We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lea Flores. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lea below.

Lea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

Corporate America assumes that Boudoir Photography is all about being sexy and taking sexy pictures. In fact, what Boudoir Photography is really about is a transformative change in the way women see themself. We see women through all walks of life, marriage, divorce, weight loss, weight gain, cancer, sexual assault victims and so much more. All of these women have a very genuine reason for WHY they have chosen to do such an intimate shoot.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I got into the industry of photography simply by having my family’s pictures taken by a semi-amateur photographer. I had so much fun during the session but admittedly, I had taken over it a bit. The newbie photographer was super nervous, and so I did what I could to help ease that by helping pose and express ideas of backgrounds. At the end of the session, I told my husband, “I think I can do this.” He was very supportive of that decision, and so we headed over to the local’s Mikes Camera where I picked p my first Nikon camera. From there I began to photograph anyone and everyone who would allow me to. It was when I did my first boudoir session with a friend of mine that I truly fell in love with that type of photography, I could see how she walked in with a lack of confidence in herself, and yet right after the session, she felt like a bombshell. I was then addicted to recreating that magic in every session. The hardest part in the industry of photography is that most newbie photographers have no understanding of what it takes to run a business. Typically after just year two in the business, 85% of photographers give up the gig because they don’t know how to maintain a sustainable income. Most photographers are self-taught, so it can be a very lonely and uphill battle to stay motivated in the profession when you are not seeing the fruits of the labor put in.
Recently I have started a mentoring course, where I teach others in general about knowing the cost of running a business and how to price yourself. This is something that is truly needed to be successful, no matter what business venture you may be undertaking.

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

Word of mouth is everything. It doesn’t matter what you say about yourself in the business facet, but what others say about you. Giving clients a 5-star experience, going above and beyond, underpromising, and over-delivering is the best way to do business in my eyes. It has paid off tremendously for me as I have built 75% of my business on referrals alone. Treat your clients superior and they will never forget you. Give them mediocre and the next time around they need services, they will be looking up Sally from down the street.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I don’t believe in debt or let me say that the most optimal option is to owe the least amount possible to outside agencies such as banks and creditors. Depending on the type of business that you are running, you may have to borrow and get loans, however, have an ROI planned (return on investment) that can pay back the debt in a very short amount of time. For myself, any profit that I had coming in, I put right back into my business. I also had a full-time job while beginning my business. I did not choose to let that job go until I had a good amount of clients calling me for my services and when I knew I could match what I was making at that job. It took a lot of long nights and sacrifices, but it ultimately paid off in the long run as I have VERY little debt and super low overhead. This was all very strategic. Being a successful entrepreneur is not cut out for everyone. Don’t get me wrong, with more than 10 years into it, it definitely has more pluses than not, it is however extremely hard. Understand that you will be working very hard for the first 1-2 years with little or no money back in your pocket, however, if you stick with it, it will pay off.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.leafloresphotography.com
• Instagram: @theboudoirsuite
• Facebook: Lea Flores Photography
• Youtube: @BetweentheSheetsWLea
• Other: https://www.leafloresphotography.com/d2b/ YOUTUBE @leafloresphotography-boudo3859 https://linktr.ee/LeaFlores1

Image Credits
Lea Flores