We were lucky to catch up with Kelsey Adams recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kelsey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think it takes to be successful?
This is something that seems to change year after year for me personally. After years of doing this I have had to change how I’ve done business over and over again. Whether it was the way I was capturing a space, running one part of my business, or getting to know potential clients it all required continued education. What worked for me in 2012 didn’t in 2018 and might have worked again in 2022. Staying on your toes is cliche but it’s really true. You need to keep learning about the thing you think you know everything about.
Kelsey, 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 first began my education in photography in 2009 where I wanted to be a photojournalist. I wanted to tell visual stories and ended up receiving my BFA in Photography and Graphic Design in 2014. While finishing school I began work in the real estate industry. I delved deep into that for a lot of years getting to know countless clients. Over time I started to gain confidence to work with Architects, Interior Designers and helping businesses present themselves visually. Since I started doing business this way it has been my main focus while still working in the real estate industry as well. I believe this gives me the upper hand to work with many different people and get to know them easier.
I’ve been doing this for quite awhile and I don’t know if I would change anything that I had done. I learned a lot along the way. Some hard lessons but they made me the photographer and business owner I am today. I think one of my best qualities is that I have the ability to receive constructive criticism and learn from it. I am lucky enough to have peers who do exactly what I do for a living. They live near me and in other states and they’re always willing to help in constructive ways. We have conversations about techniques and how to better run our businesses. To me that has been a huge help in the last few years and something I never would have thought I’d have ten years ago. I was always afraid to share or take advice but now it’s almost survival and I couldn’t imagine not having these friends to bounce ideas off of. I thank them all the time for feedback it seems like.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
This last year was the biggest pivot in my career. Bigger than when Covid his the scene and I had to buy thousands of dollars worth of equipment in order to finish jobs for my clients. Bigger than my first couple years. Because the real estate industry changed so drastically with interest rates so high I had to make some changes. So, I had to start going after more design clients. It is starting to pay off more and more and I’m so excited to keep working towards my goals.
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
This may be a bit less business and more personal but in 2020 I became very sick and was hospitalized for three snd half weeks. I had a blood infection, bilateral pneumonia and had to have emergency open heart surgery because of it. I couldn’t work for 2 more months after this because I couldn’t drive and physically therapy was required for my heading. My business was in a lot of trouble but remember the friends I told you about earlier? They saved my business. They collaborated together and covered for all of my clients until I came back to not only keep my business afloat but to give me all the money. They were truly amazing to me and if it weren’t for them my business could have been destroyed.
Contact Info:
- Website: Adamsrealestatephotography.com
- Instagram: @kelseyadamsphotos
Image Credits
Natalie Kristeen https://www.nataliekristeenphotography.com/links?fbclid=PAAabib7dCsLmdlIpYRkj7JGJuwWJHnnAaadjn1EagLrs_kI73DuTcoBX6e5g_aem_AU6DIxv_4y_HqdiWoRLPgj6Mxe9dsqGuFZrFGEfZ2nxt3z_MKM32qaPWCM6fvx3cgG0