Welcome to another exciting episode of the Cowgirls with Cameras podcast! On this episode, Cara, Kim and Phyllis dive deep into the art of networking and explore how photographers can effectively establish connections to propel their careers to new heights.
Join us as we unlock the secrets of effective networking and discover how you can pave the way to success as a photographer. So grab your favorite camera, tune in, and prepare to unlock a world of opportunities on “The One About Photography Networking”.
Transcript
It's time to laugh, learn and take your photography to the
Jaz:next level with your favorite cowgirls with cameras, Cara,
Jaz:Kim, and Phyllis.
Kimberly Beer:Welcome to the Cowgirls with Cameras Podcast.
Kimberly Beer:I'm Kim with Kim Beer photography and Be More
Kimberly Beer:Business.
Cara Taylor Swift:I'm Cara with Fast Horse photography.
Phyllis Burchett:And I'm Phyllis with Phyllis Burchett
Phyllis Burchett:photo. Good morning, guys.
Cara Taylor Swift:Hey, good morning.
Kimberly Beer:Gosh, how is everybody? It feels like forever
Kimberly Beer:since I've seen both of you all of us at the same time on
Kimberly Beer:camera.
Cara Taylor Swift:Well, you guys have been having all your
Cara Taylor Swift:adventures. I'm just happy to actually see you on camera. This
Cara Taylor Swift:is the first time we've recorded Cowgirls with Cameras and we can
Cara Taylor Swift:see your face. You're moving. You're not a blur. You're not
Cara Taylor Swift:frozen and you're not delayed. This is going to be a whole new
Cara Taylor Swift:experience.
Kimberly Beer:Yeah, it's gonna be crazy. I'll tell you the new
Kimberly Beer:internet. I'm just so giddy. I want to post about it on
Kimberly Beer:Facebook, just so it's a memory so that it'll come up every
Kimberly Beer:single year. And I'll be able to say yes, this was the week that
Kimberly Beer:I got Joy new into tech world that I joined the tech world and
Kimberly Beer:yeah, we talked about on The Business Animal is quite the
Kimberly Beer:adventure to get it installed. The installer guys came and when
Kimberly Beer:I greeted them at the dorm like you guys have got a challenge
Kimberly Beer:where Yeah, because they had to run 574 feet is what the guy
Kimberly Beer:said 574 feet of the cable had to go across the end of our
Kimberly Beer:lake. So they had to get my boat and we didn't have orders. And
Kimberly Beer:so I'm like, Oh my gosh, you don't have orders. How are you
Kimberly Beer:going to do this? I'm just shocked. They did it. And what
Kimberly Beer:the guy said he immediately said he goes, I have shovels. We have
Kimberly Beer:shovels. It's not a problem. So they took their shovels to the
Kimberly Beer:boat and they shoveled their or shovel or it Hanalei across the
Kimberly Beer:lake and did you get any video because I was I had a sick goat.
Kimberly Beer:And so I noticed he was down when we walked out there to do
Kimberly Beer:that. I think he got busted too hard by another goat. And so I
Kimberly Beer:was with him the whole time that this was going on. So yeah, I'm
Kimberly Beer:kind of sad, but I needed to be where I needed to be. So the
Kimberly Beer:livestock takes precedence over my desire to document the so
Kimberly Beer:cam, do they just lay the cable like threw the legs in? It's
Kimberly Beer:just so the fish can nibble on it and everything? No, it's up
Kimberly Beer:in the air. There's pole.
Phyllis Burchett:Oh, I didn't know if it was like an
Phyllis Burchett:underground like No, whatever you
Cara Taylor Swift:Oh, okay. Yeah, totally thinking it was
Cara Taylor Swift:sinking down under
Kimberly Beer:Yeah, no, no, they have vision of that it's
Kimberly Beer:light poles. So it's put in by our Electric Co Op. So it's with
Kimberly Beer:our power. And so it's up above the lake, it's 574 feet from the
Kimberly Beer:pole across the lake to the pole in our yard. And they shimmy up
Kimberly Beer:the pole, they had to get a ladder across the lake, too. So
Kimberly Beer:it's been an adventure through this entire thing for the poor
Kimberly Beer:Electric Company. Because we don't have like a road that runs
Kimberly Beer:right up to our power poles. It's off of a really rural road
Kimberly Beer:and then it's through to people's property. So it's a
Kimberly Beer:challenge. The guy said, he goes, I'll tell you he goes
Kimberly Beer:you're not the most challenging we've had, but you're close.
Cara Taylor Swift:Well, I'm I just am happy that for us. That
Cara Taylor Swift:means that we're gonna be able to actually have like really
Cara Taylor Swift:good conversations with you instead of having to wait for
Cara Taylor Swift:the delay. I know for you to catch up. And Phyllis and I are
Cara Taylor Swift:always one step ahead. And now you're going to be caught up
Cara Taylor Swift:with us. So I noticed this so yay. Celebration Day is it's so
Cara Taylor Swift:exciting.
Phyllis Burchett:That was the only time that was ever one step
Phyllis Burchett:ahead of Kim,
Cara Taylor Swift:though. Yeah, you're screwed
Cara Taylor Swift:Well, anyway, what else have you guys been up to? Besides Kim
Cara Taylor Swift:getting high speed internet for the first time?
Phyllis Burchett:Oh, well, okay, I guess that was Kim's big
Phyllis Burchett:news. My big news.
Phyllis Burchett:I guess I'll talk about I've been home since from Iceland and
Phyllis Burchett:just trying to play catch up, but I won't go into the details
Phyllis Burchett:about everything I've been doing to play catch up, as we all know
Phyllis Burchett:about office work and stuff like that. But ah Gosh, I really
Phyllis Burchett:really had a great time over the Fourth of July weekend. I got to
Phyllis Burchett:go biking swimmin hanging out with friends and family a lot
Phyllis Burchett:had people over for cookout Oh, Tuesday so we had a really for a
Phyllis Burchett:really great four day weekend that I don't get to have very
Phyllis Burchett:often here at home. So that was that was a lot of fun. But I
Phyllis Burchett:think when this episode actually airs that we will all be in
Phyllis Burchett:Montana at the dry head with a really great group of
Phyllis Burchett:photographers. I'm excited about seeing everybody some of them I
Phyllis Burchett:know very well some of them not so well but I'm anxious to get
Phyllis Burchett:to know all these girls even better. So I think we're going
Phyllis Burchett:to have a great time personally. This ranch is one of my
Phyllis Burchett:favorites, the family the kids, the dogs, the horses the
Phyllis Burchett:scenery, they just you
Phyllis Burchett:No, they never disappoint. So from the dry head, I will go on
Phyllis Burchett:to the grand ranch north of Bozeman to spend a few days
Phyllis Burchett:photographing their new retreat center for their owner, Eartha
Phyllis Burchett:LAN, Alana sorry. artha is like Kim. She's also a certified
Phyllis Burchett:instructor with touch by horse. And it's a really cool ranch
Phyllis Burchett:because they use gypsy vanners For most of the ranch work, so
Phyllis Burchett:that'll be something a little different. And that's what I am.
Phyllis Burchett:And we'll be doing.
