Here listening to the gold, Digger podcast episode number one hundred and forty one when tell a story of leaving out windowless office at target. I can guarantee someone will always ask. So how did you book twenty five wedding? your first year and match or salaries or that you can make the leap I mean kind of like that right. And I get asked about this so much as part of my story that I sometimes breeze over, because I'm often webinar speaking at an event, and I don't really have time to dive in because there are a lot of things. I did say today I thought I would spilled the beans once and for all here are some of the strategies that are used, and I hope that their hopeful for you as your starting out and wondering how do you find people who are willing to pay you to do what you love and to help give you that courage in the ability to make the giant leap into full time. Entrepreneurship boring

Giovanni into today, show I get to do something a little fine. I get to share Karla, not Carling S, review for the gold digger vine gassed. She says I can't believe this content is a free. Those biogas is a great makes of information and inspiring national content- and I finish each show feeling, like I'm, eavesdropping in on masterminded, topsecret meeting, so grateful to Jennifer providing this for free. Thank you Karla four tuning in. Thank you for leaving a review these early. Is a light me and my team up and we are putting so much work into the show and it just means the absolute world. So if you have it it's a day of the show us how your life are. Inspired. Your made you just a way better person. I don't know I might be taken too much credit here, you leave a review on Itunes. It seriously makes my day I might like among the maggots cheese, I'm I'm not getting carried away, but let's drive on it

today show about how I booked twenty five weddings with zero experience. Let's flash back into generators life at the age of twenty two your listening to the gold digger podcast, where we firmly believe work doesn't have to feel like work I've made millionaire and marketing guru, Jenna Culture will help view redefine what success looks like it's time here from the experts, listen in on onest conversations and learn the best tips and tricks that helped others pay their own way and craft their dream career. If Europe to dig in do the work and tackle your biggest goals you're in the right place. Here's your host educator! photographer and makin cheese, lover, Jenna Couture things to weekly for supporting the gold digger biogas

we really is more than just a beautiful website builder. It's an all in one platform for artists and entrepreneurs who want to sell their products, build their brain and create six, As for our mind, businesses go to Webley Dotcom, slash gold digger to get fifteen percent off your first purchase. All right here are some of the strategies that I used to book all those weddings and I hope that their health for all of these starting out in wondering how the hack to find people who will pay you to do which- love and help you get the courage and the really to make the giant leap into full time. Entrepreneurship so when I first started number one I created a brand now to give you a little context. I went to college double majored in business and communication, and why thing that I always loved. I was fascinated with was branding what

packaging made. People choose one cereal over the other or how to really put your price. Act or your service in front of the right eyes how how draw an emotional response, and so I knew right away that if I really wanted to do this, if I wanted to make a go at this, if I wanted to have a business I needed to have a site and a logo red away now allotted eyes. I see this being the third or fourth or fifth step when somebody is jumping into entrepreneurship, and maybe there making a crappy clip art logo because that's all they can do or their buying one that can be duplicated from at sea and guess I was scrappy guys. I am told aware of how hard it is to get started, especially if you have financial restrictions like I did. Basically, we had no money by to widen. And is that I knew I needed to create a brand, and I had

have some space beyond just social media. At the time Instagram wasn't really a thing. Facebook was, you know the hot spot, but I wanted to have like a landing page where I could leave an impression, and so I got a few- the word press yes free sites which was based we just a blog- and I started to put together a simple little page where people can learn Me they could see my work and they could determine and if I was right fit for them and our first, I just peace, altogether, but then I realized tat. I needed to really have a brand. I talk so about the importance of a brain, and I think this is the number one thing I did right right off the bat so I decided to higher one of my friends sisters, who is a graphic design student and I paid her I believe it was two hundred dollars to create logo a watermark, a brand for me and my first brand. It wasn't

