Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brianna Knodel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brianna, appreciate you joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

My photography started as a hobby, and it stayed a hobby for a decade. Once I realized that I wanted my hobby to become more, I started doing research to see what I would need to do make my dream a reality. I stayed in the research phase for about a year then I just pulled the trigger and started my sole proprietorship business. I had to figure out taxes, a lot of google hours went into that. Then setting up an EIN and tax licenses for different cities/counties I was going to sell in. It was and is still frustrating at times. These sites are not always user friendly and sometimes very confusing. Once I completed the task of setting everything up, I then had a company build my website and I marketed on social media. It was and is a rough road when you’re only marketing strategy is through sites like Facebook, Linkdin and the like; orders were slow to come in but the shows were fantastic! I decided that I needed an actual store for shoppers that didn’t want to make contact via email and I spent weeks looking into different options that would fit my niche and how I do things for my customers. I tried Etsy but found that not only was it difficult to set up, the shopping experience was not very user friendly and the fees were very high, so I quickly canceled the account I started and shut it down after 2 or 3 weeks of trying to get up. I finally found my shop, and started working on setting it up. This store was ideal compared to others, no hidden fees and one annual payment; no percentages taken off the sales, I was very excited to set it up. I didn’t have anyone to ask how to do it, there were no resources I could use to help. It was all trial and error. It took about a month or so to get it set up, I had to then figure out the link so that I could have it on my social accounts for easy access. That part wasn’t very hard, it was the bugs, errors, and glitches after I launched the grand opening of my store that was tedious. But I persevered in the end, and made it what I needed it to be. I still learn about the site and am working on learning to update themes and streamline product uploads. It was quite an enlightening journey, and I’m glad I made it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a self taught photographer and I’ve been in the industry professionally for about 5 years. It really all started in 2008 with the new feature of having a camera in your phone. I took pictures of everything I could anywhere I could. My husband saw how much fun I was having and enjoying it so much, he gave me for my birthday the following year a Nikon Coolpix L810 point and shoot camera. I took that thing everywhere! Then life happened, we moved several times, had very demanding jobs and all of a sudden I didn’t have time to photograph anymore unless we took vacation. When we moved to a different state, I picked it up again and it felt like an old friend and jumped back into it. Eventually, 4 years later, I bought a Canon Rebel T3i and a computer and really researching on how to take my photos to the next level. Over the next few years, I participated in local photo contests and workshops and I learned a lot. This brought me my first, first place ribbon in a worldwide photo contest with the Calgary Stampede in 2018 and in 2019 two more first place awards. It wasn’t too long after that, that I decided to go professional and build a website, launch a store and signing up for local art festivals throughout the following years. I now provide specially printed images for customers to decorate their home, you have so much more creative freedom when your customers are able to pick their own frame for the images that suit their style; instead of selling already framed images, which is what I use to do when I first launched as a business. I offer 3 set sizes of each print in my store, but I always try to let people know that they can have a print in almost any size they desire and that if there is a particular size they want or an idea of something that is similar to what I have for sale, to let me know. I have thousands of images in my library that are not advertised, so I may just have what they are looking for. I feel that’s what sets me apart from everyone else; most artists sell ‘as is’ and have no room for such customization requests and I am very pleased that I can offer that flexibility.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My ultimate goal, is to open up a small storefront as a gallery. That has been my dream since I started. It’s what I try to keep in mind when I post on social media or go to art shows and contests.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I worked 2+ jobs for several years to save up for all of the equipment I have. I saved up over time, enough for the best computer at the time, which I’m still using even though it’s a 2015 model, both of my cameras and all my lenses and gear bags. Working 2 jobs didn’t leave much room for anything else however; Monday through Friday was my regular 9-5 job and Friday through Sunday was my second job from 7a-10p. I looked for additional ways to make extra money, odd jobs during the week after work, photo shoots with couples (even though that was not in my wheelhouse) and it paid off. I don’t have to work multiple jobs anymore, but I do still have to work full time until I can make a living off of my business and make that my full time focus.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.faughnphotography.com
• Instagram: @faughnphotography @faughnphotog
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/faughnphotography
• Linkedin: www.LinkedIn.com/faughnphotography
• Other: Tiktok: @faughnphotography