Cara Taylor Swift:Well, that's awesome. I'm excited to see you
Cara Taylor Swift:guys and dry head. I'm so ready for a trip. That's photography
Cara Taylor Swift:related, because I've done a bunch of family stuff over this
Cara Taylor Swift:summer. And I've been you know, you guys know, I've been
Cara Taylor Swift:coordinating camp. For my 10 year old and we've had a ton of
Cara Taylor Swift:family living in Florida, people come visit you a lot in the
Cara Taylor Swift:summertime. So we've had a lot of family. And they're all
Cara Taylor Swift:officially gone. So yeah, so I'm ready to get on the road and
Cara Taylor Swift:head to Montana and see you guys be able to do some work in
Cara Taylor Swift:person. And I'm working on my shot list of things that I want
Cara Taylor Swift:to focus on myself while I'm at dry hits. I'm pretty excited
Cara Taylor Swift:about that. Yeah, so other than that I had a viewing an ordering
Cara Taylor Swift:appointment this last week. So I'm designing a photo album and
Cara Taylor Swift:doing some last minute edits. I designed this really cute donkey
Cara Taylor Swift:picture for one of my clients bathrooms. So we took a picture
Cara Taylor Swift:of her donkey, and it's going to be a canvas in her bathroom. And
Cara Taylor Swift:it says hey there and then it says like nice Hee ha or
Cara Taylor Swift:something like that. And it's just super cute. I'll have to
Cara Taylor Swift:send it to you guys. It's adorable. So I'm really excited
Cara Taylor Swift:about that just doing fun things it feels like this week, and I'm
Cara Taylor Swift:finally getting caught up. So just in time to go to Montana
Cara Taylor Swift:and get behind again on everything. And then I'm already
Cara Taylor Swift:prepping for fall because that's when my season is going to start
Cara Taylor Swift:back up again. So I'm already doing all the kind of laying the
Cara Taylor Swift:foundation. So I'll be ready to get back from all the travel and
Cara Taylor Swift:start shooting fall and holiday sessions. So yeah, it's crazy.
Cara Taylor Swift:It's a crazy time.
Kimberly Beer:That's awesome. Phyllis, I want to say one thing
Kimberly Beer:about what you said about her that I love her that she is the
Kimberly Beer:most amazing woman and she has such an interesting story. She's
Kimberly Beer:got a book coming out. I don't know if you knew that.
Phyllis Burchett:So I'm on the cover of her book. Yeah, I mean,
Phyllis Burchett:I'm not. I'm not currently on the cover, but Oh, my pictures.
Phyllis Burchett:My pictures are on the cover.
Phyllis Burchett:Or her picture that I took.
Kimberly Beer:Yeah, one thing I wanted to mention, as you said
Kimberly Beer:she's a certified instructor or we both are we are not we are
Kimberly Beer:certified Gestalt insists we sign a contract saying we don't
Kimberly Beer:teach it. So I just thought oh, I want to clarify that. I guess
Kimberly Beer:when I say instructor I'm thinking that you're your
Kimberly Beer:therapy. I'm not a therapist, but yeah, work Gestalt this.
Kimberly Beer:Yeah, we're certified Gestalt this, but I didn't want anybody
Kimberly Beer:calling me saying can you teach me how to do that? Because I
Kimberly Beer:can't
Phyllis Burchett:I guess I never even think about you
Phyllis Burchett:teaching touch by horse. I think of you more being practitioner
Phyllis Burchett:post practitioner. Okay. Yes. So yep, that's exactly terminology.
Phyllis Burchett:I have been corrected. I'm behind and I'm corrected today.
Kimberly Beer:No worries. I just didn't want to get hurt
Kimberly Beer:with it. I in trouble. It's not you. It's us. So anyway, okay.
Kimberly Beer:So are we really what are we talking about today? It's kind
Kimberly Beer:of exciting. I'm excited to get started on our topic, because I
Kimberly Beer:love it.
Cara Taylor Swift:Well, before we get into the topic, can you
Cara Taylor Swift:let folks know just real quick what we've got because I don't
Cara Taylor Swift:want anyone to miss out.
Kimberly Beer:So in large red print in front of me is the
Kimberly Beer:thing that I need to do. Yep. And I got totally off track and
Kimberly Beer:Cara is like Kim, focus up women focus up, get it together.
Phyllis Burchett:Well, we went out of order if you want to, I'm
Phyllis Burchett:gonna give her some grace. We went out of order. It's in
Phyllis Burchett:bright red bold on the top of the page, just
Kimberly Beer:so you know, it's right in front of your face and
Kimberly Beer:a larger thought than everything else.
Phyllis Burchett:She got excited about the internet.
Kimberly Beer:There's no delay, so I don't have time to think
Kimberly Beer:about it.
Kimberly Beer:Okay, so if you would like to join the chaos and humor of what
Kimberly Beer:is cowgirls and cameras like is on this podcast. This is how
Kimberly Beer:much fun we have in our events. It is laughter It is joy. It is
Kimberly Beer:photography. It is art. It is so many amazing things that are
Kimberly Beer:available to you when you come to one of our events. And I want
Kimberly Beer:to tell you about three of our upcoming events this year that
Kimberly Beer:we still have some spaces for and the first one is our
Kimberly Beer:cottonwood event. And it's at the end of August in Nevada. And
Kimberly Beer:it's at a beautiful ranch called the cottonwood ranch guest ranch
Kimberly Beer:and the family there is amazing. They are very good models and
Kimberly Beer:incredible hands and it's got kids it's got a ton of dogs,
Kimberly Beer:lots of cows, lots of really cool horses and some really
Kimberly Beer:unique scenery.
Kimberly Beer:that you don't always see in workshop photos. So we would
Kimberly Beer:love to have you come there we have one coveted spot open for
Kimberly Beer:this event, and would dearly love to get that spot filled for
Kimberly Beer:the ranch and for us and for some lucky person who gets to
Kimberly Beer:come with us. So if you're interested in that the
Kimberly Beer:information is on our website at Cal gross with cameras.com. And
Kimberly Beer:you can fill out a little form there. This is an event where we
Kimberly Beer:do what we call an onboarding appointment with where we talk
Kimberly Beer:to you before you officially come to the event or officially
Kimberly Beer:sign up for the event. We are going to be assigning
Kimberly Beer:mentorships there's mentorships ahead of this event. We're going
Kimberly Beer:to be doing that in the next week. So we would love for you
Kimberly Beer:to join us and to get on board with cottonwood. Like I said,
Kimberly Beer:You won't regret it. If you're wanting to learn photography,
Kimberly Beer:take your photography to the next level. Or if you want to up
Kimberly Beer:your business game or get out of your own way creatively. This is
Kimberly Beer:the workshop to do it. If you want to add to your portfolio,
Kimberly Beer:this is the workshop to do it. So it's a great place to come
Kimberly Beer:reach out to us for that if you have questions you can get to
Kimberly Beer:any one of us on social media or through email or through the
Kimberly Beer:website. The other two events that we have, we have a unique
Kimberly Beer:experience coming up as a first time workshop in October in
Kimberly Beer:Colorado at the trappers Lake Lodge, a photographer that came
Kimberly Beer:to one of our workshops has helped us set this up. It is at
Kimberly Beer:her family's campground, which I have had the privilege to stay
Kimberly Beer:at Phyllis and Cara haven't seen the gorgeousness of this place,
Kimberly Beer:but it is in the true wilderness. And there's going to
Kimberly Beer:be opportunity to photograph in the wilderness as well as some
Kimberly Beer:ranches around the area. And if you want to talk about scenery,
Kimberly Beer:oh my word, this place is stunning. I mean, it literally
Kimberly Beer:takes your breath away. So it's beautiful. We have a couple of
Kimberly Beer:spots open for that workshop as well, that is not going to be
Kimberly Beer:highly educational workshop, you're going to come you're
Kimberly Beer:going to shoot we're going to have a lot of good laughter
Kimberly Beer:around fires and, and really enjoy ourselves in that
Kimberly Beer:particular event. And then in October following that event,
Kimberly Beer:Phyllis and I are going to be doing the workshop through art
Kimberly Beer:of the cowgirl in Oklahoma, it'll be at the Cross Bell ranch
Kimberly Beer:and Pawhuska I hope I say that right. I always second guess
Kimberly Beer:myself whether I say Pawhuska right or not. But it's good.
