I don’t know how many people know this. I assume almost anyone who follows me on social media probably has an idea. But just in case – my photography business isn’t my full-time gig. Thankfully that doesn’t seem to affect my ability to attract clients and to still be able to spend time with my family.

I love my day job. And since I don’t like to mix my career and my business I won’t go into too many details about that. But truly I love all of the opportunities I have to work in an incredible industry. But I also love all of the opportunities I have to work with everyone who chooses me to be their photographer.

That is probably the thing that makes me most proud.

You choose me.

And I don’t want to let you down. Ashamedly, I admit, that I have let people down since I started this business. It’s a balancing act and there are things that I try my hardest to be consistent at. I want to be the best. I want you to love working with me and to love the photos I take of you and the people you love. And I try with every inch of my being to give you exactly that. But how do I do all of this?

Here’s a few tactics that I have learned over the past several years that have helped me immensely!

1.    Create a schedule for your life: My life is my family, my career and my business. Sadly there have been way too many times that my family has come at the end of that list. My husband is a stay-at-home dad, and that alone makes a world a difference, but honestly comes with challenges. Over the past year I have set a schedule that I try to follow. During the week I am working Monday through Friday and I get home around 6:30 p.m. When I get home I have started to put my phone in another room so my family will have my undivided attention. We eat dinner. I help with homework. I play with the baby. We read books. And sometimes I let my oldest boys stay up a little later than their bedtime and we watch TV (usually “The Voice”). After they’re all in bed I get the computer out and I work. I edit, I write, I plan out my social media posts. I get whatever I can done. I’m off every other Friday, and if I don’t have a photo session scheduled I spend time with my husband and my children. Friday’s are “Family Fridays” and it’s hard some nights but I try to unplug so I can be with them. Weekends I usually have photo sessions, and in between those I spend time with my family and again I wait until the evening to work on the business. It sounds hectic. It is. The hardest part is stepping away from the computer or my phone. But I do it as often as I can.
 

2.    Get at least a week ahead: I am much less stressed if I can get a week ahead in my social media posts and blogging. I’m even less stressed if I can get a month ahead. It’s possible, but it takes planning. Creating a monthly plan and getting the work done ahead of time is worth the time it takes. The time saved is incredible.
 

3.    The Expo disc: I have had this tool for way too long, but I just recently taught myself to use it properly. I wasted more time editing my photos because my white balance wasn't set properly in camera. The Expo disc corrects this in camera and saves me a ton of time during the editing process.
 

4.    Culling: After every photo session I do, I cull through the photos rating those that I will edit. I delete the photos that I won’t edit because of a technical error on my part. This saves me the hassle of reviewing each and every photo as I am editing.
 

5.    Paper and Pen: I still carry around a hard copy calendar. It helps me keep track of everything so much easier and to see the big picture of my life over the year. I am able to make better decisions about my time.

These are just a few of things that make the most difference in my business. I would love to chat with new and aspiring photographers and small-business owners to share more about what I've learned over the past few years of being in business.