We all have them.  People in our lives who say we can’t make it happen.  Who tell us it’s too difficult and the challenges are too great.  The people who call themselves realists while we call ourselves optimists.  They are the naysayers. The ones who say no.

I’ve had them.  

My Motivators

I bought my first home when I was 19.  M 26 year old friend told me that I could never do it because I was too young and it was too difficult.  To this day, I truly believe part of the reason I pressed on, even when the purchase seemed impossible, was because of this comment.  I turned his no into yes.

Within my first year of business, I had a close family member tell me that I could never run a photography business for profit and that I needed to be sure I kept my day job.  Whenever I hit a milestone goal in my business – that’s the person I want to call. I turned his no into yes.

In college, I was discouraged to continue in my desired field because of perceived inability to teach by my professors.  That very discouragement is what fired my soul to prove them wrong. I turned my professors nos into yeses.

Are You Going to Make it Happen?

This is the difference between people who make it happen and people who are afraid of it happening.  Success has nothing to do with your circumstances, your life situations or the “cards you’re dealt”.

You’ve heard the saying, “Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it.”  It’s true. What debilitates one person, motivates another.

Be Open To Constructive Criticism

I consider myself a person who can take constructive criticism pretty well. I’ve never been too personally attached to my work – so I can have someone tell me what’s wrong with it and I take what they have to tell me and try to get better.  Rather than letting their criticism cripple me, it educates me and motivates me to be more.

I remember my very first print competition.  

Three out of four prints merited. I received two judge’s choice awards and also received Idaho’s “Rookie of the Year” award for 2008.  What a great way to start my professional journey!

When I took one of the judges aside and asked him what was wrong about the photograph that did NOT merit, he said to me, in the most non-diplomatic way possible, “That picture looks like your two-year-old could have taken it.  There’s no way that THAT photograph and the others you took are from the same artist.” I laughed. And it was not nervous laughter. I appreciated his honesty and loved his candor.

When I asked him more detail about what he meant and he explained why he felt that way.  I never once took this personally – I truly wanted to know how to get better.

It’s Not Personal

That very same conference, a long-standing professional photographer in the valley had entered into competition some of her prints. Picture a pregnant woman draped with flowy fabric and blue jeans highly processed finish of 2009.

She’d asked the same man about this print and he – again – was unapologetic in his candor and lack of diplomacy.  She fired back, “That’s insane. This print made me a ton of money and you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather hear what others have to say, process it and then decide for myself if it’s worth taking into consideration.

We can glean a lot from others and if we continually believe we have it all together, we’re not going to learn.  Instead of taking the criticism at face value, this woman decided it was not worth her time to hear what he had to say about the print and reacted defensively.  

People Are Here to Mold You

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You definitely want to surround yourself with those who will support your achievements and encourage you to a better you, but you cannot avoid those who will try their hardest to bring you down.  Rather than allowing them to deflate you, you have to choose to allow them to motivate you.

Go ahead, prove them wrong.  Turn their nos into yeses and just watch what will happen.  I think you’ll be surprised at how quickly you rise.

The post Turning Naysayers into Motivators appeared first on Watch Your Business Grow.

It’s a little embarrassing to tell this story. It’s the very thing I tell new photographers to avoid when they are starting out. But I didn’t know any different – I was very naive – which is probably the very reason I jumped in with both feet. And now that I am safely into year 11 of running an official business, I can go ahead and tell my story – as mortifying as it is.

It All Started with A Pop-Up

Lumuli (my husband) was attending his father’s funeral in Kenya. His dad had unexpectedly passed away a short two months before Lumuli and I had a trip planned to Kenya to meet his family. So – we rushed Lumuli on a plane to be with his family during this difficult time.

Now, Lumuli and I do not shy away from the phone. We spent the majority of our two-year courtship on the phone, with some conversations lasting over 8 hours. YES. EIGHT HOURS. So – when he was in Kenya, of course we’d planned to have some phone conversations. Idaho is 12 hours behind Kenya.  So I would often stay up late in order to receive his call.

