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

Hi Kari Joy, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

In the business coaching world for wedding photographers, you’ll find many successful coaches who are passionate about helping others achieve similar success. I admire these coaches who genuinely care about seeing others thrive. But a story I hear all too often is of a new photographer investing in a coach, hoping to succeed, only to end up struggling. They followed the methods and systems but didn’t see the results they’d hoped for. While some coaches say, “If you put in the work, you’ll get results,” I believe that only goes so far—especially when it comes to long-term success.

In my own experience, I worked with a business coach who gave me a “copy and paste” approach, essentially trying to replicate their own business model for me. Despite putting in countless hours of hard work, I found myself facing failure. That’s when I realized I needed a different approach to truly understand business—one tailored to my strengths.

Through this, I discovered that many business coaches teach from their own strengths, which makes their methods incompatible for people who don’t naturally have the same skill set. This insight inspired me to start my own coaching program specifically for wedding photographers, with a focus on leveraging your unique strengths.

The first step in my program is identifying your working style and personality strengths. From there, we create a personalized business plan that builds on these strengths, allowing your business to grow naturally from a place of passion and skill. This approach not only propels you toward success but also sets you up for consistent inquiries and bookings in the long term.

By helping photographers recognize and develop their own strengths, I’m able to guide them in creating a business that truly stands out. I love working with photographers to unlock their confidence and build the business they’ve always dreamed of!

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

I started my wedding photography business 9 years ago and in that timeframe have had the honor of photographing over 200 weddings. While I continue to take on a select few couples each year, my focus has pivoted to coaching other wedding photographers to find success.

I work with my clients to consistency attract ideal clients and create multiple avenues from which they receive inquiries. We talk a lot about identifying a failure mindset and replacing it with a success mindset. I am hands on in all parts of business helping my clients bring clarity, structure, and focus so they can achieve their business goals.

I have several online mini courses as well as a mastermind that runs once a year with live group coaching.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me has been vendor referrals. I really enjoy connecting with people and I value clear communication. I’m typically trying to apprehend other’s needs before they express them so I can better serve them, and that has landed me a lot of referrals from other vendors. We are all busy and all working to build our business, it goes a long way when I show that I also want to help support them in that.

Tied with vendor referrals is google. A lot of couples find me by searching online, as I’ve worked to increase my SEO. What’s beautiful about this is how my website is like a honey trap for my ideal clients, so if they land on my website and like what they see, they normally book. This has been a great way to also repel couples who I would not be the best photographer for.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I started my photography business while working a full time job. When I first started my business, I didn’t know what I wanted it to become – a side gig or just for fun. I could never have dreamed that it would have turned into what it is today!

Those first 4 years were filled with lots of learning! It felt like every waking moment I had I poured into learning how I could grow my business. Event though I was working a lot, it never felt like work because I enjoyed all the aspect I was learning! I started shooting more and more weddings and my schedule became quite full. I finally hit my set goal that would allow me to go full time in my business and pay for a trip for my husband and I to go to New Zealand!

I built my business and worked full time for 4 years, until I was able to leave my corporate job and go full time in my business! This was an unforgettable moment in my life. It was surreal, but at the same time something I had worked so hard for! I felt peace about this new path and direction and was excited to continue to grow my business while also growing our family! Going full time in my business has given me so much freedom and flexibility to invest time into the things that matter most to me. I’m all in on working hard, but I’m completely against killing yourself and leaving no available time for your loved ones or other passions. Since having kids (a 2 year old and 4 year old – both boys) I have learned to fiercely protect my time with them. Being my own boss has allowed me to do that, and it’s a huge joy that I can now teach others how to experience the same freedom!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.karijoyphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karijoykuschel

Image Credits

Kari Joy Photogaphy