Are you dreaming of launching a photography business? In this episode, my guest Liv Stouffer shares her journey with her photography business, which she started before Instagram existed. Liv offers advice for new photographers just starting out and helps them avoid roadblocks that she faced. 

The Branded by Bernel Podcast is brought to you by Bernel Westbrook, lead designer and founder of Branded by Bernel, a design studio dedicated to building strong brands and Showit websites for creative entrepreneurs.

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Liv’s Favorite Business Resources

For new photographers, Liv stresses the value of a CRM, or client management system. For the first five years of her business, Liv used an excel spreadsheet to keep track of her clients. Now, she uses the service 17 Hats to send invoices, create contracts, and oversee the client lifecycle. Using a CRM helped her boost her capabilities from managing 10-15 clients to managing 80-100.

“So it really [had] a huge impact on my profitability, and my professionalism as a business owner to be able to really maintain that personalized and unique relationship with each of my clients without actually having to remember all those little details.” -Liv Stouffer

Liv started her business before Instagram, so she learned everything about photography from blogs, Tumblr, and trial and error. 

“I didn’t really have direct one-on-one contact with any kind of mentors or peers when I was first starting out. But I was just so in love with photography, that I didn’t let it stop me. I just kept shooting and learning.” -Liv Stouffer

Since she didn’t have a mentor, Liv gives back to the photography community by offering education for new photographers.

Overcoming Roadblocks in the Photography Industry

One of Liv’s early mistakes was collaborating with others whose values didn’t align with hers. The “girl boss” culture puts a lot of pressure on women who run their own businesses, but no one will care about your business more than you. Don’t say yes to every partnership because you’re worried about missing an opportunity. It’s important to prioritize your goals and not get distracted by “hitching your wagon” to the wrong people.

Liv finally found her business community when she looked outside of the photography industry. She encourages new photographers not to rush to find a community but to wait until they find one that you align with in your values and work ethic. 

Growing a Photography Business Through Referrals

Liv has always understood the importance of developing a strong relationship with your clients, and the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized it even more. When weddings and events were getting canceled, Liv noticed that she still maintained most of her bookings with the clients that she had great relationships with. 

Liv makes sure to give all of her clients an amazing experience from start to finish. That includes stellar customer service and gorgeous photos. After she delivers the photos, she boldly asks her client to write a testimonial about working with her. In the beginning, she asked clients to leave specific reviews that she wanted prospective clients to see. For example, she would ask clients to write about her communication style on The Knot or her Facebook page to build up her good reviews. 

3 Actionable Steps from Liv

1. Know your why. As a business owner, you will face hard days. Before you dive too deep into your business it’s important to know why you want to do it. Your “why” will power you through the hard days and fuel your work ethic. 
2. Know your goals. This is different from your “why” because your goals can be broken down into small actionable steps that you can take every day to propel your business forward. 

Enjoy the journey. When you’re in love with the life that you’re building, you’ll attract clients who want your excitement.

Get to Know Liv

Liv is a wedding, boudoir and brand photographer whose “why” is to support her clients, to show them how valuable they are, and how important their life is. Whether its photographing their new product launch or making them feel like a supermodel on their wedding day, she loves making them feel special.

And, looking like a supermodel on your wedding day is one thing, but one of Liv’s greatest contributions to her community is actually being transparent enough to share the truths about being a business owner and what Bernel calls the “messy middle.” This transparency really offers reassurance to business owners at every stage to know that they are not alone on the tough days.

Connect with Live

https://livinthemomentphotography.com/

https://www.facebook.com/LivintheMoment

https://www.instagram.com/livinthemomentphoto/

https://www.instagram.com/livinthemomentwedding/

Connect with Bernel

brandedbybernel.com

instagram.com/brandedbybernel

Review the Transcript:

Bernel
Hey, hi. Welcome to the Branded by Bernel podcast. I’m your host Bernel. You may know me as the branding and web designer who obsesses over the details so you don’t have to. We all desire to be great at what we do. Although once we get there, no one seems to talk about the messy middle. This motivated me to set the table and invite industry peers over to share stories about living and working in the creative world. So grab the OJ and champagne, pull up a chair, join the creative community and be prepared to build a brand you fall in love with. This is the Branded by Bernel podcast.

Bernel
So today on the podcast, we have a very special client turned friend of mine Liv Stouffer from living the moment photography. Liv, thank you so much for being on the podcast today.

Liv Stouffer
Oh, no, thank you Bernel. I’m so excited to be here.

