We were lucky to catch up with Candace Ollis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Candace thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

A new client came to me for headshots. She was growing her new business as a bookkeeper and understood that having a professional headshot was important to her online presence. Not only did she love her headshots, but she found a variety of creative ways to use them on social media. It didn’t take long for her to realize that she was limited by only having headshots, so she approached me about doing a brand photoshoot. We spent a few weeks discussing all the ways she would like to use her new images, planning outfits, and organizing props. We spent about four hours capturing her, her personality, and different aspects of her job. Not only did she love the experience and the images we created together, but she came back three different times to purchase more images from her gallery! Those images are now not only on her socials, but her website, email marketing campaigns, conference presentations, and digital courses. I know she will eventually come back for another brand session to update her images and keep her online presence fresh.

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 was a military spouse and homeschool mom for fifteen years before I had the freedom in my schedule to pursue my own interests. After being stationed in Europe for seven years and developing a love of photography from our travels, I decided to take up portrait photography. But that was just a means to an end. My ultimate goal was to earn money towards my big dream- opening a bakery cafe. I got started on my photography business only to realize really quickly that it wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought. Photographers in Huntsville were a dime a dozen and it was a race to the bottom. There were two things I decided to focus on that would differentiate me from all the others- creating a solid brand identity and developing my specific portrait style.

Today, CLO Photography is two sides of the same coin. Once side is my motherhood portraiture where I serve busy and overwhelmed moms who want beautiful portraits of their growing and changing family. I specialize in maternity, newborns, and families, and provide an easy-going photoshoot with a studio wardrobe for mom, wardrobe planning for the rest of the family, a large galleries with variety of portraits to choose from, and gorgeous artwork. My motherhood clients appreciate my stress-free sessions, my minimal and clean approach to portraits, and help decorating their home with art showcasing their beautiful family.

The other side of the CLO Photography coin is my headshot and branding services, which I differentiate by calling CP-Headshots & Branding. Living in the Rocket City with a large DOD presence, I kept getting inquiries for headshots, which I really grew to love. Headshots led to branding for small businesses and personal brands, which I loved even more. Maintaining a solid visual brand has been important to me from the beginning, so I eventually had to separate off from my motherhood portraiture. The CP brand has seemed to evolve on its own to what it is today. Now I enjoy helping business owners, personal brands, and corporate/DOD professionals elevate their online presence with images true to who they are. My headshot clients appreciate my attention to detail and posing guidance, while branding clients love my discovery sessions where we plan their session based on their needs and goals.

As a mother, I know too well the desire to capture my family as it changes and grows. Now having an adult child, our pictures are my absolute most prized possessions. It’s a joy to serve fellow mothers and encourage them in their motherhood journey. Likewise, as a business owner, it’s also a joy to serve other business owners and entrepreneurs in realizing their dreams. It’s an honor to walk alongside them. In fact, I love what I do so much, it’s no longer a means to an end. CLO Photography is now the dream I’m striving for.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first started out, I didn’t have any experience running a business. So I took in all the information I could. Books, podcasts, Facebook groups, Instagram experts, online courses, you name it. It was overwhelming. I decided the best thing to do would be to choose one educator to listen to. I found one that I clicked with, bought her courses, and got to work implementing everything she said, exactly how she said it. The best part was this educator promised big bucks fast. So I waited. And waited. But after an entire year of following this plan, I only had one client that paid full price.

I went back to the drawing board and found a new educator. This one really resonated with my what, why, and how. I joined her monthly membership and got to work implementing her marketing materials and advice. Another year goes by without much more to show for my work than the last year. By this time, I was pretty frustrated.

After thinking about what my next move to should be, I decided to completely change course. This time I was going to ignore the educators, experts, and naysayers. I decided to do things my way. I redid my pricing structure to something I was truly comfortable with. I began building a new website and focused on SEO. I started offering additional services to help serve my target client- busy moms. And for the first time, I began to get inquired on my website- and they BOOKED with me! This was a big lesson in being myself. It’s important to listen to advice, but in the end, you need to do what is right for your own business. What’s the point in owning you own business if you’re just going to copy someone else anyway?

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

My website has definitely been my best source of new clients. I built my website myself, so I did a lot of research, especially around SEO. It took some time and trial and error to get it right, but it was so worth it! The thing about websites is that they are a long game. It takes time to see results from any changes. Once I finally got my SEO down, it took about 4-6 months for inquiries to start coming in regularly. Patience is key!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://CLO-Photography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clo_photog_al/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CloPhotog
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candace-ollis
• Other: Facebook; CP Headshots & Branding
  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573350801678

Image Credits

CLO Photography