We recently connected with Alicia Schmitt and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alicia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

In 2016, I had a big emotional breakdown about how my body looked. It wasn’t the first time I cried about my insecurities, but I finally had a lightbulb moment and I wanted that breakdown to be my last. As I was staring into a mirror and panning over my cellulite and stretchmarks, I thought “hating myself is such a waste of time.” From that point forward, I started actively seeking out books, education, and activities that would help me strengthen my self-love. I knew that boudoir existed because I had worked in a few photography studios as a hair and makeup artist. I booked a session for myself, and I saw the potential this genre of photography had for body liberation. It didn’t need to be something just done for a partner, which is how I felt a lot of studios marketed at the time. I didn’t see any boudoir specific studios in my county and decided I would start my own. I knew I could succeed because I was going to do something a lot of studios didn’t do. I would show a diverse range of bodies so that ALL bodies felt welcomed. I also wanted to do actual mindset work during sessions so my clients learned how to empower themselves outside of the studio, too. From there, Buxom Boudoir was born!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Alicia, and I own Wisconsin’s only full service, body affirming boudoir studio right on Lake Michigan. Boudoir is an intimate genre of portrait photography, and at my studio, the goal is for my clients to celebrate their bodies through photographs. If my clients leave my sessions with a better relationship to themselves than when they walked in, that’s a win! As a full service studio, I provide everything for my clients like hair and makeup, wardrobe and posing guidance. I don’t want them to lift a finger! If they break a nail, I have press ons. They’ve got wrinkles in their lingerie? I have a steamer! My clients get a full day of pampering, and because my studio is body affirming, my photoshoots are set up for all types of bodies. My studio wardrobe goes up to a 6x; various shapes, sizes and ages are represented in my art samples; the studio is wheelchair accessible; and several prints and paintings hang on the walls that show all sorts of bodies. Creating a boudoir studio that is truly for all bodies is one of my biggest priorities.

Most of my clients book a session with me because they want to feel more comfortable in their skin. Others book sessions because they’ve already done the hard self image work and now they want to celebrate their bodies! Either way, my clients want to document where they are at this point in their journey, and I do that for them in an artistic way. I’m proud to provide a judgement-free space and a creative way for people to explore their insecurities, question those beliefs and realize their bodies are actually awesome!

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Boudoir photography was a side hustle when I started. I dreamt of it becoming full time, but there was no way for me to swing that in the beginning. I initially photographed clients on the weekend out of my home and would edit their photos after my 9-5. I wasn’t sure I was ever going to know when to quit my job, but I also knew I couldn’t take on more work or market myself if I was working full time elsewhere. Eventually, my old job removed a benefit that was important to me, and I saw that as my sign to quit. In my first year of doing boudoir, the studio only grossed about 5K. By the time I quit my day job, it was around 20K – still not enough to live on. Thankfully, I am married to someone who was also working full time, and he fully supported us until I got the studio to a point where it’s making more than I made at my previous job. I know that’s not a benefit a lot of entrepreneurs have, so I feel very grateful for that. It paid off because in June of 2024, my husband got to quit his job and now he works for Buxom Boudoir, too! 95% of photography businesses fail in the first 5 years, and Buxom Boudoir is now in it’s eighth year!

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had known more about investing and high yield savings accounts when I started. When you work for yourself, your money needs to work for you! No one else is contributing to a retirement account or giving you financial benefits. If I could go back in time, I would have started using the Profit First method immediately, and I would have opened up a high yield savings account.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.buxomboudoir.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buxomboudoir/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buxomboudoir
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@buxomboudoir