Bernel
Yes. For all of you listening at home, live offers so many incredible services. In 2020, we actually did a rebrand of her website. So if you have not already checked that out, check it out. I will have a link to that in the show notes. But let’s dive right in. How long have you been in business live?

Liv Stouffer
It’s kind of crazy to admit it. But I will be going on 11 years and 2021

Bernel
Oh my goodness, yeah. It’s crazy. Ambulance, no doubt, things have changed a lot. Right.

Liv Stouffer
So much things have changed so much the other day, I was thinking about it. And I realized that Instagram didn’t exist when I started. It makes me feel so old to admit that. But we had just gotten kind of Facebook up and running and started using that as a business kind of free marketing platform. And it was thinking back through it, and we didn’t even have Instagram. That’s crazy. I rely on it so much now for my business and we didn’t even have it.

Bernel
Wow, that’s crazy. Starting a Business pre Instagram. I know. So talking about starting that business, what purpose does your business serve? How do you serve your community?

Liv Stouffer
That is a great question. Ultimately, I really feel like the purpose of my business is just to support my clients. I’m a photographer in the metro Detroit area, and I have a lot of different lines of service. I do wedding photography, boudoir and brand photography. So that keeps me stretched a little bit in different kind of demographics of my clients. But ultimately, I just love supporting them and making them feel really valuable. And really seen and just being able to show them how important their life is. So whether that is supporting them on the launch of their new product that they have coming out, or making them feel like a supermodel on their wedding day. I just really love making them feel seen and really special.

Bernel
Oh, I love that female empowerment. Yeah, just something that, you know, that’s my bread and butter over here. I love women who can do anything? Yes. chuckling because I was looking at your Instagram account the other day. And in your bio you wrote that you’re the hashtag Instagram has been for?

Liv Stouffer
Yes, I love that. That kind of dawned on me at the beginning of 2020 because I was really looking for a way to communicate what I do for my brand photography clients like I am the photographer that if you want an iPhone selfie, Sure, let’s do it. If you want me to do a boomerang, let’s do it. And I just kind of realized, I’m an Instagram husband, like, in addition to all of the actual high quality, beautiful professional photography that I do, like let’s do a boomerang. I love it.

Bernel
That is awesome. So just really creating that content that engages with people. Yes, that’s great. If you are a photographer listening in at home, that’s actually something super cool that your clients probably would like a boomerang or, you know, a phone selfie, because that’s the content that we need on those days that we don’t look super polished and business owners.

Liv Stouffer
Yes, yes, absolutely. And I feel like those little touches are really the things that make them feel like drop dead gorgeous. Like it’s one thing to have a big heavy camera and to be making. Oh, you look great girl. Yeah, you’re doing it. But to be able to like pull out your selfie, and be like, come over here and take a selfie with me because you like too good. We need a boomerang from today. Like this was an amazing day. Let’s do a boomerang. It’s official now.

Bernel
I love it. Yes. It’s not real. It’s not on the ground. Exactly. Yes. So 11 years of doing this fabulous service with photographing women. What would you say are some of the best resources that helped you out along the way?

Liv Stouffer
That’s a great question for now. I would have to say For me, as an entrepreneur, the best decision that I made was getting a CRM or a client management system. I feel like every photographer on the planet has a discount code for honey book. But when I first started, there was nothing like that. I was using it to track my clients in an Excel spreadsheet. And regardless of what industry you’re in, you have to have a way to be able to stay organized within your business. So for me, that is a client management system, because it allows me to send my invoices, get my contracts, keep track of where my clients are at within their client lifecycle. And just to be able to keep all of that information in a place that is trackable, that’s not inside my head. So for me, that was the biggest thing, when I actually got a client management system, I went from being able to manage about 10 to 15 clients to being able to track and manage 80 to 100 clients. So it really was a huge impact in my profitability, and my professionalism as a business owner to be able to really maintain that personalized and unique relationship with each of my clients without actually having to remember all those little details that make you such a great business owner.

Bernel
Wow, that is amazing. So you more than like quadruple the amount of clients, you were able to serve. Yes. Management System,

Liv Stouffer
it took so much pressure off of me. And I was able to really relax and focus on getting to know my clients in a personal way. Because I wasn’t stressed out about whether or not I had sent them a contract, or they signed it or they paid their invoice or what where was I meeting them at again, like all of those logistical things. Were now out of my head, and on a great system for me to be able to manage them.

Bernel
Oh, that is incredible. So I have to ask, what client management system these?

