Creating the Three Tiers of My Small Business

I’ve always wanted to do a lot of different things. To learn about a lot of different things. To experience a lot of things. To create many different things. 

It’s always been in conflict with the business advice I routinely receive that I should pick one thing and focus only on that. That is the key to success.

It has always felt like an unadventurous decision to me. A recipe for becoming bored with what you do, day in and day out. 

I tried it. And as expected it didn’t work. And fortunately, around that same time, I started to run into more and more people who do a lot of different things. 

What I realized is that I did need a base, a focus. But from there I could branch out - I could create different types of photography, offer different types of courses, do commissioned shoots, and sell prints. 

It just all needed to relate back to my core mission for my business. Which is what I had to spend some time figuring out. 

I created three words or phrases that reflect why I do the work that I do. 

Freedom. Better system. Inspire pause. 

Freedom relates to my time and the flexibility in my schedule. I can work three 10-hour days, seven 5-hour days. Work remotely while I travel. Overwork for 2 weeks to start the month so I can travel the following two weeks. 

I’m not afraid of work and don’t strive to maintain a 20-hour work week or a month of vacation each year. I just enjoy being able to push hard when I want or need to, and pull back when I want or need to. 

Better system relates to who I serve. I enjoy helping those who create a better system for the foods we consume and the goods we buy with the work that I do. Food and drink companies, agriculture boards and councils, and artisans are examples of those I enjoy working with most. 

Inspire pause relates to what I create and what I teach. I have one goal for all of the photos I create, for them to inspire pause. For others to stop for even a split second and think - that’s beautiful, I want to learn more about that, I want to travel there, or even simply, I bet that tastes good. My goal with teaching is to show others how to inspire pause themselves. 

With these three things at the core of my work, it allowed me to categorize the work that I do. 

Commissioned work. Teaching. Affordable stock photography. 

Commissioned photography. Whether it’s recipe shoots, product shoots, or for editorial and books, this type of work through my company Fake Food Free Productions sustains my business so that I can maintain that freedom. It also allows me to work with those creating a better system. 

Courses and workshops. It turns out I’ve always been a teacher, even though I didn’t see myself as one. It started with teaching group exercise and personal training when I was in college. Then I created health curricula and lead trainer-the-trainer events as well as cooking workshops when I was working in public health. I didn’t realize how naturally it came to me until I started my CreatingYOU.® family of courses and workshops by teaching my Confused to Confident: Food and Product Photography for Food Makers, Growers, and Artisan Creators that helps small business owners create their own photos. 

This work leads back to helping those who are creating a better system. It also allows me to focus on my creative work to inspire pause and to help others do the same. 

Affordable stock photography. My third tier is something I created to help those who don’t fall into the first two categories. My Farm Fresh Photos monthly membership is intended to help those who can’t yet afford to hire someone like me for a commissioned shoot and who also don’t want to take their own photos. I get to stay creative and true to my inspire pause mission with my photos and help those creating a better system with affordable photos that they can use for digitally marketing their businesses. 

Doing a lot of different things can definitely feel disorganized and overwhelming. But it’s settling in on the key things within your mission that’s important. Who do you serve or want to serve and why are you doing this work? Once you have that, outline the things you want to do in a way that ensures they push that mission forward. 

When each thing you do leads back to your overall mission, then you know that each has value and the time you put towards each is worth it. 

Essentially this how you give your work focus without feeling forced to do only on one thing.

Product Photography on the Product Powerhouse Podcast

There is nothing better than when you get to be on a podcast and during the interview you realize just how much you click with the host. That was my exact experience talking about product photography with Erin Alexander on the Product Powerhouse Podcast. 

The episode is Using Product Photography (and more) to Grow Your Product Shop and I’m thrilled with what a resource it has turned out to be! There is so much valuable information inside this 36 minutes. 

We talk about:

• A short intro about how I went from a nutritional scientist working in academia and public health to being a food and product photographer and stylist.
  

• Why it’s okay not to outsource everything. Photographing your own products can serve as a creative outlet you enjoy.
  

• Why narrowing in on your style is important whether you take your own photos or hire someone else to do it for you.
  

• Types of photos that are important for your small business beyond individual product photos.
  

• How it’s possible to create beautiful photos and not be that into expensive gear.

• Time management and tips for making the time to build your skills for photographing your own products. 

Head over to the Product Powerhouse Podcast to listen or find it on your favorite podcast platform such as Spotify. 

Even if you don’t listen to this one, I highly recommend checking out Erin, Product Powerhouse, and the valuable resources she has for creative product-based businesses.

