Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Karen Kaiser. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Karen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?
Wow where you even begin here. Photographers and other business owners are starting to see their businesses be taken over by social media algorithms which is so difficult. Social media is the biggest way to get your work seen but now you have to follow all these tricky algorithms and make reels instead of post your art in order to be seen. You have to use the right hashtags, the most trending audios, it’s so time consuming. And honestly it can be quite disheartening.
For me it’s the time you have to put into understanding all these algorithms that is so difficult.
I’m also a full time critical care RN and finding the time to learn social media to grow my business has deemed very challenging.
It can definitely be discouraging so if you love an artist share their work! It’s an easy way to support them and help them grow.
Karen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Hi! I’m Karen and I’m a photographer. I photograph wedding and elopements but I also offer lifestyle photography sessions as well. Some of my favorites are maternity and intimate sessions. I got into photography because it was something I loved. I started taking pictures as a little kid. My mom gave my my first point and shoot camera when I was I think 11 or 12?! And my dad gave me his old film camera before he passed away. I’ve always been taking photos. My uncle who worked for National Geographic always told me I had an eye for photography and that was very encouraging.
Im proud of this little business I’ve built. 4 years ago I decided it was time to take my passion and create a business out of it and I haven’t looked back since.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I’m actually in the middle of a pivot right now. Given that I have two careers I’ve stated feeling fairly run down. I work full time at the hospital but I am also trying to do more photography and grow my business. So as much as I love nursing I’ve decided to take a step back from it. The last few years in healthcare have been very difficult. And I find myself being more drawn to wanting to work on my business.
I’m not sure yet if that will be part time or per diem yet, but I’m working on hashing out those details with my partner. He is fully supportive of whichever direction I’d like to take!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I would honestly say my work as a critical care nurse shows my resiliency. I’ve worked in healthcare for 11 years and honestly we’ve never seen anything like covid. Working through that and staying strong for the people we were surviving was nothing short of hard. My day to day to experiences in that field are unlike anything most people could imagine. But for me it’s part of who I am. And it has most certainly made me resilient.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.kineoirisphotography.mypixieset.com
- Instagram: @kineo.iris_photography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064004026837