Liv Stouffer
Oh, great question. I love 17 hats. Huge plug for them. They have grown so much since I started using them. I’ve been with them, I believe for about five years now. So I did the first five years of my business just with Excel spreadsheets and notebooks and pads of paper. And it was a mess. And then I got 17 hats, my business quadrupled. And I have just loved their customer support that they have the types of services that they have. And just the fact that they are constantly trying to improve their current management system. Every year, they come up with a brand new release of some new innovative way to make my life easier. And I love that.

Bernel
That is incredible. So transparency moment for me five years ago, well, five years in March, I can oh well. I did I purchased 17 Hats was the first thing that I purchased as a business owner. And I couldn’t figure it out. And that’s horrible because I pride myself in being pretty techie. But I guess not. So I couldn’t figure it out. And I stopped having a client management system, I went to doing everything by pen and paper and spreadsheets for about a year. And then I found dubsado. And I ended up falling in love with dubsado. And that’s the client management system I use. But as I talked to people about 17 hats, I kind of feel like I jumped ship pretty early. For me without that, because I’m like they were a great software. I had no complaints about it other than I couldn’t figure it out. But at that point in my business, I didn’t know what I needed. Yeah, I think that that’s a really good point when you’re just getting started that sometimes it’s not the software’s fault. It’s user error. But I’m glad that you love 17 hats. And if I’m ever back in the market for time management system, I will have to check out there. I think it was a

Liv Stouffer
great point for now because in addition to it being I mean, 17 Hats is a steep learning curve, I will definitely give you that. But the luxury now that you and I both have in that new entrepreneurs have is that there are so many different client management systems to choose from. So while 17 Hats is very techie, and very customizable, which is lovely. It is a steep learning curve and do Sabo or HoneyBook or a different client management system are more visual or more intuitive. And so it’s really just about the way that you learn and the amount of time that you have to invest into that client management system.

Bernel
Yes, investing time. That’s huge. I think we talk about investing money a lot when starting a business, but investing time is just as valuable, if not more. So there’s 17 Hats offer a free trial right now.

Liv Stouffer
Yes, they do, actually. Yeah, I believe they have a free two week trial. And they also have some kind of discount code if you book within the two week trial. But two weeks is a very short amount of time to try and learn all of the options and capabilities that this system has. So I would say, before signing up with DiSalvo, or honey book, or 17 hats, I would really sit down and focus on what you need your client management system to do for your business. Because as a photographer, I love the customizability that it has between booking mini sessions or booking long term clients or being able to do my bookkeeping through it. But if you are really just looking for a system where you can send invoices and contracts, maybe one of the simpler, more intuitive ones would be better for your line of industry. You know what I mean?

Bernel
Yeah, that makes complete sense. So it’s not one size fits all? Yes. In business, I love that. So in our show notes, I am going to link to both of those software’s Great. Liv has been gracious enough to give us her code. So we’ll put that in there. Because I think both of those have affiliate programs. So I’m gonna put both in the shownotes. And if you have not chosen a client management system, here is a good little plug for both of those. Try them out. They both offer free trials, I suggest signing up to both, and seeing which one really works best for your business. And then send me on live or both of us a message on Instagram and let us know what you chose. I think that would be really I would love that. Yeah. Yes. So this claim management system really impacted your business. It sounds like how do you think that sharing your journey and getting started can impact other people’s businesses?

Liv Stouffer
That is such a great question. And I love that you asked me that. Because so often in our businesses, we get so focused on the what’s next or the right here. And now or kind of keeping your head down and working in your business, that you really forget how far you’ve come. And honestly, it wasn’t until you asked me to be a guest on this podcast that I was like, holy cow. I’ve been in business for 11 years. That is so crazy to me. And until you talk to someone who is just starting out, you kind of forget how hard it is to start and how hard it is to try and figure out how to be a business owner. So I love that you asked this question about how sharing your journey and purpose can impact others. Because I feel like you really forget how hard it is for people starting out. And so it is a really good reminder to share your journey. And I love the opportunity to do that. So I am a type three Enneagram. And I love hearing about my accomplishments and my gold crushing and all that other kind of stuff. Yes, I think it’s so important to really share where you started because you become proof and encouragement to people that you didn’t even know needed to be encouraged that it is possible. And that it is hard. But it is possible. I mean, I am a 27 year old girl from Michigan who quit my day job and now runs a successful business where I get to have complete flexibility over my days, my lifestyle, how much income I’m allowed to make, how much opportunities I can have. And I am so happy. And I know that there’s so many people listening to this podcast, who maybe don’t live that lifestyle right now. And I just want you guys to know that it is possible and that you can do it.