On the contrary, it was actually photos by generally- and I wanted to have this one space that was cohesive and clear and that my brand could be borne with just under a few four dollars, and so what I love when I look back is even if I were the land and that word press blog that doesn't exist any more. I would be able to see very clearly who is generally why does, she do and what kind of work can I expect if I were to hire her I understood about consistency, whether I was consistency in editing or consistency and frequency of posts, but I really just understood the whole brand thing. Now I Absolutely that a lot of things wrong when it comes to deciding when it things are they share the most about what I did a wrong when it came to this is that, in order to create a brand, I looked at what everyone else was doing. It's really easy to deal. It's real

really easy to do. And so what I had found is had a million tabs open of every other Wisconsin wedding photographers sites, and I just took bits and pieces of what I thought people expected of me and said while idea to create a brand and Asia that rights. I also did a lot of things wrong, and so, if I could go back and look at that, one I would say to figure out who is generally or now Jenna Culture, and white is her message: white sets her apart, and I think, when we're starting out it so easy to just one a blind man. I mean we're like praying to God that people don't call our bluffs and that's exactly what, I was doing, but at least I created a brand that was recognisable that was beautiful and that served a space beyond just being on Facebook, Merci knew. The thing that I didn't write is that I started sharing a consistent contents. You know this

little reminders from Facebook of your memories yep. Well, every day I M reminded of how much I was sharing when I was starting out. I mean literally it's a kick in the pan for me, seven years later, when it my girlfriend looking how much you are posting back in two thousand and ten and eleven you are putting of out there every single day. I don't do that anymore, but I probably should I was constantly posting photos, whether it was of a random cat pictures of me, your pictures I snapped at my friends and family. Yes, I even had a Facebook album title of life through a new lands which is really just a point shoot that I got from my college graduation from my incredible in laws. I wanted people to start seeing images and to start thinking of me as a photographer, and I

learned early on that you have to teach people what they should think about you when they saw me. I wanted them to think photographer and not just any photographer, but a good photographer, a wedding photographer and so we started talking a lot about weddings which at the time was mostly mine, because I didn't have any clients. But when I look back at that girl, unlike yes, You just posted almost every single day about what you were excited about. What you are planned for your own wedding. What pictures you are taking? I! put myself out there, and I things out I'm just proud myself, I'm proud of that agenda. If I can go back and give her a Huggins a weighted go for it. I probably would what I would have changed if I go back now is that while it is creating super consistent content, I was necessarily creating the right content. I was just hiding behind my work at the time I was posting.

Pictures, but not telling stories I was sharing things, but there wasn't a lotta meaning behind her, and so, while it was incredibly consistent I wish they would have done better job of telling stories that my ideal clients could have visualize themselves in. That would be the tweak that I would make if I could go back to that day. Number three. I asked for what I wanted and I repeat that I asked that the things I wanted, I posed telling the world that I wanted to shoot weddings I put it out, the universe and I openly shared my dreams and my goals nowadays I see so many people with passion, but they are holding it so close to their heart. They are afraid to share it, they're afraid what others think or what they will say or who's gonna judge them, and so they hold their gifts in and believe

the lie that they are not qualified enough and that they are never going to go on to do big things. I started, to put it out into the world and I started to do it really boldly, I would say I'm booking weddings for next summer. So if you or anyone you know, is getting married, email me, I'd love to chat message, anyone that Facebook notified me was getting married and I would tell them about myself and my services and that I would love to work for them or be considered you we cannot expect that people are going to seek you out if they don't even know what you are doing. Having now want to share story, because this recently happened in our lives, I've seen get frustrated. I'm saying this so kindly withdrew we cause when eyes started my business, I was scrappy, I mean I was so grab me because I had to be. We didn't have money, I was

working ten eleven hours a day I was exhausted, I didn't know what I was doing. All I had was a camera and, as it may, your dream to get out of my office, I had we were source full and I had to be bold, like I knew if I am going to be able to put my two weeks notice. I need to have money right. And if I need to have money, I should probably match my salary and if I'm good, measuring salary than I need to book twenty five weddings. In order to do that, and if only two weddings which were really actually weddings. I can just taking pictures that then I ve to use them in order to reach those clients, and so it creates this energy, where I had to ask for what I wanted, and I thought that nowadays we becomes so timid. We worry so much we,

