Building a business is not for the faint of heart. Business owners that have come and gone before me have spouted that same line. When I started, with all my motivation and creative ideas, I thought it was a jaded view of entrepreneurship. But it’s not – it’s the truest statement I’ve come to know this year in my business.

Regardless of how tough 2020 has been for entrepreneurs, I refuse to give up! I want so much more out of my business, and not for the money or success. My business is for people. I want to serve clients better every time I communicate with them. I want to help turn photos into heirlooms, memories into legends, and relationships into legacies.

But the behind-the-scenes of that grand goal is a lot less sexy. It looks like late nights blogging, responding to e-mails, refreshing my website, calculating my pricing structures, crafting packages my clients will love, responding to social media DMs, comments, and shares, researching tax requirements and investment options. It’s a lot to tackle, especially for someone who already works 40-50 hour weeks at another job.

I’ve heard many motivational speakers and entrepreneurial leaders say the same advice. If you have goals, write them down. So here they are!

My dreams for Emily Nicole Photography:

• I want to increase the quality of my services and product by this time next year. Better photos, better emailing systems, better booking system, and better gallery/album delivery.
• I want to shoot a wedding in an epic location in the next year or two. Some of my dream spots to shoot a wedding would be: Charleston, the beach (any beach), Pippin Hill Vineyards, Dover Hall, the Virginia House, Big Spring Farm, the World War II Memorial, somewhere in Italy, Hawaii, Arizona, or an indoor, botanical garden-like venue.
• I want to hang out with my clients more. I’ve served some super cool people. And I keep running into amazing couples that I just want to know better, get a coffee with, talk about life before or after the wedding – just genuinely build relationships with the people that I serve.
• I want to surprise my clients more. My aim is to go above and beyond their expectations.
• My plan is to pay for everything in my business – new lenses, cameras, flashes, styling kits, etc. – in CASH! I don’t want to go into debt for my dreams. My dreams are meant to FUEL my life, not the other way around.
• I want to second shoot more. Believe it or not, some of my most enjoyable wedding days were spent as a second shooter. I just love making friends with new photographers and learning from a variety of different styles in my industry.
• Big dream: I’d love to meet (and one day hire) Katelyn James. I know… total fangirl photography dork over here! Taking all her courses and following her example in her business has transformed mine. And when I get married in the next few years (or sooner??), I would love to hire Katelyn. I’m praying my business helps make that dream possible.
• I want to show up more in my business – show more of me on social, take regular branding photos, and help clients get to know me more personally.
• Most importantly, I would love for someone to meet Jesus because of an interaction with me and/or my business. If you’re not a Christian, that may sound really religious or off-putting. But I live a life where everything is about giving Him glory. It’s not about shoving Bible verses down your throat. It’s about being love and grace towards people, even beyond what they deserve or beyond what I need to be. I’ve been blessed with so much, and I want to share those blessings with everyone I come in contact. So if the way I structure, run, and serve in my business causes someone to ask, “What’s different about you?” and I get to point to my precious Savior and offer them the peace and joy I have… then that’s all the success I could ever want. And no goal above could ever beat or replace that.

So, that’s my schpiel! If you’ve read this far, you’re a trooper… I know my business is probably most exciting to me and less so to those looking from the outside in. But this is the stuff that gets me so excited that I could jump around the room or melt into a puddle of tears – or both at once. It’s my passion.

Do you have something in your life that has that deep of a “why” for you? What’s the thing you want so bad you could cry talking about it? What’s your purpose for your passion? Pursue it, and don’t give up! Giving up on it is way worse than giving it 110% and failing. Go get it, go-getters!!