Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Hello. Whether you're a new or an old listener, I'm Ingrid Konnes and you're listening to Sustainable Photography, episode 148. So much has happened since we last spoke. I'm in the middle of launching my program, Sustainable Photography. It's almost at capacity in the Norwegian version. It's such a great and mixed group. We've got this around. I'm not launching it again for another year because I want everyone to start at the same time and really get to know each other and learn from each other and cheer each other on. So to make that easier and better, it's just the one time to join. So we're starting on December 1st, and as I said, already it's almost full. We've got room for like two or three more in the Norwegian version, and the English version, however, has got a lot of room left. So if you're curious and if you want to join, send me a DM over on Instagram. You'll find me at Ingvild K O L N E S and we can talk and figure out if it's a good fit for you. We're going to be setting up a personalized action plan for each member, making sure that you get the most out of the next year. And I'm just so excited about it, having seen huge shifts and changes for the people who've been through it so far. I'm just so confident to say that there is a lot to gain from joining. But I don't let just anyone join. We do have to talk beforehand to make sure that you're the right fit and to make sure that you'll actually benefit from joining. So send me a DM and you can also check it out. You'll find it at.
[00:01:48] Since I last did a solo episode, I have also been to Portugal. I went to way up north for the very first time. I was in Lisbon, and it was so nice to just get away and have some nice warm summer weather in comparison to what we've been having here in Norway.
[00:02:08] The best part was just hanging out with other photographers, just getting to know some new people and getting to know people that I already knew even better. That was so much fun. And I even decided to go again in Berlin, which is going to be in April.
[00:02:27] And being at a conference like that isn't really easy for someone as introverted as me. There's just so much going on. But I found out that if I didn't attend everything and I just kind of went to what I felt like and Spent most of my time just hanging out with people, then that was completely fine. So, yeah, really excited to go back to way up north.
[00:02:53] Also, another thing that's happened is my yearly planning workshop, create your best year. And this episode is kind of a result of that, because in the mini course that I do every year, create your best year yet, we talk about what you can do next year to make sure that you have an even better year than you did this year, that you're focusing on the things that bring you joy, that you're focused on the things that are actually working instead of just doing what you always do. So I wanted to just spend some time talking about strategic goal setting and really maintaining that momentum. Even when obstacles and challenges come your way, which they're bound to do, as you probably know, setting the goal, that's just the very first step. You have to create a plan, and then you have to follow the plan for it to be more likely that it's going to happen. And I also just want to say quickly that reaching the goal isn't like, that's not necessarily the goal of the goal. Setting a goal gives you direction and a sense of purpose. If you get halfway there, I'd say that that's great. And there's not like you get in trouble. If you don't reach the goal, there are no consequences. So I would say, like, find out what fuels you. If it's having a high goal and something to strive for, or if it's a lower goal that's going to give you the sense of accomplishment and sense of fulfillment and the drive to just keep going, then just do whatever works for you.
[00:04:35] But let's say that you have set a goal of wanting to book 20 weddings for 20, 25. That's a good goal because it's very specific. It's a set number of bookings that you want by a certain time. And unless you're completely new and you've never done anything and you don't have any kind of audience or any kind of resources to help you reach this goal, then it's probably also realistic.
[00:05:05] Because if you, for example, did, let's say you did 10 or 15 weddings this year, getting 20 for next year is definitely realistic. But you also want to see, okay, so if I want to book 20 weddings, how can I break that down to make it more manageable? What do I need to do to make sure that this is actually doable? So for 20 weddings, you probably want to spread them out a bit. Maybe you want to do, like, the majority over the summer. And then you want a couple in the spring and a couple in the fall. That makes it really realistic, even in terms of, like, how you're going to actually be able to do it. And there's a lot of things that go into booking weddings that has to do with marketing, that has to do with making sure that your client management is the way that you need it to be, for it to be manageable. So I would add that to the list of all the things that you need to achieve. And that could be things like going through your contract, reviewing your booking process, practicing booking meetings, making sure that you have a blogging schedule, that you have an Instagram plan. Like, all those things they can go into your plan, your milestones of making it more likely that you're going to book the 20 weddings that you want.
[00:06:29] And I would also say that for each of the 20 weddings you book, I want you to be happy and celebrate. I want you to realize that I've made it 5% of the way, I've made it 10% of the way. Because if you recognize all the good things that are happening, if you're recognizing all the things that you're doing, that's taking you in the right direction, then that is really exciting, and it's going to help you to have that momentum and let you keep going. I often see that photographers are getting maybe halfway there, and then they're feeling stuck, like nothing's happening. And sometimes you might get the feeling of like, I'm just gonna give up and I'm just gonna get a regular job because this isn't working.
