We were lucky to catch up with Grace Mac recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Grace, thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I’ve always been an ideas person – constantly planting little seeds of invention, but my problem was that I was continually losing interest in those ideas, so I couldn’t sustain the work needed to bring anything meaningful to fruition. After finishing high school I started a pattern of coming up with brilliant ideas, designing logos, websites, and creating, and doing all the fun, quick dopamine stuff, telling everyone what I was working on… and then just as quickly as it had grown, my passion for each new idea would fizzle. Reflecting back on this pattern, I felt embarrassed and frustrated about my lack of follow-through.
But upon researching ADHD for my child, I unlocked an exciting and empowering understanding of the challenge my brain was giving me. I began to see my struggle with follow-through for exactly what it was, and this allowed me to master it!
Photography had always been the perfect career for my busy brain, and it was a beautiful complement to a high-pressure airline ground crew job at the bustling local airport. But when I finally quit that airline job to take on more photography work, I started to feel lonely for the first time in my life.
Four years into solo business ownership, I was yearning to connect with a community. The idea of creating a community was crying out in my mind for some airtime, and in 2020 the mandated lack of event photography work (Covid) gave me some downtime to put a plan together. Armed with new mastery of my brain, I was determined that I would NOT begin working on this idea, or tell anyone about it, until I was absolutely certain I could follow through with it!
So how could I create a magnet to bring Photographers together? I mean, they’re technically in competition with each other, so why would they want to be in the same room (figuratively and literally)? The answer was Camera Bags, Camera Straps, and all the things that make Photographers excited to go to work!
I secretly created the infrastructure of an online store, reached out to manufacturers, and I purposely spent very little time on the actual brand logo and fun design stuff, and instead spent more time working on the hard stuff – the logistics, the boring details, because I was still skeptical of my own ability to sustain interest in the work required to bring the brand to life.
After setting EVERYTHING up I finally told my husband about what I’d been working on – he thought it was a brilliant idea, and here I am today – four years in with a steady, thriving e-commerce store, and an incredible community around me. Complementary to Tog Loot, I also created a local Facebook community of photographers, and I organise regular catch-ups and events. The connection with community is what gives me the fuel (or the dopamine) to keep my business endeavors thriving!

Grace, 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?

I’m a photographer based on the Gold Coast, Australia. I’ve been doing this for over ten years, and right now, I focus on corporate events like conferences and awards nights. I like the mix of structure and unpredictability. It’s not about staging “perfect” photos—it’s about documenting the event in a way that’s authentic and useful for the client. I also love that I can be a bit more introverted with corporate event photography – as opposed to other genres like portraits or weddings where you need to coordinate, interact, and “perform” for the entire shoot. I prefer fly-on-the-wall style where I’m most in my creative zone (and less likely to say something cringe to my clients).

I got into photography end of financial year 2011 when I received a great tax return from my airport ground crew job, decided to buy a DSLR, and then started playing around with my friends as models. I moved through the genres of babies and families and decided to steer into events. These days, I focus on creating images that are straightforward, professional, and have a purpose, and I deliver them super fast, rather than indulging in hours of editing. I need to share my time with parenting and managing my brand, Tog Loot.

I’d say my desire to connect our creative community has set me apart from others. I’ve loved taking on a leadership role in our local Photographer community as the event organiser. It’s what gives me a sense of value and that feeling fuels everything I do.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I had to get my head around the idea that in order to have a thriving creative career, I had to stop thinking of it as something for me to indulge in as an individual. In order to have a business you need the support of others, and that’s a two-way street, so instead of focusing on what I wanted, I had to shift my focus to what I can give. When I first started out, I believed that success was a competition—like there was only so much work or opportunity to go around. But the moment I shifted to an abundance mentality, everything changed for my businesses. Instead of guarding my knowledge or seeing competitors as threats, I focused on creating value for everyone, including those in the same space as me.

For example, I shared tips, resources, and even client referrals with other photographers and creatives. If I couldn’t take on a job, I’d pass it along to someone I trusted. If someone asked for advice, I gave it freely without expecting anything in return. I started organizing meetups and workshops to build community instead of competition. I also aimed to fill all my social media content with value, rather than sales lines. I learned you can’t come on too strong – you have to play it cool.

It’s a leap of faith—trusting that what you give will come back to you, but it’s the only way. By focusing on abundance and what I can give, I built stronger relationships, which naturally helped my businesses grow.

The biggest lesson? There’s always enough success to go around. The more value you provide to others, the more it seems to flow back to you in unexpected and rewarding ways. It’s not just a strategy—it’s a mindset that’s become a cornerstone of how I run my businesses.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

One of the best lessons I learned in life is the importance of alignment – when your thoughts, actions, and goals are in harmony; in a practical sense – making sure all of my business endeavors complement each other so there’s more effective use of my time and brain power (which both became quite limited after I had kids). So in order to satisfy my brain’s constant need for novelty and challenges, I made a deal with myself – I can create as many new business ideas as I want… as long as they’re all relevant to Photography! So my income streams include Photography, selling Camera Bags and Straps and other physical products for Photographers, selling digital products such as Preset packs and Printable Photo Shoot Planners, and also running Workshops and Retreats for my Photography community.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gracemacphotography.com.au and www.togloot.com
• Instagram: gracemacphotography and togloot

Image Credits

Codie Childs, Megan Richards, Jade Schofield