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

Joshua, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

A question was posed recently in a photography group that I’m in.. Someone had been approached to share their knowledge and train a person to become a photographer.. Surprisingly, many people said don’t do it.. You’re training your competition. This sort of mindset is prevalent in a lot of industries.. People see others in their field and react in one of two ways. They either embrace them and join forces for the betterment of the industry or they want to be the lone wolf and destroy the competition with the false idea that they will get all of the business.. It has shown in many industries that freedom of information allows many minds to think on the same subject, thus, paving the way for new innovation and evolution of that industry.. The more minds that are working together the more new ideas you will have and everyone will progress and get better, new technologies will develop, and people will do better work. Keeping knowledge to yourself may seem better for you but can stunt the growth of industry. As for losing work to competition, there is more than enough work for everyone.

Joshua, 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?

In my search for a profession that allows me to be creative and have an artistic outlet, I found photography. I get to be creative and add my own artsy flare while capturing and preserving once in a lifetime memories. People want photos of loved ones or themselves at different stages of their lives to look back on. Something more than just a “smile at the camera” type of shot. Experiences are created, stories are constructed and told, and art is made with the people they love the most. People like having these memories around whether it be hanging on the wall of their living room or on the desktop of their computer. For many business owners, they want to give their clients the best first impression that they can of the services they offer. For many people, that first impression will come in the form of photos on their website or social media pages. I offer the best first impressions that i can for potential clients for a business, by telling stories with photos and producing beautiful work that people will find attractive.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Being friendly and knowledgeable has definitely given me an edge over the competition. Education has been one of the biggest things.. Too many times I see people picking up in a new industry because they think it will be easy to learn the minimal basics and then just stop there.. They don’t want to put forth the effort to actually learn, refine, and grow in their craft. These things are important if you really want to be successful. I get involved in clubs, meetups, conventions, and learn as much as I can from as many masters as I can to be the best I can be. Friendly service also works wonders in client retention and repeat business. So many people play hard nosed so they wont be “pushed around” by clients.. But in their effort to show how much dignity they have they tend to go to the extreme and can be very off putting to clients. Clients have friends and they talk to their friends about their experiences and negative stories can have a greater impact on the amount of business you get than most people realize. I have several clients who are fiercely loyal and will always advertise for me and recommend me to everyone simply because I went a little above and beyond to make sure they had a great experience. You don’t want to be so accommodating that you get walked on but you also don’t want to go to the opposite extreme where you come across as unpleasant to work with. There is a fine balance and grey area in the middle that will allow you to give great customer service but still maintain a level of dignity.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Delivering high quality goods as well as a great customer experience. Many clients have many friends and they will share those experiences thus generating more business. In my journey, I have been surprised to learn that great customer service can build a very high level of loyalty. When people are spending their hard earned money for your service, they like to feel like they are being catered to, that you care about their success, and that you are playing a part in helping to build their success and happiness. After all, if your client is happy and successful they will keep returning thus making you happy and successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: CFXimages.com
• Facebook: Facebook.com/joshua.fread.7

Image Credits
Photo Credit for my head shot goes to Kelly Schneider.