Offering Spring 2016 Mentorships
Sorry for the break from the blog, y'all... things have been a little crazy around here since the launch of #StandforLIFE in August 2015. My life has changed for the better. Since starting a small business, watching it grow for six years and then recently founding a non-profit, the Lord has taught me some beautiful (yet very oftentimes difficult) lessons of humility, faith and boundaries in business. As I watch new business owners struggle with these issues, all while trying to maintain their sanity and keep looking good on Instagram, my heart wants to say: STOP! Lets grab coffee together and just figure it out. I want to ask you...
What's not working?
Why are you not being the person God uniquely made you to be in your small business?
What is your standard of excellence?
How can you take real and meaningful steps to be a better business owner?
What are three realistic goals we can set for the next month to get you going in the right direction?
THESE ARE THE THINGS I WANT TO ASK YOU! And so many more :) You see, God created us to live in community. To help one another. I am genuinely passionate about helping people be better business owners. My heart is for others to find the freedom, joy and healthy boundaries for their small business that I have worked so hard to cultivate in my own.
Lets be honest, y'all... starting and owning a small business is serious work. It can swallow you whole if you're not willing to make goals, priorities and then stick to them. I would be humbled and honored to give you a helping hand in making your small business all you hope it can be. We will dig deep into what your strengths mean for you as a business owner, dream big for your upcoming year and look at concrete steps to be more successful (also defining what success means to you). Over the past few years, I've only offered mentoring sessions to wedding photographers (and it's been a JOY) but I'm happy to announce that ANY small creative business can now apply for a workshop to examine, strategize, and implement goals.
Go here to find more information and apply for a Spring 2016 Workshop. I'd love to get to know your heart and to discover how we can make your business an extension of your God-given gifts.
With much love and excitement,
Jess ( see more below... )
Also, if you want to hear some ridiculously kind words from previous one-on-one workshop attendees, see below. No gift cards or bribes were offered for these :)
"I did a one on one workshop with Jess when I first started my wedding photography business. It was hands down the best decision I could have made. Jess was so open and honest about how she does things. She was so encouraging and empowering. She genuinely wanted to help me succeed, and that's exactly what I needed. I left our day together feeling envisioned, equipped and confident about the direction I wanted to take my business. For anyone wanting to establish or expand themselves as a wedding photographer, I highly recommend meeting with Jess!
"Our mentor session with Jess was the best investment we made in the first year of our business. She was an open book and took time to thoroughly address each point of both photography and business that we wanted to explore and strengthen. Jess was honest and constructive in her approach to the weak areas of our company, and highlighted our strengths with encouraging words and joy. The day we spent with her gave us a fresh perspective, focused vision, and a plan of action to take our skill sets to the next level."
"My day with Jess was not only encouraging and inspiring, but it helped me evaluate my business in an honest and truthful way. I was trying to chase so many styles, but Jess helped me believe that I need to find MY style in the midst of a creative world that is chasing everyone else. She gave me concrete, technical tips to help me behind the camera, and helped my workflow as well. There were things I wasn't even noticing in my pictures such as composition and light placement that directly affected my work, and Jess helped my creative eyes to be much more picky and selective of what my work is. After our session, I had a much clearer vision of the type of business owner I wanted to be for my clients, and this completely changed how I saw my website and everything I portrayed to potential clients. Jess is not encouraging and a visionary, she helps you evaluate your business in an honest way that I truly needed to get the clients and business that I wanted. You will not be disappointed with her as a fellow creative and business owner, and I would highly recommend her services to any photographer!"
"Jess took me from zero to sixty in just one mentoring session. I had been following Jess's career since before even starting my business and i knew that she was an incredible photographer, but she would also be the kind of person who would be invested in my success whenever I was ready to get serious.
Jess went to great lengths to assess where I was prior to the one-on-one session so that when I arrived, we hit the ground running. She gave me tangible advice that I used at the very next photoshoot, and she pushed me completely out of my comfort zone. Few people have the ability to critique (ahem...tear apart) an image and tell you why it doesn't belong in your portfolio, and in the very next loving breath, tell you where you shine and discover what is beautiful about your work. In just a few weeks of applying all that she taught me, clients began noticing the tremendous improvement in my work, and I'm proud to say that I now have a thriving photography business. Jess was that missing piece. She gave me the right amount of confidence to persevere and keep going, and she reminds us that this work that we do is important, and so worth perfecting."