Bernel
Yes, oh my goodness, that just gave me chills. I love it so much. And I think that having a business and being in control of your income statement being in control of how much money you can make that is one of the most freeing feelings. And it’s not the money that brings the happiness, it’s the freedom to make money doing something you love. Happiness. And so by sharing your accomplishments, in what ways do you do that? what ways do you give back to the community,

Liv Stouffer
one way that I really love to give back. And I feel like in giving back, it kind of sets the expectation that it needs to be like, financially, or some really big service of your time and energy. And it really doesn’t have to be. So I mean, one way that I just tried to pay it back every single day is just by being transparent whenever possible. Because I think it’s so tempting with social media and Instagram to just pretend like you are this amazing, successful person. And you are so special. And you’ve always been amazing and successful when we all know that’s not the case. And so just by being transparent whenever possible, that yeah, it was really hard to get to where I am Yeah, it took me 11 years to get to where I am today. Like I work my butt off, but it’s so worth it and just to be transparent and to remind the people that are following your social media accounts that you know you can’t compare yourself to my journey because it took me 11 years to get here. So if you are just starting out and you aren’t making six figures or you aren’t fully booked or you are struggling to know what to post on your Instagram, it takes a long time to get there but there are so many more resources and possibly Ladies for you to be able to get there faster than I did.

Bernel
Oh, my goodness, yes. Oh, so many good gyms You just dropped in that? Because I do think that has business owners it is really hard to be transparent. Yes, no, we all talk about it. We’re like, your authentic self. But it was still post the pictures, we still post the accomplishments, we still post that, you know, we checked everything off our to do list all our goals. And that’s beautiful. I wouldn’t take any of that away. But I think that it’s good to tell people that we didn’t start that way. No social media account started with 5000 followers, no, like they didn’t start being booked out. They didn’t start with everybody knowing their business name, even in their city. Like that’s not how you got started. And so I think it’s really cool to tell people that but then also to talk about the messy middle, and messy middle place. Because usually in the the cliff note version of an entrepreneur story, they tell you about how they quit their job. And they were at the grocery store, and they weren’t sure if they could buy their groceries today. And then I made six figures last year. We’re missing something. so terrifying that there Yes. And I love that about your Instagram. Also, we’ve had the opportunity in 2020, to jump on Instagram and make use of the Instagram live feature. And I thought that that was so great. I was I didn’t realize that was a goal of mine, honestly, until you reached out to me. I had never done one with another entrepreneur. And so thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone anytime.

Bernel
Now super fun, you can find that on our Instagrams, we talked about branding, photography, and just branding in general, and why that’s so important in your business. And that pushed me to look at some of your other lives and some of your other, you know, Instagram videos and things. And I love it because it’s almost format, like your personal TED Talk. So I think you’ve called it. Yes. And you just dropped so much value for free. So I think that anybody listening that is trying to figure out marketing, branding, content creation, they should definitely go listen to your Instagram

Liv Stouffer
view. Thank you so much. Yeah, that’s one way when you’re talking about paying it forward. Like as an entrepreneur, every experience that you have adds to your little toolbox of success, you could say, and so when I have the time and the ability, or when people ask me questions, sometimes I try really hard to set up a zoom call or to go live on Instagram. And it is scary, because you don’t know who is watching and what kind of questions or what they’re gonna think about you. But being able to share what you’ve learned is huge. And that really helps to set you up as an expert within your own industry. And it also is just a really great way to connect with people who are following along in your entrepreneurial journey, whether they are clients who actually have questions for you, or just other entrepreneurs that are like, wow, that’s really cool that they did that, just like you said, for me. I love being able to have my own little personal TED talk on Instagram, and just kind of share the answers to some questions. I know during quarantine, this past year, I had a really fun time sharing some of my project management tips in a zoom call. I just opened it up to whoever was interested in put together a little basic PowerPoint and just answered questions for an hour and it was really really cool.

Bernel
Oh my goodness, that is so incredible. I am always scared to do those. And I know as to I love talking to people. I’m always terrified to create zoom calls, because I’m like, what if they don’t come you know, you can build it and people still don’t go? Yes,

Liv Stouffer
absolutely. And that terrifies me too. But at the end of the day, I always try to think like I’m sure you’ve heard it like we’ve heard it all the time, you know, 100 people will fill a church 200 People will fill a movie theater. And so when a going into whatever the Facebook Live Instagram, live a zoom call, and you think if one person shows up, and they learn one thing from me, that’ll be worth it. And I feel like the same with Instagrams, we get so caught up in the number of followers that we have, but like even if you only have 500 followers, that is 500 people that you have access to to share about your story to share about your services to share about what an amazing experience that you can give them by them joining in your business it’s it’s just crazy. We lose sight of that sometimes I think

Bernel
yes we do. So that’s good. Okay, I’m gonna put that on a sticky note actually wrote it down for a person shows up and they learn one thing for me it’s worth it. That’s good motivation to not get caught up by the numbers. Yeah. I love that. So you seem like Such a mentor in your community. Did you have to mentors and peers in your field when you first started?

