We recently connected with Ryan Erickson and have shared our conversation below.
Ryan, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
When I decided to make the switch from being a wedding photographer for 15 years to focus solely on dog portraits, I knew I could use some guidance. One of the best investments that I made early on with Fetch Photo Truck is to seek out a business coach. I was able to transfer a lot of the knowledge that I gained from my past career but knew that working with someone with specific expertise in managing a pet photography studio would be the way to go. It was a lot of money for me at the time to hire a coach but looking back I can appreciate how that allowed me to hit the ground running with my new adventure.
Ryan, 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’m a Colorado born and raised photographer who captures legendary portraits of man’s best friend. I have a mobile portrait studio trailer that travels to people’s homes to photograph their dogs in a relaxed environment. I find that this allows their genuine personalities to come out in pictures. Our time with our dogs are not long enough and I believe that our dogs deserve to live as legends up on our walls vs just being seen on our camera phones and social media. My mission is to make it easy and fun for people to get artwork of their dogs up in their homes. I’ve created a streamlined experience for dog owner’s to review the photos the same day as the session and two weeks later, their artwork is delivered and ready to hang on their walls.
March marks Fetch Photo Truck’s second year in business. I’ve seen teeny puppies and 150lb+ mastiffs. I’ve loved photographing wiggling bums and slobbery tongues. I’ve learned that not only am I creating unique portraits of owner’s dogs but I am also creating an experience for dog owners to express the love and dedication that they have for their beloved pets. Many of my clients do not have human children and instead they have loved giving all of the energy to their dogs. To have a small part in sharing our love for dogs has brightened my life immeasurably.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Time. Having ownership of how I choose to use my time. Now I get to choose whether I want to work until 1am on a project so that I can instead go on a hike in the mountains on a Tuesday morning. I’ve always been a square peg in a round hole when it came to working a traditional work environment. Now that I work from home mostly, I find myself seeking out more meaningful relationships, both business and personal.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I still consider myself in the beginning stage of navigating social media. I’ve found that what I respond to most when I’m scrolling on TikTok is when people are being real and sharing unpolished opinions and insight with their life experiences. They are simply being real. I observed over the last ten years of Instagram and Facebook that with them being monetized, people where just on the hunt to get the most likes, views and shares. It turned into an overproduced world that started out as a fun way to connect with like minded people into a advertisement for the latest running shoes or makeup brand. I’ve been using TikTok as more of an experimental platform for my business. I can’t say that I’ve mastered. thought! The platform still feels a bit like the wild west with no expectations or rules, so I’m more likely to share an unpolished perspective or raw experience that I’ve had.
I would recommend for anyone starting a brand and considering a social media presence to simply be themselves. Don’t get lost in the algorithms of what’s trending at the moment. It helps to be aware of that but ultimately, if you have something unique to say, people want to hear that. I hope that current and future social media platforms will continue to reward those are creating helpful and authentic content.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fetchphototruck.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fetchphototruck/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fetchphototruck
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/fetchphototruck
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fetchphototruck657
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fetch-photo-truck-denver?osq=fetch+photo+truck
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@fetchphototruck
Image Credits
Profile image of me and my dog Henry is photographed by Brian Mallik Photography http://brianpaulmallik.com/