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

Natalie, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think in this industry it takes a mix of genuinely loving people and rooting for their stories, and lots of passion. The passion comes from feeling a purpose. For me that’s knowing I’m capturing who and what people love so they can keep the memories forever. I believe that love is one of the most important things to exist and if you can feel it, you can capture it for others.

Natalie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a 27 year old gal from Cleveland, OH. I left a wonderful corporate Human Resources job after 3 yrs to pursue my business ownership dream. The job was technically great on paper but for me it was soul draining and I didn’t do well in a cubicle. I left February of 2020 – immediately came face to face with the pandemic. It was scary and difficult but I had a lot of faith that love wouldn’t be cancelled and it slowly trickled back in once couples rescheduled their wedding days. I expanded into offering branding, lifestyle and boudoir sessions as well. It quickly became clear that leaving the 9-5 world was the perfect choice for me. I think something that sets me apart from others is my heart for making the photo sessions about the experience and not just the photos. I want each person to feel amazing leaving the shoot and have learned at least a little something about self love and being gentle with yourself. All I’ve ever wanted was a meaningful job and purpose and I think with photography I get to provide compassion for others while also capturing super emotional moments for them. It’s a special connection to have to people and I’m so grateful to be able to be doing this full time.

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

I did start photography on the side, and I think that’s a common starting place for us. I had been photographing portraits for fun and a few paid gigs here and there through college and in the beginning of my post grad life. A cousin’s cousin asked if I would photograph her wedding. I let her know that is technically a terrible idea since I had no experience in weddings (and had only ever even attended one) but she had a lot of faith in my camera knowledge and I took on the gig. I watched wedding photographers work on youtube – behind the scenes, go pros on top of their cameras, etc. and felt a little more comfortable with the flow of the day.

I had two weddings in 2018 and four in 2019 but it grew quickly. I had been second shooting as well for other local photographers and used those images to promote my work in local facebook pages. I knew I LOVED the job and I promised myself if I booked 20 weddings in 2020 I would quit my job and go full time. In Nov 2019 I hit the benchmark and in January I started the process of switching over to full time. It was SO scary but my roommates and family had faith in me. They asked the right devil’s advocate questions while also making sure I felt confident in my abilities and I went into it feeling fully prepared and mentally ready for the challenge (minus the pandemic).

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

WORD OF MOUTH. It is so incredibly powerful and amazing. To be entirely honest, I think I have only paid for a marketing ad one time in this whole experience. I had been researching how and when to use paid advertising and in the end, the business was growing fast enough to not need it.

I promise if you really focus on the client experience and connecting with the people you are interacting with, you will see amazing growth. Structure yourself to be able to have that special time with each person. I always remind myself “this may be the only chance I get to work with them or see them – this opportunity may never come again”. Make sure you have enough time and are not rushing through the experience to get to the next client. The clients are the base of everything – make sure they feel appreciated and important to you and your business because they are!!

If someone sends you a new client, thank them. If they send you a few? Send a small gift – it’s so easy and is so rewarding to know you have those people in your corner. There are a few that come to mind for me that I know I couldn’t do this without. They know who they are.

Contact Info:

• Website: kendrickatdawn.com
• Instagram: @kendrickatdawn