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

Karlee, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

The biggest risk I have taken in my business was purchasing a building. We went from renting a smaller studio space on the other end of our downtown to owning a 3000+ sq foot studio space and it made the world of difference.

I was absolutely terrified going into it, constantly questioning if I was doing the right thing. This space was significantly larger than our current space so my biggest question was: Can we afford it? Money is always a hardship when owning a small business, making taking risks a little scary, but I felt like this space was absolutely perfect for us and I wanted to make it work. After signing the papers, I HAD to make it work.

It worked alright. Purchasing this building was the best decision I have ever made when it comes to my business. The sleepless nights, panic attacks, and stressful days were all worth it in the end. Now I think to myself that I can’t believe I was so stressed out about purchasing a building, this truly was the best decision I could have made. It allowed me to start a second business with my mother, Grand Event Rentals. It also gave us an apartment that we could rent out as well as other sources of income. On top of all of that, it is absolutely the perfect studio space. It gave me room to build my brand and show my community who I truly am as an artist and a business owner. Plus we put a new sign up to name the actual building so having my last name on a building alongside this business that I’ve built in my hometown is pretty cool.

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 started this journey when I was 18 and a senior in high school. I picked up my mom’s canon rebel and decided this is what I want to do with my life. I obtained my DBA before I graduated and here we are 12 years later still doing this craft that I love and learning to excel at it more and more every year. This industry is ever-changing so constant knowledge of client wants, new technology, new products to offer, and more are so important to stay on top of.

I want to offer my clients the best experience I possibly can. I do that by providing them with top-quality products that they can display in their homes and share with friends and family. We focus on wall art pieces, albums, and other unique display pieces so that they can showcase their new images for many years to come. I am very passionate about printing your work and displaying it for the world to see, that is why we offer this full-service experience to all of our clients. I love recieving emails or texts from clients raving about their new wall art display, that alone makes this job worth it knowing they have images they love that they get to see every single day.

Being a creative for a living is amazing. While it can be a lot of work to keep the business running smoothly I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I get to come to work every day and be myself. I get to showcase my passion for this craft over and over again and it never gets old. I pride myself in giving my clients a more personal experience and creating their dream sessions.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My business partner, her name is Keysha and we met because she hired me to photograph her family one beautiful fall morning. We had an awesome session on a cold but brisk October morning and she loved her images. About a year later she signed up for one of my beginner photography workshops that I teach every January where she fell in love with the craft. She was very persistent on helping us out and getting more involved in the photography industry. She offered to be an assistant, helping with emails and phone calls, then becoming one of our main second photographers. She was learning super fast and we connected so well that when my other business partner stepped down, it was only the right thing to do to officially add her to the team. She has been with me for 6 years now and I couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone else. You’ll see her accompany me to every wedding and even assist on other shoots if needed.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first started photography I was living in my parents house where I turned one of the basement rooms into a makeshift studio. It was small, dark, and not very appealing but it got the job done and I was able to pursue my craft all year long. Not long after, I moved to Grand Rapids to go to college so I had to change the way I did things by utilizing my own home or driving back and fourth to my parents every weekend to work with clients that were from the Ionia area. It was hard gaining Grand Rapids clients at the time, I didn’t know the market that well, I was young and still a newbie but we made it work.

Fast forward to 2016 when I officially moved back to Ionia to lay down some roots. We bought a house, then I immediately started looking for a studio space in our downtown. I was a little more established then, I could afford it (sort of) to get out of my living room space and actually start a little studio. That’s when Brick Street Studio was born. I decided shortly after that I wanted to give my clients more than just digital images on a CD or USB. I wanted to provide them with a full-service experience giving them the option to start showcasing their artwork! I wanted to help them through this process from start to finish and beyond.

Switching to what we call an IPS model was hard. I had to completely change my marketing strategies. I had to find clients who actually wanted that full-service experience and those that were willing to pay the additional cost for it as well. I was to the point where I needed to start making more money, because I deserved to make a living wage, and selling products and pieces to clients was that turning point for me. While it was difficult at the start to navigate and decide on an updated process and pricing, it has all been worth it. I absolutely love watching my client’s faces when they come in to sit down and see their images on our big screen. I love it, even more, when they get to see their finely printed canvas, their perfectly framed prints, or flip through a gorgeous album displaying all of their images. Making this change to being full service was definitely worth it for us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brickstreetstudio.photography/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/BrickStreetStudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrickStreetStudio