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When and how to rebrand your business - Michele Huntington
176 Plays2 years ago
Happy Woo Wednesdays!
Michele is my student and went through my Fill you inbox + Master the sales call program. Michele loves the in person chat, and enthusiastic follow ups. She is a female who flashes. (OCF + color + artwork)
She got on 2 venue vendor list and did a whole new rebrand, Congrats to Michele
Hot Topic: when and how to rebrand your business
Michele is a Texas wedding photographer, who focuses on bold photography for vibrant souls. She turns memories into legacy through timeless, colorful images, set tangible by gorgeous heirloom wall art and albums.
Rebranding.
- why rebrand?
- two types: refresh vs. overhaul
- it isn't just changing a logo (all the things)
- how to: 5 steps
Download my 7 step sales process for free and connect with me
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Guest Spotlight
00:00:00
Speaker
Happy Woo Wednesdays! Today I have my student Michelle Huntington from 1836 Photography. It's been an honor coaching her. She went through my three month coaching program and just got in another vendor venue list today. Wowie! Stay to the end to hear when she stepped into her power and her biggest aha moment. It makes me so emotional.
Carissa's Business Insights and Rebranding Introduction
00:00:24
Speaker
If you want to take your biz to the next level, DM me at my Instagram, at Carissa Woo, W-O-O. Today we talk about rebranding. Enjoy!
00:00:38
Speaker
Welcome to Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. I'm your host, Carissa, and I've been a Los Angeles wedding photographer for over a decade. I've traveled the world, built my team, and seen it all. I now coach wedding photographers hit 10K a month and build a thriving business. In this podcast, we are going to deep dive into how top wedding creatives get that heck yes from their dream clients. We are not holding back on the struggles of the business and how to push through the noise. Some healthy hustle,
00:01:04
Speaker
mindset shifts, up-leveling your money story, time hacks because I'm a mom of two, a little bit of woo-woo, and most importantly, self-love and confidence are just a few of the many things we will talk about. I want to give you a genuine thank you for following along my journey. I hope to inspire you every Woo Wednesday so that you say heck yes to listening to this podcast. See you guys soon!
Michelle's Photography Style and Brand Origins
00:01:29
Speaker
Hey, everyone. You know me. I'm Carissa Wu. Welcome back to Get a Heck Yes. I'm here with my student and my good friend, Michelle Huntington. And she's from 1836 photography with the IE at the end. And she is a Texas wedding photographer who focuses on bold photography for vibrant souls. She turns memories into legacy through timeless, colorful images.
00:01:52
Speaker
set tangible by gorgeous heirloom wall arts and albums and she is the queen of off camera flash welcome my student Michelle Huntington how you doing girl i'm good hi everyone it's so good to be on the podcast this is my first one so if i sound nervous that's why
00:02:11
Speaker
Yeah, don't be nervous. You got this. You're so good at talking and you're so charming. And you're just telling me today that you got on a for vendor list. Yes. So I finally found a venue that I jammed with. And I think the main thing is just going after kind of what we talked about going after what you want and making the ask. And that's the hardest part is because you have to put yourself out there. So
00:02:35
Speaker
made some friends and I think that we're gonna have a great relationship so I'm super excited to be on their list. Congratulations! Yay! That's such a huge win! Okay, tell us a little bit about what the name is 1836. Photography, what does that mean?
00:02:53
Speaker
So 1836 photography, I did spell it wrong. That's okay. The French sell it that way. But 1836 comes from the year of Texas independence. March 2nd, 1836 is our Independence Day and I'm a native Texan. And so, you know, it just kind of resonated with me. I actually, when I first started branding myself, I don't know if other people do this, but I just created a list of names.
00:03:19
Speaker
that I liked or that meant something to me and then kind of googled each one to see if they came up and then just started playing around with them. I did the same thing when I need my kids so I guess it works.
