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

Hi Brooke , thanks for joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

This question stuck out to me, because I believe that I do indeed do quite a few things differently from the industry standard. The one that comes to mind first is that I am open about my faith and values. I recognize the importance of bonding with clients who share the same faith and values. My faith is the foundation of everything for me. It has everything to do with how I serve people, how I respond, and how I view the world. It’s easy to get caught up in today’s worldview of self and acceptance of everything. But if we do that then where are the morals?

I’m asked often how I can share my faith and values so boldly being a business owner. I wasn’t as bold about it at first, especially when my business was just getting started, but it has grown over the years as I’ve grown as a person. Being grounded in faith is what allows me to attract clients and serve them to the best of my ability. In business you are always attracting and repelling. You want potential clients to either instantly connect with you based on your shared ideas and values or be instantly repelled by you because they don’t relate and that’s okay!

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 a believer, wife, and mother to two. I’m a family photographer and photography business educator. I got into photography after my daughter was born because I wanted to take pictures of her. I borrowed my mother-in-law’s camera and eventually started taking pictures for a handful of people I knew. Within 6 months, I found myself with a photography business and a long line of clients waiting to work with me. This was back in 2014.

I’ve always ran my photography business alongside of attending college, teaching in public school, and managing my household. Although I had spent 4 years earning my teaching degree, I left the classroom in 2018 to pursue my photography career full time. I was really passionate about business at this point.

A year later, I started the Book More Clients Photography Podcast and began sharing my knowledge and journey with photographers around the world. This podcast is what launched the education side of my business in 2020. At the height of the pandemic, I ran a free Instagram Marketing Challenge with 150 photographers online and then pitched my first free paid product following that. This community of 150 photographers grew to over 10,000 photographers in just two years.

What I am most proud of is my signature program, From Broke to Booked Blueprint, that has transformed the lives of hundreds of photographers. Many have doubled and tripled their profitability and quite a few have even left their full time jobs to pursue their photography career. I am beyond grateful to get to serve so many day in and day out. These men and women are incredible human beings with a huge mission and calling!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Hustle culture is a trap and I try to save everyone from it. I used to think if you just poured more hours in and worked harder, you would hit your goals and be successful. I fell into the lie of hustle culture and put my family on the backburner for way too long. It left me feeling defeated, overwhelmed, and exhausted to my core. I hit burnout quarter after quarter and still kept telling myself “it won’t always be this way.”

One day I had a wake up call and said “enough is enough.” There has got to be a better way! And there was. Working more hours and working harder does not equal progress or success. What actually gets you to your goals is clarity, focus, a team of people, and systems. Being busy is not always being productive.

Today, I work 20-25 hours a week on average, lead a small team of less than 5, and run my business through systems, processes, and automations.

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

This is one of the very things I teach photographers to do. There are a few factors that help build your reputation in your market. For me those are consistency, brand identity, values, and marketing strategy. The most important factor in building your reputation within your market is your brand identity. You can’t hide behind your logo or blend in with your competitors. You need to know your competitive edge.

I knew I wanted to build my business on relationships so I build and nurture relationships every single day. I get to know people and help them as best as I can even with nothing in return. I want people to know I see them first and foremost as people not money signs.

Next to that, consistency will make or break you. Once you’re committed to your business, you’ve got to be consistent. This again does not mean grinding your gears, but showing up and not giving up. Your business can’t resemble an on again / off again relationship. That is the fastest way to losing trust with your audience and potential clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brookejefferson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebrookejefferson/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brookejanaephoto
• Other: https://brookejefferson.com/podcast

Image Credits
Courtney Sawyer Photography The Photo Collective by Shyla Smith