We were lucky to catch up with Lainie Maroulis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lainie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, let’s jump into one of the most exciting parts of starting a new venture – how did you get your first client who was not a friend or family?

Im Lainie Maroulis and I’ve been doing photography for 5+ years. Starting out wasn’t easy there was a lot more that went into having my first client and building my own business than I thought. The first step was getting a portfolio of my work so that my future clients could see my work. Building my portfolio was fun for me! I would bring my camera anywhere and everywhere to capture any moment. After I had taken classes and built a portfolio next was the big step, how to take my business to the next level. That next step was charging people for my service’s which I did not want to do it sounded way to scary. The thought of doing what I love as my job sounded too good to be true. I started sharing on social media my photos, my packages I offered, and prices. So as time went I kept posting and finally got my first real client that wasn’t just a friend or family member. I felt like I really scored with my first client because there wasn’t just one client there was 12. It was a prom photoshoot for a group who found me through social media. First thought was I was why did I say yes to this I was so scared, but as I kept thinking about it I realized it was perfect because the more people the more chances I have to get my name out there. So sure enough day comes around I go out there do my thing and loved every second of it! At the end I got payed for my time and it was the most rewarding feeling. I will never forget I went home that night and edited the photos all night to make sure they were absolutely perfect. I sent them over within the next couple of days and everyone was posting them and tagging me which was such a cool feeling. Within a week I had got a ton of messages and the next weekend I was booked for 3 more prom groups. After that it really just took off from there.

Lainie, 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?

Growing up I always was more on the creative side. In high school I was always so confused how everyone around me had an idea what they wanted to do in the future or would work so hard in high school for their future. To be completely honest school was never my thing I only thrived when we were doing creative things like take a photo, make a video for a class, and just anything that meant I got to be creative. In high school my parents bought me a camera for Christmas and as soon as I got the hang of it, it clicked. I loved capturing moments though my lens and editing them. I always felt left out when people talked about their future and no one had anything similar to mine. I told my self so many times maybe its weird that I enjoy photography. Soon after my business took off I knew I made the right decision. Something I’m so proud of is not giving up in the start of my business. Not only at points I was thinking that this isn’t something I can do, there was people around me that would say certain things that would make me think I couldn’t do it. After realizing I’ve been successful from the start it made me realize it can only go up from here

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

As crazy as it sounds, TikTok. TikTok is a newer platform but is such a powerful platform for creators. Not only does it help creators grow so quickly but the amount of inspiration I get from TikTok Is crazy. I not only get to see other creators work but I have learned so much from it that benefits my photography + editing. It makes it so easy to stay in the loop of trends which is a key to staying relevant with photography.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is a key in todays world which I personally love. I not only have built most of my clientele off of social media but even my own personal name I have made a presence on social media. A key to build your audience on social media is to stay consistent. Some people get lucky and have one post go viral and they gain an audience but then there is others that have to work a bit harder which is totally okay. It makes it more rewarding when you finally get that following you have been working for. Second thing is to stay in the loop of the trends. As we all know TikTok is a newer platform that really took over but it really is such a great place to see what’s trending name. Finally, don’t give up if your not seeing your audience grow it takes time!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @lainiemaroulis or @lainie.lens
• Facebook: Lainie Maroulis
• Other: TikTok: @lainiemaroulis

Image Credits
@lainiemaroulis @lainie.lens