00:03:33
Speaker
What are your kids' names? My kid, I only have one. He's four. His name is Errol. So it's a very old name. It means nobleman. Oh, I love it. I love it. I love it. Okay, Michelle, so tell me a little bit about your
From Hobbyist to Professional: Michelle's Journey
00:03:48
Speaker
journey. We could start from the beginning. I know you're a Texan native, but I know you have a
00:03:55
Speaker
a variety of backgrounds. So just walk me through everything briefly. Yeah, absolutely. So I have been a photographer in hobby for a very long time. I actually started at Texas Tech University when we had film and slides and a dark room. So if that tells you how old I am. But I didn't ever think of it as a career option for me. I was raised kind of like a lot of creatives, I think, where
00:04:25
Speaker
like get a real job, get security and then you know the world kind of changed and nothing's secure anymore and so you kind of have to find your path and do what makes you happy and I took up photography seriously as a hobby and then
00:04:41
Speaker
like most people, people kept asking me to take their pictures and I really enjoyed it and then I had a wedding photographer friend of mine who I was close to just kind of take me under their wing and I fell in love with weddings and couples and
00:04:57
Speaker
you know, the romance of it all and the party. And then I found flash and I've never looked back. So I've been doing weddings primarily for six years. So I'm loving every minute of it, even though my weekends are non-existent, so. Oh, nice. Didn't you do something like in marketing before photography? I have done everything. People will tell you I've had so many jobs. All my friends will tell you.
00:05:26
Speaker
Um, but what happened, which kind of changed my course, I guess would be the best thing to talk about. I did a reverse mortgages. So I basically worked for the devil. Um, so I, you know, wasn't real happy in my life. My life was the movie office space. I lived in a cubicle. I didn't see the light of day and my, it was very soul crushing and I came home upset all the time. And even though I was making the best money I'd ever made in my life, it was just.
00:05:56
Speaker
I just wasn't me anymore. And so I got out of that as quickly as I could. I did more into the creative side, but I was a vice president, so I did a lot of financials. I did social media and marketing.
00:06:12
Speaker
And I actually majored in public relations in college. That's what my degree is in. So, but yeah, so when I, you know, lost my job during COVID, I decided that I should just push myself full time with some encouragement from my husband because I wasn't too sure, but he definitely was so.
00:06:32
Speaker
Um, you know, if not now, when, I guess.
Impact of Coaching on Business Growth
00:06:36
Speaker
Oh, nice. Okay. I love that. We won't talk about reverse mortgages because I'm like the devil. I'm sorry. Uh, but yeah, no, it was just not for me. And I've always been kind of the creative soul, but it, you know, when you're trying to.
00:06:52
Speaker
fight the thing that you grew up on, which is you have to be secure. You have to have a real job with a corporation behind you and stuff like that. And then you see all these people doing the things that you would love to do. Well, they're doing it. They're doing it successfully. How do you make that happen? And so it was, it's still a learning process, but it's worth every minute of it because I get to see my son more. I get to participate in my family more and I get to, um, you know,
00:07:21
Speaker
I feel like I'm making a difference in my client's lives. So, I love that. What has been the biggest like struggle of your business and how did you overcome it? Oh, starting it. I mean, you know, it's real, actually that's a lie. It's real easy to start your business. It's really easy to create a business. It is so difficult to keep it going in those moments where you're like, it's never going to happen for me.
00:07:48
Speaker
But I have found that if you can push through that like negative thought that invade your mind, that's when it happens right after that is close to giving up. That's when it starts coming in. And the only other thing I can say is you have to have great people in your corner like you, Carissa, who is my business coach pushing you and driving you.
00:08:10
Speaker
and telling you the things you're doing right, but also helping you correct the things that you might not be doing as well as you could, and lifting you up in those times when they're like, no, you have this, like keep going. And you have to have a good support system, whether that's your family, which mine is great, or whether that's, you know, business coaches, clients, even your CPA, if you have one, sometimes they have to do it too or so.
00:08:36
Speaker
Oh, thank you. Well, speaking of me, how has like the last three months been with coaching? I mean, like, why did you even hire coach or feel like you needed to coach?
00:08:45
Speaker
Well,
The Rebranding Process and Its Significance
00:08:46
Speaker
um, I didn't know I needed you, but I definitely did. Um, no, my, my friend Danielle with indie pop photo. She, um, was a student of yours and her business blew up because of, of the things that you instilled in her and also her hard work and dedication. And I, I, we are very similar beings, but I have drive just like she does, but I don't always follow through and I don't always have my own personal accountability. So having a coach.
00:09:15
Speaker
helps me immensely to just kind of kick my butt into gear sometimes or hold me accountable every week to do the things that I told you I was going to do. And I think that those little baby steps that you've given me to work on have led to growth in my business in the last year that I don't think I could have done on my own.