Liv Stouffer
Oh, that’s a great question. When I first started off my photography career, like I mentioned earlier, there was no Instagram, like, we had Facebook, and we had blogs, blogs were huge. So it was nothing like what it is now where you can find somebody that you admire on Instagram, and then send them a DM and ask them questions and ask if you can, I mean, for me second shoe or follow them on a shoe or anything like that, I didn’t really have access to anyone at that level. In the beginning, it was really just from reading their blogs, digesting their images. I mean, we had Tumblr, you know what I mean? So it was really, through finding the imagery in the portfolio and following along with other people’s journeys, and kind of just giving yourself that permission that if they can do it, I can do it. So I didn’t really have direct one on one contact with any kind of mentors or peers when I was first starting out. But I was just so in love with photography, that I didn’t let it stop me. I just kept shooting and learning, and shooting and learning and sharing my passion.

Bernel
Oh, that’s so good. Okay, so that’s another learning point, you guys, if you’re listening, you don’t necessarily need a one on one mentor. And I know that it’s so controversial, because it is. Blogs tell you get a mentor, get a business coach. And I do think that that serves a purpose for certain people. But clearly, passion for learning and passion for what you’re doing can take you a long way that can take you a long way. So when you were first getting started, what are some of the roadblocks that you saw? And then if you could tell, live something 11 years ago, Oh, watch out for?

Liv Stouffer
Oh, that’s a good, um, some of the roadblocks that I encountered when I first started out was this term, I don’t know, you’ve probably heard it, but hitching your wagon to the wrong people tell me. It’s like when you align your business, or you align your efforts along with someone else. So I mean, I guess I call it hitching your wagon. I call it collaborations. But it’s just kind of like aligning with someone who doesn’t have your best interests at heart, or have your business’s interests at heart. And just that reminder that no one is going to work as hard on your business as you will. So I would just say be wary of collaborations or partnerships that will hold you back or distract you from your own goals, because that is definitely something that I fell into or made the mistake of when I was first starting out with aligning myself with another business owner, who I thought was going to be a really great mutual working experience. And it just turned out we had different goals. And we had different levels of drive. Like how hard we were going to work to make it successful. And I am a very driven person, and I love working towards goals and really putting in the hours and, and doing whatever it takes to be successful. Because at that time, that’s what I wanted, I wanted it so bad. And this person didn’t want it as badly as I did. And so it was really challenging for me to start out. After this point, though. I had a corporate job for about five years. And I was really shocked when I came out of my corporate experience by some of the social expectations that we have been like this girl boss world, like, I feel like there’s this expectation that you have to be best friends with other business owners and that you have to, like bend over backwards to do them favors and stuff. And I just want to remind people listening to this podcast that like, These people aren’t your friends, these are your peers, they’re the equivalent of a coworker. Like, please be friendly and respectful, even be super kind to them. But remember that you don’t owe them anything. And it’s okay to have a transactional relationship and to look out for your best interests. When dealing with other business owners. It’s okay to not go out to coffee just because somebody asked you to, it’s okay to not give a discount to someone just because they’re also a business owner. And just to really give you the permission that you can do what’s best for your business. And you can worry about maybe stepping on some toes a little bit later because at the end of the day, your coworkers, your peers, you’re not partners, you’re not in this together. It’s you and your business, trying to get the success and accomplishments that you are setting out to do.

Bernel
Oh my goodness, yes, yes. Yes. I don’t know how many ways to say yes. Not years ago when I was getting started. The girl broth expectation. Oh my goodness. Yes. That’s a whole different podcast episode. We might. I would love that. Just on Living up to the girl boss expectation because it is portrayed on social media that you are supposed to be best friends with everybody in the industry. He’s you’re not out to coffee with them, you’re left out like, Yeah, let’s not be one of the cool kids for us. You’re not sitting there grabbing wine with everyone in your What’s so hard it puts you back to like the lunch room and High School of what table? Do I sit at? I yeah, I hated that feeling. And then even the pressure that comes from deciding not to do that. Like, it’s almost like you’re betraying your business, if you don’t take every opportunity to bend over backwards to every entrepreneur reaches out. Yes, I completely agree

Liv Stouffer
with that. And I feel like we’re so afraid of missing opportunities that we say yes to the wrong ones. And you really have to frame every invitation or every collaboration, or every partnership with what your business’s goals are, and if it’s going to help you get closer to those goals.

