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

Hi Megan, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Once upon a time, a mid-twenty-year-old named Megan Easterday started her baby multimedia company…

Ok, I’ll stop with that ridiculous beginning–haha!

I had always known I was meant to own my own business. I don’t know exactly why, but I always intuitively felt it within my entire being. Unfortunately, at the time, I didn’t have the confidence and courage to take those first steps. Plus, in my logical brain, it simply didn’t make sense to pour all the time and energy into my own venture.

In 2016, my husband, Corey, encouraged me to take the leap into starting my fledgling business. What did I have to lose? At the time I had already been doing contract work in design and photography, so it made logical sense to try to make it more “official.” Thus, Easterday Creative was born. I had never intended it to be focused solely on photography because my degree in public relations and marketing made me want to be a one stop shop for brands. Slowly, I became more known for wedding and lifestyle photography in my small hometown of Canton, Ohio.

Although I was decently busy with work from my business, I was also working full time as a communications manager for a local business. (It was stressful doing both!) Then, one day out of the blue, I was informed that the parent company was doing mass lay-offs, and I was one of those “lucky” humans to be let go. At first, I was devastated. That was where the majority of my income came from. I allowed myself a few days to mourn and panic, and then I knew this was the opportunity to make this business a success. At this point I had a thought in the back of my mind that maybe it was even time to move to a different city to experience something new, but I squashed that down as I was already feeling a bit overwhelmed.

A few months later, my husband was also laid off from his full-time job. (Should we have played the lottery at this point? Missed opportunity!) After lengthy discussions about the pros and cons of moving to a completely new state, we decided it was now or never to take the big leap. We decided to move to the Charlotte, North Carolina, area, and moved July of 2018.

I had already been taking steps to basically be like, “Hi! I’m here now. Please hire me!” And although that helped immensely, it has taken nearly five years to reestablish my business as a known name in the area. And amidst all that, I decided to quit offering weddings, and focus more on brand, interiors and commercial photography. (And of course we collectively experienced a life-altering pandemic, which helped no ones small businesses at the time.)

I am beyond grateful to have taken those seemingly small, yet pretty large risks in my life, because I wouldn’t have found a community I absolutely adore nor would I have been able to grow personally and business-wise had I stayed in what was familiar out of fear.

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.

Hello! My name is Megan Easterday, and I am the owner and lead photographer of Easterday Creative. I specialize in brand, editorial and interior design photography, and am currently based in Charlotte, North Carolina. My passion is to tell stories through creative imagery.

I approach the way I work with a unique blend of empathy and humor, and my desire is to have each client walk away from their session happy with the end products and joy from their experience.

The act of storytelling is at the core of what I do. I believe storytelling is not only important, but completely necessary for human existence.

Stories keep us connected to those we care about, they remind us of who we once were while teaching us to grow, and they freeze cherished memories in time.

Stories amplify important voices of people that matter.

Stories are told over meals, on long car rides, with strangers we meet on our travels.

Stories are powerful and filled with adventure, laughter, tears and joy.

Stories connect us back to our innermost being.

My professional photography journey began in 2008 when I joined the Air Force Reserve. Once I was handed a camera and my first photojournalism assignment, I was hooked. I became completely enamored with storytelling through such an artistic medium. When I finally gathered the courage (and encouragement from my husband, Corey) I started Easterday Creative in 2016 and haven’t looked back.

I’ve had the honor of working with some pretty rad clients; from small businesses and individuals to architectural firms and large corporations, my journey has been nothing short of incredible!

When I’m not photographing most-excellent humans and their creations I am likely found spending time with Corey and our doodle-mutt, Stella, watching The Office, learning about the brain and holistic health, or finding the best local cup o’ coffee.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Straight up–get a good accountant and bookkeeper. Even if you have limited funding for yourself. I was not equipped at first with the knowledge of how taxes and whatnot went with a small business. Previously, all I knew about was W-2s, 1099s, etc. It’s complicated, and having those people on your team will not only make sure you’re legally doing things correctly, but they will also find smart ways of moving your money to best benefit your small business. Plus, so many of us creatives, although also somewhat analytical (hi, it’s me), don’t have the CAPACITY to add this extra little ditty into your daily routine. Avoid or decrease heartache and stressful moments with money flowing in and through your business–get the help!

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

Having a collaborative attitude, a kind heart, and a willingness to learn and grow. Really getting to know your client on more than the surface level–including better understanding them as a person and the root of their “why” in their business–can help build healthy work relationships. Every single human wants to seen and accepted, and having a compassionate, thoughtful approach in how I run my business is incredibly important to me. I think that has helped me connect with my market/community in some beautiful ways.      

Contact Info:

• Website: www.easterdaycreative.com
• Instagram: @easterdaycreative
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/easterdaycreative
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/easterdaycreative
• Twitter: @easterdaycreate

Image Credits
All photos by me: Megan Easterday