Kimberly Beer:PUSC, Oklahoma, which and we've we talked to another ranch that
Kimberly Beer:we're super excited about shooting at the family is there
Kimberly Beer:is amazing. And I know the place that we're staying at is
Kimberly Beer:amazing. So it's going to be a really interesting, beautiful
Kimberly Beer:experience, it will be a little more educational than a workshop
Kimberly Beer:or retreat kind of situation. So it's kind of more of a workshop
Kimberly Beer:or clinic. And again, if you're wanting to learn photography, or
Kimberly Beer:if you're wanting to branch out into doing more photography,
Kimberly Beer:build your business, all of the above, it would be a great place
Kimberly Beer:for you to come and I believe Phyllis, it's the second weekend
Kimberly Beer:in October, the 13th 1415. Somewhere in there 14 1517. Yes,
Kimberly Beer:the actual event is the 13th 14th and 15th We are
Kimberly Beer:checking in our group will check in the because lodging is
Kimberly Beer:included, we'll check in the 12th of October. So think about
Kimberly Beer:coming with us to a fun event and come Laugh with us and shoot
Kimberly Beer:with us and have fun and enjoy the All the Pretty Horses. I
Kimberly Beer:think that if you want to network, we're talking about
Kimberly Beer:networking today as a topic. So it's a perfect opportunity to
Kimberly Beer:network with other photographers. Beautiful segue
Kimberly Beer:care a beautiful thing I've been sitting here waiting to do.
Kimberly Beer:So networking, so this gets me on my soapbox a little bit,
Kimberly Beer:because I have been a professional business person
Kimberly Beer:entrepreneur for 30 years. And a lot of what I have done over
Kimberly Beer:those years is help small businesses, just like
Kimberly Beer:photographers, as a matter of fact, a whole bunch of
Kimberly Beer:photographers market their businesses out into the world.
Kimberly Beer:And one of the most common things that I hear people say is
Kimberly Beer:I just don't have enough business or I'm worried there
Kimberly Beer:isn't enough business for me to be able to have in this area or
Kimberly Beer:how do I get customers or I get those questions. And people get
Kimberly Beer:very frustrated with that. And they get frustrated with
Kimberly Beer:figuring out how to get clients. And then social media came along
Kimberly Beer:and everybody was like, Oh yeah, I can just post on social media
Kimberly Beer:and that will get me all the clients I need. And then they
Kimberly Beer:felt like failures when that didn't happen. So networking to
Kimberly Beer:me is way more than social media. It's what
Kimberly Beer:made more than putting a few posts out there. It is getting
Kimberly Beer:out and talking to people, it's boots on the ground. It's
Kimberly Beer:chatting about your business, it's telling people about your
Kimberly Beer:business, it's speaking about your business, it's becoming the
Kimberly Beer:biggest advocate for your business that is out there. And
Kimberly Beer:so because it's so important, and I do a lot of instructing
Kimberly Beer:for businesses, I have an entire workbook around creating your
Kimberly Beer:network. And for me, there are three parts to the network that
Kimberly Beer:you should create for your business, the first one is going
Kimberly Beer:to help sustain you. The second one is going to be with
Kimberly Beer:businesses that are complementary to yours, that are
Kimberly Beer:going to be your joint venture partners. And then the final
Kimberly Beer:network is with your customers and where they're at. And the
Kimberly Beer:structure of our episode today is that each of us are going to
Kimberly Beer:take that particular topic and get you a little bit more, get
Kimberly Beer:you some inspiration and education around what you need
Kimberly Beer:to do to build your network in each of those three areas.
Kimberly Beer:Because all three of those areas are very, very important as a
Kimberly Beer:solopreneur, which most photographers are sustainability
Kimberly Beer:is really, really important because it's hard. And I know
Kimberly Beer:Kara has talked about this, I believe Phyllis has as well. I
Kimberly Beer:know I have being a solopreneur is hard. Right, Kara? You talk
Kimberly Beer:about a lot. I always say I feel like I'm on my own little
Kimberly Beer:island. Yeah, because you spend so much time alone. And you
Kimberly Beer:know, when you're not with your clients, it's it is it's very
Kimberly Beer:lonely, and you kind of feel like you're writing your own
Kimberly Beer:playbook sometimes. And that does not have to be the case,
Kimberly Beer:you don't have to be alone in your single business ownership.
Kimberly Beer:No, you don't. And the very first part of your network, and
Kimberly Beer:probably some of the easiest part of your network to build is
Kimberly Beer:going to be building a group of people around you a support
Kimberly Beer:system, a sustainable system that I call your sustainability
Kimberly Beer:squad, and it's composed of some different people. And I'm gonna
Kimberly Beer:run those down really quickly. We have The Business Animal
Kimberly Beer:episode on this, I think. So we're going to refer you in the
Kimberly Beer:show notes of this episode to some of Cara and I's podcast
Kimberly Beer:episodes where we like super deep dive into a couple of the
Kimberly Beer:topics that we're sort of mentioning in this podcast, but
Kimberly Beer:I'm going to run over the members that you need to recruit
Kimberly Beer:for your sustainability squad, these are the people that are
Kimberly Beer:going to support you. And that support is absolutely critical
Kimberly Beer:in you being sustainable as a solopreneur and not feeling like
Kimberly Beer:you're out on an island, or that you don't have the answers or
Kimberly Beer:that you're not able to navigate this without support and help
Kimberly Beer:from other people. So the number one person, people group of
Kimberly Beer:people, you may have multiple people in these roles, or you
Kimberly Beer:may have one or two as your mentors. These are people who
Kimberly Beer:are usually paid, they help you understand very specifically
Kimberly Beer:about what you're trying to accomplish. They are the ones
Kimberly Beer:that have walked the path you're on themselves, and they're a
Kimberly Beer:representation of your future vision. In photography.