Bernel
Yes, yeah. To all of that. Definitely agree. And I just want it to be said that as a business owner, you only have two obligations. One is an obligation to be true to yourself and to your business. And the second is to serve your clients in the best way you can. So good is not to other businesses. I love collaboration, I love community. I do I talk about it all the time. But those should be authentic, genuine reciprocal relationship.

Liv Stouffer
Relationships.

Bernel
If you’re not, then you are hitching your wagon to the wrong people. Full Circle, full circle, have a new phrase. I like that a lot. So thank you. So talking about community, we’ve talked about going about finding a community the wrong way. But how did you find your business community.

Liv Stouffer
That is, I hope that more people have found their community much faster and easier than I did. Because let me talk about that roadblock, I hitched my wagon to the wrong person. And it really like kind of scared me and not in the sense of oh, people are bad. And everybody wants to take things from me like, I knew that was the case. But I became extremely cautious about who I let into my business circle. Like, I know, you have inner circles, outer circles, I have a business circle. And I became so cautious about who I let into my real life behind the scenes of running my business, and sharing my passion and energy towards having a business. Because I found that there were so many people out there who didn’t have that passion and didn’t have that drive. And all of a sudden, they wanted to be with me, and they wanted to be a business bestie because they wanted to take some of that energy from me, and use that to motivate themselves. And so for a very, very long time, I’ve really felt like a little bit of a lone wolf in the sense that I was the only entrepreneur that I knew I was the only business owner that I knew. I avoided networking events and wine with other business owners and things along that nature. Because I just, I didn’t want to get distracted by people who didn’t have that same passion that I did. And that’s really sad, because there are so many people out there who are just as passionate as I am. And so once I found the people who were on my same level, and who worked just as hard as I did, they worked harder than I did, it was really a wake up call to me to be like, Wow, there are people out there that work just as hard on their businesses that I do that, that want this just as bad as I do that are willing to do whatever it takes just like I am. And those are the people that I aligned myself with. And really, interestingly enough, most of them weren’t photographers. And I don’t know if that is just my own very competitive personality. Or if it’s just really being able to find kind of those light bulb moments of being inspired by different industries than the one I was in. So I’m really excited to share that I do have a really good business community of women in my area, who we can really share those behind the scenes, the hard moments, the good moments, but it took me a very long time to get there. So I would encourage you not to rush that and not to just align yourself with the first person that you find in your business community. But also to know that there are people out there who are just as hard working as you or who are just as passionate as you are. You just have to find them.

Bernel
Hmm, that is so good. So good. I love that. And I love that your business community is mixed industries. I think that’s something that I would love to see more of in 2021 in 2020 I saw a lot of community building things but it was like Just for photographers, I literally saw Facebook groups that said, just for photographers, or influencers, or if you’re a branding designer, come here. And I mean, that’s great to learn from some of your industry peers. But I think that there’s a different aspect of inspiration invulnerability that you can have from a mix industry, because it really takes out that competition factor. Yes,

Liv Stouffer
I think that’s huge. And in addition to taking out the competition factor, it really allows you to just be inspired, like, some of the people in my inner business circle, are makeup artists, and realtors and other business owners. It’s dependent upon where you find your identity as a business owner, whether that is as an entrepreneur, because in that case, you can find relationship and inspiration from so many other entrepreneurs. Because at the end of the day, your focus is about serving your clients and making profit and being an amazing business. Or if your identity is as a photographer, or as a designer, and trying to find your inspiration, a little more competitively, from other photographers or designers in your area. Neither one is bad. I just feel like, for me personally, it’s so much easier for me to be able to have a really good relationship with people who have different interests than I do.

Bernel
Yes, well, I tell people all the time, if you feel like you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. You definitely want to be around people who can bring something different to the table or may even bring something better to the table. I think that’s great. As far as relationship building with your clients, have you seen that to be beneficial in your business?

