This past weekend was my 2nd Annual Celebrate Motherhood Client Appreciation event located here at our photography studio in Forest, Virginia. My heart is so full as I look back at the pictures from this event! What started as a fun marketing idea to help get the word out about my business, I quickly realized was an opportunity to celebrate and honor the mothers in my community as well as thank my clients for their support of my business.
Five Good Investments
Business Talk
As I worked through my Goal Setting process for 2018, I naturally did a lot of reflecting on the past year. Something I love to do is read what works for other people in their lives: routines, planning systems, books they loved, etc. While I understand what works for one person may not work for the next - there are times that I’ve discovered something life changing from another person sharing what worked for them.
That said, I really wanted to share with you all some of what I think are the best investments I made in 2017. As a note: you will see that I consider both time and money to be an investment. :)
Without further ado, here are the top five investments from 2017 that I’m really grateful I made.
At the beginning of our marriage, date nights were basically a default every night. (When it's just you two at home together every night, it just happens! :)) So to put a weekly date night on the calendar seemed a little pointless. Then with just one baby, having her tag along didn’t seem like too much of a big deal. (In fact, we were both pretty infatuated with her so we really liked having her with us all the time!) But once we had two kids, time to connect just became less and less and before we knew it, we felt a bit like strangers passing in the night. (Honestly, it’s a little scary how that can happen so quickly.) At the end of 2016, I made a goal to put my marriage FIRST before everything in 2017. And I am SO glad I did!
At the start of the year, I hired a weekly babysitter; every Sunday night. At first, this was to cover our MarriageWorks community gatherings, but soon after I made this arrangement in preparation, they announced they weren’t meeting at all until wayyyy later in the year! Ah! (Which we DID participate in and loved.) However, I kept our sitter lined up anyway.
I budgeted for this and made a long-term commitment to the sitter. She was setting aside her Sunday nights for this weekly job (and we got a pretty good “per job” price since we were committing to this on a regular basis). This really helped us stay accountable, because it wasn’t just us to consider if we wanted to cancel our date night.
Of course there were some Sundays we were out of town, in which case we would let her know weeks ahead of time. But there were also some Sundays where just one of us would be out of town. In that case, we would still have her come and it allowed the one who was at home with the kids to have some kid-free time and a night on their own.
While this investment was financial, it was also a large time investment... (just ask my Sunday Night Football loving husband!) But it was so very worth it. We got into a routine of going to the same place for dinner and drinks and it allowed us to create a new, safe place for us to open up and have some really awesome conversations this past year. I’m SO glad we made our marriage a top priority last year and we are both walking into 2018 with the same goals for our marriage this year as well.
It’s exciting to look at how far we’ve come in one year, where will another year take us?! We are definitely continuing on with this investment as long as our bank account allows us to!
This is a really personal one for me. I was diagnosed with postpartum depression when Izzie (my second child) was four months old. She just turned three years old this month and the past six months or so I have finally felt like I could see through the fog. I attribute this to my girls getting older (Izzie can do so much on her own now! It has really freed up a lot of my time), my marriage growing stronger (it’s been rewarding to be able to share these burdens/thoughts with my husband in a way that doesn’t burden him but simply allows him to understand me more), and self-care.
What IS self-care, you ask? Well, this answer will and should look different for each person. In essence, it is taking care of yourSELF. Whatever that means to you. In my experience, it was learning WHO I am and WHAT I need most to be the healthiest, happiest me. And then, of course, giving those things to myself.
I’m a big fan of personality tests. Through these tests I have learned SO much about myself, my strengths and weaknesses, and most importantly - the good I bring to this world in my natural state. Meaning, when I am at my healthiest and happiest, what comes most natural to me? What is the good that I can provide to the people I love, and what do I not do well? Self-Care for me this year meant a whole lot of learning what I do best, what I don’t do great, and how to fill in the gaps for the needs of myself and those around me.
In practical terms, this is what all that looked like for me:
Learning more about my Myers-Briggs personality and embracing my truths.
Reading StrengthsFinder 2.0 and, again, embracing my truths.
Speaking my truths outloud to myself, my friends and family. Some examples:
I may not be as driven as so-and-so, but I can handle a social environment with grace and I can make people feel loved and comfortable in a way that not a lot of other people can.
I may be sensitive, but instead of thinking of this as a negative, I now respect it as a privilege. I can sense when something is “off” in my body almost immediately. I can sense the energy in a room and try my best to either contribute or counteract it, whichever is necessary depending on the circumstances. I can sense when someone nearby is dealing with something heavy and I can be empathetic and careful towards them during that time.