Kimberly Beer:Mentorship is such an important piece of learning photography,
Kimberly Beer:because there's only so much of this art and science that you
Kimberly Beer:can effectively get from a book or from a video course, having a
Kimberly Beer:mentor is one of the best ways to learn photography. It's one
Kimberly Beer:of the reasons why we offer it with our higher end workshops
Kimberly Beer:and experiences. And it's also why all three of us are mentors,
Kimberly Beer:you can find out about our own mentorship programs on our
Kimberly Beer:website. It's such a crucial part of photography. The next
Kimberly Beer:group that I'm going to talk about are teachers, those are
Kimberly Beer:people who give you a very, very specific skill. Again, they're
Kimberly Beer:usually people that are paid or where you're attending things in
Kimberly Beer:a classroom situation. I think all three of us step into that
Kimberly Beer:role during our events, where we're actually teaching and
Kimberly Beer:helping you hold a camera and figure out where everything is
Kimberly Beer:at. That's a very specific teaching piece. Teachers are
Kimberly Beer:different from mentors as mentors are where you want to
Kimberly Beer:go. Teachers have very specific knowledge they need to impart
Kimberly Beer:about us one area of what you're learning. It can't be the same
Kimberly Beer:person by the way. The next group is coaches. Coaches aren't
Kimberly Beer:necessarily in your same, like they don't need to be
Kimberly Beer:photographers. But what they do is they're the people who help
Kimberly Beer:you realize your potential. They're the ones that are going
Kimberly Beer:to push you hold you accountable. And I can tell you
Kimberly Beer:in my own business, I don't think I really reached success
Kimberly Beer:until I started working with coaches. Coaches are the people
Kimberly Beer:who will get
Kimberly Beer:The best out of you. They don't need to be other photographers
Kimberly Beer:they can be anybody in the coaching world can help you get
Kimberly Beer:what you want to get out of your life. Another set of people that
Kimberly Beer:you need to attract or go out and recruit are advisors. These
Kimberly Beer:are people like insurance agents, lawyers, accountants, IT
Kimberly Beer:professionals, bankers, financial advisors. And they're
Kimberly Beer:the people in your business and even in your creativity, who are
Kimberly Beer:going to be able to advise you about specific things that you
Kimberly Beer:don't want to learn every detail of. So I don't want to know
Kimberly Beer:everything about insurance. I have an insurance agent that I
Kimberly Beer:trust to be able to answer those questions. And then the final a
Kimberly Beer:wealth no of two more groups, one of the most important groups
Kimberly Beer:that you will recruit to advance your business is a sponsor. And
Kimberly Beer:that's the next group I want to talk about. Sponsors are the
Kimberly Beer:people who go out into the world and tell people about you. Now,
Kimberly Beer:here's the thing. We are cowgirls with cameras. And
Kimberly Beer:although I know there are men that listen to this podcast, I'm
Kimberly Beer:gonna guess that the mass majority of people who listen to
Kimberly Beer:us are women. And as women, culturally, we struggle with
Kimberly Beer:asking for sponsors, please, please, please get a coach to
Kimberly Beer:help you figure out how to recruit sponsors into your
Kimberly Beer:business. These are the people who are going to move you
Kimberly Beer:forward the fastest. They're the people who go out and tell their
Kimberly Beer:entire barn, how wonderful of a photographer you are, and get
Kimberly Beer:everybody signed up to be on your photography list at that
Kimberly Beer:barn. That's an example of how a sponsor would work. There are
Kimberly Beer:amazing people there. Oftentimes, they do it just out
Kimberly Beer:of the goodness of their heart, or because they want to see you
Kimberly Beer:be successful. And it's really important that you reward these
Kimberly Beer:people with a lot of thank yous and appreciations. Because
Kimberly Beer:they're really an important part of your growth and expansion in
Kimberly Beer:your business. And then the final group of people that you
Kimberly Beer:need to recruit are your cheerleaders. Those are people
Kimberly Beer:who are going to tell you on those days when things look like
Kimberly Beer:they're going to hell in a handbasket that it's going to be
Kimberly Beer:okay, that you can do this. They're there to celebrate your
Kimberly Beer:wins when you have a really good day, or they're there to
Kimberly Beer:celebrate and clap when you show them that photo that you did,
Kimberly Beer:and you're gonna go hang in a person's house that you're so
Kimberly Beer:excited about. They're just an amazing group of people. And
Kimberly Beer:they don't need to have anything to do with your photography. But
Kimberly Beer:at times, they're your friends and family. But it's important
Kimberly Beer:that you recognize them, and that you actively seek out that
Kimberly Beer:process for the rah rah rah. So what do you guys think of all of
Kimberly Beer:that? I know curious heard it before, but I don't know Phyllis
Kimberly Beer:has heard my whole spiel about sustainability squads. In terms
Kimberly Beer:of networking, which of those people in your squad do you
Kimberly Beer:think are the most essential to have in your corner? I think
Kimberly Beer:your sponsors for business building and your mentors for
Kimberly Beer:personal growth. I think that those two categories in this are
Kimberly Beer:so so very important for me sponsors are who have
Kimberly Beer:leapfrogged my career forward, I mean, they're like rocket fuel.
Kimberly Beer:Let me give you an example. I had a client that years and
Kimberly Beer:years and years ago, I did photographs for her one time,
Kimberly Beer:and she hired me to do just that photography shoot. But when she
Kimberly Beer:saw my work, she was so excited about what I had done that she
Kimberly Beer:contacted, like 12 or 15 other people and set up photo shoots
Kimberly Beer:for me, she talked to me, by the way, she didn't do this without
Kimberly Beer:my complete input in it. She asked me, she said, I have these
Kimberly Beer:friends. They all live in a row on the East Coast, I would love
Kimberly Beer:to have you work with all of them. I'd like to make these
Kimberly Beer:introductions and tell them about you because I think you're
Kimberly Beer:very talented. And I would love to see your work more out into
Kimberly Beer:the world. It was right at the beginning of my photography
Kimberly Beer:career. And I was able to work at some really nice barns that I
Kimberly Beer:probably would not have gotten into otherwise. And I would have
Kimberly Beer:never met the people. They weren't within my personal reach
Kimberly Beer:of a network. And it did it leapfrogged my entire world
Kimberly Beer:forward, especially in the market that that was in. So I
Kimberly Beer:think sponsors are incredibly important. And I think mentors
Kimberly Beer:are the people who, like I said, they've walked the path before
Kimberly Beer:you so they're able to help you navigate where you want to step
Kimberly Beer:and also to give you a good map to where the landmines are, that
Kimberly Beer:might derail you
Kimberly Beer:You. Awesome. Well, thank you for that. And Kim, are you going
Kimberly Beer:to you have a workbook around this that I have seen and played
Kimberly Beer:with? I do and also and what you're talking about? Yeah. Are
Kimberly Beer:you planning on making that available at some point?
Kimberly Beer:Absolutely. Okay, awesome. So we'll make sure we can share
Kimberly Beer:that we are, and I'll tell you what we're gonna put it in our
Kimberly Beer:Lincoln bio, we're gonna put the link on our Facebook account,
Kimberly Beer:but we're gonna put the link in bio on Instagram. So if you go
Kimberly Beer:to our, I'm hoping you go to our social media. While you're
Kimberly Beer:there, make sure you like and follow and maybe hand us a few
Kimberly Beer:comments. Yeah, there'll be available. And it gives you step
Kimberly Beer:by step where you might find these folks how you work with
Kimberly Beer:them, and gives you an opportunity to work through how
Kimberly Beer:to build out this part. And also the part of your network that
Kimberly Beer:Kara is going to talk about, which is your joint venture
Kimberly Beer:squad. So the joint venture people are incredibly important.
Kimberly Beer:That's another, another group that is definitely added to my
Kimberly Beer:bottom line. So that's what I'm going to talk about. Go ahead,
Kimberly Beer:fellas, I was just going to ask, is that going to be a freebie
Kimberly Beer:cam? Or is that? Yeah, it's free. Okay, awesome. That's
Kimberly Beer:wonderful. Thanks for doing that. pretty helpful. I used it
Kimberly Beer:originally to I sat down and went through the whole thing.
Kimberly Beer:And it was like, Who are my people? I don't know. And then,
Kimberly Beer:and kind of thinking about what role they play in my life as a
Kimberly Beer:business owner. So it was kind of neat, and it kind of showed
Kimberly Beer:me where I was pretty strong. And Where I was weak, where I
Kimberly Beer:could maybe do a little more networking work and building and
Kimberly Beer:pulling people in. So it was a cool experience. That's
Kimberly Beer:something I've never really I mean, I know I have a network.
Kimberly Beer:Yeah. But I don't specifically think about it like you guys.
