted to share a few pieces of advice there for all of you that are in that place and there's actually an entire episode called like the two to three thousand dollar slump, and I think it's a really common place that photographers get stuck. So if that's, you go back and listen to that episode.
Speaker 1:But just kind of a few things that I want to tell you if you're in that place, in your business. First of all, if you're in that place, congratulations. That is amazing. You were doing like leaps and bounds above what most photographers ever get to right. You were doing a great job. But you're in a place now where you're doing pretty much everything right and your system's good and your pricing is pretty good. Now you're just in a place where you're going to have to start going through and making tiny, minute little tweaks in your business. And I completely remember that place. I remember being in that place and I remember being in that place and saying I need more clients and it took me a bit to realize I didn't need more clients and said I need to hire sales from the clients already have. It's easier to get more money from the clients you already have than to try to book and market or to market and book more clients, right. So if y'all are stuck in that slump that two to $3,000 slump, and you're like I'm doing a lot of things right, I feel like I'm doing great, I feel like there's something else there, there's a next level, essentially here inside my business.
Speaker 1:Um, I would encourage you to really just break things back down to the basics and look for those little tweaks in those little holes. What is it that you could do to make more money? Is it that you need to be selling more wall art, larger wall art, maybe multiple walls for your clients' homes? Is it that you'd like to sell more albums, potentially, and that would raise your sales average? Is it that maybe you need to raise your session fee to get rid of some of those tire kickers that are booking at a lower session fee price point? Maybe include more of a print credit in your session fee, because money spent is money forgotten, um, or you know, are there some things that maybe you could add a higher end, higher quality product on your price list that would get your sales up there? That would raise those averages?
Speaker 1:Um, we have a podcast episode called the secrets of the mythical five-figure clients, and that would definitely be a good episode to listen to as well If you're in that kind of two to $3,000 slump as well as the two to $3,000 slump episode. Um, and I think it just. I think the reason that it can be so frustrating is because you feel like I'm doing so good, I'm doing everything right, but like there has to be a little bit more out there for me, and there is. But finding out what those little tweaks are, those little places are that you need to make your adjustments, can feel really overwhelming for some people. So just know that there is another side of this, and taking those two to $3,000 sales averages and doubling them can literally happen in a matter of a week if you just have the right tools in your toolbox for that. So I mean honestly, it can happen overnight.
Speaker 1:If you wanted to hear my one piece of advice that I would give you if you're in that slump is what is the most expensive thing on your price list? That's the question I would ask you if we were chatting and when you told me, if your most expensive thing on your price list wasn't like seven or eight thousand, or maybe like ten or fifteen thousand. Even, I would tell you that you need more expensive products on your price list. That would be kind of my first blanket piece of advice add a more expensive product on your price list. That'll be a good starting place, although it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to automatically make more money. It certainly is not going to hurt, and on that note, too, I'll share this.
Speaker 1:A lot of people I talked to at the summit I had my guild canvas with me at the summit, and a lot of people like those are so beautiful. I made an account, but I'm afraid to sell them, or I don't think my clients are going to buy them, and so what I would say is those of you that are saying that are probably the same group of people that are stuck in that two to $3,000 slump as well put it on your price list. Put the expensive, high end quality product in your price list, and if someone buys it, great, one day someone will buy it and you'll be like holy crap, this is amazing, but like in the meantime, so what if they don't buy it? Right, at least it'll make your middle of the road product look way more affordable and way more attractive, and, you know, your clients will feel better about their purchase of that middle of the road product. So just put it on your price list. If you're listening to this and you're scared to do it, just do it. They're beautiful products and they will help you make more money because they are a higher end, higher quality product. So kind of keep that in mind.
Speaker 1:So I know this episode. I've kind of covered a lot of different pieces of the puzzle here. I wanted to also share with you that we are hosting the unicorn photographer masterclass on April 5th through night, where I will be sharing, um what it takes to build a half million dollar per year photography brand. Um, we hit half million dollars last year and um in one year. I'll say that in one year. Sometimes you'll hear people say like I have a multimillion dollar studio, but it's like over the last 10 years they've made multimillions um half a million dollars in a year and I'm going to be sharing in a series of trainings April, april, august 5th through 9th Um what all it really takes to build that business and the things that are necessary to be in the place to run that business. Um, so there's going to be lots of good stuff covered in that week-long masterclass. We will also have Evelyn of All Things Lovely Co joining us as a special guest as well, and she's going to talk about what it takes to bring peace and let go of guilt in your home as well, because I do think it is really important to have balance between your business and your home and find some peace and some balance in your home.
