We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stacey Ash. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stacey below.

Stacey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The biggest challenge is other photographers. It’s not the clients who are making it hard to be a profitable business. It’s other photographers who are racing to the bottom. They are competing on cost instead of quality and value. Most of the time it’s people who have not sat down to run their numbers or they think this job will be easy. They pick a low number out of thin air so more clients will come to them. Unfortunately, that is not sustainable and it has trained the general public to expect low pricing.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been a professional Columbus maternity, newborn, and family photographer for over 8 years. My journey into photography first started as a child in 4H, where I learned to look at photos in a different way. After that, I took some film courses in high school and worked as the sports photographer during college. From there, it was a matter of coursework, enthusiasm, education, and lots of practice. Like many others in the industry, having my own children inspired me to get into newborn photography. I have been able to train with some of the best newborn photographers in the world and have been published in several magazines.

In addition to photographing babies, I have been an educator for 20 years. Mentoring others is a perfect blend of my backgorund in education and my love for newborn photography. I teach in-person workshops, and I also mentor other photographers through my online coaching program. Every time I train a new photogrpaher, I end up feeling so fulfilled.

What sets me apart as a newborn coach is my educational approach. There’s no escapting that teacher in me! I very much taylor the workshops, 1:1 mentoring, and virtual coaching calls to my students’ needs. I have heard from many that my in-person workshops have been more hands-on than any others they have attended. That’s because I set the day up just like I would in the classroom. There’s a goal, demonstration, practice, and feedback.

I am most proud of starting a business from nothing and growing it into a successful career, allowing me to resign from public education. It’s a dream come true that I get to do this full time now!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like many photographers, I had to learn boundaries the hard way. I was trying so hard to create a successful newborn photography business. I was taking sessions at all hours and all days of the week. I tried to set a schedule, but whenever someone asked for a time outside of those hours, I always budged.

I’ll never forget the moment that all changed. My husband and I drove separately to church one Sunday (the day of the week I was supposed to be off). I had accepted a booking for that afternoon. Instead of getting in the car as a family and heading home for lunch together, I watched my boys get in the truck with my husband, and I drove off to the studio. I was in tears on that drive. I had been overworking and now missing out on family time.

I pivoted big time after that. I raised my prices to make my time worth it for my family. I made a strict schedule and stopped taking bookings outside of those hours. I had to get to a place where I was okay if people said no. And guess what – I still got bookings. When you set boundaries, it’s better for everyone.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Abosolutely! I had envisioned running my own photography studio for a long time. It was always a wishful thinking kind of dream. When I met my husband he showed me support in taking up this new hobby. He researched and purchased my first camera. I started in the bonus room in the upstairs of our home. It was just for friends at first and then I started to really love it! Slowly, I had people reaching out to me to take their photos. And I was offering my services to every new mom I met.

When I started taking money, I knew I had to turn the hobby into a small business. It started to grow and before long, that upstairs room in my house was busting at the seams. Then, I took the plunge and moved into my first commercial space. It was just a small office, but it was a dream come true for me. My very own first business! It has only gone up from there!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.staceyashphoto.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/staceyashphoto
• Facebook: facebook.com/staceyashphoto
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceyashphoto/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@staceyashphotography263

Image Credits
Stacey Ash Photography