We recently connected with Katie Sica and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?

Yessssss!

You’ve got to do it. I believe we were created for good and meaningful work, but we are also human, and we need rest. Without time away and time to invest in yourself and others, you won’t be able to give your best self to your work. We mentally need breaks in order to sharpen focus.

Schedule the vacation, set a vacation responder on your email, and don’t bring your laptop with you! (Don’t open that mail app on your phone either lol) I’m learning to have a better balance in my life when it comes to my business and everything else. It’s hard, but worth it!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Katie Sica, and I’ve been working in professional photography for 17 years. I started out photographing weddings and family portraits, but in recent years, I’ve shifted my focus to brand and corporate photography for businesses.
Before I ever pick up my camera, I want to understand the story, personality, and vision of the business I’m photographing. That connection allows me to create images that feel genuine—images that help business owners show up with confidence and clarity on their websites, social media, and marketing materials. A good photo can say so much, it’s worth a thousand words they say! I want my photographs to tell my clients’ stories – to show off who they are and what they do.
Of course, for me, it’s never just about the photos. I genuinely love connecting with other business owners—especially through my local chamber of commerce—and supporting their growth however I can. When someone comes to me for brand photography, they’re not just getting a gallery of images. They’re walking into a community, and they’re getting my full support as a fellow small business owner who understands the journey.
Running a small business can feel like a lot—and it is. That’s why I believe we need to look out for one another, share what we’ve learned, and celebrate the wins (big and small) together.

Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses.

I bought my business in 2019 after spending time in the industry for over a decade. I began working for the original owner of Creative Image back in 2008, helping out part-time for the next 11 years. Somewhere along the way, he started asking if I’d ever be interested in buying the wedding and family portrait side of the business. For years, my answer was a firm no.
At the time, my husband and I had two young kids, and life was already full. In 2010, my husband launched a new church in our urban neighborhood. Though I wasn’t on staff, I was heavily involved. Between family, church, and everything else, I didn’t have the bandwidth to take on a business of my own.
But by 2018 or early 2019, something shifted. My former boss was getting ready to fully retire and wanted to hand off the wedding work. I’d already spent a number of years immersed in that side of the business, so it felt like the natural next step. Though it hadn’t before, the timing now felt right. I agreed to buy the wedding and portrait side of Creative Image. We set a value for the scheduled weddings, current equipment in my possession, and recurring clients. After that we settled on a purchase price, I took out a small loan to make it happen, and the transition was official. Creative Image Weddings LLC was born.
Honestly? I had no idea what I was getting into. All the behind-the-scenes pieces of running a small business—there’s so much more to it than I realized! All of those responsibilities need constant care and attention. Despite the (sometimes overwhelming) amount of work, I’m thankful to report that I am enjoying being a business owner!
I am continuing to grow. A couple of years ago, my former boss officially retired from his work as a corporate photographer. Since then, I’ve been focusing on expanding my work and Creative Image Brand Photography has officially taken off. It’s been a journey—and I’m excited for what’s next.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’ve had to unlearn—or maybe more accurately, I’m still in the process of unlearning—the “work never stops” mentality that often comes with owning a small business. I run a photography company, and if I let it, the work could easily fill every hour of every day. There’s always something more to do. On the rare days I’m caught up on editing, there’s pressure to focus on the business itself—marketing, planning, sales strategy, you name it. And while all of that matters, I’ve had to learn it’s not the most important thing.
There’s so much more to me than just my work. I truly love what I do, and I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to serve such a wide variety of clients. It’s good, meaningful work. But it’s not the basis of my identity, and it’s not what gives me meaning and purpose.
Last summer, I was talking with some friends about how consuming my work can be. My desk—a beautiful, custom-built piece my husband made—sits in a cozy little alcove under the stairs on our first floor. When I’m not out photographing clients or at a networking event, I’m working from home. And when your workspace is always in view, it’s hard to mentally “clock out.”
One of my friends suggested I try putting up a simple room divider in front of my desk at the end of each workday. As small as it sounds, that physical act of “closing off” my workspace has made a big difference. It helps shift my mindset and create a clearer boundary between work and the rest of life. I’m learning to stop when the workday ends—to put up that barrier both literally and mentally—and give my attention to the people and things I love most.
That said, it’s a work in progress. As I expand into more brand and corporate photography, I’m limiting the number of weddings that I will shoot—and learning to take Saturdays off (!), which has been harder than I expected. The temptation to “just knock a few things out” on a Saturday morning is real. So I’m somewhere in between: feeling more freedom when work is in its proper place, while still wrestling with the pull to keep going.
Anyone who owns a small business gets it. You want to serve clients well, keep your website fresh, respond to emails quickly, stay visible online—the list never ends. But I’m slowly realizing that rest, boundaries, and time away from the desk are just as important as anything on the to-do list.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cibphoto.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativeimagebrandphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creativeimagebranding
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/creativeimage/?trk=eml-email_notification_digest_01-header-0-profile_glimmer

Image Credits

Aaron Hamrick

Creative Image Brand Photography