We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shannon Zelinko. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shannon below.
Shannon, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?
Like anyone, I love to take a nice vacation each year. That being said, owning a business can sometimes make that challenging. I feel the pressure to keep my clients happy & get them in whenever possible. It has caused me to be overwhelmed quite a few times so I’ve had to implement a few rules for myself. As years go by I have learned so much on how to prepare my schedule ahead of time while also setting aside funds for not only myself but for my employees to be able to take the time off comfortably. My husband and I can now enjoy a vacation each year without the stress of not bringing in enough money for the time off or having to move my schedule around to do so.
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 back background and context?
I was a nanny for many years & always loved children. I started taking photos of these children just casually to send to the parents during the work day. It really made their day & helped them still feel involved in what was going on in their child’s life. As they grew I realized how much I loved photographing children, the challenges in getting that perfect smile & the best images. I turned my passion into a career of snuggling babies while capturing memories for all of these wonderful families.
I now have a full staff of amazing women & a gorgeous studio I can be proud of. It’s been an incredible ride that has brought the most amazing people into my life & so many rewarding moments. Being a photographer isn’t just about the image, but the experiences we get to create together.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Finding my “look” was the hardest thing for me but once I did, I really buckled down and stayed consistent. This really helped with brand recognition & clients knowing it was my work before even seeing my logo attached. That being said I think this helped my reputation of being know as a bright colorful photographer that was basically a baby whisperer haha!
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Word of mouth and social media is where I get a lot of my clientele. That being said people come from all sorts of different marketing areas so it’s really important in my eyes to utilize all avenues if you can.
Contact Info:
- Website: ItyBityPhotography.com
- Instagram: @ItyBityPhotography
- Facebook: Facebook.com/ItyBityPhotograph
Image Credits
Ity Bity Photography Shannon Zelinko