We recently connected with Paul Hanon and have shared our conversation below.
Paul, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Headshots are today’s handshake. A good one causes people to pause and notice you. It’s an invitation to connect in a real way. Headshots can do that — and more — when they’re done right. That’s where PREMIER HEADSHOTS comes in.
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’m Paul Hanon, owner/operator of PREMIER HEADSHOTS. I help people create valuable first impressions by providing stunning headshot images. It’s pretty common to not want to get your picture taken, but at the end of my sessions I hear people say things like, “that wasn’t that bad!” or “I really liked your process, I could do this all day!” To me, that’s a testament of how simple, easy, and dare I say “fun” my sessions are.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
I’m very much of the mindset that if someone else can do it, so can I. So, when I saw some friends making some serious money with photography, I thought I could too! I had quit my day job, cold turkey and with no business history, to pursue photography. I thought it would be easy to get business. What I soon realized is NO ONE knew who I was. I went door to door and ran some ads on social media to try and get business in a short amount of time.
Eventually, I knew I had to get another day job. So I did, and decided to build my headshot business on weekends and evenings. I did that for a couple years, and then the pandemic hit, and I was furloughed from my day job for a few months. The unknown was frightening, but ultimately, the pandemic really helped my side hustle. Turns out, I wasn’t the only one who was furloughed, laid off, or looking for other work. People came to me to update their headshot and position themselves for a better job than the career they were just furloughed from.
In summer of 2021, I was duplicating my income with my side hustle and in the fall, I made the leap — yet again — to go full time with my headshot business. But this time, I had a thriving business to jump into.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
LinkedIn is an amazing platform, and my favorite out of all the social platforms to be on. It’s the perfect place to be as a headshot photographer. If my client posts their new headshot and tags me, their entire network sees it and sees the type of work I do. The response is amazing. A majority of my business comes from LinkedIn, just by asking clients to post their headshots.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://premierheadshots.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/premierheadshots/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulhanon/
Image Credits
All is my work. One self portrait.