We were lucky to catch up with Katie Hass recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

The main thing I have learned about running a business is you’re never going to feel “ready”. It is all about having enough confidence and faith in order to step out and take the risk! For me, as soon as I graduated college, I knew that the “normal” corporate ladder structure wasn’t for me. I didn’t feel like I fit in that mold – and for a while, I wondered where I fit in. I worked multiple odd jobs as I started to think about what my career and life would look like — when I got connected with a mentor who lovingly guided me into the business of being a wedding photographer. I soaked up all of the knowledge I could, and I am so grateful to her for her generosity. I am still great friends with her to this day! That’s where the idea of being a wedding photographer began – I was introduced to the whole industry and never looked back.

Katie, 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 who specializes in luxury weddings based in Oklahoma City and beyond. I absolutely love capturing everyone’s best day ever! From start to finish, I want my clients to have the ultimate experience. My job is not only about capturing memories that will never be duplicated in the same way, but also about ensuring my clients walk away feeling confident and encouraged.

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

Consistency, professionalism and kindness. I believe that it is paramount for the business to be run with integrity! How you interact with clients and other professionals in the industry means everything. I like to believe that my reputation was built due to steadfastness in this area. Not only is the artistic product important to me, but the way that I treat others and people on my team treat others is just as vital.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Piggy backing off of interactions with vendors and different people in the industry – I can also say that these relationships are often where my client referrals come from! In addition, a lot of my client referrals are from previous brides who’s bridesmaids, family members, etc. are now getting married, and that is the biggest compliment to me when someone who has been a bride of mine speaks highly of me or the experience was so great that their friends knew they wanted to have me capture their special day too.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kgcphotography.com
• Instagram: @cunninghamkatie
• Facebook: @kgcphotographyokc

Image Credits
all photos by me!