Four Ways to Create a Healthy Relationship with Instagram for Creative Businesses

After just barely a month into the new year, I’ve watched numerous people whom I love following on Instagram share their disheartened stories about how they find no joy in posting anymore. They have 10s of thousands of followers and they just want to give up altogether. 

It’s difficult to watch people who are so lovely and talented, who inspire me, feeling beaten by an imaginary set of rules, who feel as though they can’t win against some computer code. 

I’ve gone through the same things as others by using this platform since 2011.

We all do. It doesn’t matter if you have 50 followers or 50,000.

The comparison and feeling like we don’t have what they have or can’t create what they do affect everyone. And many of us deal with the frustration of watching follower numbers stay the same year after year. 

The platform isn’t going away for most of us. It still serves as a way to communicate with those who want to connect and as a way to share our foods, products, and creative works. 

The truth is I don’t hate Instagram. I have to set boundaries on scrolling. I take regular, healthy breaks from it and I look forward to coming back and posting again, to flipping through my feed. 

This mindset shift is due to four very specific things.

Follow joy over jealousy. 

I evaluate my reaction to all posts that come through my feed. If what I see makes me feel anxious, jealous, or not good enough, I mute or unfollow immediately. 

This isn’t the account holder’s fault. They can’t control our reactions to what they post. And life is too short to keep thinking that it’s our fault; that we need to change our reaction. This isn’t a relationship with a spouse or sibling that needs to be worked on. It’s social media. If it makes you feel less than, get it out of there. 

I want every post that comes through my feed to trigger joy. To inspire me, to spark curiosity, to make me say - Good for them! And not - Woe is me. 

And yes, I include myself in this. If you follow me, I absolutely love that. Thank you. But if anything you see from me triggers negative feelings. Unfollow me. Your wellbeing is too important. 

Remember that followers, fans, and customers are not the same thing. 

I was just listening to the Hashtag Authentic podcast by Sara Tasker and her recent interview with artist Maria Wigge. Towards the end Maria shares how a photo of a painting that might get numerous likes on Instagram can be very different from a painting that actually gets the most sales from her website. 

Likes are just that - likes. A thought, a cheer, a high-five. Instagram popularity doesn’t translate to sales. Liking an image is much different than trading money to put a piece of art in your living room, flowers on your table, or food in your kitchen. 

So why do we let likes and views dictate whether our work, our products, have value? Stop letting likes shake your confidence in what you create. Don’t give them the power to change how proud you are of your piece of work whether it’s a photo you’ve created, a piece of pottery you’ve handmade, or a vegetable you’ve grown. Put what you love most and what best reflects your brand or business out there. 

Grow out of your niche. 

Filling your feed with numerous people who do the same thing that you do only leads to comparison and feeling less than. Filling your feed with only people that do what you wish you were doing is only going to take you down a path of trying to create the same things they do in the same way that they do. 

You’ve heard me say this before, I only follow a handful of food and drink photographers. Only those who truly inspire me and don’t trigger envy. The rest of my feed is inspiring artists and growers who post content that makes me think about my work in a new way. Their posts give me ideas that I can take back to my own niche. 

My feed is full of gardeners, florists, painters, brand designers, interior designers, landscape and nature photographers, ceramicists, textile artists, vintage collectors, travelers, and dogs. (Don’t be afraid to throw in lots of animal accounts if they make you smile. We all need more smiles.)

Stop using it to chase money. 

The correlation between Instagram followers or likes and sales is minimal for most of us. It’s highly unlikely that Instagram will ever make you any money, even indirectly. 

Let’s be honest here because I’m tired of the - build-your-business on Instagram mentality. That if you don’t have thousands of followers who lead to sales on your website then you are doing something wrong. In reality, there are many forces working against your ability to do this. The platform would much rather you pay for ads to get that kind of attention instead of giving you that for free.

It’s not your fault. Approaching the platform with monetary gain as the priority only sets you up for feelings of failure.

Instead, approach it as a way to have real connection with people. I assure you it is not a wasted effort to be a real person behind your handle.

Some of the people who have made the most impact on me have 10s of thousands of followers…and they still respond to their comments and DMs…themselves. They set aside the time to connect.

And guess what. Because they acknowledged that I was an actual person, and didn’t pitch me something in return or give me a generic like or heart in response, I buy their courses, their products, and their foods. Lots of them. Show people that you appreciate the time they took to reach out. We all seek acknowledgment. 

Chase the connections, not the money. 

Implementing these four things won’t solve all your problems or radically change your life. But if Instagram is an essential part of sharing what you do, like it is for me, making these changes will definitely lift your mood and bring more joy to posting, sharing, and engaging. 

---