do not one person in our lives that makes fundamentalist. Sir. That says, he's side remarks had actually really hurt us and we allow them to control over what were putting out into the universe. I recognize is this so much in drew when he launches business there is so much fear connected shoe what we assume other people will think about us there is so much power granted to people who are probably not even paying attention to what we're doing we hold ourselves back because we're right stories in our heads of what our friends and family are saying about us, but at the end of the day when I look back at myself, I am so proud that I asked for what I wanted. I just put it out there and I think that being bold,

you have to be bold. To get results is something that will move the needle far more than waiting for the perfect website. The perfect certification, the perfect Instagram posts, a perfect about me, page done- is always going to be better than Herbert and when I look back, I think one of the best things that happened me was this was aside hustle, and so I didn't have a lot of time to over think everything I had time to put it out there and see what happened and I'll. Tell you what happened. So number four was I studied anything. I could get my hands on which at the time it looks like wedding magazines and blogs. I started this whole thing before dress was even a thing. I know that's hard to understand and comprehend Pinterest didn't even exist, and I would say days, looking images I loved and going through,

how I would pose people to get bad shot? What kind of lighting was required to get that shot? I would sit there and looking images that I was drawn to and set the scenario of what words that what words did out photographers say in order to make that couple laughed like that. How do you make them feel calm examine feel comfortable. In order to look like this into, I studied, I became a student I would practice directing in my bedroom. I would make how to make my camera have when I was figuring out how to use my camera me- see, drew a mockery to ask him about me. Making him slow dance with my dog in our bedroom. I worked out how to do off Kamer lighting seriously. I I need applaud those picture because it's hilarious, I made him dance and our bedroom. While I figured out how to work my flash, I bookmarks posts are mine that inspired.

Me, I watch what sale of editing I was drawn to which, sadly, at the time was this really washed out. Look that is so two thousand eleven, but God bless it and I became a student. I became a student to my passion. I shot my camera every single day even when there is nothing to shoot, because I needed to things I needed practice and I needed confidence. And having a lot of times now it so easy to make you look like you know what you're doing, but when you're really honest about it, it's time to become students only really passion. About sending it so easy to be a student, because you want to get your hands on any information and all information that is accessible to you and so nowadays, I look at my blog in this pod gases. My ability to pay it back because if people had had Youtube videos or blog posts or magazine articles on how to do some of these things. I would never figured it out

This is my way of being the person that I needed when I started. I needed resources are needed information and so one of the things that I think is so great when I look back at thy, is one how naive I was because I dont know if I would have done things if I would have known how hard it was gonna be, but sue I wanted to learn, I was hungry to learn and I feel I can live. There are things that we are hungry to learn those other we need to pursue those- are the things that were going to end half the world where those are the things that were going to be successful at because when you are passionate, you will do whatever it takes to pursue that passion. And so becoming a student was one of the best things I did now I also created a vision born, and this is kind of an embarrassing confession, but it'll take you back to Jenin. Catcher the beginning days, photos

finally, I made a collage in Microsoft. Word of photos that inspired me, which I had it like dragged off from blogs and I ll emanated it, and I think I saw that to this day love define it and put it in the show notes. If I do- and I can do my camera bag so that I could sneak ex while I was shooting? I want it to have reminders of Who is it that I loved and direction queues at a needed, as I practice And I am not afraid to admit that I would even pull out that little ended peace and show my couples and say this is what I want you to do: because I wasn't gotten our I didn't know. I didn't know how to make those things happen. It's ok, ok, I'm visualizing this image it. Let me just show you this for inspiration, so it was kind of guy. Sammy is kind of ingenious, but I basically it

needed to have his vision board. As a reminder for me is almost like a Chee Chee wives figuring things out and at the time I would We make anyone I could get in front of bank humor. I shot a few weddings for just a few hundred dollars so that I had a work of my portfolio. My first ever wedding? Was my brother in law in Jamaica and so yeah? I guess I could add destination wedding photographer to my title before even knew what I was doing, but I really want to do a good job for him and my sister in law, and so I pulled out as many sources as I could for not knowing what I was doing and what did was I stretched. Those two wedding side did his and want to my old college. Roommates weddings- and I said them so far to make it look like I had all of this experience and portfolio, and it also helped me recognising knowledge what I love to what end its work on and where I wanted to take my business and so what I did