[00:07:16] But what's important to know is that when you have your own business, you are most likely going to have a lot of ups and downs. There are going to be times when no one's getting in touch with you. There are going to be times when you just aren't booking the people who get in touch for different reasons. And instead of giving up, I want you to take a look and see, is there something that I could be doing differently? Is there something I'm doing that isn't working?
[00:07:48] And sometimes you're doing everything that you're supposed to, and it just wasn't the right fit. So if that happens to you, it's important to keep going. And that's actually the next thing that I want to mention. When you have goals, having the drive and the motivation, I would say that's great. But building habits, consistent habits, for example, batch working, daily posting on Instagram, showing up in front of your Audience, your people, that is the most important thing. Even if you're having a bad day, even if you just don't want to, if it's a habit, you're so much more likely to show up and, and for people to see that you are present, that makes a big deal when you want to book clients. Another important thing when it comes to reaching your goals or getting closer to reach your goals is to actually check in. Check in every quarter, check in every month to see how am I actually doing, am I getting close, or do I need to do something to make some changes to make sure that I'm more likely to get to where I want to be. So that could be using a spreadsheet. It can be using just a simple Google Doc or the Notes app in your phone, where you have just written down all the things that you want to do and where you should be at the different stages. Because if you have a goal, for example, of reaching $100,000 next year or 1 million Norwegian kroner, then it's important that you start looking at that before you get to December of 2025. If you start now to figure out what can I do now to make sure that I have good sales in January, you're so much more likely to reach it than to just wait and see what happens. I would say that setting goals and creating a plan can kind of give you that push. You need to just do the thing to make sure that you're on the right track and that you're doing things that matter. And when you check in to see what did I accomplish this month or this quarter, then you can also see like, oh, I understand why I didn't book anything this month because I've only posted twice on Instagram and no one's actually visited my website. Because if you don't check in, you're not going to know what, what you've missed. So I would say that doing those check ins, adding that to your calendar, that can make a big, big difference, both in terms of your finances, how happy your clients are, how quickly you've got your projects completed, all that matters.
[00:10:38] Another thing that it's important to talk about and really identify is what are things that are likely to stand in your way next year. You probably know if you look at your CRM or your accounting software, which months are normal for me to not really have many bookings. What can I expect in terms of being too busy? How can I do something to kind of meet that and prepare for that already? At this point, if you Know that your June or August are going to be super busy with photographing and delivering work. What can you do now to make sure that you have a better time? Maybe you can do some kind of meal prepping service. Maybe you can have someone to come clean your house or have someone look after your kids for a bit. Maybe you can outsource your editing in those months. Like, there's so many things you can do if you plan for it. That'll just, it's. It can help you just take the pressure off and make you enjoy your life and your work more. And that's something that I feel we don't talk about enough, even though I do feel like I talk about it quite a lot. We're so often just focused on making more money, booking more clients. And then once we're at that stage where we are booking more clients and filling up that calendar, maybe too full, then we haven't planned for that and it's just too busy, too hectic, and the enjoyment just kind of disappears.
[00:12:12] And it's not really necessary because like we did in the planning workshop, we marked different kinds of events and different colors in the calendar. And then it's so easy to see, oh, April is really busy. But I also see that February is completely empty. What can I do, for example, in February to make sure that April is more manageable? Or what kind of support can I get in April to make sure that I am not too overworked? Or what can I do now to market February to get more money in that month? Some final things I want to mention is just checking in with yourself, how you're talking to yourself, who you're surrounding yourself with, and actually taking time to see where you started and where you were even last year, and to celebrate all the achievements and all the good things that have happened this far. I also think it helps to surround yourself with people that recognize what you do. Other photographers, having an accountability partner, a mentor that can offer you some outside perspective and support you when challenges come up for you, because they're bound to come up. I don't think we're meant to do this on our own. I'm such a big supporter of having someone in your corner, someone you can trust, someone you can lean on, and just having someone to see the things that you might not see yourself, where you're getting stuck or where you're missing opportunities. And as I mentioned in the beginning, the next round of the Sustainable Photography Program is starting on December 1st, and you are so welcome to apply and see if it's a good fit for you. We've got an amazing group of photographers and we're going to be focusing on how you can reach your goals, how you can do even better than you are so far and I would just love to support you on your your journey. Make sure that you set aside some time to review your goals and to make sure that you are tracking how things are going and that you're checking in with yourself. Also just a quick note to say that I just released a few 3 wins in 30 minutes calls with me where we do just that. You book a time and I help you identify three things you're missing out on in your business. You'll find the link in the show notes and you can also go over to Instagram. You'll find me at Ingville Colness. That's ingv I l D K O L N E S and comment or DM3WINS to get the link to book your free 30 minute call. I'll see you again next week.
