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

Erin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

Being a happy business owner is so much more than loving what you do.

When I started my business, I was consumed by it. I loved what I got to do for a living and therefore ate, slept and breathed photography. It just didn’t feel like work, so I worked a lot.

Then, there I was, making six figures working my dream job, but I really wasn’t able to do anything else. I had weddings every weekend and shoots throughout the week leaving very little time for my family and for myself. Though working a lot in the beginning was necessary to take my business to the level it was at, it was not sustainable over time

What I found is that although yes, I was very successful because of my talent and my energy, I was also overly worked because I was seriously undervaluing myself, my life outside of my business and charging a lot less than my worth.

I went through and made a lot of changes to my business model. When you’re a small business owner, your business should always be evolving and it’s honestly a lot of trial and error. Make the changes, see how it goes and then adjust even more. Through these ever evolving changes and boundaries, I can honestly say I’ve never been happier as a small business owner.

Some things I found were:
1. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should
Meaning, just because there’s 52 weeks in a year doesn’t mean you should work every one of them. When you love what you do, you so easily forget this lesson
2. Owning a small business isn’t your typical 9-5 job
There’s no punching out at 5, so it’s all the more important to set good boundaries with your business. If it’s after hours, put your phone on do not disturb. Leave an away message or footer on your email sharing what your hours are and when they should expect to hear from you
3. Money does not equate to success
You can make all of the money in the world, but if you don’t have the time to enjoy life with your people, then is it really worth it? The answer is no.
4. Evaluate the cost of your product and include more than the cost of doing business
Don’t forget to value yourself, your product or service and your time
5. If they want you, they will find a way to work with you
For me a big change is I only photograph my sessions and certain days and times. Also pricing wise, I think I do a good job of showing the value of my service so my potential clients understand why I charge what I charge. Additionally, I hear so much from other business owners – “if I don’t email them back right away, they’ll go with someone else!”. That can be the case, but if someone really wants to work with you, they are willing to wait until the next business day if they contact you after hours

Through all of this, I don’t want it to appear that the hustle, long nights and hard work weren’t important. It definitely was and brought me where I am today. But you have to know when things just aren’t working. The best part of owning your own business is the flexibility and fact that you get to be your own boss. Make sure you’re being the best boss to yourself.

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 wedding and editorial photographer based in Metro Detroit. I’ve been in business for 13 years and am most known for my vibrant editing style and capturing real and emotional moments. Although I’ve photographed events all over the world, most of my work is photographed in Detroit, as I feel deeply inspired and connected to the city. I also love mentoring and supporting the local photography community.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

When I first started my business, I wasn’t really sure just how big it would be. I figured it would be just a little side gig. Things grew pretty quickly due to the energy I put into my business. When I gave birth to my second child, I was really at such a pivotal place where the cost of daycare for two was just too much for what I was making at my day job. My business was really at a point where it just had to work. I remember putting in my notice and feeling so sick to my stomach. I had been working at that office for nearly a decade and it was regular, steady income. How could I leave that for an unsure future? But I took the leap and it really was the best thing I could have done. Now, all of those hours I would have been at the office, I was able to put into growing my business and that’s exactly what I did and the growth was like night and day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.erinschmidtphoto.com
• Instagram: @erinschmidtphoto &. @erinschmidtbranding &. @espfamilies
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErinSchmidtPhoto
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-schmidt-photo/
• Yelp: https://www.facebook.com/ErinSchmidtPhoto