We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Lindsay recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?

I love our clients and, for me, they are more than just that – they become my friends and some are like family. Since we go to our clients’ homes for their design consultations, we get to know them in their space and are able to have real conversations – we find out if they have a large family, or maybe they have a dog, maybe they prefer whiskey over wine, or they love collecting antiques, or their daughter wants to become a heart surgeon when she grows up. So, when I deliver their portraits, I’ll bring a jar of boutique dog biscuits or a bottle of small batch whiskey to show them they were heard and are appreciated.

A couple of years ago, I had a client who was a breast cancer survivor but, somehow, her cancer had re-emerged in her brain. She had had chemo and multiple surgeries to try and remove the tumors, but the cancer seemed to keep rearing its ugly head. For her, she didn’t know how much longer she would be around for her daughters. I could tell material things didn’t matter to her – all that mattered was her family. So instead of getting her something material, I secretly invited a professional videographer to come to her family portrait session. We played it off like the videographer was just here for some behind the scenes social media video, but the videographer was actually getting footage of her family. A couple of weeks later, when I delivered her portraits to her home, I surprised her with a beautiful video book showcasing her family’s video. I thought that she should have this memory of their family together – not thinking about cancer, not thinking about the what-if’s and when’s. And I wanted her daughters to always have this memory of their mom laughing, smiling, and full of joy.

Sarah, 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?

Sure! To be honest, up until 10 years ago, “professional photographer” wasn’t even on my radar. When I was young, I had a little point-and-shoot camera that I enjoyed taking pictures with but never really thought it could be a career. It wasn’t until my fiancé (now husband) saw some of my photos and liked them so much that he gifted me a first DSLR camera for Christmas. Well, that set me down a path I could have never imagined! I used that camera to teach myself how to take a proper portrait, how to pose clients, and ultimately how to run a business.

Over the years, my business has evolved and gone through many iterations. Today, we are one of the top high school senior portrait and family photography studios in Colorado and provide an incredible experience for our clients. We are really known for creating portraits to hang on your walls that will match your home and, the best part is, we take care of all the work for you. Before your session, during your in-home design consultation, we’ll photograph and measure your walls to determine what size and material your portraits should be. We will also help you choose your wardrobe for your session so it’s cohesive and matches the colors of your home. On top of that, you’ll receive professional hair and makeup with your session to make you look and feel like a million bucks! After your session, we’ll come back to your home for your ordering appointment where we’ll guide you through choosing which portraits to hang on your walls and which portraits to showcase inside an album. Once you’ve chosen all of your favorite photographs, we’ll get to work ordering them and return to your home to install your bespoke portraits for you. You barely have to lift a finger!

Our clients come to us because they know they will get treated like they matter – because they do! You’re not just another number to us. We only accept 30 clients each year so we can give you the time and attention you deserve.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Is it cliché to say I funded my business with blood, sweat, and tears? When I first started my business, I didn’t know a thing about being an entrepreneur or running a successful business and it showed. After my second year in business, my CPA said to me, “You know, if you don’t show a profit next year, the state won’t consider you a legit business – only a hobby.” That hit me hard. I was working my butt off with nothing to show for it! So that year I dug into business books, found free education online, and taught myself how to run a profitable business. Any free bit of information I could get my hands on, I soaked it up like a sponge. I’m proud to say, that every year since, I have been profitable and every year since, I have put the profits back into the business to continue its growth. I’ll admit, at first, growth was slow – I couldn’t afford to buy new gear or fancy lights and had to work with what I had. I remember going to the craft store to buy a large piece of white foamboard because I couldn’t afford to buy a proper reflector, let alone studio lights. But slowly, year after year as the business grew, so did the profits.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Yes, photography was just a side hustle at first. I was a bookkeeper by day and would just take photos of flowers and things in my free time. One day, my friend told me about a wedding photography internship in Estes Park. I said to her, “…but I’ve never photographed a person before!” She said “It never hurts to apply.” So I did, and somehow I got an interview which then landed me the job. I was shocked! During that internship, I learned all I could about photographing people, proper exposure, aperture, etc. and when the internship was over, I thought I would try it on my own. Initially, I only got a handful of clients my first year in business, but as my confidence grew, so did the bookings. A few years down the road, I had more than a side hustle on my hands and ultimately I found myself not putting 100% into either my day job or my business. I decided I had to choose between one or the other. Turns out, I really enjoyed being an entrepreneur and making people feel beautiful in front of the camera. So I jumped head first into my business! It was the scariest but best decision I’ve ever made.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sarahlindsayphotography.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sarahlindsayphotographer
• Facebook: facebook.com/sarahlindsayphotog