We were lucky to catch up with Chinyere Abosi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chinyere, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I remember, as early as my years in middle school, developing ideas of ways to satisfy varying needs and monetizing those solutions. As a child, I sold candy and custom stationery to my peers. I sold lemonade in my front yard to people in the community. My knack for developing ideas remained consistent, but they came so frequently as I aged and experienced life, I didn’t give myself a chance to execute one before the next greatest idea popped in my head. I quickly realized I was a visionary that lacked execution. I started to write my ideas down: creating a list titled C.M.A. Visions. C.M.A. are my initials.

Once I feel in love with photography, I created a business. My photography business became CMA Visions. I later register my business as CMA Visions Photography.

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

Hi, my name is Chinyere, most people call me Chin. I am originally from Brooklyn, New York, though I currently reside in Jacksonville, Florida. I started my photography journey in college after being a subject in another student’s photography final. I never felt more beautiful after viewing the images of myself.

A passion to show other women how beautiful they are ignited inside of me; photography became a hobby. In 2010, I completed a 12 month photography certification course at the Washington School of Photography. Within in a month of finishing the course, I was selected to change my career path on my full-time job. This new position required me to go away for six months of training and move to a new state upon my return. So photography took the backseat.

Once I completed my training I moved to a small town in Texas where I turned back to photography. I opened a studio, armed only with my training from the certification program. During this time I fell in love with photographing children. The genuine smiles and facial expressions of my little clients melted my heart. And the reaction from the parents fueled my soul (I am such an empath). I shot photos of families, high school seniors, and children for two years without any guidance. I thought those photos were great! Until I started to invest in my photography education in 2012; specifically learning how to photograph newborns. Subsequently my newborn photos improved drastically.

The trials and tribulation of life caused me to pause my photography journey from 2014- 2017. In November 2016, I moved back to the east coast, calling Maryland home and promised to put photography first. It took three years for my clientele to pick up. Now I service Jacksonville, Florida and Maryland (DMV area). It is a great feeling to know that what I started as a passion, turned into a hobby that led me down a new career path. I am blessed and grateful!

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Early in my photography journey I was given a book by an instructor in one of the many photography workshops I attended; Worth Every Penny: Build a Business That Thrills Your Customers and Still Charge What You’re Worth. I did not read the book until the year 2021. I cannot explain why it took me so long to even open the book. But I wish I read it sooner, This book gave me techniques that changed the way I perceived my business; including the confidence to see the value of my business in a saturated industry.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth was the best source of new clients for me. Now it is time for me to pivot in order to been seen by new clients. I am learning how to create captivating video content for marketing my business. Outsourcing my social media content may be an option for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cmavisions.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/cma_visions_photography?igshid=NzNkNDdiOGI=
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/cmavisions
• Twitter: @CmaVisions

Image Credits
Main photo is taken by Myron Fields Photography