Clearing space on my calendar for things that fill my cup. This included a retreat weekend with The Motherhood Collective (for staff), a lot of one-on-one coffee dates with girlfriends, a marriage retreat weekend with Tommy (through our semester with MarriageWorks, which we really loved!), a monthly massage at MassageEnvy, and occasional travel to visit friends and family out of town. All of these things renew my spirit, my body, and help me feel “normal” again during seasons where sometimes I can feel anything but.
Indulging in daily connection conversations with friends over the Voxer and MarcoPolo apps on my phone. Mama friends - if you haven’t downloaded Voxer, you are missing out! This is such an amazing way to connect with friends in a low-pressure way! My friends will send me voice messages while they drive down the road (because when else do mamas have time to themselves?!) and I’ll listen to them when I have a few minutes to open the app and listen in. I was able to rebuild and strengthen some of my closest friendships by using these simple apps in 2017.
For the past few years, I have been using a Client Management System by 17hats. Through this app, I manage all client information, contracts, invoices and workflows. This app is basically my business brain! If you are a photographer and you have more than a handful of clients a year, it would benefit you in huge ways to outsource your business management to an app like this one! It also has capabilities to manage client scheduling, bookkeeping and more.
One big change I made this year was to start using their Lead Capture Form feature. So, now when prospective clients fill out the form on my website, they receive an immediate email response with all of my pricing information and a link to the next step in the booking process! Basically this means my inquiry to booking process is almost fully automated. This has changed my WORLD! I used to spend so many of my office hours trying to tackle emails. However, because of my life season, I also was not in the office every day. That meant that sometimes prospective clients waited many days to hear from me! That’s totally unacceptable this day in age. I am excited for this new automated process and very grateful for the 17hats Management System!
I don’t think I’ll ever run my business without 17hats!
--> My goodness, I wrote this blog post a few days ago and it's amazing what can change in a matter of days! While I LOVE 17hats, it's the Client Management System that really was the game-changer for me. This week I made the decision to begin the process of switching to Tave. I'll write more about this as I settle into a new system and I'll keep you posted about whether it was a good move or not!!
Another investment I made in 2017 that I am SO glad I did is using a scheduling software. Setting my business up through Acuity Scheduling has saved me SO much time writing emails back and forth (“Would these dates work for you? No? How about these?”)! Not only that, it has helped me set healthy work/life boundaries for myself and my family.
I created a couple of types of appointments such as Outdoor Portrait Session, Newborn Portrait Session, and more. Then I set my availability for each type of appointment. I can also put a price point on the appointments and require full or partial payment at the time of booking. While this is not currently my practice (because I do most of my invoicing through the 17hats program), it is nice to have available for mini session booking!
But the most valuable aspect of using Acuity Scheduling for me has been protecting my family days. It sounds basic: if you don’t want to book clients on certain days, don’t offer those days. But as an ENFP (see personality type notes above :)) and people-pleaser, I found myself constantly making exceptions for repeat clients and having a hard time saying no. Now I don’t say no, I simply don’t offer. :) It’s a win/win!
Thank you, Acuity Scheduling, for giving me my life back!
Throughout 2017 I invested in a couple of projects, furniture and wardrobe pieces in the studio that I am LOVING. Among these investments were new flooring, a nice wrought-iron bed, a neutral colored settee, a new neutral colored wingback chair and a handful of new pieces of clothing for the wardrobe. Having these items sprinkled throughout my images I think have really increased the quality of my work.
The white flooring has added more light to work with in the studio with a great floor-to-ceiling light-bounce, while also bringing a cleaner look to my clients final photos. With white floors, there’s less yellow in the space to work with so the whites are whiter and my images are overall brighter. I really love the new flooring!
In the past, I’ve photographed on a simple air mattress and while it did the job, there’s nothing like the look of a quality bed frame! I am excited to have a new bed in the studio in 2018 as well as a new settee and wingback chair to create different set-ups and add variety to studio sessions!
Here are a few pictures with some of the newest pieces:
And lastly, I’ve gotten my hands on a couple of gems for the studio wardrobe: dresses, blouses, and a few new items for children! I just received the mannequin I ordered (and my friends on Instagram named her Florence ;)) so I can begin creating an online catalog of the wardrobe pieces so clients can peruse the wardrobe from the comfort of their own space. For now, if you are interested in checking out the new wardrobe pieces you’ll need to schedule a complimentary, in-person consultation to come by the studio and see them yourself! I’d love the chance to meet you and talk with you about your photography needs! :)
So those are the big investments I made in 2017 that I’m SO grateful for! They each added quality to my life in their own ways - but all BIG ways! Did you make any big investments last year that you love? I’d love to hear about them!!
