We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gen Palmer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gen below.
Hi Gen, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
18 months ago, with help from a mentor I completely changed the sales model of my photography business. I transitioned from a “middle-of-the-road” all-inclusive model to providing a custom, luxury experience which also resulted in a 3x price increase. It was a bold and scary risk because it goes against what many people expect from the photography industry. I knew I’d lose clients with the change, but I didn’t realize I’d also gain clients – and that these clients are now loyal, raving fans!
In the portrait photography industry, most businesses charge a session fee and provide a digital download of all files. After five years as a wedding and portrait photographer I was shocked to find that many of my clients never printed their images, so I asked why. I learned that many just never got around to it, and some were confused by all the options. After investing in a photographer, it was terrible to know that my clients’ memories sat on a hard drive, never to be seen again. I knew I had to change that!
Changing my business model was like transforming an all you can eat buffet into a fine dining restaurant – one where you order exactly what you want, and it’s prepared and brought to you precisely how you like it. It was a difficult change which involved new suppliers and products, and a total overhaul of my company’s processes and systems. But it was well worth it.
Today, I work one-on-one with clients to design portrait experiences, from their day-of wardrobe and location planning, all the way to designing custom wall art for their homes. Not only is my business more profitable, but I’ve gained clients for life who value this level of service.
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 background and context?
I’m Gen, owner of Gen Palmer Photography – a full-service wedding and portrait photography studio in New Jersey, USA. I provide authentic photography for real people and help my clients design and print art from their most precious memories so they can enjoy them every day!
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
I’ve loved photography most of my life and began taking clients in 2017. Like many creative entrepreneurs, I started by treating my business like a hobby that sometimes made money. I didn’t understand know how to run it like a business, how to make the change into something bigger.
In 2020 I hired a business coach and started to see the possibilities…AND all the things I needed to fix. I was working hard, and loved the business and my clients, but I wasn’t making money. Plus, I had a very demanding day job at a national bank. I needed to work smarter, not harder.
Here are the things which made it possible to go full-time and pivot from my 20-year corporate career:
- Changing my business service model from a traditional a traditional “shoot & burn” offering to a luxury, customized model.
2. Expense and debt management – at a friend’s recommendation I read Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey and we eliminated all debt as a family. We then saved 8 months of living expenses before I made the leap to full time.
3. Implement consistent lead generation systems. My family’s income depends on my business so it can’t come down to luck. My mentor helped me get real about identifying where business opportunities were coming from, and how to plan ahead to diversify and ensure a steady flow of customers going forward.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I approach every relationship with a willingness to give, and to always lead with “yes”. Many people ask if I’m worried I’ll be taken advantage of, and it happens rarely but in the vast majority of circumstances this attitude serves my business well.
Contact Info:
- Website: genpalmer.com
- Instagram: gen_palmer
- Facebook: Gen Palmer Photography
- Linkedin: genevieve-palmer-a7a42ba
Image Credits
Gen Palmer Photography