Kimberly Beer:Do. You know what I'm saying? Right? Well, and I never did
Kimberly Beer:either. And so we had this conversation when we talked
Kimberly Beer:about sustainability squat on The Business Animal podcast, and
Kimberly Beer:as far as what I call sponsors, are my past clients. They're all
Kimberly Beer:my sponsors, because that's how I got most of my referrals was
Kimberly Beer:from past clients. And I guess I consider that a sponsor. I don't
Kimberly Beer:know if that's right or not, but it is it is to an extent, but I
Kimberly Beer:would say you have other sponsors, I would say both Kara,
Kimberly Beer:and I sponsor you. I know that all three of us sponsor each
Kimberly Beer:other. I think if you ran into somebody on the road that you
Kimberly Beer:thought would be a good fit for me, you would sponsor me. And I
Kimberly Beer:know if I found somebody that wanted something specific that I
Kimberly Beer:thought either you or Cara could fulfill, I would definitely
Kimberly Beer:sponsor you to them. Sponsors are the people who like you meet
Kimberly Beer:them at the photography clubs, that say, you know, I bet your
Kimberly Beer:work would look beautiful in this gallery. Let me go talk to
Kimberly Beer:them. And here's the thing, when I talk about women struggling
Kimberly Beer:with sponsors, here's the thing when people say that, like, Wow,
Kimberly Beer:you're really talented, I think your work would look beautiful
Kimberly Beer:at this gallery that I go to. The point is, is not to go Oh,
Kimberly Beer:that's nice. The point is to say, thank you for that. I
Kimberly Beer:really appreciate it. Could you introduce me to the gallery
Kimberly Beer:owner? Or do you think you could and this is the terms that, you
Kimberly Beer:know, put in a good word for me for being able to do that, you
Kimberly Beer:know, tell people who I am. It really is years ago, I had this
Kimberly Beer:boyfriend who's like, it's all about who you know. And I always
Kimberly Beer:thought he was full of something. But, you know, in
Kimberly Beer:actuality, that was one thing that he said that was right.
Kimberly Beer:It really is a lot about who you know. And that's where those
Kimberly Beer:sponsors come in. And it can just move your business and you
Kimberly Beer:light years forward in where you're going, when somebody
Kimberly Beer:walks in and says, Oh, you need to work with this person, or I
Kimberly Beer:know this individual, and they would be a great asset for your
Kimberly Beer:gallery for your barn for your business. Whatever it happens to
Kimberly Beer:be, it really does make a huge difference. When you walk in,
Kimberly Beer:you are ready are liked and appreciated and are seen in a
Kimberly Beer:totally different light than somebody who would be a stranger
Kimberly Beer:that walked in off the street. So ask for sponsorship guys,
Kimberly Beer:that's the bottom line to it. When people show an indication
Kimberly Beer:of wanting to sponsor you are wanting to talk about you bend
Kimberly Beer:over backwards to encourage that and give gratitude for it. Give
Kimberly Beer:them everything that they need to be able to go out into the
Kimberly Beer:world and tell people about you. Yeah, we really do have to
Kimberly Beer:sometimes to do a better job of like, reinforcing that. I had a
Kimberly Beer:time recently where one of my clients we hung artwork in her
Kimberly Beer:home and she's like, Oh my god, I love this so much. I want to
Kimberly Beer:have a little party and have my equestrian friends over and do a
Kimberly Beer:sip and see but do it for my artwork on my walls. And I would
Kimberly Beer:love to have you come and I was like, Oh my gosh, what a fun
Kimberly Beer:idea. But I never like I didn't follow up with it. Because that
Kimberly Beer:would have been a really great opportunity for me to say hey,
Kimberly Beer:were you serious about that? I think that would be a lot of
Kimberly Beer:fun. I would really love to
Cara Taylor Swift:help you put that together and be a part of
Cara Taylor Swift:that. Because for me as a business owner that would have
Cara Taylor Swift:been putting me right in front of well, it's not too late. It's
Cara Taylor Swift:not too late Kara. Yeah, I know. It's not too late. I just it's
Cara Taylor Swift:like it's a courage thing. Sometimes saying like, women
Cara Taylor Swift:sometimes aren't the best at stepping into those
Cara Taylor Swift:opportunities, boldly and bravely and making it happen for
Cara Taylor Swift:ourselves. It is, yeah, it's a struggle, we tend to kind of
Cara Taylor Swift:wait and see if it'll just happen for us. So yeah, that's
Cara Taylor Swift:such a good point. Yep. So I'm going to talk about another part
Cara Taylor Swift:of networking called joint ventures. And I love this part
Cara Taylor Swift:of networking. And for me personally, the time and effort
Cara Taylor Swift:that I've put into establishing joint ventures with other like
Cara Taylor Swift:like minded business owners has been probably the fastest way
Cara Taylor Swift:that I scaled my photography business early on, just to give
Cara Taylor Swift:kind of a definition, joint venture collaborations can allow
Cara Taylor Swift:photographers entrance into new markets, and they put you in
Cara Taylor Swift:front of new potential customers, they also give you
Cara Taylor Swift:potentially access to specialized staff, unique
Cara Taylor Swift:equipment, and they create an opportunity for problem solving,
Cara Taylor Swift:that can really go beyond what you can even think possible. So
Cara Taylor Swift:I've got some examples here, which I'm going to go over in a
Cara Taylor Swift:second. But I just want to say that, in my experience, joint
Cara Taylor Swift:ventures have provided an opportunity for cross promotion,
Cara Taylor Swift:that has brought me so much value, and has brought new
Cara Taylor Swift:clients and has just really added value to even the clients
Cara Taylor Swift:that I already have. So there's just some really cool things
Cara Taylor Swift:that you can do there. I feel like that my experience with
Cara Taylor Swift:joint ventures has given me new knowledge. They can help you if
Cara Taylor Swift:you've got staff, or you're working with people, they can
Cara Taylor Swift:help you across train staff, that technology piece can't be
Cara Taylor Swift:understated because I've done joint ventures where maybe I
Cara Taylor Swift:didn't have access to certain gear, or certain equipment or
Cara Taylor Swift:certain spaces. And by teaming up with other business owners, I
Cara Taylor Swift:was able to gain access to that space because they had access to
Cara Taylor Swift:that space. And the problem solving side of joint ventures
Cara Taylor Swift:is something that as a solopreneur, sometimes you get
Cara Taylor Swift:you know, I say you're on your island, you're on your island.
Cara Taylor Swift:But having the problem solving piece of that and being able to
Cara Taylor Swift:have another like minded business owner, maybe not a
Cara Taylor Swift:photographer, maybe it's somebody that does something
Cara Taylor Swift:totally different. But is in your you know, for me, it would
Cara Taylor Swift:be the equestrian well, maybe they're in the equestrian world,
Cara Taylor Swift:and they know something about horses that I don't know. And we
Cara Taylor Swift:can go back and forth and work together to problem solve.
Cara Taylor Swift:That's been huge. So the big key about this is that you've got to
Cara Taylor Swift:be strategic. So you've got to really think about who you want
Cara Taylor Swift:to and who you need to form a joint venture with. I think
Cara Taylor Swift:about looking for businesses that complement what I do. So
Cara Taylor Swift:businesses that complement my photography, business and
Cara Taylor Swift:businesses that align with my brand and to some extent, how I
Cara Taylor Swift:view the world and how I navigate my client experiences.
Cara Taylor Swift:So I'm going to look for other businesses that maybe are in the
Cara Taylor Swift:equine industry, or in a closely relatable industry. But there
Cara Taylor Swift:are people that I feel I can build a good relationship and
Cara Taylor Swift:that people that when I look at them as business owners, I
Cara Taylor Swift:respect the work that they're doing, I value the work that
Cara Taylor Swift:they're doing. And they're not something that's going to make
Cara Taylor Swift:my brand look bad, if that makes sense. So I like the way they
Cara Taylor Swift:work their businesses, I respect the way they run their
Cara Taylor Swift:businesses. And I feel like that meshes and lines up well with
Cara Taylor Swift:mine. So here are some examples of joint ventures that I have
Cara Taylor Swift:seen other photographers do, and I'm going to share them with
Cara Taylor Swift:you. And also, there's a couple here that I've done personally
Cara Taylor Swift:that I want to share. The first one is a horse photographer that
Cara Taylor Swift:joins up with an Equestrian Club to photograph events. So for me
Cara Taylor Swift:early on in my photography, business, we have a horse
Cara Taylor Swift:Council, I become a member of the horse Council, and I
Cara Taylor Swift:sponsored an event really early on, so I photographed the event.