You can read more about my reflections on 2017 by clicking here.
2018 Goal Setting
With Lara Casey's Powersheets, pt. 2
Yesterday I shared in my 2018 Goal Setting, Pt. 1 blog post about my reflections of 2017 and what I learned throughout the year. Today I am excited to share with you what my goals are and some of the small steps I will be taking to reach each of them!
Much like my goals wayyyy back in 2014, I have found that I am still very content with the idea of enough. I simply want a healthy and happy home life, I want to do everything I can to raise good, God-loving kids, and I hope to contribute to my community in a positive way. So while my goals may not seem all that exciting at first glance, I am really excited at how much I know I'll grow as a person through the work I'll be doing to achieve them!
Without further ado here are my 2018 Goals and the first few steps I plan to take to achieve them this year:
I know that seems like a lot - but it's really not! It's completely doable and here's why I think this:
Another big change in my mindset this past year is my plan/hope to approach this year with the 12 Week Year mindset. This means instead of planning ahead for an entire year, I will plan for the upcoming twelve weeks. (Because one year from now my whole life could look different! It doesn't make a lot of sense to plan so specifically for a season so far away.) This has changed EVERYTHING! I can look at the list above and not be overwhelmed at all I have listed because I know so many of those items are for the 2nd, 3rd or even 4th quarter of the year! I'll get to them eventually, but right now I am simply focusing on this first quarter and the progress I can make now. That's so exciting to me!
So that's that! Let's see how this goes!
2018 Goal Setting
With Lara Casey's Powersheets
It is hard to believe January is more than half over! Between the crazy weather (and countless snow days we’ve had), Izzie’s 3rd birthday, Tommy traveling for work, and wrapping up the holiday season, it’s hard for me to believe this month is almost behind us! I spent the last few weeks of December resting, reflecting, of course enjoying the holidays, and also working through my annual Goal Setting process with my favorite goal setting workbook.
I’ve been using Lara Casey’s Powersheets for my goal planning the past few years (with the exception of last year which I simply declared The Year of My Marriage :)). I love Powersheets because before you even begin to set your goals, there’s an entire section dedicated to walking you through a process of looking back over the past year at what worked, what didn’t work, what your big dreams are, and also asks you big questions like where do you want to be when you’re 80 (talk about perspective!), and more!
Today I want to share a bit about my personal reflection of 2017 and also what some of my goals look like for 2018. I love to document my annual goal setting process here on the blog because it’s fun to reflect years later and read how far I’ve come.
So, let’s dive in!
Starting with one of my favorite spreads in the Powersheets this year, the Cultivated Life Evaluation walked me through rating myself in eight areas of life: Health, Friends, Spouse, Family Finances, Spiritual + Personal Growth, Work, and Recreation. For the first time that I can remember, I saw more positive than negative about each of these areas of my life (and also gave myself so much more grace than I usually do). While there is always room to improve in any area, it was so nice to look back and see that I really am doing alright in most areas. And the areas where I’m not doing great - at least I can recognize I’m not doing that great - and I can do something about it!
The areas I gave myself a positive rating in were: Health, Spouse, Work, Spiritual + Personal Growth, and Recreation. Mostly I recognized that I have improved in those areas over time and I gave myself credit for coming so far! The other areas (Friends, Family (I considered this extended family relationships versus immediate), and Finances) all have room for improvement, but mostly they simply need more of my time. While all of these categories are important to me, there are always going to be items at the very top of my priority list and I feel okay about where things stand for now. Though I do look forward to moving forward and continually improving in all areas.
After working through a series of pages and answering a variety of questions, I was brought to this spread which points to one simple question: What Matters Most To Me?
Here is what I wrote: A healthy and happy marriage, healthy children (mentally and physically), a business that brings a steady income and healthy routine to our family while adding quality to our community, a core group of friends to love and support, and connection with our extended family.
I love that every few pages, the Powersheets bring you back to what matters most. They do this by asking specific questions like “Where do you want to be when you are 80?” “What matters most to you today?” Because ultimately, this is the good stuff. Sure, I’d like to put together a freebie download for my website visitors and get my newsletter up and running consistently. But when I’m 80 years old, is that what I will reflect on and be grateful I spent my time doing? Probably not. So while some things matter today, it is always good to remember to focus on what is really important in the long term!