blog is. I took tons of detail shouts of both of these weddings that I could stretch I took portraits. I took bridle party photos. I did all these things in it. I had a portfolio of swords, but it wasn't bag, but I didn't need it to be big, because I was able to take what I had done to use our vision, bored to get the kinds of things that I knew I want to create in the future and put it out into the world. Thanks to weekly for supporting the gold digger bad guys. We really is the easiest way to create an incredible looking website. Its e commerce platform has the tools that you need to sell products creep, marketing campaigns tell your brain story and more and because we believe mission is to help turn people's great ideas into successful online businesses. They ve built an incredible support, team, no scraps and no robots, adjusted friendly human who can help you out. So if you

a product or an idea that you want to share with a world check out weekly. Have your mine, store up and running in a matter of hours, because you listen to this show visit. We bleed dotcom, Slash gold, digger and get fifteen percent off of your first purges. That's Webley Dotcom Slash gold digger. Now, let's get back to the show. The next thing I did that was so rights and I'm so thankful that I did this is that I created an experience that I personally wanted ass, a bride, no one. I was starting my wedding photography business. I was a bride myself, and so I was walking through the process So my potential clients were also walking through. I knew what was important to me. I knew what I needed help with. I knew what things felt foreign and scary to me, and so it was incredible to be able to rely

to my clients, and I took things that were really important to me as a bride. And I M elated them, and I did them in my own business. The things like responding quickly and thoroughly to email is showing up her here too meetings. I remember Asking the brides tell me about your wedding day, brides lab dog about their wedding day, and that was so important to me when I chose my photographer, which Lindsey I know you listen to the show us a shout out to you sister and what I think is so great I see that I knew the things that I was struggling with as a bride myself and so. I was able to sit down and meet up with brides and Starbucks and say you know, oh my gosh, here's what we do to save money on this, or this is what I chose for my brain its main dresser this, how we saved money on this- or this is what were trees

you do for our flowers, and so I talked to the brides about things that I was doing my own planning process and a totally just made us headed off like they trusted me. I was their friend and when first start in. I did some things. You smart. The few are drifting come back- possesses really smart. I made my price sing middle of the road map of the road standard. I do not want to be a four hundred dollar wedding sugar, for I value my time because they didn't have much of it. I mean I was working fifty hours a week, I'm not going to church four hundred dollars, knowing that a wedding is gonna. Take me twenty hours and I Didn'T- super. I because I wasn't qualified to do that yet, but I charge what I expected to pay as a bride, because at the time I was my It's your client and then I made sure that I showed a big on their wedding day. I above and beyond. I would stop at Starbucks and pick up a coffee that

his bride on it. I would make sure that they had everything they needed. I would bring what hangers with for dresses. I I mean sure that I did all the things that I knew I needed as a bride myself and I basically created experience and sold it without having really done it. I created what the vision was with my clients, so that, They would know if they chose me. This is what they could expect, and so, when I looked was create this experience and be able to speak to it before I ever really did it. I knew that if they chose me, I would follow through that if they chose me, I would follow through on it, but I had to paint a picture for them to understand what they could expect if they were my client. I know how I was going

deliver that and deliver it. I did and now what is the last things that I did and something that I loved dog about aid to talk about? It too, is I invested in myself with paid advertising, and I didn't plan a small now. Let me tell you I love to talk about this and I hate to talk about it, because if I could go back, I wouldn't do this by I, at the time and where we were out with social media and what the climate was looking like in the wedding industry. I do think it is a good decision, but one eye problem is with this, as I tell people theirs They try to do it. I did six seven years ago and it's not gonna work. It doesnt work anymore. It's it's gone. It doesnt work like that I remember I remember the day I can close my eyes and member of the day driving- to my job at target and those on the car with an advertiser,

and she wanted me to pay hundreds of dollars a month to advertise on their sides- and she was absolutely swindling me. I remember she's told me your images look like they could be like an anthropology gee add- and I was like a mirage- I know they do don't they. They look so good, even though they weren't that Graham I'm, she want. My money back fell for that by the way- and I remember thinking and this the thought that I love this. The thing that I want to hold on to. I remember thinking if I dont believe it myself enough to put money down on my dreams Why would anyone believe me? have to spend their precious dollars on me. I don't leave him myself enough to say I am going to spend money in order to make this thing happen. Why why what I expect anyone else to spend money on me, and so I decided to go for I remember having this pit in mice.

