Reaching my goals in my first year wasn’t easy, and yet I did it anyway. Want to know how you can have success in the first year? Here’s a look into my first year of business, how I found success and how you can do it too.

Listen to the podcast here:

My road to success was paved with challenges, lessons, and wins. If you are struggling with where or how to begin your journey as a creative entrepreneur, I am here to share my story of the five steps I took to grow my business in the first year. These steps can work for you too. 

Do you remember vision boards? I made a vision board for EVERYTHING! We would have stacks of magazines, yes, magazines, sitting on the floor with my girlfriends, listening to Madonna, or Bruce, cutting out pictures of how we envisioned our future. We didn’t put limits on our dreams or see barriers to our success back then. If we put it on the board, it was going to happen!

I want you to go back to that dreamer, and start keeping your dreams in front of you again. Make a vision board and put it where you will see it everyday.

What you see, speak, and do on a daily basis will determine your future. Let’s dive into your future! Let’s go!

Inhale the Future Exhale the Past

Step 1: Inhale the future Exhale the past. This became my mantra.

Starting over during COVID is a topic so many people can relate to. I was unemployed and needed to reinvent a new version of myself. That required me to shut the door on the past so that I could create room for the future. 

Becoming a Student

Step 2: Becoming a student. I found my mentor, Michael Miller, a Commercial and Landscape Photographer. I became a technical student of my gear and dove into creating daily shooting opportunities to hone my craft. I treated my time with Michael as a full-time job. I invested in workshops, shooting opportunities, and homework.

Collaborations with brands I wanted to book as clients.

Step 3: Collaborations with brands I wanted to book as clients. I engaged with brands on social media and jumped into their DMs to offer my services as I built my portfolio. It became the 80-20 rule. I knocked on a lot of virtual doors and a few took me up on it. 

From there, I asked for a Google review in exchange for images. I also began submitting my photographs for publication and virtual gallery shows, where I won for technical proficiency in photography. 

I built on that momentum by welcoming more collaborations and partnerships. This is the best way to build a community in your area. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Getting out there!

Step 4: Getting out there! Launching my website, creating buzz, and having a professional portfolio of my work led to booking more clients for interior and branding, which led to being published and having the industry validate my work. This led to paying jobs and raising my rates!

Reaching goals.

Step 5: Reaching goals. I was published in 6 different publications in 6 months! Now I am working with the brands and clients that I was collaborating with to grow my portfolio. 

The formula is simple:

Define your why & put it in front of you daily + Becoming a student + Action + Marketing = Success

DSAMS

Next Steps:

Step 1: Create a vision board Inhale the future | Exhale the past |  closed the door to my past | mindset shift 

Step 2: Became a student and found a mentor

Step 3: Welcomed collaborations and partnerships | building community

Step 4: Began marketing my brand

Step 5: Book Dream clients & getting published

Until next time, take one new action that lifts up your brand. Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss a thing!