We were lucky to catch up with Emily Carpenter recently and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

There are pros to having a regular job as well as pros to being a business owner. I believe having a regular job would force me to be fully present once I arrive at home, to where I wouldn’t be tempted to edit images, be on phone calls, or be sending emails with my kids awake. Another pro to me would have to be that I would then be entitled to paid leave, along with a fixed schedule.

The pros with being a business owner is that I do have the flexibility to prioritize what I need to with family and friends. I also am then in control of where my business goes, along with building relationships with my clients, that quickly become friends. You take the risk, and reap the benefits of taking the leap into business ownership.

Emily, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Emily and I am the owner of Emily Charlene Photography. Cincinnati families like yours have trusted me to capture their memories for over six years. Client experience is especially important to me, and that’s why I see so many returning clients. Time and time again I see the couples that have their engagement session with me book my services for their wedding. And then not long after, the same couple books a maternity session followed by a newborn session.

As awesome as it is, I got really curious. What is it? What is different about what I bring to the table? I actually asked some clients this question. I thought their response was going to be about the cohesiveness of the style or image quality, or some other artsy thing about the work itself. So you can imagine my face when they told me the real reason. They said that when you book a session with me, you know that every detail is already taken care of. And they’re right.

I’m a planner by nature. And I live for thinking through all the tiny details. When it comes to your photo session, all you need to do is what you do best- share in your lovely life with your beautiful family.

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

A cliche that I had to unlearn is that the customer is always right. You have to find the balance between doing what your client wants, and steering them toward making aesthetically pleasing decisions. They hire you to provide beautiful captures of their family, and need to trust your ability to do so.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I sometimes feel as though I am a slave to social media when it comes to continuing to build my business. It is a very competitive market, and I strive to reach many people in my area. I feel you need to make at least 2 posts a week to keep traffic flowing to your page.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://emilycharlenephotography.mypixieset.com/?fbclid=IwAR3JxnR9exLQqjWy5UuKL0-_v2VXTC7edpifP6y-D1E0Ds5urn7Ed4E_L5o
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063517543958

Image Credits
Emily Charlene Photography