DON’T BE A YES GIRL

            This post may sound a little harsh at first, but I feel like I just need to share even if it helps only one person! On Mondays I typically post wedding or session blogs and on Thursday I post educational or personal blogs. However today I was listening to the goal digger podcast, and I just had to share this. I feel like I was a yes girl for so long and it led to so many problems in my business. I never turned down a session or a wedding because that was money I could be making. Personally, being a yes girl led to so much burn out and in return made me not serve my clients well at all. All of this made me hate photography for a while and I took a full year off from it which also led to me rebuilding a business this year. So, with all of this being said I wanted to share with you three ways I stopped being a yes girl!

1. Say no!

When I say to say no, I don’t mean to everything, but it is okay to say no to things. Learning to say no actually shows that you are growing in your business and shows that you value your service way more than killing yourself in the process of pleasing everyone. Below is when it is okay to say no:

• If the client does not fit your ideal client
• If you have a lot scheduled already for that week
• If you feel like saying no!!

            Never let anyone make you feel bad for doing what is best for yourself or your business.

• Learn what you love to offer

When I first started my photography business, I would take every kind of session I could. This led to clients not being happy and me feeling defeated because I felt like I was not good enough. When I discovered that I loved weddings, couples, and families this allowed me to find clients who loved my work and in return I loved my work as well. You do not have to offer every kind of session out there in fact most photographers don’t. A lot of photographers find what they love, and they serve those people really well. I have a photog friend who mainly takes weddings and the level of love and dedication she can give those select clients is unbelievable. So, find what you love and love it well!!

• Be okay with not pleasing everyone

You must be okay with not pleasing everyone. I personally make someone mad every week. No that is not something you should strive to do but when you start growing in your business and learning boundaries it is bound to happen. When I first started, I would drive 3 hours for $100 and a mean client who did not value me. Now I will simply state my travel times and my fees and if that does not work for someone I will not negotiate. I don’t negotiate because I have set those boundaries and prices that I feel like reflect the value in my work.

Bonus tip: SET BOUNDARIES!!!

I cannot say this enough SET BOUNDARIES!! Your boundaries mass a few people off and that is perfectly okay!! Those boundaries are set in place to help you and your business succeed.  It is okay to take a day or week to yourself. It is okay to turn things down. It is also okay to not sell yourself short to make a little money.

Boundaries I have set in my business:

• I do not give out of my phone number
• I only answer messages between 8am- 5pm Monday through Friday
• I will only take one wedding a weekend
• I do not negotiate my prices

I hope this post helped you as much as I wanted it to!