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

Hi Amy, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?

In 2010 we were up to our eyeballs in weddings booked and we quickly realized we needed to add associate photographers if we wanted to scale and grow the business. 4 weddings in a weekend was sustainable when we were 21, but surely not forever! I remember getting criticisms from other photographers who thought that if we had associates it would dilute our brand… but the outcome couldn’t be any further from the truth. Our couples loved our associates and we are able to offer our couples a great experience no matter who is photographing. I can confidently say that our couples have all been happy with our company and with our associate photographers. Just read the reviews! https://tinyurl.com/mmpreviews

All of our hires have been either people we know, a referral from someone we trust, or someone we have gotten to know first through our summer internship program. Upon hiring they would shadow us at several weddings to get to know our style and flow. I would take them through extensive training about what we are looking for and also give them a specific shots list to keep in mind.

Overall I am happy with how everything unfolded and we have been lucky to have amazing employees. If I could do anything differently it would have been to start EARLIER with a mission statement, core values, and employee handbook. In the early years of hiring and finessing our systems, a couple employees took things personally and/or needed attitude adjusting during employee evaluations. Now days we have a very clear mission, vision and values so that we are all on the same page. We are all on the same team moving toward one common goal When we go to correct behavior it’s not me vs. you…. it’s “this is our company value and here’s what we need moving forward.” Having an employee handbook is like having a third party to bounce these things off of so it feels less of a personal attack.

Amy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started my photography business when I was 20 and in college. I got married that same year and my husband joined the biz. The plan was to photograph weddings on the weekends and then be a teacher during the school year. In 2008 we did 10 weddings, 2009 25, and then it escalated from there (with our highest season being 2017 with 70 weddings!) I quickly learned that two careers wasn’t going to cut it, so I had to pick one. And I picked photography!

I feel like a fun and vibrant style has set us apart. We have seen a lot of wedding trends, editing trends and photography trends come and go. We edit in full color because we feel as though it’s timeless. Now that we have so many associate photographers, I do not personally photograph weddings anymore. We book the weddings, the photographers photograph under our brand, and then we take care of the back end in the office. Photographers love it because they don’t have to have all of the responsibilities of owning a business. They just get to show up at weddings and do what they love: photography!

Another thing that sets us apart is that we really value the final product: wedding albums and wall art. A lot of photographers are shoot and burn but for those couples that want a tangible piece of art, they come to us. We handmake all of our wall art here in house. Real linen canvas and hand painted acrylic brushstrokes.

In addition to running a photography business, we also own and operate Guild Canvas Company – A luxury line of museum quality, handmade canvases for photographers. We are a team of 12. My day to day is managing the team, overseeing operations, creating business systems, and being in charge of the overall infrastructure of the business. Having employees is not for the faint at heart! Leadership is a skill I am always learning more about and working on.

At Guild Canvas, I am extremely proud of the product we make. We use the original McDonald method of canvassing, which means our canvases start as a crystal clear photographic print. The backing is stripped and it’s pressed into real linen canvas with a heat activated glue. Thick, durable, hand painted, easy to clean. Inkjet canvas is typically printed on a thinner synthetic material because it has to run through a printer and the ink gets lost in the pores. Our canvases are different because of the stripped/bonded method!

How did you build your audience on social media?

My social media strategy has always been to seek out genuine followers who will engage with my content. No buying followers… no following random people to see if they follow me back. From there I feel like the key to social media is consistency and quality. I try to put out content that people care about, that somehow help or inspire them.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Yes, Once a year I read the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown. It has changed the way I view business and life.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.tavisandamy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/guildcanvas/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/guildcanvas
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@guildcanvas8987