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Turning Your Passion Into Your Hustle

Turning Your Passion Into Your Hustle

How to know you are ready to make your passion a job

I have seen it happen over and over again. Someone is good at something so they are told they should sell it. And honestly, these days that is easy to do. Etsy, Shoppify websites, a simple facebook page is easy to set up and go! But should you? I did, and it has become so much more than I ever dreamed it could.

What my business gives me is financial freedom, and creative space in my life. It is teaching me boundaries, while pushing me to learn new things that would have never had the chance to learn otherwise. But it is also very hard, with a lot of pressure and it forces me to sacrifice other things that I want to do. Like I said, it’s a big choice!

I’ve been doing this for nearly 10 years! And so far, here is how to know you are ready to make your talent/hobby/creative outlet into a business!

You are willing to have customers tell you what to do.

There are many times in my creative process that a customer will ask me to do something that makes me cringe. Or they show me pictures of other people’s work that does not match mine or they suggest ideas that I don’t agree with. As much as I try to educate the customer that they are hiring a certain style when they hire me, it’s not perfect and sometimes the client wants what they want. I am OK with this sometimes. No matter what you do there will be a customer that will want to change things or go against your creative process. It’s a part of being a business owner. If you can except this and work with it, and learn to educate your client in a kind and helpful way, then I think you are ready.

You are willing to do it even when you don’t feel like doing it.

I was in oil painter in college and I loved it. Oil painting is my first love. Not photography and not want to color. I never thought I would start a business in anything but painting. But here I am doing photography every day and now I have a little Etsy shop of watercolors on the side. The reality is I don’t always want to Paint in oils. The process is a lot different and requires large chunks of time. On the other hand I can do photography anytime any day. I haven’t always been this way but with practice I learned that even when I am at my most exhausted I can still give 100% to the client.

You have the support of your family.

My husband was my biggest supporter when I wanted to start this business. I would not be here at this point in my career if it weren’t for the support and love of my husband! As our family grew and we adapted to the changes he has still been supportive of the way. He takes over the things that I hate doing taxes and helps my business in that way. It took a lot of money to get started in a lot of time and he gave me all of those things freely without question. It is very hard to start a business and very expensive, and having the support you need along the way will help you grow even faster.

You have the financial support.


my husband and I have always been pretty against having significant debt. We did not start this business by going into debt, which also meant that I did not have everything I needed all at once. I bought my camera and I bought light room, and I just learned and picked up one thing at a time. It took over two years to gain all the equipment I needed to do a full wedding at the quality it requires. I made a free website for a while and just slowly saved and slowly build everything without going into debt. It is absolutely possible to do. You might not be a sensation overnight but it is worth not going into debt for.

I understand that there is our other businesses that you have to have a business loan in order to do but if you were a small create a business out of your home my advice is always to slowly build one thing at a time. Another thing to think about is if your significant other is willing to save and sacrifice in order to afford the business the way that it should. Wedding photography businesses take a lot of money to start! You need support financially from yourself and from others around you to make it happen. If you are wanting to start a photography business there is a lot of great conversation happening and good information on this website.

You are ready to market yourself.

Are you ready to put your self out there? Are you ready to show up on Facebook and Instagram daily? If you cannot put yourself out there you cannot market your business. People want to see your face and interact. Your confidence and passion will help sell your product! So many times I have been in this conversation with someone who is considering turning their passion into a business but it’s the fear of putting their product out there that stops them. This is something I have struggled with two, don’t get me wrong. It’s no easy task to be in front of the camera or in front of your Instagram stories and tell people all about why they need your product or service.

Here is the truth: It is hard, but I love it. It is pressure, but it is worth it! It is my passion and I get to make it bigger and better every day! Are you ready? If you are thinking about a photography business I would love to talk to you! I offer mentoring sessions for new photographers or just someone thinking about turning their love into a job. You can sign up for your mentoring session here! Please feel free to ask me questions! You can find my email at the bottom of this website! I love talking about this and even if you’re not sure what to ask and just need to talk about it I am here!

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Hi I'm Dani, A wedding and newborn photographer for Hampton Roads area and Virginia. I'm a southern gal, home DIYer, dog lover, busy mom of 2 and a Magnolia Market Junkie. Take some time, sip some coffee and enjoy the lastest weddings and session here!

 

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