We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anne Whitty a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Anne , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the best boss, mentor, or leader you’ve ever worked with.
Back when I was working in the hospitality industry I had an amazing boss. By that point in my still young life, I had a handful of years of experience in the industry. I applied to work for a well known smoothie cafe because I wanted to get more experience as a manager. I interviewed with the manager at the branch I was interested in working at. His name was Gabe. He did hire me but he wanted me to start as a regular team member so that I could build up my experience and know all of the ins and outs of what it takes to make the cafe run smoothly. Of course, I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping to start right away as a shift leader, however, I realize now that he was teaching me an important lesson. He was really good at that. He could see what each of his employees needed in order to reach our goals. Working as a regular team member taught me empathy for my fellow coworkers. It made me a better leader because I better understood what their jobs were and what it took to be successful at their jobs.
I worked as a team member for about six months and then he decided to train me as a trainer for new employees. This was a great stepping stone to the positions I would hold in the future at this company. Besides helping his employees reach their goals, he was very good at creating an atmosphere where everyone wanted to come to work. He insisted that all of the employees treat each other with respect, that we know what we’re doing, and that we treat our customers like family. The environment he fostered led to deep friendships between the employees. I saw everyone I worked with as a person that I cherished. We were a family. We loved each other, teased each other, and helped each other through life’s bumps and bruises. That familial feeling translated into our customers feeling that positive energy when they came into the cafe.
One of the things that really stood out to me about Gabe is that he didn’t hesitate to give credit where credit was due. That first year that I worked for him, he received a large bonus because our store had performed better than expected. Instead of keeping the money he decided to use it to celebrate our accomplishment as a store. He told everyone to dress up, he rented a limousine, and he took us out to dinner and karaoke. At the end of the night he thanked us all for our hard work throughout the year and made sure we knew that we achieved our sales goal because of all of the work we put in. That proved to me that he was a class act and a true leader.
Gabe was also a religious person and he did not hide the fact that he was a Christian. He never pushed his faith on anyone, instead he lived by example. We all knew that he was happy because he had faith, had a loving family, and enjoyed his job. When he decided to move his family to Colorado to be a youth pastor we were all devastated but we also knew that he was finally pursuing what he was meant to do.
Gabe taught me how to be a leader, how to give people the benefit of the doubt, and how to embody what hospitality truly means. He showed me how important it is to do business with integrity, empathy, and a positive attitude. I try to carry all of those lessons with me in my professional and personal life.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am originally from California. I married a man in the Marines and knew I would need a career that could travel with me as we moved from place to place. In 2008, I decided that I wanted to become a photographer. That same year, I started a Certificate of Photography program at Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, CA. I completed the program in 2010 and decided to start my own photography business. I initially started out as a portrait photographer. In 2018, I decided to branch out and began photographing real estate. I loved it so much that real estate photography quickly became my main focus.
As a real estate photographer, I offer real estate photography, videography, 3D tours, floor plans, drone photography and videography, and virtual staging and twilight photography. I am based out of Annapolis, Maryland and service many areas throughout Maryland as well as Washington, DC. I pride myself on my personalized customer service, quick response times, and high quality photography. There are a lot of big box real estate photography services out there right now. I have heard from many of my clients who have used a big box service in the past that they can be impersonal and inconsistent. I offer my clients the opposite. I know them all by name, I know what their preferences are when it comes to the details of the sessions I do for them, and they can always reach me anytime they have a question.
One of the things I am the most proud of is the growth I have gained over the past 15 years. Everyday that I am out in the field I learn something new and I use that information to make my clients experiences better. When a new technology comes out I make a point to learn about it and figure out how I can use it to add value to my services. About three years ago, I noticed that drone photography and videography was becoming more popular with real estate agents. I decided to get my drone license and add it to my services. The drone license test is exceptionally difficult but I passed with flying colors.
On a personal note, I am a military spouse with two teenage kids and a sweet Goldendoodle. In my free time I love to play the cello, travel, listen to music, or hang out at a coffee shop with a good book. As a military family, we have lived in Monterey, California, Annapolis, Maryland (three different times!), Okinawa, Japan, Stafford, Virginia, and Wayland, Massachusetts.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My main goal from the beginning has always been to provide the best possible service to my clients, whether it’s my real estate photography clients or my portrait clients. The thing that pushes me the most as a real estate photographer is providing my clients with high quality photographs that will get their property noticed and their house sold as fast as possible. The photographs are the first impression that a potential buyer has of a house. If that first impression is a bad one, the potential client will move onto the next property without a second thought. I want to prevent that from happening and give the best first impression of a house as possible.
My other goal is to provide my clients with personalized customer service. As I mentioned before, there are a lot of big box real estate photographer companies out there. Unfortunately, there are some that don’t see each real estate agent as a unique person with unique needs. I understand that each agent is going to be different and may have different expectations than other agents. I always try to meet each agent where they are at and provide them with the information that they need to feel good about the transaction. Because it’s just me that they are dealing with I am able to get to know each agent individually and provide them with around the clock customer service that they won’t get with a big box company.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
As I mentioned earlier, I am a military spouse with two teenagers and a dog. Since I married my husband, we have moved seven times. Each time we move I take care of all of the logistics for our family as well as the logistics of moving my business. There is a lot that goes into each aspect of every move. On the personal and family side of things, I have to find us a place to live, research the best areas to live in at our new duty station, research where the best schools are, find new doctors and dentists for myself and the kids, find a new vet for our dog, and research after school activities that align with our kids interests. When it comes to moving my business it can be very stressful trying to make sure that I transfer everything correctly. I have to research how to register my business if I am moving to a different state or country. If we are living on base I have to make sure home businesses are allowed on base. I also have to submit lots of paperwork for tax and state government purposes. All of that is on top of trying to re-establish my client base. That can be one of the most difficult aspects of trying to move my business, especially if we are only staying for one or two years. Over the years, I have come up with systems, made graphs and charts, and consolidated all of the research I’ve gathered from each place we have lived. This has helped make each subsequent move a little bit easier. Moving can be stressful, but with each move I have become more resilient and have found ways to stay organized. Having these skills and knowing that I can tackle any difficulties that come my way have helped my business tremendously.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.awrealestatephotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annewhittyrephotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annewhittyrealestatephotography
Image Credits
Headshot taken by Jess Lombardi Photography. All other photos by Anne Whitty Real Estate Photography.