Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Askins.

Hi Lindsay, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After working many other jobs in many other industries for most of my 20s, pursuing photography professionally as an entrepreneur was a strong calling. When I dove into owning a small business, I had no idea what I was signing up for, I simply wanted the freedom of time to be creative. So much of what professional creatives and artists do in their business has nothing to do with their craft. Fifteen years later, I am intimately more familiar with website design, SEO, email marketing, bookkeeping, quarterly planning, social media, and overall admin to keep up with all the tasks that go into running a business.

I have been a professional photographer for the better part of 15 years. This has included everything from family portraits and lifestyle photography to birth photography, travel, and landscapes as well as street photography, real estate listings, and equestrian competitions. Documenting stories comes naturally to me, fulfills my creative soul, and gives me a purpose in my work. Last year, I launched a luxury branding photography collective specifically created for ambitious women. The experience I’ve obtained over 15 years of photography has given me a fantastic platform to design luxurious and easy brand shoots for busy women entrepreneurs. Because I personally know how much work goes into the backend of a business, especially as a solopreneur, the mission of my branding photography Collective is to support other women entrepreneurs working to grow or scale their business.

In this modern age, the imagery you use on your website and your social media accounts should give your audience a chance to get to know you….which then leads them to like you and to trust you, People buy from people, not brands. You are your brand, and your imagery should clearly illustrate who you are and what you do. This is the essence of what I wish I had known 15 years ago when I was starting a photography studio. It’s been a steep learning curve but gives me great knowledge and awareness to serve my clients.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not at all! Some extra layers of fun added to launching and running a small business are Motherhood and being married-to-the-military. Upending my business and starting over in a new location every three years while homeschooling my girls has been interesting.

Additionally, I am not an SEO expert nor do I understand the analytics of search engines. I do not care to learn the social media algorithm strategy. I do enjoy email marketing but it’s not something I have extensively researched on how to “do better”. The basic foundation of enjoyment in my work comes from connecting with people and capturing their lives, and their work. So, learning website building, SEO keywords, marketing, algorithms, etc, which are essential to online growth and brand awareness, have been bumpy.

Of course, I have encountered many of the same struggles other photographers and small business owners have such as planning marketing and learning the best ROI for advertising. The decision to hire team members or not is often difficult – there is always a tradeoff; the question is what are you willing to trade and for what gain?

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in creating a casually luxurious branding photography experience for women entrepreneurs. This is an experience designed by women entrepreneurs FOR women entrepreneurs. We know you because we are you!

When I was planning my own branding shoot a couple years ago, it was a lot of legwork. Hair, makeup, wardrobe, shoot location, which photographer to hire, childcare, scheduling, etc etc. It was overwhelming even for a professional photographer! When I left that shoot, I thought, “this could look a lot different”.

And the next month, I had crafted my signature offer: an all-inclusive VIP level brand shoot that includes professional hair and makeup stylists, a professional wardrobe stylist, professional website design and branding from a high-end agency, nourishing foods on location, a professional manicurist, and all included in a gorgeous studio location. Simple, smooth, and fun – it’s like a spa day for your business!

This offer sets us apart from other branding photography studios where clients arrange and handle all the logistics of the shoot themselves in the weeks leading up to the big day. Our clients submit a comprehensive onboarding questionnaire that gives us quite a bit of insight on their personality and their brand, followed by a pre-shoot planning call where we go over every detail before creating a custom shoot plan that is emailed to clients weeks before their shoot for approval. Every “scene” of the shoot is planned so clients know exactly what to expect on shoot day with zero stress. Our clients simply show up and we handle the rest.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Hmm….I am lucky to have lived in so many different areas of our great country over the past two decades. Travel is the best education one can receive and living somewhere very different than what you know growing up opens your eyes to people and situations you may otherwise have never known existed. This gives one a new perspective on people and lifestyles and all the many ways we choose to live our lives.

I feel this “lucky” experience has served me well as both a business owner and a photographer. My interpersonal skills have been fine-tuned over the years, and I am well-adapted at walking into a room of strangers and making friends. This is networking and relationship building at its core, and is helpful when starting a business again in a new location.

While the military lifestyle has been a huge hurdle to overcome both personally and professionally, I am also thankful for the people and clients the past two decades of this lifestyle have brought into my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lindsayaskins.co
• Instagram: @lindsayaskins.co
• Facebook: @lindsayaskins.co
• Linkedin: Lindsay Askins
• Twitter: @lindsayaskinsco

Image Credits
All images are © Lindsay Askins except for my headshot: © Angie McPherson and my daughter and me: © Taylor Jade