Liv Stouffer
Absolutely, absolutely. And, you know, I always kind of, I mean, all the books, all the podcasts, all the resources for business owners say, you know, it’s all on referrals, you know, invest in your clients serve your clients well. And I did that. But I really saw it personally, this last year in 2021, COVID-19 hit, because as a wedding photographer, it was a very scary time. And the only difference that I could see from my wedding photography, business and other wedding photographer businesses is all of the clients that I had that decided to still go forward with their weddings to still be able to keep me on as a business owner. And as a service provider, they were the ones that I had the best relationships with. And I found that very interesting, because other photographers in my area went from having 20 or 30 bookings to having one or two. And I went from having 20 or 30 bookings to having 18 bookings, which was crazy during the time. And the relationship that I had with those 18 clients was really, really good. And it was so exciting to be able to really serve them, despite all the confusion and disappointment and hard times that 2020 was, but it was just a really big eye opener to me that when you take good care of your clients, they take good care of

Bernel
you. Oh, that is such a good point. Yes, taking good care of your clients. So one of the things when we work together on your website, I sent a website content questionnaire, like I do with all of my clients. And I asked for testimonials. And I always hold my breath when I get the questionnaire back. Because I found that a lot of people leave that empty. They’re like, we know how to ask for testimonials. Well, I’m happy to say you sent me your question your back soul of testimony. Like these testimonials were incredible, like a few of the women in your testimonials row in G. So can you just talk a little bit about how you get those incredible testimony?

Liv Stouffer
Yes, I would love to. So as a photographer, and I’m sure with many different business Industries, a huge, huge part of my client base and getting new leads is based on referrals. So my process for getting amazing referrals is at the very start when they book me. So I focus on each and every client right in front of me and I make sure that I give them the best experience possible. Whether that is communication or the actual photos or whatever that experience is I try to serve them to the best of my abilities. And then after I have given them an amazing experience and gorgeous photos, that’s when I boldly ask them to write me a review or to give my website to someone specific that they know that could benefit from that. Sometimes that is a text message. Some of that is an email template I send out. But I really tried to ask them to honestly share how that experience was. Sometimes when I was first starting out, I would kind of give them leading questions. Like I might say, could you please write me a review on the knot or on Google? And just tell my future clients how I made you feel on your photo shoot, or could you tell future clients how my communication was during your experience with me so that way I can get a little bit of diversity and really get that kind of casual tone. Because I know we’ve all gotten reviews back where it was like five stars, they were great period. And so by kind of showing them and trying to lead them a little bit in what I’m looking for, while still leaving it completely up to them in their experience, it has helped me get really genuine responses, and really good reviews.

Bernel
Oh, that’s great. I love that. I love that. So I took some notes on that as well, because that’s on my list of goals of 2021 is just getting those quality reviews. Yes. So I love that so much valuable information there. So recently, you were featured in Metro Detroit weddings, which is a little bit about what that felt like. And just that whole experience.

Liv Stouffer
Oh my goodness, it was amazing. Being featured in print has been on my list. It’s been on my dreams, like forever since I started like, especially since we didn’t really have Instagram, when I started, like I was looking at magazines constantly. I was looking at wedding magazines before I was a bride. Like, I love what magazines. So being in a magazine in print has just been one of my goals forever. And during quarantine, I had submitted a bunch of weddings to a bunch of different publications. And you know, I was just trying to stay busy and that kind of thing. And fast forward about six or seven months later. And I was out with my mom and I had picked up Metro Detroit magazine was flipping through it. And you know, I was muttering to her about like, I can’t believe I haven’t been in one of these yet. I just want it so bad. One of these days are going to be in one of these things. And then I caught my breath. Because I flipped the page. And it was my bride on the wedding. And I was just like, oh my goodness, Mom, mom, and she was like, what, what’s wrong? And I was like, This is my wedding. This is my bride, I took these pictures. That’s my name. And it was just the most amazing experience. Not because like I was in print, and I’m famous now. But just because it had been a dream for so long. And it was such a surprise to realize it, you know, and I kept flipping through the magazine. And it turns out I was in there two more times. So it was just, like such an amazing experience. And it completely blew me away. And the next day I bought all the magazines I could find and sent them to all of my family, all of My Brides, and I just

Bernel
loved it. Oh, that is incredible. Well, congratulations. That is a huge accomplishment. Thank you so much. Great. I also had that dream come true last year did Oh, yeah. So that’s always just a surreal feeling we know in something tangible, and is in there. So I am super excited for you. And I love that. So this brings us to my favorite part of the show. If you’ve been following along, you know that this is the point where I tell you to grab your journal, because we are about to drop three gyms, suddenly, I have to ask you the question. Three actionable steps that person can take to move forward and building their business. So

Liv Stouffer
I love this question. I am tangible person. So having a list of steps and things to do it lights me up, I love it, I would have to say the first thing that you have to do to move forward in building your business is to know your why. So often so many people start charging money for their services, especially photographers or start working on something and realize people want it and the next thing they know, they’re like, oh, I have a business. I guess I’m a business owner now. And I think the most important thing that you need to do is to pause right now, and to know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Because there are going to be some really hard days ahead of you as a business owner. And you will need to know without a shadow of a doubt why you’re even getting out of bed in the morning, why you are coming home after your nine to five job and putting in more hours on your business. And I think whether you are just starting out, or you have been in business for a long time, our y’s change. And so it doesn’t matter where you’re at in your journey right now you need to know what your Y is.

