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

Alright, Allison thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?

I launched my business during Covid, precisely because I could do much of it remotely. There are so many benefits – working on my own schedule, no commute time or commute expense, and going to work in slippers just to name a few. But there are some downsides too; I can’t just walk down the hall to run an idea past a co-worker, and I had to purchase more equipment than I might have had to in an office. Being in a new industry and working remotely I have to work harder to find and meet others who do what I do – purposefully reaching out to virtual strangers to see if they would like to meet via Zoom. To be successful launching and growing a business remotely requires you to proactively put yourself out there and to search out networking opportunities.

Allison, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Sure! I am the owner and founder of Arrange Wander Focus. We help families and businesses take control over their photos so they can enjoy them again by cleaning out the clutter and making them organized, preserved, and accessible from anywhere. In a prior life I was a practicing attorney for 17 years – my last day was December 31, 2019 – either the greatest or worst timing in history to leave a job given what was right around the corner.

I am an amateur nature photographer, so during Covid I spent a lot of time working with my extensive photo collection. I realized, while curating, culling and organizing my own photos, that this was a service I could offer to others. Pretty much everyone has too many photos, especially in the Smart Phone era, and many find their photo collection overwhelming. As it turns out, photo management is a new but quickly growing industry; I had no idea! I became a Certified Photo Manager to learn and uphold the best industry practices, then launched my business. With Arrange Wander Focus I combine the attention to detail I fine-tuned as an attorney with my love of photos and organizing to help my clients obtain the joy that comes with the memories our photos and videos contain. This includes not only cleaning out and organizing their digital photos, but we scan their prints and albums and convert their videos so all of their memories and family memories are in one place and accessible from anywhere. Many people are stressed out by their photos – either because they feel like they have too many or because they are all over the place – we take all of it and return a photo legacy they can share and pass on to others.

As I tell my clients, a picture is worth a thousand words, but only if you can find it. Our photo collections are so much more than snapshots of parking spaces and the dinner we had last week; rather they tell the story of life and family. A properly curated photo library can be handed down so that our children and their children can connect with our experiences, understand the context in which we lived, and create a sense of connection and continuity between different generations of family. But for many people, these nuances are lost in the clutter of their camera roll. I take away the stress, remove the clutter, and leave them with just the memories to enjoy.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

There are a few things which I think have helped me build my reputation in my market. First, having a lot of content on my blog allows me to demonstrate my expertise first-hand and become a “go-to” for tips and tricks for organizing and enjoying your photo library. Second, having a social media presence, including personal tidbits about me and my life, shows that I am a “real” and trustworthy person. Third, guest posting for others, and having other businesses showcase my work indicates that other businesses also value my contributions. As an example, when Shutterfly announced a policy change from being a free photo storage provider to requiring a purchase or they would delete your photos, I put together a YouTube video with step-by-step instructions on how to download your photos from Shutterfly. The Photo Managers put my video on their YouTube channel, providing me with more credibility and visibility than I would have had if I had published it myself.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me is referrals. Happy clients spread the word to their friends and colleagues. I work closely with my clients and get to know them very well – after all, I’m working with their memories! A job like this requires an enormous amount of trust, and I’ve found that along the way and when we are finished my clients are so happy with the process and the outcome that they show off their newly curated photo libraries and share this success with others. I have also found that potential clients that come through referrals are more likely to understand the value in what I do, are already interested in my services, and thus are quicker to hire me than leads that come through other channels.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.arrangewanderfocus.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arrangewanderfocus/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArrangeWanderFocus/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/allison-w-freedman-arrange-wander-focus