Stomach, but here's a smart thing. I did. I knew there is going to put the money down absolutely make a worth every penny and what I did. It was, I ran the numbers, and so I said: ok, if I'm paying a few hundred dollars a month home wedding, so I need to book in order to make it worth it then I said: if I can book one wedding: it's gonna be worth it We were there and so I'm hesitant to share this piece of the puzzle, because people ask me about it, I think, is important because it definitely help to fill my calendar bites. Looking back, I wish I would have known then what I know now about building a true brand and not just a business, because I would have saved self hundreds and even maybe thousands of dollars and found my clients are actually wanted me and not just any other fatigue. For what happened was. I did beat advertising for one year and after that is able to kids,

and it was all word of mouth referrals and my own personal marketing efforts, and so it absolutely paid off. But people try to do what I did then now and it doesn't work because using things like Instagram and worth checking out websites and we're looking at who are best friend now too, as their photographer whatever, and that's how come king decisions. We need a trust people because we are so tired of being advertised to and so why is so interesting about. All of this is that when I worked for harder and when I wanted to get out of it, I had to be scrappy. I had to study everything I had to ask for what I wanted. I had do share consisting content. Evil winners, fine super the keyboard to create a brand. I had to create a vision bored I had to create and experience, and I did all this because I believe

that I could do it and I think that sometimes people are out. There are looking for a magic, quick fix and easy answer. But the truth is I hustled no idea was too small. Every effort was worth pursuing and I worked so hard. I worked so hard, and I remember those days in that corporate office. Maybe that's you today sitting there being about my wedding photography, business and, as wishing so badly that I could put in that notice, you that I could do it. I knew I could and I worked hard because I was motivated to make it work and to get out of there. Corporate job and so light I would recommend in and what works for me is. I knew that I needed to have a net there for one I jumped. I knew then they needed to know that I wouldn't fall flat on my face, sir, that it wouldn't have to say yes to everything in order to make ends meet

so. My challenge for you is uses, set a goal and a timeline for yourself. Do with the math and then get to work. You are worthy of getting paid to do what you love you? May have to do a little bit of work for free. You might have to do a little bit of work for cheap, but there is brand within what you want to do there the ability to reach audiences so easily. Nowadays there are chances for you to invest in yourself into say. I am worthy of this investment and I'm gonna make it worth every penny, and there is so much waiting for you now. Have you love today's episode? I would challenge you to check out episode number sixty seven, where I talk all about steps you need to take before leaving your ninety five again. That's episode number sixty seven you can find a agenda. Could your blog dot com slash sixty seven

I want to remind you today guys that you are worthy of doing this and when I look back the Jenna that booked twenty five weddings with zero experience. I want to give her a giant hug and remind her that it is all going to be worth it it an easy, but it was worth it now extend an invitation to you, the photographers out there. I know there are lots of people listening that aren't photographers. We have a free training coming and I am so so thrilled about it, I'm going teach you three simple marketing ass to fill up your calendar and you can jump on in sue that live, free training photo webinar dot com, I would love to show up in Serbia. There and dive a little bit deeper into the things that I did in order to fill my calendar and what this looks like after that first year, and so again. And dive on into that free training at photo, webinar dot, com in your life and share these stories and share these

open your life and share these stories and share these experiences with you and I'm just so community. A part of this tried- and I just love to hear from you- I mean it truly means the world's me so I mean it truly means the world's me. So if you want to have and just say a, although I would love to connect with you, my gold diggers until next time keyboard. Until next time he bandying your biggest schools and I pray for my experiences. You guys are learning the most valuable lessons. Thanks for listening to the gold digger podcast die into the show notes for this episode and all past episodes at W W W dad gold, digger podcast dot com. If you love the show share it with a friend, or the merrier thing cartooning it