Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Franchelle Young. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Franchelle, thanks for joining us today. How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?
I think its great to ask your friends and family to support your business! Although we are in a time of using social media for personal branding, there is nothing like having real connections, networking, and word-of-mouth. I think its all about community and us helping each other, thats how a business grows organically. I especially feel that way because I am a person that prefers to support those from my personal relationships. Most services I pay for, are all businesses of my friends and family. Its always better to put money in your friend’s pocket than a stranger’s. But, support from your friends and family can be shown in many different ways, not just financial. Support can be sharing posts, referring my business to others, leaving a business card, showing up to events, and booking a service. Personally, I think some creatives and business owners feel like lines can be crossed when individuals take advantage of free services for the sake of exposure. However, as a new business owner or creative, I feel like its best to just have your boundaries in those instances and understand that although you’re just starting out and aren’t the most popular, your brand is still valuable and know your worth.
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.
My name is Franchelle Young and I am the owner of Excusemyflicks! I am a photographer in the Houston area, here to capture YOUR moments through my lens! I launched my photography business in October of last year and its been such an awesome journey so far. I am learning so much about the craft/art of photography, myself, and most importantly, people. One of my favorite things that fulfills me from this career is the how photographs can make people feel. Sometimes we can feel vain or selfish for making things about us and having the center of attention. But, thats not the case when a client is working with me. This day, time, and moment is all about them! Its good for us to take those moments for ourself and feel good. All of us struggle with an insecurity, might be a bit shy, body conscious, think about our age and youth, or are crossing milestones in life. It really makes my heart so full to see people show up to a shoot in great spirits, looking/feeling beautiful, the reactions they make when I take stop to show them a few photos between the shoot, how happy my clients are when they frame their photos, change a profile picture, etc. I love how a photo can remind someone of how beautiful they are in and out and how you can encapsulate life moments forever. Im so grateful and proud that as a photographer, that I can be a part of that. I truly am excited to see how I continue to push myself and grow in this career path.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
Photography is my side hustle at the moment, for now. However, thats not the overall goal. I definitely have hopes and expectations to one day make photography my main career and Im really excited to see where this will take me. It took me a while to get started, but Im so glad I did. While I was in college for my biology degree, I always had a feeling that there was something else I should be doing, but wasn’t sure what it was yet. But, all it takes is one opportunity to open your mind. I took prom photos for a cousin of mine, and thats when I knew I needed to take photography seriously. I work in oncology during the day, but photography is now my life when I’m not on the clock. Like they say, the more work you put in, the more you’ll see results. Having a side hustle is hard sometimes and can make you feel like you’re on a hamster wheel, but its so worth it and will pay off in the end, especially when you see yourself hitting those milestones. I celebrate all milestones, no matter how big or small. Whether its 100 more followers, hitting your first financial goal, a publishing, it all comes together. I have a list of every single client Ive photographed as a reminder of where I started and how my business is growing now. As a business owner or someone with a side hustle, sometimes things can feel like theyre getting slow. But the milestones and my list is the reminder that I am indeed still working.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media is a lot if I have to be honest, but it is a necessity for your business and personal branding. Social media is kind of another side hustle in itself nowadays. Theres a science/method to everything. I think its extremely beneficial to do all your research about different apps, the way they operate, how they engage people to your page, even learning little things like changing your account from personal to a creator or business account. Creator and business accounts show your engagement from followers, best days and times to post, how many views you have, how your followers adjust, you can pay for ads, etc. Its also about learning how people digest media. Id say take advantage of free resources like youtube, tiktok, instagram, Canva, etc to learn what catches peoples attention. What makes someone watch your reel for more than 5 seconds? How can I post an engaging story without someone just clicking next? What hashtags actually help with exposure? What’s a popular trend or song to use for media? What engaging activities are there like raffles, countdowns, or special deals for follower increases? Just keep doing research and think of things from a marketing standpoint.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Excusemyflicks
- Facebook: Excusemyflicks
Image Credits
Personal Photo: @fortunatofilms Others: @Excusemyflicks