Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mandy Liz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Mandy, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?

Customer appreciation is one of my favorite parts of running a business. I love finding ways to surprise and delight my brand photography clients, and to exceed all their expectations of working together. One of the best things I’ve seen for customer appreciation is to host an in-person, exclusive event for them only. This can be a networking event (if you serve business owners) or a fun, personal event.

There are many things you can do to love on your clients (personal gifts, handwritten cards, over-delivering on your product or service, etc.), but the effort that it takes to bring them all together into 1 room is amazing and allows you to share your network with them.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Mandy Liz, brand photography and digital marketing consultant based out of Nashville, TN. Since 2014, my mission has been to empower and encourage women in their current season of life, whether that is business and entrepreneurship, marriage, or motherhood.

I became a business owner on accident… it all started with a camera that I was gifted for Christmas. It didn’t take long for me to go from a hobbyist photographer to a side-hustler. I would work my full time job during the day, and then come home and work on my side-hustle in the evenings and on weekends.

At the beginning of 2019 I finally made the leap to a full time business owner, and haven’t looked back!

I work with women business owners in Nashville, TN who are ready to elevate their only presence, confidently stand out, and grow their business. Through my brand photography services and marketing consulting intensives, I help businesses establish credibility, generate more revenue and connect with dream clients, all while spending less time in the marketing weeds.

I also host a podcast for brand photographers, sell digital resources to grow a brand photography business, leads marketing trainings at masterminds and live events, and offer 1:1 consulting and strategy calls.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

As a personal brand photographer, it’s no surprise that my answer is going to revolve around the importance of building a personal brand.

There are so many factors that go into building a positive reputation, like collecting Google reviews and testimonials, providing an amazing client experience, and your online presence, including your messaging and website. But what I think is threaded through everything else that you do is your personal brand.

I’ve always defaulted to personal brand marketing and not shying away from building a business around who I am. Authenticity, transparency. believing in a mission bigger than yourself… that all plays into your personal brand. The sooner that you lead into your personal brand, the sooner people will be able to connect with you and genuinely trust you.

You can work towards building your personal brand by showing up on your social media platforms and website through photos and videos of you, infusing your marketing messaging, website copy and emails with your personal tone and brand voice, and positioning yourself as the expert in your industry.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

My side-hustle started with a camera that I unwrapped on Christmas morning. I knew nothing about how to operate a camera and I practiced constantly by taking pictures of my cats and dogs.

Slowly I started learning how to take pictures with my professional camera and I started volunteering my services for 2 different organizations. One was an animal rescue here in Nashville, TN that needed pictures of their adoptable pets, and the other was an organization that offered complimentary photo sessions to deploying military members and their families.

I love that the foundation of my business was to serve others. I slowly went from donating my time and talent, to getting paid to take photos.

I still remember my first paid session – a father and son photoshoot at Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, TN.

Over the years I’ve gotten to hone my craft and sharpen my skill, as well as fall in love with 1 specific niche in photography. I now work primarily with women business owners to capture their brand photos so that they can grow their business and expand their legacy.

Once I went full-time in my business and quit my day job, things really changed! My business experience so much growth and it was surprising to see how much I was able to grow and scale now that I wasn’t working as an employee somewhere else.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mandyliz.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandylizphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MandyLizPhotography/

Image Credits
Mandy Liz Photography