One evening, as I was surfing the net, waiting for an appropriate hour to call my husband, I came upon a Wedding Website. There was a flashing pop-up that read, “Advertise your wedding business here.” Hmmmm. I thought. I wonder if I could advertise my wedding photography business. The one I didn’t have.

This was my first calling to entrepreneurship.

Naivete Can Be a Good Thing in the World of Entrepreneurship

Now – there were several reasons why this thought came into mind.  First – I had a nice camera. I probably spent a good $350 on it a few years ago (ha!). I wasn’t QUITE sure how to use it – but I knew how to put it on auto. And based on my wedding photographer search from the year before, I felt that I would be able to offer more. I had always been ambitious, so the idea of owning my own business was exciting. All of these things were driving me toward entrepreneurship, but honestly, the thing that drove me the most was that we needed the money. With Lumuli moving here on a fiancé visa, work was hard to come by. We were barely scraping by to make enough money for us to live month-to-month. So – It was a no-brainer. I thought – why not? Let’s use this free advertising ad and  just see what I get.

Cart Before the Horse

The next thought was “what should I name my business?” – because obviously (insert sarcasm) you need to figure out a business name before you can do anything with your business. Since my husband was from Kenya, I decided to go with “Ashki Photography”. With Ashki meaning love in swahili it seemed to be a perfect fit! So there it was. My new business, Ashki Photography would be where I would begin my journey to entrepreneurship.

“Affordable”

At the time, I was not savvy with technology. I barely knew how to get onto the internet, so it’s beyond me how I figured out how to advertise with an online wedding website! The attractive quality I put out there for my potential clients was that I was “affordable” (cough, cough). I couldn’t use any of the other adjectives, because I had never even used my own camera in manual mode, nor had I ever taken on an actual wedding. BUT – I could definitely photograph your wedding as an inexperienced photographer on the cheap. And “cheap” was still an extra $300 I’d get on top of my teaching job. That was a big percentage of my normal paycheck! This entrepreneurship-thing was looking better with each passing decision!

Three weeks later, I received a phone call. “Stacy” said was getting married the Saturday before Lumuli and I were scheduled for our trip to Kenya to meet his family. The DAY before we were to leave. If you haven’t ever left on a trip overseas, the day before you leave is not the day to take on a BRAND NEW “experiment”. I was so high on the possibility of doing this for a living, I told her YES! I could do it. Let’s meet for a no-obligation consultation.

She met with me later that week. In my home. That’s where my studio was.  I brought out my scrapbook with ornately cut photographs from a wedding where I was a guest. I told her that I’d never photographed a wedding before, but that I would be able to photograph hers and get as good, if not better photographs than what she saw in my cheesy, embellished scrapbook.  

It Worked

Well. She hired me. For $300 + cost of goods – which was basically 4×6 images in an album. I don’t remember for sure, but I believe I shot the whole wedding in auto (THE HORROR!!!). I used a camera I’d received only a few weeks before and I bought a 2 gb CF Card for $200 along with our new iMac computer. We risked over $5000 for that first wedding. And I’ve never looked back.

The post My Start to Entrepreneurship appeared first on Watch Your Business Grow.

I’ve always had a pretty natural draw to positivity. It could be my personality, it could be my naïveté, but either way, I’ve never really struggled to see how blessed I am in my life. So putting an effort to have a growth mindset was never really on my radar.

However, in the last few years, I’ve been thinking more about that word and it’s potential impact on each of our lives.

Do you realize how big of a role MINDSET plays in our lives?

Mindset is my word of the year, but equally important is the word that precedes it. I’m focusing on three words that will go along with my word of the year.

Growth Mindset

The first kind of mindset I’d like is the Growth Mindset. When I make a mistake, do I believe I have the ability to learn from it and apply that knowledge next time? Or do I have a fixed mindset where I am unaware that I even made a mistake – thereby never seeing the need for improvement?

