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

Alright, Catie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Everywhere I looked, I saw amazing businesses with photos that didn’t convey the same message.

Running a business is not for the faint of heart – being a business owner means wearing all the hats – marketing, finance, customer service, admin – and being the FACE of your business too.

Because let’s be honest. People like to buy from people. They want to like, know, and trust who they may be investing a lot of money with. It’s time to stop hiding behind your business name.

That’s exactly why I got into what I do.

As a wife, mom, and business owners, I know how difficult it is to juggle and balance all the “spinning plates” in life. There are so many aspects of running a business that need your attention. Lead generation, discovery calls, advertising, marketing, social media, serving clients, customer service, the list goes on and on.

Business owners get to a certain point where their do-it-yourself photos of their products or services are no longer serving them. They are ready to take their business to the next level and consistently attract their dream clientele. They’ve been in the game long enough to know what type of client they prefer working with. These business owners need strategic and cohesive brand photos that tell their story.

Now I photograph strategic brand photos for women-owned businesses – just like you – so you can connect with and work with your dream clients.

Catie, 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?

The moment I saw those two pink lines, my life changed forever.

We had been trying to build our family for a long time, gone to see fertility specialists, grieved a miscarriage, and we were almost ready to throw in the towel.

But it wasn’t until my son entered the world that things really changed. Priorities shifted. A lot.

My entrepreneurship journey started with photographing weddings, then senior portraits, and now small business brand photos.

I know how challenging it is to blend entrepreneurship with motherhood. If we’re being honest, there is no “balance”…we just create a new normal and make it happen. It’s why I help busy mom CEOs confidently show up online.

And just when I thought I had the mompreneur thing figured out with one kid, we got the surprise of our lives when we found out I was expecting our daughter. Right before the world shut down in 2020.

The last few years have been wild ride to say the least.

With a husband, two toddlers, my dachshund named Kevin, and over 12 years experience as a business owner and photographer, I get it. Marriage is hard. Running a business is hard. Parenting is hard. And it’s those hard things make us stronger.

When I’m not photographing for businesses or chasing my kids around the living room, you can find me planning our next trip to Disney, dreaming of a tropical vacation, catching up with my best girlfriends for an overdue coffee and dessert night.

Showing up online doesn’t have to be so hard.

I love working with busy women CEOs who crave more than generic stock photos to promote their business.

You want an effortless strategy to connecting with your ideal clients through personal branding photography.

I help you turn decision fatigue into an action plan. I help you create a library of personalized content so that you can share and promote your business with confidence, less stress or overwhelm.

Let’s take you from trying to do it all and falling flat to taking some time for yourself and creating photos you are proud to share.

You are enough. For your family. For your business.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I feel like I have many stories of pivoting. When I started out in photography, I thought that I wanted to be a wedding photographer. After a few years of shooting weddings, I realized that I didn’t want to work every weekend, especially since the weekend was the only time I had to spend with my husband. I pivoted the genre of photography to senior portraits. I loved working with high school seniors. I took some time off from photography in 2017-2018 while I was pregnant and in the early days of my son’s life. Once I was ready to jump back into photography, I chose to focus on small business photography and branding portraits. I saw a need for small businesses to have photos that told their story, that they could confidently use to promote their business, and were ready for more than stock photos and DIY smartphone photos.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I’ve been blown away to find out that the majority of my clients find me on Google. Having been in business for 12 years, I have a website that’s “seasoned” on the internet. I’ve blogged for a long time and clients have found my website through search results, typically from a blog post. When you’ve pivoted through three different photography genres, it’s important to tell Google what your current offering is.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.catieronquillo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catieronquillo
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catieronquillophoto
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/catieronquillo
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/catieronquillo

Image Credits
Catie Ronquillo Photography