00:09:37
Speaker
So I'm so proud of you. So for people who are listening, our hot topic, I forgot to mention, is all about rebranding. Before that, we're not going to talk about that just yet, but I wanted to ask you, what is your woo factor? What makes you stand out? I know, but you can tell us. Well, you kind of already said it.
00:09:59
Speaker
I know every photographer will say, I care about my clients. I want to get to know you. But I literally from day one, take a lot of time with my clients. I don't take on a bunch of weddings, even though that would mean a bunch more money.
00:10:15
Speaker
because it's very important to me that I pay attention, that I get to know you, that we're a good fit. And then when it comes to just the skill that I have, I do color yes, but mainly because I think that that is timeless and that that will live on for the next century. And then I also love off-camera flash. I like to use it creatively. That's what sets me a little bit apart. There's very few females that do
00:10:45
Speaker
what I do. Um, and you know, I'm progressing, but I love couples that trust me enough, which is part of that building process to let me say, Hey, can I take you over to this place right by this dumpster? I think this'll work. And can you stand like this and let me take your picture and then know that there's a reason behind the madness and that what I will produce for you
00:11:08
Speaker
will be worth this weirdness I'm putting you through for a second. So hopefully that turns out, but I love that my clients are my biggest advocates because of that. So that trust that we built. I love that. How did you, why were you drawn so much to off-camera flash and how did you learn?
00:11:28
Speaker
The dynamics of it, since I use color, I live in an area that is very, it changes so dramatically with the seasons. Our greens are either garishly yellow, orange and red, or dead. So, you know, my work seasonally gets affected, but with flash,
00:11:51
Speaker
it is the same for the most part. Like you can use it creatively in different environments and different ways, but you can get the color on point and camera. You can bring out something significant in a venue that may not look
00:12:09
Speaker
you know, might just look average to everybody else looking at it. But, you know, there's one corner I look at and go, Oh, I can use that. So taking the, you know, mundane and making it special somehow. And I like that. So yeah, how I learned was actually
00:12:28
Speaker
the person that took me under their wing they they had always used flash maybe not creative light wise um but they put a trigger on my camera that used their speed lights and all of my pictures came out amazing and i was like how is this happening um and then i second shot for um
00:12:49
Speaker
a very popular photographer, Shannon Kane, she's a magma the ambassador and the way that she saw and viewed areas and pictures and came up with things that I would have never dreamed of, this ordinary location became suddenly like magical. Somehow she'd show the back of her camera and it's like, how did you do this?
00:13:12
Speaker
And I wanted to know how she did this. And so I started, you know, following the people that could teach me those techniques, including her. So she's a magnificent. So yeah, I learned from the best. It's again, putting those right people in the right place. So just finding people that can teach me the skills to kind of up my game.
00:13:35
Speaker
Yes, I mean, go check her out. I know you out 1836 photography. Off camera flash is incredible. It's far beyond what I could do. And I kept telling you like, not like not a lot of people, photos look like that and keep talking about it like you are the queen of off camera flash. And that's a huge differentiator and a huge selling point for you.
00:14:01
Speaker
Yeah, it's hard to, when you're looking at yourself, find those little things. And so when you have someone like Carissa pointing it out to constantly, you know, she made me change the hero image on my website to something with off camera flash. Totally, totally. Okay, I was gonna ask you more questions, because I want to know about you. But I know on the questionnaire, you had like five steps to rebranding. So let's get into it. What does rebranding mean to you?
Brand Refresh vs. Overhaul: Michelle's Experience
00:14:27
Speaker
And tell me about your rebrand.
00:14:29
Speaker
Um, so I started out with, you know, a Fiverr logo. Really like I went on. No shame, no shame. I kind of had, you know, what I wanted in my head. I had it made. I liked it so much. And then I saw
00:14:46
Speaker
how it stacked up to other brands that I admired and it fell really short. And then I also didn't have off-camera flash skills and I didn't know what my style was when I created it and so it became a point where my brand was outgrowing this
00:15:04
Speaker
marketing logo branding suite that I had created initially. You know, the landscape was changing, but mainly me. Mainly it was because my brand needed something different to align with what I knew now were my core values. What I knew now was my ideal client. And that one was just not gonna speak to them. So I had to switch gears. Now your logo, I love your logo and all your branding.