Bernel
That’s so key about knowing your y because on those rough days on those days where you are so hired, and you’re putting in those super long nights, and it’s 3am and you’re editing photos with the photographer or your turn up finish a more local concept as a designer, or you’re wrapping products because you owe on store. It’s those moments that you’re gonna have to dig really deep and it has to be about more than just the money. It has to be about why you’re really doing that and the passion and what’s going to help you get through that. So I think that’s huge. And knowing your why before those rough times. Yes.

Liv Stouffer
That’s huge. Absolutely. The second thing I would say, for an actionable step that you can take to me Have your business forward is to know your goals. Okay, so I know so many business owners and they know their wife, they love their wives, they love serving their clients, but they don’t have goals. So you have to have goals in your business in the forefront of your mind and have actionable steps towards those goals. Because that is what will take you leaps and bounds further ahead than if you don’t have any. Is your goal quitting your corporate job? So you go full time? Or is it making enough money to just have an amazing vacation, you have to break them down. So that way you can work towards them every single day.

Bernel
I love that, yes, putting them on paper to really helps I also speak my goals out loud, because I get that sensory of hearing them as well. So you’re not only saying them, but you also need to hear them. Well. Yeah.

Liv Stouffer
And I feel like to like, in addition to hearing them out loud, there’s something kind of mental shift that kind of gives you ownership over it, that writing them down doesn’t give you like, if you say it out loud, you’re like, Oh, was that me? Oh, yeah, that was my voice. Like, I guess I do want this.

Bernel
I love that.

Liv Stouffer
The third thing I have the third step for you to move forward and building your business is to enjoy the journey. This one kind of surprised me when I was thinking about it. Because I spent so many years with my head down and working my butt off. And I didn’t even enjoy the fact that I was literally creating the life that I wanted to live. You know, like, I was so focused on the goals and the why and just those long, sleepless nights, working those long hours. And I know it’s really hard to enjoy that hard work. But now I have a dream lifestyle where I can sleep in or go to brunch at 11 on a Tuesday and work with amazing clients. And just being a full time business owner. It’s just one of the best decisions I ever made. And so I really want the third step of this actionable, building your business to just really be enjoying it. Because when you enjoy it, and when you’re in love with the life that you’re building, you will attract clients who want some of that enthusiasm and would love to work with you. So I think that is super contagious, and you should just really be enjoying the journey. Oh,

Bernel
I love that so much. Yes, taking a moment to really sit with the fact that you’ve achieved what you what you were wishing like. We spend so much time creating goals, setting goals, working toward our goals as business owners, especially as like, type a person. Because I know you’re both pretty ambitious. And you spend so much time working in your business that sometimes you forget that like wow, like I’m checking off some of these goals and you’re not really taking a moment to sit with the celebratory fact. Yes, yes. So I think that that is huge. And yes, I love brunch on a Tuesday. Running a business has allowed me to be like in a permanent state of like brunch behavior. Oh, that’s amazing. I love that. So thank you so so much live for coming on the podcast today and just given us so many gyms. Oh,

Liv Stouffer
thank you so much for having me.

Bernel
I think it’s incredible what you have accomplished in 11 years and I cannot wait to see what you do this year. Um, I will not say 2021 is going to be here a year. What happened the last time we said I’m so excited. So tell me where the people can find you.

Liv Stouffer
Yes, so you can find me on my website. www dot live in the moment photography, or on either of my two Instagrams my brand Instagram is at live in the moment photo. My wedding and boudoir is at live in the moment wedding. And all of those are spelled li ve like Olivia.

Bernel
Love it. Oh, yes, that’s the last thing I have to talk about the play on words of her business name is live. But her business is live in the moment. makes me so happy.

Liv Stouffer
It makes me really happy too. And on those bad days when I forget. It’s perfect. And right there in front of me.

Bernel
Having your name as part of your business name really is a level of accountability like no other. Yes. So thank you so much, Liz.

Liv Stouffer
Thank you. Thank you Brunel.

Bernel
Wow, that went by really fast. As always, thank you so much for showing up in my little corner of the internet. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. So please, please subscribe, leave a review and share what you learned with friends. Some of the best things in life are freebies. So don’t forget to head over to Brandon by brunel.com to check out our free branding goodies, the show notes and more educational resources.