Cara Taylor Swift:And as part of that relationship. As the
Cara Taylor Swift:photographer, I provided images that them for marketing. But the
Cara Taylor Swift:council then put my information on their website, a direct link
Cara Taylor Swift:to my website. They put me as a sponsor for the council, so that
Cara Taylor Swift:when horse people that were new to the community or in the
Cara Taylor Swift:community looking for equestrian businesses that were trusted by
Cara Taylor Swift:the community by the council, they would see me listed there
Cara Taylor Swift:as the photographer of choice. And that was a really good
Cara Taylor Swift:mutual way that we were helping each other out. And it brought
Cara Taylor Swift:me early on a bunch of business and it brought me a ton of new
Cara Taylor Swift:relationships.
Cara Taylor Swift:So within my local community, another joint venture that I
Cara Taylor Swift:formed at one point that I really enjoyed was I joined up
Cara Taylor Swift:with a local fashion boutique. So this was a place downtown.
Cara Taylor Swift:They are not horse people. They're not selling the
Cara Taylor Swift:equestrian community. But I had needed access to beautiful
Cara Taylor Swift:clothing and wardrobe for my clients. And I wanted to have
Cara Taylor Swift:some options there. So I reached out and I suggested, how about
Cara Taylor Swift:we join up and you style models, and I will photograph them. So
Cara Taylor Swift:it's a win win for both of us. My clients look great, they've
Cara Taylor Swift:got great clothes, and then she's getting people in her
Cara Taylor Swift:clothes. I can help provide you with images, you're providing
Cara Taylor Swift:the clothing and the styling. And that was a really great way
Cara Taylor Swift:that we came together. It saved us both money we both were in
Cara Taylor Swift:vested financially together. And we had a contract between the
Cara Taylor Swift:two of us to do a certain number of shoots and it went really,
Cara Taylor Swift:really well. The third one I want to share is another one
Cara Taylor Swift:that I have done personally and it's still a joint venture that
Cara Taylor Swift:I have today, where I joined with a hair and makeup artist,
Cara Taylor Swift:Kara with onsite news, Phyllis and Kim, I know you guys have
Cara Taylor Swift:met Kira, and she provides hair and makeup to equestrian clients
Cara Taylor Swift:that I work with. And she also refers her clients to me for
Cara Taylor Swift:horse photography, but I refer anyone that I come in contact
Cara Taylor Swift:with it needs hair and makeup to her. And that's been really
Cara Taylor Swift:beneficial for her because she has had a lot of my clients that
Cara Taylor Swift:I've worked with work with her for our equestrian shoots, but
Cara Taylor Swift:then also go back to her for their wedding and go back to her
Cara Taylor Swift:when they do family portraits and they need other hair and
Cara Taylor Swift:makeup needs met. But for me, she has come out and she's done
Cara Taylor Swift:a really great job. She offers a discount package to my clients
Cara Taylor Swift:that's included with their portrait session. And she's also
Cara Taylor Swift:done hair and makeup for our horses on the beach workshop at
Cara Taylor Swift:a discounted rate so that our models are really beautifully
Cara Taylor Swift:styled for some of those shoots. And then a couple other examples
Cara Taylor Swift:of photographers in joint ventures wedding photographers,
Cara Taylor Swift:so those of you that are listening that do some weddings,
Cara Taylor Swift:joining up with wedding planners to offer packages to engaged
Cara Taylor Swift:couples who are planning a wedding, the photographer can
Cara Taylor Swift:provide like a customized package. And then in return, the
Cara Taylor Swift:wedding planner refers clients to the photographer. And then I
Cara Taylor Swift:think those are the ones that I have here. Do you guys have any
Cara Taylor Swift:other examples of joint ventures in the photography world that
Cara Taylor Swift:you really have enjoyed? Yeah, our joint ventures
Kimberly Beer:as well are like, like in the beginning, I teamed
Kimberly Beer:up with you Kara to do the horses on the beach workshop.
Kimberly Beer:Yep. Kim, I teamed up with you to do the winter workshop. I
Kimberly Beer:mean, then that just one thing led to another and then here we
Kimberly Beer:are. Yeah, I have a great team up with equine photographers
Kimberly Beer:network for powder horn with Carien Schippers. We do a
Kimberly Beer:retreat or two out there every year. And we do joint ventures
Kimberly Beer:with branches too. I know Korean teams, like the worst strife
Kimberly Beer:people and stuff like that endless opportunity. Yeah, that
Kimberly Beer:I dabble in, in my world. A photography is one of the best
Kimberly Beer:ones for joint ventures. And you can think outside the box.
Kimberly Beer:Right. So I'm going to give you an example of the photographer
Kimberly Beer:that I think that outside of the box for a joint venture. So I
Kimberly Beer:belong to a group of people called the wellness consortium
Kimberly Beer:in Kansas City. And it's a bunch of wellness practitioners who've
Kimberly Beer:gotten together have meetings were led by a wonderful woman
Kimberly Beer:named Michelle Robin, who has a great vision for all of this.
Kimberly Beer:But there's a photographer who identified an opportunity. And I
Kimberly Beer:think this kind of crosses over into what Phyllis is going to
Kimberly Beer:talk about here in a moment about networking with your
Kimberly Beer:customers, right. She wanted to work with people in the wellness
Kimberly Beer:space. So she started inserting herself into all of these
Kimberly Beer:meetings. But now she got a joint venture project with the
Kimberly Beer:actual consortium itself and did headshots at several of the
Kimberly Beer:meetings. And she's been doing all of my photography, like my
Kimberly Beer:photography for my business, he kind of stuff and she's just an
Kimberly Beer:amazing little photographer. Her name is Corey Brown, and she's
Kimberly Beer:gotten a ton of interest. And then the joint venture just
Kimberly Beer:boosted her right on up. She got to meet a whole bunch of new
Kimberly Beer:customers. And it was just a big deal. So joint ventures are so
Kimberly Beer:much fun. And I gotta tell you, I am feel gifted and always in
Kimberly Beer:gratitude of this joint venture that the three of us do together
Kimberly Beer:so I don't know where my life would be without it so they can
Kimberly Beer:be very important to you. That seems a little extreme. How was
Kimberly Beer:that much.
Phyllis Burchett:Her life wouldn't be nearly as enriched
Phyllis Burchett:and full without us. Probably less stressful though.
Kimberly Beer:I'm thinking you guys would have less stressful
Kimberly Beer:life without me in it. That to
Unknown:me
Kimberly Beer:I think I'm the one that always causes the
Kimberly Beer:stress.
Phyllis Burchett:Not so much I do enough of that on my own, I
Phyllis Burchett:don't need somebody else to, to create it for me.