00:15:30
Speaker
Yes, it's super personal. Tell me about your logo because it's so special. I like I never seen something like that.
00:15:36
Speaker
Um, well, what was funny is, uh, I had a design studio. I just kind of sent them what I wanted and they created something, but it wasn't, it wasn't it because we were using, so I had a Magnolia flower in my old logo and that's what they used. And it just, it wasn't it. It like, it just fell real flat for me for some reason. So I went.
00:16:01
Speaker
and search and i ended up kind of creating a mock logo myself and i was like something like this and so they did it better than i did but you know i basically hand hand delivered i guess most of everything but um
00:16:16
Speaker
You know, it's it's a Jackalope, my brand creature. All of my collections are named Myth, Legend, Fable, Jackalope. And so the Jackalope is very significant to me in that my son before he was born and he was born premature.
00:16:35
Speaker
I had made him a blanket and a jackalope was part of the fabric. That was like the whole theme for his room. So that's him to me. So this brand is very personal, but the branding colors are definitely more me than the old version. And it's just vibrant and fun and will speak to the people that I want to work with.
00:16:56
Speaker
Oh, that's a beautiful story. I love that. I'm glad I asked. What are the two types you wrote this of brand refresh versus overhaul? What does that mean? So refresh is just basically like, you know, you just need to tweak a few things. You just need to kind of like in my situation, it wasn't that I needed to change everything about my brand necessarily, but the face of it just needed a little bit of
00:17:23
Speaker
tweaking. But an overhaul would be website, brand design, social media package. I mean, all everything you can think of would be an overhaul. So I feel like mine was more of a refresh, even though the feel of my brand changed completely. Interesting, interesting. Okay, so you have five steps today for rebrand. Is that right?
00:17:46
Speaker
Yes,
Rebranding Tactics and Audience Targeting
00:17:47
Speaker
yes. So it's basically how to do a rebrand, just kind of generalized steps. You know, you can delve deeper for sure. But just for the sake of brevity, we'll just do some kind of overall things. So you really need to know initially
00:18:04
Speaker
What's your reason for wanting a rebrand? Is it significant or are you just, you know, tired of it? What's the reason that you're wanting to do this? And then you need to determine your target audience, which
00:18:18
Speaker
A lot of beginning small business owners, I can even just generalize that not to photographers, but just to small business owners. A lot of time we don't, we start a business not knowing how much back end work is involved. So maybe we didn't do a lot of work on our audience or.
00:18:36
Speaker
our ideal client initially, and now we have, and we know that this brand is not for them. So just determine your target audience. Who are you speaking to and get very specific with it? Are the ideas you have for this new brand going to resonate with them? Are they going to be like, oh, that looks like me? Or are they going to say, be very turned off by it?
00:19:01
Speaker
So the third thing, yeah, sorry, I don't know about me if I talk too much. So it's okay. I just, I'm trying to wrap my head around it. Okay. So yeah, everyone talks about target audience, like understanding, like if your brand resonates with those people, but just give me like a little example. It could be for, for you or for anyone else.
00:19:19
Speaker
Um, I mean, like I said, get very specific. So in my case, it's not, I mean, you could make it like a very specific person in your head that you're talking to at all times. Um, in my case, a lot of mine comes from the feel of people.
00:19:37
Speaker
they're laid back. They probably are young, either climbing the ladder at their corporation or their young startup entrepreneurs. They like to spend most of their time outdoors. They love animals. They love a good party and a good time, but because they're laid back, they find value in the things that last. So they put their money in things that maybe aren't trendy or
00:20:02
Speaker
you know, today's cool thing, but they love, you know, maybe antique furniture shopping, or, you know, getting kitschy with the things that they buy, because they've already lasted 100 years, stuff like that, by vinyl enthusiasts, I love vinyl enthusiasts. But yeah, so, you know, you got to get very specific, what's the age that you're talking to talking to a 22 year old is vastly different than talking to a 32 year old.
00:20:27
Speaker
It just is you know so just get very specific with who that voices and it's not necessarily you. I think that was the hardest thing to wrap my head around is my brand.
