We were lucky to catch up with Mallory Paige recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Mallory, thanks for joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Growing up, I never saw myself happily working for someone else. I also never saw myself as a business-woman. When I realized that photographing weddings was my life’s purpose, I had to accept that in order to legitimize myself, I had to start a business and do it the right way. (As in, I had to pay taxes.) Now that I have been in business for 5 years, I cannot imagine doing anything else. Sure, there have been times where I have thought that working for someone else, receiving benefits such as health insurance, PTO, etc. would be nice. There has absolutely been times where I have had to take accountability for my mess ups, and have let people down. There have been times where I had no idea when or where my next paycheck was going to come from. All of these things have made me so much stronger and resilient as a woman, wife, friend, and business-owner too. I take so much pride in the work that I do and the services that I provide. It makes me so happy to deliver photographs to people that simply make their lives better. This makes me happy and this is what sustains me, year after year.

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

I am a destination wedding photographer based in Asheville, NC. I have had the pleasure of photographing weddings all over the world- from the countryside of Switzerland to the white sand beaches of Turks and Caicos.

I was introduced to the world of wedding photography in 2015, when I was a college student at the University of West Florida. I needed a job, and started assisting a prominent wedding photographer at the weddings that she photographed. After two years, and 75 weddings later, I learned all of the skills necessary to start photographing weddings on my own.

If I could give any piece of advice to someone who is not happy with their current job, or doesn’t know what they want to do with their life, it is this: Go learn from someone who is successful and happy. Be a student, ask questions, and work hard! If you love it enough, it will 1000% pay off.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I thought that if I worked hard enough, provided a great enough service/ product, and made enough connections, I would always be successful.

Unfortunately, this is not always true. Sometimes, the people you really want to work with will not get back to you. Sometimes the “gig of a lifetime” will not render the attention and recognition that you hoped. Sometimes, you will go completely unnoticed.

But have faith! The people, places, opportunities, and blessings that are meant for you, WILL NOT MISS YOU!

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

In the very beginning of my journey, I was able to get a loan from my employer to purchase my first camera and lens. (I have often worked two jobs at a time, so that eventually I could afford the gear that I needed to purchase, and therefore take the leap into being a full time wedding photographer!)

When starting out, figure out the bare essentials that you need in order to operate. Charge your customers accordingly. Be patient– over time, you will be able to afford the equipment necessary to scale/ charge more!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.themallorypaige.com
• Instagram: @mallorypaigephotography_
• Facebook: Mallory Paige Photography

Image Credits
All images have been photographed by me, Mallory Paige, owner of Mallory Paige Photography