Phyllis Burchett:So all the things we've talked about up to this point, really
Phyllis Burchett:have been about you going out and working with like other
Phyllis Burchett:businesses or very specific people, it's finding your
Phyllis Burchett:customers through somebody's illness, I think you're gonna
Phyllis Burchett:help us understand how to just go directly to the customers,
Phyllis Burchett:right? Well, it depends on what your market is, too. I think
Phyllis Burchett:going where your customers are, and positioning yourself as an
Phyllis Burchett:expert is greatly beneficial. No matter what kind of photographer
Phyllis Burchett:you are, I know years ago, when I was going to just starting my
Phyllis Burchett:professional career, actually, I guess I was more of an advanced
Phyllis Burchett:photographer at that point, I joined a site called Better
Phyllis Burchett:photo.com. And it was a contest website where you upload your
Phyllis Burchett:images and you put them into the theme for the you know, whatever
Phyllis Burchett:theme it might be for that month, and they have a contest
Phyllis Burchett:every month, they had, each theme had a first place. And
Phyllis Burchett:then they had the overall winner and that kind of thing. And I
Phyllis Burchett:tell you what, by joining in and being active on this site, I got
Phyllis Burchett:so many great connections that turned out to be so useful to me
Phyllis Burchett:to this very day, I even got a big gallery showing and Ohio
Phyllis Burchett:from ban on better photo, I got numerous jobs from being on
Phyllis Burchett:better photo and form so many friendships that I went and shot
Phyllis Burchett:with and learn from. And all these are networking and making
Phyllis Burchett:connections. And I think that's beneficial is to entering Beto
Phyllis Burchett:contest is a great way to get your work seen. But not only to
Phyllis Burchett:get your work seen, but to be seen as an artist and to form
Phyllis Burchett:more connections that way as well. And I know at first it can
Phyllis Burchett:be scary. But just jump out there and start doing it and
Phyllis Burchett:you'll get better. And the more you'll learn to I really think
Phyllis Burchett:that entering photo contests because sometimes they do
Phyllis Burchett:critiques or they may tell you different things about what they
Phyllis Burchett:did or didn't like about your work. And that's very helpful. I
Phyllis Burchett:think constructive criticism is hugely important to us to grow
Phyllis Burchett:as photographers and artists, I think find relevant networking
Phyllis Burchett:events and workshops, workshops, or retreats or tours to do like
Phyllis Burchett:what we have whether you join in with cowgirls with cameras or go
Phyllis Burchett:to another workshop. That's a huge part of networking. I know
Phyllis Burchett:it was for me at first because professionally, they used to
Phyllis Burchett:call me the workshop clean because I went to so many. But
Phyllis Burchett:it gave me a great opportunity to meet people to photograph
Phyllis Burchett:things I wouldn't have otherwise gotten to see and to meet and to
Phyllis Burchett:learn. So I think that's something that we even now in
Phyllis Burchett:this point in my career, I still go to other people's events, to
Phyllis Burchett:do things and see things that I would not have been able to do
Phyllis Burchett:otherwise, I think you can meet a lot of people through them.
Phyllis Burchett:And then follow up on these connections too. I think you'll
Phyllis Burchett:make lifelong friends and huge networking part of my business
Phyllis Burchett:has been workshops, treat every conversation you have with these
Phyllis Burchett:people as an opportunity to allow people to see the person
Phyllis Burchett:behind the camera. I think that's really important,
Phyllis Burchett:especially with the day of social media and everything, and
Phyllis Burchett:be a really good listener. I think don't always just talk
Phyllis Burchett:about yourself, you know, listen to the person you're engaging
Phyllis Burchett:with and be as interested as you are interesting. Join local
Phyllis Burchett:camera clubs. I think that's another one that's really good,
Phyllis Burchett:too. I used to be a member of a couple of big ones here in
Phyllis Burchett:Georgia, I've kind of fell apart or fell away from those because
Phyllis Burchett:they were just too far away from me. But there's also a great
Phyllis Burchett:site called meetup.com. Where you can you can find photography
Phyllis Burchett:events that are local to you. That might be more specific to
Phyllis Burchett:what the type of photography you enjoy. Whether it be landscape
Phyllis Burchett:or macro or equine photography. I think that's a great site.
Phyllis Burchett:It's called meetup.com meetup.com. I'm gonna
Phyllis Burchett:check it out. I haven't I haven't heard of that one.
Phyllis Burchett:Sounds like a dating site. Sounds like something you single
Phyllis Burchett:ladies would be. Yeah, you've heard of it. Haven't you? Cam?
Phyllis Burchett:Yeah, yeah, is hanging out a
Phyllis Burchett:pretty big here in Georgia. I don't know about in your states,
Phyllis Burchett:but it's big here in Georgia. I've generated many connections
Phyllis Burchett:by speaking at local photography clubs, not just local. I've done
Phyllis Burchett:one a couple in North Carolina and South Carolina as well. I'm
Phyllis Burchett:also a member of a local artists Gallery, which is a great
Phyllis Burchett:network locally, I think is great to have a good online
Phyllis Burchett:presence too. But I don't mean just just social media. You need
Phyllis Burchett:to have your own personal, professional website and
Phyllis Burchett:showcase your very best work and the services you offer. And ways
Phyllis Burchett:for people to contact you of course, be sure to include links
Phyllis Burchett:to your social media accounts where they can follow your day
Phyllis Burchett:to day work or your recent projects. Social media has been
Phyllis Burchett:a highly beneficial aspect to networking in my business. I
Phyllis Burchett:don't think I'd be where I am. If it wasn't for Facebook and
Phyllis Burchett:Instagram. I mean, maybe I would I just would have had to work a
Phyllis Burchett:lot harder. Don't forget to connect and engage with these
Phyllis Burchett:people that are your followers as well. It's really important
Phyllis Burchett:aspect of networking is don't just don't just put your work up
Phyllis Burchett:there and then when somebody comments, ignore them, go in and
Phyllis Burchett:tell them thank you or follow
Cara Taylor Swift:Follow them and go and look at their work
Cara Taylor Swift:and see what they're shooting or even if it's not, it may not
Cara Taylor Swift:even be another photographer, it may just be, it may be a
Cara Taylor Swift:potential client, a portrait client or a ranch or something
Cara Taylor Swift:that you want to go shoot at. So you never know where this is
Cara Taylor Swift:going to lead. I think it's really important to be a member
Cara Taylor Swift:of and to be active in photography organizations, such
Cara Taylor Swift:as professional photographers of America, equine,
Cara Taylor Swift:photographers.net, Cowger, artists of America, I'm sure
Cara Taylor Swift:there's others too. These are just some of the highlights. I'm
Cara Taylor Swift:thinking of cowgirls with cameras, it's important to be a
Cara Taylor Swift:member of all of these organizations. And don't
Cara Taylor Swift:overlook the importance of connecting with other
Cara Taylor Swift:photographers don't look at them as your competition. Yeah,
Cara Taylor Swift:collaboration, partnerships, and referrals are all important
Cara Taylor Swift:perks of these friendships. I think that's about all I have to
Cara Taylor Swift:say. I think that is huge. That piece about other photographers
Cara Taylor Swift:like we can have a tendency to think of other photographers, of
Cara Taylor Swift:course, if they're in your local area, or they're serving your
Cara Taylor Swift:demographic, there's a level of competition there. But I can't
Cara Taylor Swift:tell you as a photographer, how many times I have sent clients
Cara Taylor Swift:that have contacted me down the road to other people, because
Cara Taylor Swift:they're just not a good fit for my business. And I think we can
Cara Taylor Swift:recognize that a lot of us offer very different things. I mean,
Cara Taylor Swift:the three of us alone, were equally photographers, but we do
Cara Taylor Swift:something totally different. You know, in our businesses, yeah,
Cara Taylor Swift:I've had people out of state that contact me for a job, and
Cara Taylor Swift:yeah, it's just gonna cost way too much money for them by the
Cara Taylor Swift:time they pay for my travel. And I would refer them to another
Cara Taylor Swift:photographer. So please don't overlook these connections. And
Cara Taylor Swift:because they could do the same for you one day, yep. You know,
Cara Taylor Swift:like, I don't have a lot of desire to be a traveling
Cara Taylor Swift:equestrian portrait photographer, like I've got a
Cara Taylor Swift:family and I've got my own kid that I'm taking, you know what I
Cara Taylor Swift:mean? Like I have a son that I need to be home more. So for me,
Cara Taylor Swift:I get requests from out of state all the time, because I have a
Cara Taylor Swift:nationwide audience. And they don't always realize that I'm
Cara Taylor Swift:not a traveling, equestrian photographer. So what will
Cara Taylor Swift:happen for me is that piece about the equine photographers
Cara Taylor Swift:network, for example, you know, being a member and getting on
Cara Taylor Swift:there and being active, I will go when I get those requests, I
Cara Taylor Swift:will go on to Eb net, search the area, find them a couple
Cara Taylor Swift:photographers, send them the information, shoot those
Cara Taylor Swift:photographers, and notice, hey, heads up, just referred some in
Cara Taylor Swift:your way, hope they're a good fit for you. That can happen to
Cara Taylor Swift:you, too. You know, as you know, listener out there that can
Cara Taylor Swift:happen to you, too, if you're open to the fact that you can
Cara Taylor Swift:still network and collaborate and joint venture with other
Cara Taylor Swift:photographers don't view them necessarily as your competition
Cara Taylor Swift:that you always have to be out there being better than them all
Cara Taylor Swift:the time. Yes. Okay. Is there anything else you guys want to
Cara Taylor Swift:add? I think I just jumped on my little soapbox can rehearse, and
Cara Taylor Swift:I jumped on mine. It's sort of fun to be on the soapbox, admit.