00:20:41
Speaker
is very much personal to me, but my client isn't necessarily me. My ideal client isn't necessarily me. It's somebody completely different than I am. So. Interesting. Yeah. I'm just, I was just wrapping my head about all those good keywords that you're saying that was so good. And then also like your images to support that, like outdoors, animals, they love parties. You're really into heirlooms, things that last, antique furniture, which you have a lot of your, your website and your blog.
00:21:10
Speaker
Um, and vinyl records. So I just, I almost see this person like in my head and become real. Yeah. That's very, very interesting. Okay. Just recap. Number one, the reason for your brand, your reason for your brand.
00:21:26
Speaker
determine your target audience. Who are these people? Who is this person? And I find it's easier if it's a real person to you, because the thing is, is that if you cast a wide net, you're not going to attract anybody. If you cast a very specific net, these things will resonate with different people for different reasons. So you have to kind of think of it like that.
00:21:52
Speaker
I love that. You put it out there and you just get very general or you do what everybody else is doing. The people that you are going to attract may not be right for your brand and that only causes conflicts. Totally, totally. Okay, take it away with number three. This is number three. Should it stay or should it go? That's what I called it. Should it stay or should it go? Exactly.
00:22:16
Speaker
I didn't know how to get into spaces that I wasn't invited into. My aha moment was I finally found a venue that I jammed with and I think that we're gonna have a great relationship so I'm super excited to be on their list.
00:22:33
Speaker
I have presented myself, my art, and my business in a way that is speaking to someone, that is speaking to somebody enough where they recognize my brand. They know who I am and I don't know who they are, which is amazing, and they want to work with me.
00:22:51
Speaker
Yep, she's just one of my dozens of students crushing it. Go to my website www.hecyesmedia.co and book a 15-minute strategy session with me. Only if you want to be booked out on multiple preferred vendor lists and have a proven marketing plan.
Adapting Brand Identity and Collaboration
00:23:11
Speaker
So, you know, if there's things you love about your brand, how can you keep them or how can you change them to work with your new voice? How can you tweak some things that you still love to stick around? You know, when that Magnolia wasn't working with the new way I wanted to go,
00:23:29
Speaker
I had to leave it. Even though it was important to me when I created it, it no longer held that value in this brand, in this space. So you really have to just pick and choose and you have to be kind of brutal with it. Even though you may love something, it might have to go. Oh, yeah. Bye, Magnolia. Hello. Yeah, yeah. Sorry, Magnolia. Yeah, I'll go smell you down the street, but you can't stick in my brand. You can't touch you in your arm or something.
00:23:57
Speaker
I don't have any yet, I doubt I'll get any. I have one, that's why I said it. Oh my god. Okay, so should it be or should it go? So pretty much it's like, sometimes it's hard to let go of things that's been in our brand for a long time, but is it still resonating?
00:24:14
Speaker
You have to say, peace out. See you later. Like I know we spend a lot of money, like especially when we first get a business, you're like, I'm going to get this template and I'm going to do this. And I got this and you buy all these things on creative market and you buy all these things for your marketing suite and you put all this work into it. Now you're going to have to change everything. It sucks. I get it. It does suck for a little while, but.
00:24:40
Speaker
that brand voice being so clear, your brand being cohesive, the thing you say when you first get introduced to somebody who may never become your client to the person that's been with you for 10 years, you want that to be consistent.
00:24:56
Speaker
So it's very vital to your longevity to get very, you know, serious about what needs to stay and what needs to go. I like that. Okay, take it away with number four. We got two more guys.
00:25:11
Speaker
All right, number four, collaborate with your team if needed and if you have one. And Carissa knows this, when I was rebranding, I sent the logo options and these things to not only my friends that were photographers, my business coach, my mom, but I also sent them to past clients. And what I found interesting is I put it up in Stories for a Vote,
00:25:38
Speaker
Most of my fellow entrepreneurs hated the one that I loved, hated it. They did not like it. Um, but all of my past clients voted for that one, the one that I liked. And so what that told me is I really had to ignore my mom. I had to ignore my friends and I had to focus on the clients that I worked so well with and loved.
00:26:03
Speaker
and what spoke to them. And so that's how it got chosen. Like, yeah, I had a good inkling about which one would work, but in the end, it really was that one for them. So interesting. Okay. That was, this is going to kind of a new route because when you talk about brand, I would never think of collabing. That's a good word with like your team, which means like your past clients, your friends, your mom, family members, and just getting their opinion. That's very interesting.
