Episodes

EP 100: Benchmark numbers can be simultaneously arbitrary while also holding significant personal meaning, and today is such a day! We are celebrating episode 100 of this podcast and I have all of you to thank. Beyond that, I'm going to leave you with my 2023 motto and hopefully inspire you to follow your own! This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab. For all your professional photography printing services, go to bayphoto.com for 25% off your first time order! Support the show

EP 99: What meals are considered business meals? Do they apply to me and what do I have to do proactively to take advantage of the meal deduction? In this episode, I'll note what IRS code 274 states about meal expenses. IRS.GOV: Meals and Entertainment Expenses Under Section 274 This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab. For all your professional photography printing services, go to bayphoto.com for 25% off your first time order! Support the show

EP 98: What is the home office deduction? Who qualifies for it? Can employees take advantage of this, or is it only for freelancers and self-employed business owners? How do I calculate it and how much can I save? In this episode, I'll break down a few basics of the simple, yet powerful, home office deduction. How small business owners can deduct their home office from their taxes Home office deduction This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab. For all your professional photography printi...

EP 97: Sometimes the days go by so fast, you don't even realize a new month has hit the calendar. Well in this episode, I'm going to highlight the fact that it is December and we are just a few weeks away from a brand new year. What are you doing to organize your past 12 months and plan for the next 12 months? This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab. For all your professional photography printing services, go to bayphoto.com for 25% off your first time order! Support the show

EP 96: I believe the practice of gratitude, can truly transform one's approach to life. It has the power to snuff out jealousy, resentment, frustration, and entitlement. There are so many things I am personally grateful for, even if I am nowhere near where I want to be. In this episode, I'll talk about what I am most grateful for in this creative entrepreneurial journey. This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab. For all your professional photography printing services, go to bayphoto.com ...

EP 95: For every truism in any industry, there is an equal myth as well. At the very least, certain statements or narratives need to be qualified and given context. In today's episode, I'll discuss 5 narratives about being self-employed that I think don't paint the whole picture. This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab. For all your professional photography printing services, go to bayphoto.com for 25% off your first time order! Support the show

EP 94: Black Friday sales are probably hitting your inbox right about.....yesterday! And while there are some really good savings to be had on new gear, I want to also highlight some areas that maybe don't get as much love and attention but are equally as important to our business growth. I'm talking about Education, Marketing, and Outsourcing as pivotal players that are often under-invested in by creatives. EDUCATION: https://review.palmspringsphotofestival.com/ http://thebigphotoblog.com/ htt...

EP 93: While we creatives study and work on our craft with a great deal of passion, it does not make us impervious to the occasional cognitive bias. As the saying goes, we don't know what we don't know. And what we may not know, is what our clients, our leads, our marketing directors, or copy editors are truly looking for all the time. This makes us susceptible to judging our own work from a subjective lens, which may or may not align with those we want to work with. In this episode, I'll talk a...

EP 92: Quick update: The Federal student loan relief application is now live on the student aid website! The application takes just a few minutes to fill out. Applications will be accepted throughout the entirety of 2023, but the current administration suggests applying before November 15th of 2022 so that forms can process before the student loan pause ends at the start of January of 2023. Your loan servicer will notify you when your relief has been processed. https://studentaid.gov/debt-relie...

EP 91: The fear of losing clients can be very strong, particularly when starting out in one's career. We often see these situations from a very scarce-minded lens, leading us to negotiate without a strong footing or backbone. But the possibility of losing a client is not always a bad thing. In this episode, I'll talk about some of the silver linings of walking away from a bad client relationship. This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab. For all your professional photography printing s...

EP 90: The cost of poor communication with colleagues, leads, and clients can be severe. It can lead to missed opportunities, severed relationships, and tarnished reputations. Likewise, the benefits of really good communication can allow creatives to gain opportunities that exceed their talent, enrich their relationships, and maintain consistency in 3rd party marketing. In this episode, I'll reflect on my successful and failed relationships to pinpoint my 7 keys to good communication. This epis...

Happy International Podcast Day! We are celebrating our 89th episode with a tribute to some amazing other podcasters out there who continue to inspire in the business and creative spaces. There are so many fantastic hosts who are not listed in this episode but make no mistake, your work is appreciated. Thank you all for your continued inspiration! Podcast recommendations The Quote of the Day with Sean Croxton Profit First Nation with Danielle Mulvey and Mike Michalowicz The Futur with Chr...