Kimberly Beer:The only other thing I have to just reiterate
Kimberly Beer:that I know we've already mentioned is that if you're
Kimberly Beer:building your business, all of this is so important, it
Kimberly Beer:sustains you. It helps you network with other businesses
Kimberly Beer:and other like minded people, and also just really get
Kimberly Beer:involved in going where your customers hang out. I mean,
Kimberly Beer:wherever they are, you need to be showing up talking about your
Kimberly Beer:business. And there's dedicate time to this. Oh, I have one
Kimberly Beer:other thing I want to mention for our poor introverts who are
Kimberly Beer:like, No, I don't want to network. It's scary and
Kimberly Beer:horrible. So please be kind to yourself. Take a moment and say,
Kimberly Beer:I'm gonna go to this event, I'm going to meet five people, and
Kimberly Beer:then I'm gonna go home and read a book under my covers for two
Kimberly Beer:days, you're fine. Take care of your introvert. Another really
Kimberly Beer:good thing that you can do is find an extrovert buddy, who can
Kimberly Beer:go start the conversations for you. That's always a good idea
Kimberly Beer:for introverts. But you can do this and rah rah rah, if you
Kimberly Beer:believe you can't do it. Our dear Kara, here is a big
Kimberly Beer:introvert. And she does this and does it very effectively. But
Kimberly Beer:she also has a good self care plan to come home and make sure
Kimberly Beer:her introvert is well cared for. So don't let it scare you for
Kimberly Beer:myself. Yeah. And that's how I set a goal if I have an event
Kimberly Beer:that I have to go to, and I say have to because I never want to
Kimberly Beer:go to events like I'm never like, Yay, that sounds like fun.
Kimberly Beer:Never like I don't, I do not enjoy going to networking events
Kimberly Beer:at all. So if you're listening to either care at all, but I
Kimberly Beer:understand how important they are. So if I'm invited to one, I
Kimberly Beer:first of all, don't just say no, because the first thing that
Kimberly Beer:pops into my head is Oh, I'm so sorry. I can't make that. I have
Kimberly Beer:another response. And it's usually something like Oh my
Kimberly Beer:gosh, please give me some more information. That is the first
Kimberly Beer:step that I'm not saying no. And then I give myself time to think
Kimberly Beer:about it. I get the information. And then if I decide I'm going
Kimberly Beer:to go I set a plan. You're going to stay for 30 minutes checkbox
Kimberly Beer:one. Maybe I'll stay
Cara Taylor Swift:Longer if I do great, that's a when I'm
Cara Taylor Swift:going to talk to X number of people I don't know, because I
Cara Taylor Swift:will walk around with the two people that I know the entire
Cara Taylor Swift:time and not meet new people. I'm horrible about meeting new
Cara Taylor Swift:people. So I will make it a goal to maybe meet five new people.
Cara Taylor Swift:And even if it's just say hello, and to just briefly chat with
Cara Taylor Swift:them. That's my goal. And I have found that if I push myself with
Cara Taylor Swift:a limit that I don't have to go beyond if I don't want to, I
Cara Taylor Swift:have had some amazing conversations and made
Cara Taylor Swift:connections that I would never have made before. So if you're
Cara Taylor Swift:an introvert like me, try that and see how that feels for you
Cara Taylor Swift:set yourself some little goals. If you go above and beyond, you
Cara Taylor Swift:can be super proud of yourself. If you hit your goal, you still
Cara Taylor Swift:get to go home, curl up in your blankets and disappear and go in
Cara Taylor Swift:your little introvert world and recover. But you still did a
Cara Taylor Swift:good job. So that would be my little piece of that. Yes. And
Cara Taylor Swift:I'm the twisted one of the three of us that can't wait to go to
Cara Taylor Swift:the party. I'm thinking of the art of the cowgirl thing a
Cara Taylor Swift:couple of years ago, they have a big smoothie party at the end of
Cara Taylor Swift:the day. And through that.
Cara Taylor Swift:That's funny that you bring it up because I was just thinking
Cara Taylor Swift:about that too. Is that how we would go and sit at our little
Cara Taylor Swift:table and cams wandering around? Like yeah, and I'm like, That's
Cara Taylor Swift:a good one. I need to make it a point to try to talk to five
Cara Taylor Swift:people before I go crawl in the hive. It could be two people it
Cara Taylor Swift:just whatever. And then meet them and then make it a point to
Cara Taylor Swift:ask them questions to learn what they do. And it's like you said
Cara Taylor Swift:Phyllis, you treat every conversation like it could be a
Cara Taylor Swift:potential connection or client down the line and, and if you
Cara Taylor Swift:can handle those conversations that way, like what you learn
Cara Taylor Swift:about people and how they're connected to other people. It's
Cara Taylor Swift:been so valuable, but I as an introvert have to make myself do
Cara Taylor Swift:those things. So I have to set some rules to get myself to do
Cara Taylor Swift:those things. I'm going to be better at art of the cowgirl
Cara Taylor Swift:this year. Yeah, the extrovert friend goes and blows through
Cara Taylor Swift:all the rules and says we need to stay here for two hours and
Cara Taylor Swift:talk to everybody.
Cara Taylor Swift:Exactly.
Kimberly Beer:But yes, so enjoy networking. It is such a good
Kimberly Beer:way to build your business. And if you'll dedicate some specific
Kimberly Beer:time really pinpointed to finding the networks, building
Kimberly Beer:your sustainability squad, getting to know your customers
Kimberly Beer:doing joint ventures, your business will leap forward your
Kimberly Beer:abilities as a photographer will leap forward. It is just such a
Kimberly Beer:big part of what we do in building up our cred as an
Kimberly Beer:artist and as a photographer. So Nice job guys.
Kimberly Beer:Thank you all for hanging out with us.
Jaz:Thanks for listening to this episode of cowgirls with
Jaz:cameras. Don't let the laughter and learning stop here. Join our
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