Maintaining a Consistent Brand Voice
00:26:33
Speaker
Yeah but you know those clients that you worked with that were easy to work with that you jive with so much their opinion is so valuable that i can't even express you how.
00:26:50
Speaker
how much it's very important that you maintain those relationships, that you be involved in their lives, even past the point of them being your clients, you know, to a different state, but staying involved with those people because their opinion is so relevant to your business.
00:27:10
Speaker
Yeah. And they've been following you for the longest. Correct. Interesting. Okay. So I don't know your last tip, but talk a little bit about brand voice. You, you, I feel like you've gotten a lot stronger in the past three months. Um, but how did you develop your brand voice and what is a brand voice? Uh, your brand voices is, it's the consistency. Yes. But it's also
00:27:34
Speaker
All of your posts, I mean, you know, as a photographer, social is so vital to our advertising to get new clients to maintain vendor relationships to do all of these things. But when you post and you do your captions.
00:27:53
Speaker
Some people can make it all about themselves and maybe the brand is you, you know, that happens too. Mine is not my name. It is not necessarily me. So the brand voice that I have to use is directed at that ideal client.
00:28:10
Speaker
So I consider this sounds so mental when I say it, but I consider them a friend. And like, what would I say to this friend if I was like, Hey, check out this picture, blah, blah, blah, what is that? What is that thing that I'm telling you? Right? Is it a funny joke? Is it, you know, educational? Is it
00:28:28
Speaker
Um, you know, just chit chat. Like, what am I, what am I relating to you with this caption? And so this brand voice, if it's not strong in your head, it won't be strong in every avenue that you're putting it into because as an entrepreneur.
00:28:43
Speaker
You're in so many avenues, you're in social, you're in advertising, you're in networking, you're in this, you're in that, but you're in all these different avenues and there's all these different people. So if that voice is not consistent, all that does is cause confusion. They won't know what they're going to get with you. They might be hesitant to book with you because you sound this way on this platform, but I saw you on here and you said something completely different. I mean, it can cause this very untrustworthiness in your brand.
00:29:13
Speaker
So, like we talked about, it's a lot of back end work, it's a lot of thought processes, a lot of trial and error too in some cases, but it has to be authentic, it has to be consistent, and it has to be strong.
00:29:28
Speaker
Michelle, that was a good one. I mean, I'm getting like really good tips from you and I hope everyone else is too, but that talking to a friend because say that you look at your post, you know, you want to post pretty pictures, you have nothing to say, just pretend like you're talking to a friend at coffee and then tell them about the last wedding that you photographed with like, was there like a larger than life band that like that stick out to you? Was there like a churro bar that like it was delicious and had like sprinkles or chocolate or honey on it or syrup, like,
00:29:58
Speaker
Tell me something interesting about that wedding and like feel like you're talking to a friend because with a friend, you would be genuine, authentic, and really like, I don't know, say what's on your heart and like what that wedding meant to you. So that's very interesting. Yeah. Yeah. And you know,
00:30:16
Speaker
For instance, let's say I was doing that and I was talking about a previous wedding to this friend, right? I also have in the back of my mind that it is a business and that it is the things that I enjoy the most, photographing the most, what works with my brand. They had this beautiful, gorgeous, colorful display of flowers, you know, highlight the things that work with your brand too. If your brand is, you know,
00:30:42
Speaker
clean, concise, or, you know, if your clients are foodies, you'd talk about the food. If your clients are in our, you know, audio files, you talk about the music choice, you talk about the songs. So, you know, you have to also keep that in mind as it's like, yeah, I could just talk about the entire wedding and all these little things. But what do I want to pick? You get a choice, you can highlight the things that you want to shoot more of or that you want to pay attention to more.
00:31:11
Speaker
or that you know your clients care about. So, you know, just keep that in mind when you're using that voice. Oh my goodness. Okay. Close it out with tip number five.
