After our first full year in business I set a list of goals for 2019. Now all I had to do was hold myself accountable and go after them. Easier said than done… Most days my goals focus around just keeping the kids alive, our home semi clean, and maybe a crockpot dinner if my husband is lucky. So I was really reaching when I started thinking about things I really wanted to accomplish as a business owner this year but I was determined to make them happen even in the middle of chaos.
My first goal was to create a professional business website. I really wanted a home base for all of our clients to be able to see the most recent work in our galleries and contact information. I wanted you all to get to know us better and have access to our pricing and collections. This seemed like the most daunting task. Setting up a website. If you think you are super computer savvy setting up a website will knock you down a few pegs, I promise! I was so frustrated trying to figure it out. It took about 3 weeks of late nights and lots of help from their people on standby to “chat”. Thank God for them! I got the site to a good opening point and purchased my domain (OMG!!!). All the headaches paid off and we opened our website. YAY! I couldn’t believe it. I felt so accomplished. Side note: Thank you all for the amazing feedback on our website! I couldn’t be more appreciative. This amped me up for goal #2.
Next on my list was a live workshop or mentorship. I watch video tutorials and how to videos all the time but knew in person, in a hands environment is where I would truly excel. My amazing husband (my biggest supporter) really pushed me to do a mentorship when the opportunity presented itself. I was a little more hesitate because it seems like a great idea on paper but actually putting myself out there to do it was another story. Introvert alert! This seemed like a dream opportunity especially because it was a two on one mentorship which meant I would be getting a lot if individual attention. I am never the one to speak up or ask questions even if I am super lost and not getting it at all. I cannot tell you how many times I failed math in college because I would rather just sit quietly and not ask questions rather than hold up the rest of the class. So I knew if I was truly going to make the most of this opportunity I had to put myself out there, speak up and that meant being honest and vulnerable which is TERRIFYING (I think for anyone, am I right?). Thank God I didn’t let myself get in the way of this amazing experience! My mentor Maura Casados from Maura Jane Photography was just as sweet as could be. She was patient, answered all of my questions (yes I actually asked all of my questions and didn’t hold back! SHOCK!), even set up a mini engagement session for us so we could apply everything we learned in the workshop at an actual session. I learned so much, took notes galore and walked away with more than I could have imagined. I am so excited to implement everything I learned from that mentorship in our future sessions. I am determined to learn and grow for all of you to be able to give you the best experience and images possible. This amazing experience gave the confidence and drive to begin on goal #3!
My most recent goal that I'm achieving (at this very moment) is exactly what you are reading here. Starting up a blog! I have been extremely reluctant to open up a blog. 1. Who cares what I have to say and 2. O my gosh what a commitment! As a mom of 2 under 2 I was like there is no way I will ever have time to sit and blog but alas here we are! My babies are napping and here I am! We are just going to do it all. Even though it is almost 2pm and I am still in my pajamas, we are making it work! I want you all to get to know us better and we want to get to know you!
I would love to get to know what type of things you would like to see on our blog. Clothing recommendations for your session, times we suggest for you sessions and why, how to prepare for your sessions with little ones etc. Photography or not! We are open books. Leave us a comment below let us know what you would like to read about, what are your goals for 2019, what is holding you back? We want to know it all! Thank you all for coming along for this journey with us! Your support has meant everything to us and we can’t wait for you all to see what other goals we have set and will hopefully crush for 2019!
Alysha D’Amour
Photography D’Amour