Okay, so here we are at one of my favorite parts of the Powersheets prep work. Looking back at what DID and DID NOT work over the past year. I always open my calendar and look back at every appointment, photo session, family adventure, and any other activity I participated in to get the most accurate perspective. As I did this exercise and my lists grew and grew, I got really excited! What amazing lessons I learned!!
weekend meal prep
regular date nights with Tommy
having lunch with the girls at Sunday’s school once a week
using a scheduling software for my business
embracing audio for books and podcasts
family time at the local Jump Trampoline Park (exercise + fun + family = huge win!)
indulging in a LOT of self-care (cooking, friend time, personal reflection, etc.)
over-filling our weekends and months
not planning ahead for busy seasons of work
putting the girls in extracurricular activities (they really haven’t shown a lot of interest and it only adds chaos to our routine)
losing a healthy perspective (and focusing on the negative) in certain areas of life
not having a consistent morning/evening rhythm/routine at home
Once I worked through most of the prep I was directed through steps to find a recurring theme in my work. On p.29 “The Big Picture” page, I wrote the following:
Turning the page brings me to the “Choose a Word” page. I considered so many words for this year: space, simple, system, slow, rhythm, cycle, surrender. I shared in my Instastory recently how I had settled on the word SPACE until God laid it on my heart to choose “Surrender” as my word instead. I was genuinely fearful of the word at first. But after some thought and reflection, I thought it only appropriate to surrender to Him and begin the year on the right foot.
Tomorrow I will share Part II of my Goal Setting Process: the goals I’ve come up with and the steps I plan to take to make them happen! If you’ve read this far, Thank You!!!
Wanna know something crazy? Ten years ago this month I photographed my first wedding.
Wow. An entire decade!
I photographed the wedding on a Canon Rebel Xt camera with one SD card. I took breaks during the day to run out to the parking lot, download the SD card to my laptop, clear the card (omg I'm hyperventilating at this thought right now!!!) and run back to take more pictures. (Are you wedding photographers having a heart attack yet??) Oh, wait! There's more!! My camera battery died and I had the guts to ask a guest if I could borrow his.
Needless to say, I've come a long way. And the ride has been wild.
I still wonder sometimes why God led me down this path. Why did he take me, someone who does not handle stress very well, and put me in one of the most intense industries? Being an entrepreneur is serious business. Committing to capturing moments that are impossible to re-create is a huge responsibility. Putting these two jobs together creates a(n at times) stressful career! Luckily, I have been blessed with remarkable clients and colleagues who have freely shared support, encouraging words, understanding and (both welcomed and un-welcomed, let's be honest) constructive criticism.
As I look back on the last ten years in business, I am overcome with gratitude for this journey. And to still be IN business, at that! I have watched a lot of colleagues close their business doors for many different reasons. And for unknown reasons to me, mine continues to grow. I give the credit to God, because heaven knows, I have failed many times over.
I thought it would be fun to share Ten Life Lessons I've Learned as an entrepreneur, a professional photographer, a wedding industry member, a birth industry member, and work-at-home-mama during the last decade.
Can you relate to any of these?
And I thought it would be fun to finish out this post with a blast from the past... a few images from my first year of business. Whew! Let me tell you, this is really not that fun for me. But, I thought it was only fair to share that, yes, we all start somewhere. I have to share my genuine gratitude to each of these clients (and friends!) for trusting me at such an early stage of my business and photography journey!
Also, I had to grab these pictures off of Facebook because they are all stored on a hard drive tucked somewhere in the depths of my files. Ha!
Okay, I can't help it! I have to redeem those pictures with a few of my favorite weddings from 2016!! Here is a glimpse at some of my most recent work.
Are you planning a Lynchburg, VA wedding? I have photographed over 150 weddings over the last ten years and would love to capture the story of your wedding day. I am currently booking 2017 and 2018 weddings. If you are interested in having me capture your love, I would love to sit down and chat with you! Simply send me a message and we will plan a time for you to come out to the studio to share your story.
Are you beginning a photography career and looking for business coaching? I am currently booking a very limited number of mentoring sessions in 2017 and would be happy to send you more information about my availability. Send me a message and we can start the conversation!
“Liz Cook is an incredibly talented and attentive professional. Her sweet and gentle countenance is paired with her ability to capture the most tender and joyful moments of the births that she photographs. Liz’s photos will bring you years of enjoyment as they draw you back to the delight and bliss of your birth experience.”
