Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] This is episode 103 of Sustainable Photography. I'm Ingvild Kolnes, and today I want to talk a bit about what you want for the next year. Right now it's winter. Things are a bit slow, quite cold and wet, at least here where I am. Luckily it's not completely dead. I've got a family session this week and I've been getting some elopement inquiries. So some things are still happening. And next week I'm taking some of my mentoring students with me on a work retreat in the mountains. I am so excited about that. I just can't wait. And of course, I'm still doing my mentorship program. We are in the middle of one round and nearing the end of another one, and quite a few of the students want to keep going and stay for another year, which is probably the best thing about this because I don't really ever want to let anyone go. So I think that's great. We're going to keep learning together and growing and just keep going. Basically, we've been talking about goals lately since the mini course, and I'm really sorry if you missed it, but if you were there, I'm sure you agree that it's really great to get aware of what you want and to make sure that you're working towards the right things. So we had five days where we went through everything that you need to do, basically to figure out what you want and to create a plan to get there. And we also went through some of your goals from last year, if you joined the planning workshop last year as well. And as I mentioned, one of my main goals from last year was to grow this podcast, and that has kind of not been a priority. I've not forgotten about it because I did sign up with a podcast coach and she was great. And I had a podcast audit done, which was also great. But then I haven't been following up as much as I wanted to, and I have more plans than I've been able to keep up with. And in the workshop, I was saying that, okay, so that didn't go as I planned. I'm going to just keep that goal and I'm going to try again next year. And then after a couple of days, I was like, wait a minUte. I'm doing the exact thing I'm telling you not to do. I'm giving up on my goal before the year is over. This is the time to really get to it. So I haven't given up on growing my podcast at all. I'm keeping that goal and I'm still growing it, and now it's time to get inventive. So I've been doing a couple of ads for the podcast. I'm going to do some more. I'm going to ask you to share this podcast with your friends. I'm going to ask you to write a review, and it's going to keep growing. And I'm not actually going to give up on this goal whatsoever. I'm just going to keep going. And I hope you'll do the same. If you're realizing now I'm not where I wanted to be this year, do not give up. You have a month and a half left. That's like a 10th of the year that you have to do this. And if you think about your best month ever, everything you achieved, the highest revenue you've ever had, whatever it is, that can still happen for you now in what's left of the year. So keep it going. And I've also been reminded of how important it is to share personal things on social media. For me, I'm not so used to it. So I think I need to get into the habit. I tend to overthink a lot, and I want to share knowledge and education. And me personally, I don't find myself very relevant, which is probably why I stick to education on here as well. And I try to get to the point without too much else, but I want to try to share more. So do let me know what you want from me. Do you want to see more personal things on Instagram? Do you want me to share more of my personal story on here on the podcast of why I got into photography and what my journey has been so far? What do you want? You have to tell me and then I can hopefully give you what you want and need. For example, this summer I shared about my own business and how it's not been sustainable, even though that is where I teach.
[00:04:27] And since then, it's gotten a lot better. I feel like I'm working less, but not in a bad way, in a good way. Because, as you know, I love working. It's one of My favorite things to do. But I also don't want to feel like I have to work. And now I'm doing a lot of other things and I'm resting a lot more and I'm still accomplishing a great deal. I'm still able to grow my business and give my mentoring students everything that I've promised them and probably a lot more. So I'm very happy with that. I'm also planning out some new courses and some lessons for the mentorship program. And I'd love to know what you're up to as well. So please write me a DM on Instagram. Let me know about your plans for next year, about this year and what's gone well and what you've wished for to be different when things are slow, when things have been down, which it has been for many of us. Now this season, with everything that's been going on, it's important to remind ourselves of why we do what we do. What's your reason for becoming a photographer? And what's my reason for getting into education, of teaching business and giving and doing what I can to inspire you to keep going? For me, it's about being the person that I wish I had through my photography journey. And because I see so many talented photographers out there, completely invisible and burnt out and just doing things that aren't serving their business.
[00:06:09] For many, it's a matter of some small tweaks and then you'll see a big difference. And for others, it might mean a bigger change. But I know that you can do it. I feel like this is like a summary of everything that's going on. But I do worry now about the state of the world. There's so much going on. We have wars and climate change and the financial situation.
[00:06:33] But for me, it's not to the level where I want to give up. I actually want to work more and learn more, to stay ahead, to do more, to be able to do more good things. And I think that's going to be more and more important.
[00:06:49] Because when you see underpricing and more competition, you want to be the best you can be, and I want to be the best I can be. I hope that if you're struggling right now, that you're going to see it as an opportunity.