There are not many things I regret. As a matter of fact, even sitting here writing this blog post, I can only think of two things that I “regret”. And regret feels like too strong of a word for those experiences. I don’t like saying that I “regret” something. The reason is that each and every experience helps guide us to the next stage in our lives.

For the most part, I don’t make decisions that I KNOW will harm me. Every decision I make is the absolute best decision I can make, based on the knowledge I have at that very moment.

So, I don’t regret many things.

I simply learn from them. THAT is a growth mindset.

Abundance Mindset

I first hear the term “abundance mindset” last year when listening to “You Are a Badass” by Jen Sincero. She encouraged her listener to think of money in abundance. To think of it as something that comes easily, something that is attracted to me and something that has a universal supply.

This kind of thinking is scary for me. I believe that money can be used in very good ways. And living as a Christian, the verse, “Love of money is the root of all evil” is always at the forefront of my mind. However, the first part of the verse is often left out: LOVE of money. It’s often misquoted as “Money is the root of all evil.” And THAT’s where our misconception of what the bible means by this comes from.

Money is not evil. The LOVE of money is evil. When I believe that there is an abundant supply, I’m prompted to give generously & cheerfully (see HERE).

I want to believe that there is an abundant supply because I want to anonymously gift that flight attendant $10,000 to help make her dream of adopting a little one come true. How wonderful would it be to be able to provide a great home for my mom with all the help she’ll need as she ages? The idea of having my children attend any college they’d like without having to worry about loans or working 30+ hours week makes my heart sing!

You can’t tell me that those desires are wrong. Yet, they require money.

You see, money is not evil. Therefore, I am hoping for an Abundance of it this year.

Courageous Mindset

My desire for success has been there since I was a little girl.

I may not have had the best study habits in school, but I was the first 6 year old to go around the trailer park asking to shovel neighbors’ driveways for a couple of bucks.

It didn’t scare me to approach strangers’ doors to ask them if I could work for them.

That work ethic has followed me throughout the years, but unfortunately, life experiences have soiled the courage I once had with approaching people who may tell me no. I’m stopping that today. Fear will not continue to hold me back. I will move forward with courage, understanding that every “no” brings me that much closer to “yes”.

The Relationship Between Beliefs and Brain Function

The relationship between our beliefs and how our brain works is profound. Believe in yourself and realize that your ability is NOT FIXED. When you do, your brain will spark and grow when mistakes are made.

So mindset is my word of the year.

I want to have a Growth Mindset, Abundant Mindset and Courageous Mindset this year.

What’s your word of the year?

The post My Word of the Year: Mindset | Boise Photographer appeared first on Watch Your Business Grow.

In 2014, our family made the decision to move to Delaware. Lumuli had been laid off work and the quickest job offered was from a company in Delaware. When he called me to tell me about the offer, I was excited at the opportunity to have a new adventure.

We only lasted 5 months.

Moving Makes You Question Your Mortality.

We missed Boise and wanted to come back home as soon as humanly possible. However, that meant that our dream home that we’d built just a couple of years before would still be rented out. It also meant that we would need to live an an apartment until our home became available again.

So, here we were, moving from our 3500+ square foot house in Meridian, to a 3000+ rental in Delaware, to a 1300 square foot apartment, back to our 3500+ square foot house. Wow. I’m exhausted just writing that!

We couldn’t keep everything we owned. We were going to have to get rid of a LOT of stuff, but I didn’t realize HOW MUCH stuff, until we figured out that we were going to have to move three times in a matter of months. That meant that for each move, we’d be getting rid of more and more stuff.

The other thing that caused us to continue to get rid of stuff is the mere fact that the “stuff” would not fit into our 26′ trailer. I was SUPER proud about how much we got rid of to fit all of our belongings into that trailer. You think that’s a big trailer, but it really isn’t when you factor in a toddler, two kiddos and two grown adults. You think you can do it? I double-dog dare you to – my bets are that you can’t.

