We recently connected with Nicole (Kaminski) Stanczak and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nicole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I actually go back and forth with this question frequently. I have a BSN (Bachelors of Science in Nursing). I was a nanny throughout nursing school, and that was when I got my first camera. I’m completely self taught in photography. I would watch something on Youtube and then go practice taking photos of the girls I nannied, or my dogs. Nursing school was obviously my top priority at the time so photography was just a fun hobby for a while. I eventually realized how much happiness photography brought my creative heart and the fact that I could make money with it was a definite plus. I graduated nursing school, and balanced being a nurse and photographer for a couple of years. After we moved from Illinois to Arizona back in 2019, I finally scaled my photography into a real true business. It grew way quicker than I could have ever expected. I slowly scaled being a full time nurse, down to a part time nurse as my business grew exponentially. Part of me was afraid to let go of nursing completely for so many different reasons ranging from financial stability, the excitement/adrenaline, the constant learning, my amazing coworkers, etc. In 2021 I made the leap to give all of my time and focus to my business and quit nursing altogether – that was truly the best decision I have ever made for myself. I am so incredibly proud of where I am in my business now. If I never took the leap, I don’t believe my photography business would be as successful as it is, and I would not own my own studio either which is basically another full time job. Coming back to if I wish I would have started my business sooner? Yes and No. Yes, because I truly love my “job” and all of the incredible people I get to meet and all of the opportunities it brings me. But also no, because working as a nurse for years taught me A LOT. I was able to hold the hands of people from all different walks of life on their worse days, and it truly shaped me into the person I am today.

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.

My name is Nicole (Kaminski) Stanczak. I am a natural light photographer who’s passion lies in documenting the states of motherhood. I own a photography studio in Scottsdale (The Light Loft) with another photographer and have poured an immense amount of sweat and tears into it over the past year, recently completing an expansion on it as well. In the Fall of 2023, I took over an online clothing brand/boutique focused on mommy&me styles, which was totally out of my comfort zone but has been such a fun learning experience. I am currently 29 years old (born on Valentines Day) and live in North Phoenix with my husband, Matt. We got married on 3/19/23 on the five year anniversary of our first date (closed on a new home that same week, don’t recommend moving and getting married just days apart). We have three dogs (Boomer, Bailey, and Buddy), one of which was a foster fail in 2023. I am a workaholic. I have rewatched The Office, Parks & Rec, and Friends at least 4x each. I did competitive cheerleading/gymnastics for 10 years, and coached as well. I constantly have a book playing on Audible whether I’m working, driving, showering, etc. I am a doggie foster mama and use my businesses to fundraise for shelters as much as I can. I am a creature of habit; I almost always eat, wear, and watch the same things in a circle. While I am a major homebody and prefer to just be home with my dogs on a daily basis, I do love to travel and explore new places and feel so lucky to have a business that encourages both.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is TOUGH. People make careers solely out of managing social media’s, and as business owners we have to do it all. You can’t only focus on your actual purpose of business, you also have to be a social media connoisseur if you want to grow/maintain your business. I feel that photography is a deeply personal business. Yes, you should be hiring a photographer for their style, but you also want to be able to connect with them and build a relationship with them. I feel that once I started sharing more of my personal life on my business Instagram, it grew quicker. I still keep a good balance between sharing personal and professional, but a small glimpse into who YOU are as a person won’t hurt if you are in the business of connecting with clients/building relationships.

Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?

Yes! In the Fall of 2023 I was just scrolling through Instagram when two local influencers shared that they were selling their online clothing brand/boutique, Adobe Lane. I am not sure what I was thinking considering I already had my photography business and photo studio on my full plate, but I immediately reached out (as mentioned before, I am a workaholic). I also love to learn and was ready for a challenge/to expand to something new. Adobe Lane focused on designing and creating matching mommy&me dresses. I am in the process of scaling it to include more coordinating styles rather than perfectly matching. As for the acquisition process, a number was settled on as a flat fee. This fee included everything from A to Z needed to continue the business. Everything was legally swapped to my name at the same time as receiving all of the necessities. The previous owners met with me to walk me through all of the details, and its just been a fun learning process since then. Of course it has been challenging as this was totally out of my comfort zone – E-Commerce is not for the weak. But I am slowly making the brand my own and am so excited to see where I can take it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.petalandflare.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/petalandflare

Image Credits
Genevieve Elaine Photography