Feedback and Future Goals
00:31:20
Speaker
Tip number five. Share it and then get feedback. So when I shared it the first time, I got a lot of feedback. It was terrible. I mean, it was good. Very good. But you know, it's the same way when you're growing your craft, when you're getting constructive criticism,
00:31:39
Speaker
It's not easy, but if it was, everybody would have their own business. That constructive criticism when delivered in a loving way is so important and vital that you have to listen to it. You just have to. But you also have to know when to stand strong in your beliefs and everything. So it's definitely a tight wire act. So when I shared initially
00:32:05
Speaker
You know, I already kind of knew what I thought, right? I was like, I don't really like this, but I don't know why. The feedback kind of helped me narrow in on the specifics to why it wasn't resonating with these people, what they didn't like about it.
00:32:20
Speaker
Did they not like the color? Did they not like the font? Did they not like, you know, was it ordinary? Was it not speaking to, you know, my brand? Did it not look like it went together? And that was all feedback I got during the course of this. Then that last pair was like, okay, then I have to make a choice. Yeah. I was just saying, I kept saying that you kept saying colorful, colorful, colorful. But a lot of your tones weren't maybe like the
00:32:50
Speaker
primary colors, I guess, like the bright like spring colors. They're more like vibrant and punchy. So maybe I was saying like maybe that could have been a little disconnect, but it was all feedback. So we kind of stuck with vibrant. Absolutely. I mean, the first color that came back was a rust orange, which is, you know, not, not what it is now for sure. And what's funny is, you know, one of the colors in my palette, my brand palette now is like this corally pink.
00:33:20
Speaker
I'm not a pink girl. Never have been, probably never will be, but I love it when it's together. I think it is complete. It just feels right. And there is something to be said about when you've done all this back work and you know your brand inside and out, that something will, you'll look at it and go, yeah, that's it. I mean, you'll just know and you'll know when it's wrong.
00:33:45
Speaker
And I think that great entrepreneurs can do that. They can look at that and say, no, that's not going to fit with us. And then you get the power to make those decisions. You get the power to say, this is not going to work. This is not going to fit. And that's okay. You can say no to those things now because you know what will work.
00:34:05
Speaker
Yep. And when you love it, you want to share it to the world. Exactly. It will make you, a refresh is great also because it gets you re-energized. It gets you excited for the next step and it gets you wanting to share it, which is big. Yes. Okay. Really fast. Number one, reason for your rebrand. Number two, find your target audience. Number three, should it stay or should it go? Number four, ask your friends and family, collab with them, post it on IG.
00:34:33
Speaker
Number five, share it, get feedback. Ta-da! Yeah! Good job, Misha. OK, so I guess last team questions. This might be a hard one to answer, but before coaching with me, what were we struggling with most? And then when did you feel like you stepped into your power? And this is long-winded. You could answer any way you want. And maybe the biggest aha moment, anything. Oh, man.
00:35:02
Speaker
I had already kind of found my voice. Well, I was on the way to finding my voice, I guess, with that. But I didn't know how to get into spaces that I wasn't invited into, I guess, was my biggest struggle. Like, I'm a people person. I can talk to anybody. I love airports. I mean, I could talk to strangers all day about anything.
00:35:30
Speaker
You were the one that kind of taught me the art of the ask is the way I would put it. And so it's just, I mean, you were like, just do it. Message five people. The worst they can say is no. And we know this, but you have to like step off the ledge a little bit. And it's hard when you're on your own.
00:35:49
Speaker
And when you're a photographer and you're in your little bat cave editing and the only light of day you see is going to take the pictures and you're not getting this feedback. If you don't have that support system again, it becomes very difficult to see outside that sphere and to not listen to the negative talk and not listen to the, you can't do this. You're never going to get in.
00:36:13
Speaker
they're too luxurious for you, for your brand. Not how can I make it fit? What can I do for them? How do I make the ask? How do I make it appealing to my clients? You know, how can I partner with somebody? Collaboration is half the battle. So I think that was it. But my aha moment was that first win. I mean, it really was like I had clients, I had booked a few weddings, but that first
00:36:43
Speaker
inclusive thing that happened where somebody wanted me to be the photographer on their vendor list, wanted me to come work with them. That was it. That was the big aha for me was, okay, I have presented myself, my art, and my business in a way that is speaking to someone, that is speaking to somebody enough where they recognize my brand. They know who I am and I don't know who they are, which is amazing.
