We recently connected with Samantha Sloan and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Samantha thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?
After a long two years of over working and undervaluing myself as a creative, I had a soul searching moment and asked myself what I loved photographing the most… and the answer was WOMEN! I absolutely love getting to help women look and feel beautiful and be able to show them a side of themselves they aren’t used to seeing day to day. Once I figured this out, I then had to make a roadmap to actually make it happen. People have great ideas every single day, but turning those ideas into reality is something few people do.
I truly credit my A.D.D. and my ability to hyper focus (mixed with some creative juices) for my being able to get my new business off the ground in just about two months and growing it so quickly. For about 8 weeks straight I read, listened and wrote. Read blogs, books, online groups to teach myself how to correctly launch my new business. I listened to audio books and watched speakers give their wisdom and tips on how to go about building a successful business AND the mindset needed to make it happen. I wrote ideas… any and everything that came to mind I wrote it all out. Ok, time to organize it all.
I then dreamed about where I wanted to be in 5 years. Knowing that, I went backwards year by year and finally got to my first year in business. What would that look like? It looked like a business that had a strong marketing campaign. Consistent online presence. Educating my clients on what they can expect with me. Figuring out the nuts and bolts to how I would onboard, prepare, execute and follow up with my clients. And a business that oozed with passion.
No business can be successful with a working website. In order to do that I needed a portfolio. I managed to do this in about a month. I knew I needed to rank on Google so people could find me. So I used an awesome girl to help me write some blog posts. I began to consistently post on social media with necessary hashtags. I realized the importance of having an email list… hello Flodesk! I figured out ways to build value for my clients and create a successful referral program.
I could honestly go on and on and on about this topic all day. It’s been a lot of work but incredibly rewarding. I am so glad I took the risk and went for it! I have learned so much this first year in business and I am so damn glad I decided to go for it. In doing so I have been able to bless a lot of women along the way.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
Hi, I am Samantha. I am a boudoir photographer located in San Antonio, Texas and I focus on not only creating gorgeous portraits for my clients, but also speaking on the importance of body confidence and self love into their lives.
As a plus sized woman, it has become my mission to show women of every size, shape and color that THEY are truly amazing beings and worthy of looking and feeling beautiful and sexy.
Boudoir portraiture is so much more than just taking some spicy photos for your partner. Its about reconnecting with your womanhood and sexuality. Being comfortable and owning YOUR body while coming from a place of gratitude for all your body does for you.
Not only do we deliver stunning images to our clients, but we also give them a day focused entirely on them! All of our clients walk away feeling rejuvenated and energized after their session along with some amazing products that will last a lifetime.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
This answer has two parts. Both were critical in allowing my business to grow.
First and foremost, I had to stop all the negative self talk! Constantly cutting myself down and questioning myself was getting me nowhere and fast! It held me back for YEARS! Once I decided to actively start speaking to myself positively, things changed for the better. “Trust yourself”, “You’re doing great”, “Your work will speak to people” are all examples of things I would tell myself. There are plenty of people out there who doubt me and don’t believe in me… I am not going to be one of them.
Secondly was believing in myself. This is very different than positive self talk. I am referring to believing in my own dreams and not letting myself doubt hold me back. I truly had to believe that I could become the business that I dreamed of becoming. I had to find the confidence in trusting my skill, my business sense, my marketing efforts. I spent countless years not believing in myself and operating out of fear. Once I did some deep self reflecting I was able to correct it and I’ve only seen growth since then.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Fellow creatives know that we must create to live. We are born this way and there is something so fulling about creating that we just cannot get that fulfillment from anywhere else. So, besides being given the opportunity to create on a regular basis, the most rewarding thing for me is helping my clients restore their confidence. What a gift it is for me to be able to show my clients how beautiful they are! That they are WORTHY. They are seen. Photographing a boudoir session for my clients can have a huge impact in their life. Whether it’s because they are more confident in their appearance or more confident in the bedroom with their partner. I love being able to hype them up and guide them on their journey to owning their womanhood.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.boudoirbysamantha.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boudoir_by_samantha/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoudoirBySamantha
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-sloan-1b8b48143/
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthasloanboudie?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Image Credits
Me ;) and my makeup artist Suzanne Syrek https://suzannesyrekartistry.com