[00:07:05] Because when you stick to it, you're going to be one of the ones that are left standing when all this is over and you and your business, you'll be so much stronger for it. But let's go back to goal setting for a sec. What do you want for your business in 2024? What are you hoping to accomplish? What are you dreaming of? How much money do you want to make? Maybe you want to have more time off. Maybe you want to do more shoots or spend less time behind the computer. I hope you'll think about this now, and I also hope that you're going to write some of this down. Because next I want you to think about what's holding you back, what's keeping you from being the photographer that you want to be, from being the business owner that you want to, or maybe just need to be? What's your plan to make that happen? Do you need more confidence? A bigger or better network? More visibility? Better control of your finances? More inspiration? New photography skills? You see, I'm worried that if you don't have a plan, if you don't have a path, that you'll just keep doing things without really having thought it through and then you'll miss out on so much. What if you could spend the same amount of time working and double your income? What if you can take on only shoots you actually want and say no to the ones that you feel like you just have to take on? There's just so much you can change for the better in your business if you let it, if you dare to make it happen.
[00:08:41] That is, if you become aware of what you want and start working towards it. I've had a lot of interest and questions about my mentorship program, sustainable photography, and I feel like this is a great place to answer some of them. Right now it's open for enrollment and a new round is scheduled to start this winter. And I get it, a mentorship program? That might seem a bit vague, and I'm sure that they can work in a lot of different ways. This one is set up to last one year and the program was created for established photographers who want a better business. AnD I know better can mean a lot of different things, but more suited to who you are. More profitable, less time consuming, more structured. To be honest, we all need different things and the takeaway each person gets is unique. Each month we cover different topics. We have live coaching calls and ongoing support through Telegram. One thing I hear a lot is I want to wait for the right time, in which case you need to figure out what that means for you and why you want to hold off. Because the payoff starts quite soon after you sign up and it'll just keep paying off. So the longer you wait, the more you're missing out on. Sure, maybe five years down the line you might have a bit more time on your hands and a bit more money in the bank, but that's five years of missing out on increased prices, improved workflows. It's like when you save money in the bank. Sure, you can wait until you've saved up a bunch before you deposit it, but if you put it in the bank right away, you'll start making interest right away. Doesn't that make sense? Done is better than perfect. Getting started is better than waiting. Another thing I hear a lot is I want to wait till I make more money or until I have more money and I get it. It's scary to spend money when you feel like you aren't making enough money as it is, but this can help you not only make more money, but get control of your finances as well. So many students have doubled and tripled prices and revenue. A couple of people said it was worth it just because they got the confidence to charge something worth almost the entire price of the program soon after they signed up. This is the, I believe, 6th time I'm opening the program and of course I keep in touch with the former students and I'm so happy to know that they keep doubling their revenue year by year, several of them. So if this can help you increase your prices by 10%, book one more shoot a month charge for something you otherwise wouldn't, or maybe save an hour of your workflow, gain confidence to say no and set boundaries. Get clarity to figure out what you truly want, have a network around you to cheer you on, get access to a mentor to ask questions and get help from. I'm pretty sure any one of those would mean that it's worth it. The price of the main version is $347 a month. And I mean, if that can be what helps you book one more shoot a month, it doesn't take a lot to figure out that that's worth it. There's also a lower package that's 247 a month, and we also have a higher package that includes a brand new website and more support and accountability for 897. So there are plenty of options, no matter what kind of support you're looking for.
[00:12:31] And I know that many think that the mentor program is expensive because it feels like a lot of money.
[00:12:38] When I went through a branding upgrade with Danielle Garber this summer, she asked me what I wanted to charge for the program and I said 20,000 because that's what I think it's worth. And at the same time I want to give it away for free because I know how much you need it, I know how much it can help. So what I'm doing is I'm sticking with the same price at 3900 or 347 a month. And I know you'll make it back even if you do a fraction of the work and accept just a bit of the support that's there for you. And after you've made your money back, you can make your money back many times over. And this isn't like a loose promise that I'm giving you. This isn't actually a promise at all, because I can't promise you that. But what I can do is share reviews and testimonials from my previous and current students.
[00:13:39] And I've heard again and again and again, where would I be without this? I've doubled. I've tripled my prices. I'm doubling my revenue year by year. So I don't feel bad charging for it. I think it's cheap. But I'm going to stick to this price because, as I said, you need it. And I want to be your support person. I want to be there for you. One final thing I'm going to mention is, and this goes for any investment you think of making, don't think too much about what it includes. Think about if it's going to be worth it. See, I often hear from potential course participants, oh, I don't need this one thing, so I'm not going to join. And that's the case whether that's one out of five things or one out of 100 things. And if that something is something that you've already got a handle on, then that's great. Good for you. But is it still going to be worth it without that one thing?
[00:14:42] Probably. And that's what matters. I mean, Netflix is worth paying for, even though I won't watch 99% of what's on there, because that's not what it's about. You just take what you want and what you need and you can leave the rest as long as it's worth it. Honestly, I just want you to succeed. Send me a DM on Instagram or book a call and let's find out if and how I can help you. Or if you know that I'm not a good fit, find someone else. I promise you, they'll get so much further with a bit of help, than if you insist on doing it all on your own.
[00:15:21] That is an actual promise. See you next weekend.
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