00:37:13
Speaker
And they want to work with me. That's, that's crazy. I think that's what we all want, but that hard work in the beginning and that struggle with losing who you are in favor of building this business. That's tough. It's really hard. Yeah. That was, that was, I want to cry right now. Don't cry. It was, it was wonderful. And I, you know, I,
00:37:41
Speaker
If you haven't put your money where your mouth is, you really should. If you need help, you have to find the right people to help you. That's what you do. You put people that are strong in a thing.
00:37:55
Speaker
that you're not strong at and put them in that position to help you get better at it. And that's all you can do. So, uh, where do you see yourself in the next 90 days? If you have, have a magic wand busy, tell me numbers, tell me numbers, tell me the, um, I would like to in the year double, uh, what I'm sitting at right now, which is,
00:38:20
Speaker
I won't say numbers of course but at the same time currently on the books I have booked as much as I did the entire last year which is mind-blowing to me but it's only March so I feel like I can make room for more so.
00:38:38
Speaker
Yeah, and I've been talking to a lot of vendors and also, you know, I'm a vendor myself, but the inquiries are coming in like now, which is interesting. Yeah, it's late. It's late in the game, but the venue I'm talking to, they actually, a venue had a hard time and had to let go a bunch of weddings and they picked them all up.
00:38:59
Speaker
So, you know, all of a sudden they get an influx. I get an influx. Uh, everybody kind of benefits when something like that happens. So you never know. Um, we have a busy season. We have an inquiry season. We have an engagement season, but it's not set in stone and it could happen anytime. So you think all your marketing happens a certain time of year and your slow season. Uh, that's when it starts. That's not when it stops.
00:39:25
Speaker
Totally. What is your biggest self care mom boss hat? I play video games. I play video games at Garden. I do all kinds of crazy nerdy stuff, but I think that's it.
00:39:44
Speaker
For one, make yourself an office, even if it's just a little space where you can close the door. I think that's the biggest thing for me. I get distracted. I'll answer my phone. I'll answer email, but if I can close the door, it's easier for me to turn that off at night and pay attention to my son.
00:40:02
Speaker
and play with him before bedtime. And I think that you kind of have to have that off switch because we can go, we can go 24 hours a day. Not saying you should ignore every text that comes in, but prioritize your family time too and set very good boundaries and stick to those if you can.
00:40:20
Speaker
That's a great answer. Okay, last question before we tell everyone where to find you. But any wedding photographer, wedding professional, florist, DJ, planner struggling right now, what is one tip you could tell them that they could do today to get them unstuck and out of their head and ready to go?
Advice for Wedding Professionals
00:40:41
Speaker
Do the things you have control over. You have no control over when somebody's gonna contact you. You have no control over how busy you're gonna be at any given moment. What you do have control over is what you do today. Have you written a blog? Have you updated your website with new copy and new photos? Have you reached out to people that you know can benefit you in some way or can bring you in those inquiries? So you have to be willing to put in
00:41:10
Speaker
the work in the spaces that you control. And even if that's you grab two friends, you put 60 bucks into buying a really nice bouquet from the grocery store and you truck it out to some, you know, amazing landscape and take their picture and put it up. Um, you can create your own work, but it takes a lot of work to do it. So.
00:41:33
Speaker
But it's fun because we're photographers. It is fun. It is fun. But invest in the things that will directly benefit you if you don't have a lot of money to spend is what I would say.
00:41:45
Speaker
Good answer. Okay. And where to find you, Michelle? Where to find me all over. But mainly I post the most on Instagram. So at 1836 photography with an IE or my website, which is obviously 1836 photography with an IE.com. But I also bought it with a Y just in case you forget. So. Yes. And you might have a freebie coming out. Tell us how to get the freebie.
00:42:11
Speaker
So I'm working on a freebie that I'm hoping to get out this spring, which will be basically how to get started with second shooting, how to become a magnificent second shooter and expand your portfolio and get started that way. Because I do adamantly think that you should not take your own wedding until you've second shot a full season. That's just me. It's a whole other beast. The timing has to be perfect. And that is a day you do not want to mess up.
00:42:40
Speaker
Good job, Michelle. This was a great conversation. Thank you so much. Absolutely. Thanks for joining me this week on Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. Make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, or tell a friend about the show. Take a screenshot and post to IG. Tag me. Also, don't forget to download my free guide on how to become a lead generating machine. See you next time, wedding pros.