You may not realize you’re doing this. It could be a deep fear of success that you may not even be aware that you have. Or a fear of leaving your comfort zone. Regardless, we need to get over this hump in order to have the photography business of our dreams. Do it scared. What are you gaining from playing small? You’re doing a disservice to the potential clients that are out there just waiting to work with you.
Not trying new things. - Obviously you’re here, because what you’ve been doing isn’t working. I’ve been in the photography industry since 2013 and purchased over 10K in education and that’s not including my bachelor’s degree from art school. Would you want to try to figure it out yourself all on your own? Or would you rather work with someone who has a system that streamlines you to get to your goals…which is getting more bookings?
Create a foundation before you start selling. - What do I mean by this? Finding your ideal client, building your portfolio before you start marketing. Working on your mindset to be more growth focussed over scarcity.
Not having a workflow that converts leads into boudoir clients. Are you responding to every email with the same info you pull out of your head, over and over again? STAHP! No more. You can create templates after those. They are canned emails that just need a little tweaking. Plus how do you want them to respond? Having a workflow together showing them the next steps will help your brain stop hurting.
Listening to the chatter of your peers. People have a lot of opinions about your photography business, but they aren’t in the industry. If they aren’t paying your bills, their opinions don’t matter. You are the one that holds the vision. When I first started, my husband thought I was nuts charging what I charged clients. Now he sees and understands the process and that there’s a market for it. (My services aren’t for him and he’s not a woman, so of course he’s not going to understand how empowering a session like this can be. Not to say that men can’t enjoy this experience, but he’s definitely not my ideal client.
Not having a mentor or coach- Don’t take this the wrong way, but you need guidance, honey. Preferably with someone who has been a boudoir photographer and understands the anatomy of the business you’re trying to build.
Leave perfectionism at the door- Done is better than perfect. As a recovering perfectionist myself, I would hold off on marketing myself because I wanted to make sure everything was perfect. The right time to start your business is now, because “perfect” doesn’t exist. Just do the best you can and treat people with respect. It’s not about you. It’s about serving your clients well.
Letting the overwhelm kick in- Listen, I get it. Creating a boudoir photography business of your dreams can seem very overwhelming.
That’s why I created The Boudoir Business Roadmap, a four month coaching program to help you build your business step by step, how to market it and sell that bad boy to get you a calendar full of bookings with clients that will be knocking down your studio door.
So, if you’re ready to kick that nagging overwhelming feeling to the curb and start thriving in the business of your dreams please apply for my program. Plus you get access to me for the four months that we’ll be working together.
At the time of this post, the doors have already closed for the March cohort, but you can join the waitlist, you’ll be the first to know when doors to The Boudoir Business Roadmap are open again.
I take each of these lessons very seriously. We’ll have 2 calls a month, where I’ll be teaching a live lesson and hold q+a at the end of each call. There’s a week in between each call that gives you time to implement and dive deep into the teachings before the next call. If you have questions in between calls, you’ll have access to me via slack.
I just want to support the eff out of you, because I wish this coaching program existed when I was starting up. I remember bouncing ideas with my peers of what I wanted Bethany Quinn Studios to be. This amazing black and white boudoir and empowerment photography studio, that was more than just a studio. I wanted to change the way people felt about themselves. People loved the idea, but they just couldn’t wrap their minds around it yet.
Fast forward to today, I have a studio in Indianapolis, where I’m booked out 6 months in advance, my clients are so blown away by their experience some of them still text me months after their shoot telling me how much they appreciate what I do for them and how much they love looking at their photos and remembering how that day made them feel.
I’m sharing this, because I know in the depths of my heart that you can do the same thing. You just have to believe in yourself and take small steps to get there.
Hey there! I'm Bethany. The Photographer, Coach, and Podcast Host behind
Boudoir Business Education. “All I want to do is photograph women in black and white and give them a beautiful and empowering experience.” Is what I wrote in my journal. Playing my idea off of a few trusted people, I was told, “There’s not a market for black and white boudoir photography”, “No one will pay for that.”, and “This is a weird idea.”
I followed my gut and went for it anyway. Right out of lock down, I had a new studio, was booked three months in advance, and haven’t looked back since. I love to photograph and empower women that understand my vision, love my work, and pay me what I’m worth. This process showed me that I can make my dreams possible and profitable. Now, I want to share what I learned (but in a much faster way) to build a thriving boudoir photography business.