I don’t think anything makes you more aware of your mortality than moving. You can’t take any of this stuff with you. And all the stuff you’re probably keeping for your kids? They don’t want it. Trust me.

So what in the world are we to do?

We donate. And donate, and donate and donate. We also take four weeks to catch our trash up to the number of times the garbage man visits. No matter how we do it, we MUST get rid of that crap!

Marie Kondo’s Influence

Over the years, I’ve learned not to hold onto stuff I don’t need/want, simply because they cost a lot to replace, or because I might use them some day. I’d read Marie Kondo’s book years ago and LOVED it and implemented many of her ideas. But the Netflix show she came out with motivated me to do it again. This time, with my business!

This is a whole different beast, Friends. Picture having samples (no pun intended) of photographs, frames, albums and marketing collateral from being in business over 10 years! You can imagine how much space that would take up! Not only that, but I’d gotten to the point of being so overwhelmed by the space, that I was afraid to try to tackle the job alone.

Do it With a Friend

My friend Kacie came over after she dropped her kids of at school to help me with that room. This was AMAZING. She was able to help me get out of organizational paralysis and into the mode of getting it done. It was still a tough road, but about 30 minutes ago, we finally put the donations in the car, the trash in the bin and the furniture back.

What Went Through My Head

There’s so much that went through my head when I was sorting out stuff:

1. Shoot. Those guys are divorced. I don’t want their divorce to sully my samples of beautiful images. I kept hearing Marie Kondo say (or rather her translator), “Does it bring you joy”. Nope. TOSS.
2. OMG. This was one of my VERY FIRST weddings! I can’t get rid of this – too many memories of how I started. But – they aren’t my favorite photographs and the Album Company isn’t even in business anymore. TOSS.
3. There are thousands of dollars invested in these samples. YIKES! How can I just throw this stuff away? Do I really need 20 album samples? I guess not. TOSS.
4. These samples are GINORMOUS. I can’t do anything with them. I don’t want people’s faces on random things in the landfill – but I certainly don’t want or need them. Slice through the images with a blade (ouch!) to break them down. TOSS.
5. I LOVED this couple. Their wedding was beautiful. I don’t need the sample any more, but they probably would like to have it. DONATE (to my client).
6. I want to use these frames at SOME POINT. After all, I’ve got a 3500 square foot house – surely there’s some wall space to use these well. But I may not ever get to them – at least not within a few years. Ugh! TOSS.
7. This item could be used by other photographers or people who are in need. But honestly, the amount of headache and effort it would take to get those things to new owners is just too much for me right this second. Although we may get $50 or so for it on Craigslist – let’s just call it good with a tax write-off. DONATE.
8. These Camera and Lens boxes. I’ve kept them through the years because I may end up selling some of my equipment. But have I done it yet in my 10+ years of business? No. TOSS.
9. I have client gifts, packaging materials, yearly receipts and welcome signs that I need to keep for future use. But they need to be easily accessed. And the receipts from 7 years ago or more? KEEP – TOSS.
10. Frame Samples that I’ve acquired throughout the years? I’ve NEVER sold a single frame other than those from my top two drawers. I guess they need to go. TOSS.

Do you see that I only had two of those 10 arguments come to the conclusion of keeping the crap? That’s a LOT to get rid of! It feels so good to Marie Kondo this room and gives me a renewed sense of love for my Ordering Room.

Lessons Learned

1. If you need to break glass in a frame, put it WHOLE in a bag and then break it. Do NOT break it on the bare ground and then attempt to sweep it up.
2. If you’re overwhelmed, do it with a friend who will help you stay on task.
3. Don’t keep things around “in case” you’ll need them.
4. When you break styrofoam, have a vacuum handy, because those little white things will literally fly off your broom and dustpan.
5. Have coffee handy. Lots and lots of coffee. And tissues. For when it gets too overwhelming.

I hope this helps either motivate you to tackling your own organizational project or teaches you to learn from my mistakes!

Now, onto the shooting room. This will be fun. Stay tuned.

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