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

Mikaela, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love for you to start by sharing your thoughts about the pros and cons of family businesses

As a home schooling family supported by two business-owning parents, we made the choices we did to create a life we didn’t see presented to us as an option. We didn’t have an example in our own lives to shape the view of what we wanted for our future. As time went on we decided that we wanted our day to day life to be family centered, flexible in schedule, and still allow for financial growth as time passed on. Financial growth at the time required both of us to be working, but I couldn’t find the flexibility I desired in a 9-5. Then covid hit. I had no intention of home schooling but with school closures, lack of childcare options, and not being able to work outside the house, home schooling seemed like the obvious choice for us. I didn’t know how much we would all love it. That is also when I decided that photography would become more than a hobby for me from that point on– it could provide the flexibility to homeschool and the income for financial growth if I was willing to consistently show up to work, even when I wasn’t seeing success. In this case it meant laying the groundwork for a business that I couldn’t even work yet because of Covid.

We strive to teach our boys in a way that gives them the confidence, knowledge, and skills they need to be able to provide for themselves one day in whatever way makes sense for the future they have in mind for themselves. If they decide that they love photography or love to work with their hands at flooring/construction, all the better, as they have someone to mentor them directly. However, if they have a desire to pursue something else, we are here to support them however we can. I hope they learn from us that if what they want out of life isn’t presented to them as an option that they can pave their own path.

The pitfalls of family business, for me, are the same things that I would consider the benefits. Flexibility also means having to manage my own time and when things don’t go as planned, there is no ‘b team’ to fill in, so to speak. It means that if I don’t show up for my business everyday, with the same dedication I show up to educate my kids (and chauffeur them to extra curriculars), that our finances can be impacted. But more often than not, the most difficult aspect is allowing my brain to tap into the creativity needed to do my job well (editing) while my two kids are asking for their tenth snack of the day. My fail safe is this: if I ever get overwhelmed with all that needs to be done, I have a partner, family, and friends who are quick to come to my rescue. It is amazing what a couple hours of alone time does for my business productivity!

Mikaela, 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?

Photography became a hobby for me in high school but I never had any intention of using the skills I learned professionally. It wasn’t until I was offered a well-paying job assisting an experienced and successful photographer that I saw the potential in it for a career. Still, I was young and unsure and wanted to see what else was out there. I went to college, tried out several jobs including yachting, and while I had so much fun, nothing ever felt just right. It wasn’t until I became a mother that I became passionate about photography again. It was after having a baby that I realized photography wasn’t just a set of skills and a paycheck. It was the ability to freeze time: to capture a fleeting moment and hold it in your hands forever. All of a sudden I had a new sense of purpose, in mothering and as a photographer. I knew I had something valuable to offer: both for my clients and for my own family in the form of financial support.

When I ventured to do photography professionally I easily fell into the craft of family photography. It wasn’t until two years in when a friend asked me to photograph her wedding that I fell in love with wedding photography. While family photography feels like capturing a fleeting moment in time, wedding photography feels like telling a story. So I rebranded. I started offering both services. I invested in more education to learn to better tell the stories I’m entrusted with through photos. I connected with other local photographers/creatives who inspire me and was so surprised by all of the support/encouragement I was freely offered.

I think I’m most proud of the fact that my family is the central focus of my life, not my business, and I think that is the very best thing I could offer my clients. When I show up for my clients I am not just showing up for a paycheck. I capture them and those they love with the same intention, focus, and motivation I would for my own loved ones. I make it my mission to be fully invested in whoever is on the other side of my camera.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Noted on previous pages (Covid)

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

I started with a dslr camera that my mom bought me in high school (thanks mom!) when photography was just a hobby. I invested in my first professional camera after graduating from college while working another job full time. At the time I wanted to start doing photography professionally but when I made an attempt, I didn’t see the growth I was expecting right away and thought I wasn’t able to make it as a photographer. It wasn’t until a few years later that I went all in professionally, and when I did I knew I would have to invest most of what I made back into gear at first. I knew now going into it that it would likely take a couple years to establish my business and client base, so I made the decision not to rely on that income and work other jobs part time. It was year two that I made enough to not have to work another job, and year three that I really began to profit. I think having a slow growing plan is what allowed me to become successful on the second attempt. I learned then that my story isn’t a unique one– so many photographers quit in their first year or two because they’re discouraged by a lack of interest from clients. It takes time to be well known by your community.

Contact Info:

• Website: mikthompson.com
• Instagram: mikthompsonphoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikthompsonphoto

Image Credits
Lexie Winters