In this world of photography there are many of us who teeter on the edge of “side-gig” and “successful”. The difference being that one is fully booked charging premium rates, and the other is discounting and cold-DMing leads just to get a single client on the books.

Rarely does it have to do with the quality of work or how much experience someone has.

Most of the time it all comes down to mindset.

Mindset is about choosing your thoughts, and when you choose how you think your actions directly reflect that shift.

For example, a sided-hustling photographer may believe that they have to bootstrap everything in their business. They don’t deserve to invest in their business yet because it’s not making enough money.

What this photographer doesn’t know is that this is a lack mentality and there will NEVER be enough money.

There will always be another expense, or the fear of losing clients, or talk of a recession. There will always be a reason not to — so they won’t, and they will constantly be in a state of bootstrapping and doing everything themselves.

What this leads to is attracting low-paying, misaligned clients that require a lot of work. They don’t have the time or resources to scale, and they’ll likely get burnt out in a few years and change career paths.

That’s the unfortunate truth for a LOT of photographers.

However, there is an entirely different paradigm that’s available to all of us.

There’s the CEO mindset.

This is the mindset of a photographer who doesn’t just desire to make a living from doing their craft. They desire to have a photography business that is scalable and allows them to live a particular lifestyle.

A lifestyle that typically involves:

• Working less than 40 hours a week (more like <20)
• Signing premium paying clients with minimal effort
• Becoming an industry leader that speaks on stages, gets interviewed on major podcasts, teaching courses, and is a household name.
  • I.e. Jenna Kutcher

If this sounds more like the photography business that you want to create, then keep reading. I’m about to tell you 3 ways you can elevate your photography business by adapting a CEO mindset.

Invest

CEOs understand that investing is imperative when running a business. The main difference between a business and a hobby IS investing. They also know that every investment is expected to have an ROI, so it’s not a risk for them.

Play the long game

Those who end up truly successful in business are the ones who have their “10 year goggles” on. They know that they want to be doing this work for a long time and they are willing to put in the years to build and grow a business that can sustain itself.

They don’t want to burn themselves out, they seek mentorship and guidance, and they take strategic measures to implement systems and processes.

Have support

Nothing will rob a photographer of success more than burnout. Photographers with a CEO mindset delegate tasks like editing so that they can focus their attention on their craft and attracting more clients. They desire scalability and that isn’t possible when one person is doing everything. Those who are supported rise up to the top.

If you are tired of the side-hustle photography gig and you truly desire to have a thriving photography BUSINESS, then I invite you to check out our photo editing services.

Janelle Joy Photo Editing

During this process, you will be paired with your potential, 1-on-1, private photo editor to see if we are the right fit for your business and editing needs.

This way we can talk through where you are in your business and if Janelle Joy Private Editing would be the right fit for you!

>>> Click here to book your call today!

It’s time to embody your inner CEO.