Speaker 1:Last thing, too, before we go today I have collaborated with Evelyn of All Things Lovely Co. To make a sales journal, which I am incredibly excited about, and those are available for pre-order if you go to the website and use the code sales s-a-l-e-s. If that code works, that means that you got access to our first order of journals and we still have some left and you are going to get a discounted rate when you order your sales journal. If the code code does not work, that means that we are out of our first shipment and you can go ahead and pre-order for our shipment that will come in the fall, okay? So if the code doesn't work for you, you can still order. It just means that you'll get in on our shipment in the fall. The fall.
Speaker 1:Our sales journal is a kind of a goals tracker and financial tracker and sales tracker all in one. It's everything I wish I would have had in my business. When I'm doing my image reveals over zoom I sit at my computer but I take notes on a piece of paper, because I hate typing on a zoom call. I feel like it's distracting and it breaks up the flow of the call. So the sales tracker was originally intended for that for taking notes and writing down all the parts of my orders in a really clear, concise way. So I don't have a million notebooks on my desk anymore with different orders in them and I have one clear, concise place. It also has yearly goal setting tools and things in that, as well as monthly goal setting and reflections, and it has a financial tracking section that will allow you to keep track of your profit first distributions if you do use profit first, as well as what am I forgetting? There's something I'm forgetting, oh, as well as a client workflow page where you can actually go and have a really nice old school checkbox client tracker Very simple. Only because, even though I do use an online system to keep track of my workflow and my stuff, I still genuinely love having things on a piece of paper and being able to see it in front of my face on my desk without opening a million tabs on my computer and getting distracted. That's the ADHD inside of me. So there you are. So the sales journal is really amazing.
Speaker 1:When you buy the sales journal, you also are going to get access to an audit your sales training. That is going to happen live in the next couple of months. I do not know the date off of the top of my head, but when you buy the sales journal, on the webpage it says what day the live training is. So we're going to do a live training and then you'll get access to the recording. So if you're buying the sales journal after that date, just know that you will get access to the recording. And during that training I'm going to teach you how I would use the sales journal and I'm also going to teach you how to use the data from the sales journal and the sales tracker to up your sales game.
Speaker 1:So it's really important to stay top of mind of your numbers, your analytics, your average sales, a bunch of different things I look at in my sales to see what I need to do better and differently. So I'll be sharing my system to audit your sales and how to use the sales tracker and that system that I'm going to share with you. I can guarantee you it's going to help you make more money from your image reveals and more money from your clients. So make sure you go grab the sales tracker sales journal whatever I'm calling it, I haven't decided yet and get your copy and I can promise you it's going to help you make more money, especially once you go through that training. That training is going to be jam-packed, full of great information. So hopefully I will see you on our Unicorn Photographer Masterclass August 5th through 9th. Make sure you check out the link in the show notes and then make sure you head on over and grab our sales journal as well, and I cannot wait for all of you to see it and get your hands on it. And if you haven't already grabbed our book, the Unicorn, make sure you grab our book, the Unicorn of business books for photographers.
Speaker 1:Again, like I said, I just like jamming everything full of as much information as possible. Which is why I think people love the podcast so much is because I just share way too much information and my brain just goes in overdrive. But y'all love it and y'all are learning from it. I met somebody that had been listening to the podcast and I think she said that she raised her prices and she started doing like sales. And I think she said she had like a $5,000 sale.
Speaker 1:Just from listening to the podcast, I was like holy crap, that is so cool. I think it was 5,000. If you're listening to this and I'm incorrect with that number, I apologize, but I talked to a lot of people and there were a lot of things in my brain from this weekend Although that conversation was by far the coolest hearing how successful and how amazing you've been since you took the leap and did the scary thing, and I'm glad that you found this podcast. So I love each and every one of y'all. I hope you have an amazing week, an amazing day, an amazing year, and I hope that this year you find more magic inside of your business. Bye, guys.