EP 88: Consciously or unconsciously, we are all playing the game of debt in our day-to-day lives. We tell ourselves many narratives to justify our investments, big or small. "This is good debt", "Everyone uses it", and "I'll figure it out later" are common phrases thrown around regarding student loans and credit cards as we grow up. Many of these narratives are forced upon us by the major marketing machine that churns these belief systems, while other narratives have simply been enforced year af...

EP 87: Student loan relief is on the way. Whether you love it or hate it; the fact remains that it will be taking place and knowing your situation can help you build a brighter future. In this episode, I'll give you 14 key takeaways on the new plan. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-student-loan-relief-for-borrowers-who-need-it-most/ https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement/ https://www.forbes.com/advisor/student-...

EP 86: Sometimes it feels like we have to choose between niching down and diversifying to maximize our results, but truly I don't see them as mutually exclusive. With sweeping layoffs and hiring freezes around the country, I'll talk about why diversification is more important than ever, while not compromising your niche. This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab. For all your professional photography printing services, go to bayphoto.com for 25% off your first time order! Support the...

EP 85: We've all been told that doing the free job is destructive to our career and the industry we're in. "Value yourself", "Know your worth", and "Set the bar high" are all narratives we've heard, and maybe even told ourselves, over the years. I, myself, have bounced back and forth between the idea of saying no and yes to free work, which I believe, many others have as well. In this episode, I'll talk about where I stand on this issue and what dabbling in free-work could ultimately mean for yo...

EP 84: Every once in a while, there pops up a fork in the road, where one side leads toward full-time employment and the other side leads to full-time self-employment. Whether we're in college about to embark on the professional journey or currently in a stable 9-5, part of us is always curious about that other side. In this episode, I'll give you my insight into 7 key differences between a freelance lifestyle and an employee lifestyle. This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab. For all...

EP 83: Instagram has long been the most preferred and efficient way for photographers to display their work to the masses. However, the platform continues to evolve and favor video content over still photography, leaving many of us wondering, are we being alienated by our favorite marketing tool? Does Instagram now hate photographers? Let's discuss. Related articles: Petapixel DIYphotography FStoppers Thephoblographer This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab. For all your professional ph...

EP 82: For years, I have felt that the best lightroom updates went unnoticed, because the ones that were noticeable, were either disruptive or unnecessary to my workflow. Recently though, we received a couple of features that I think have been beneficial to good post-processing. In this episode, I'll talk about my favorite Lightroom upgrades and how it can help you. What's New in Adobe Lightroom? This episode is brought to you by Bay Photo Lab. For all your professional photography printing ser...

EP 81: What do you send in when a new lead asks for your pricing? Are you sending them an estimate or are you sending them a quote? What are the differences, and does it really even matter? In this episode, I'll break down my pricing process with a new lead. Support the show

EP 80: Building a recession-proof business is no easy task, but it might be near impossible to accomplish with a brittle mindset and spirit The life of a freelancer can be filled with many pitfalls along the way, and the potential of a recession on the horizon can make even the strongest of will question their journey altogether. In this episode, I'll talk about the pain points of always catastrophizing a worst-case scenario, and how to reduce panic amidst a financial crisis. Support the show

EP 79: As visual creatives, it's important to grasp the responsibilities and roles of your creative team for optimizing your projects as best you can. As human beings, it's even more important to have empathy for the people you work with and try to understand where they are coming from and what motivates them. In this episode, I sit down with male model, Jacob Basheer Anton to discuss his career and his motivations to create meaningful art. Jacob Basheer Anton https://basheermethod.com/ https:/...

EP 78: Budgeting has a dirty feel to it doesn't it? It makes you feel like you did something wrong or that you're in a timeout corner at school. The reality is budgeting do not have to come with shame or embarrassment. This simple skill set has the power to be a force multiplier in your debt-killing and savings-growing arsenal. https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/everydollar Support the show

EP 77: DBA's, also known as Doing Business As, can be a brand-building decision for your business, but is it all that it's cracked up to be? What is it and why do people get them? Support the show