Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shweta Mistry. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Shweta, appreciate you joining us today. So, folks often look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight – but that often obscures all the nitty, gritty details of everything that went into the growth phase of your business. We’d love to hear about your scaling story and how you scaled up?

I did free work. For years. Just to build myself into the community and prove my worth. To this day, I still do free work for a few.

The point is, drop your ego and stop thinking about the money. How will people believe you can benefit them if you don’t have proof? Network while you create, you will see your clients turn into loyal clients and then into friends. If you photograph someone who allows you to be creatively free or whose status/brand could help other people discover you, this one free shoot could bring in a client willing to pay you hundreds and thousands of dollars.

Does that mean I’m doing a lot of free work? No, not anymore. My portfolio is well established enough that I only do free photos for specific situations or when I’m trying to build a connection with my client. 90% of the work I do is paid.

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 Shweta Mistry, and I am a driven 21-year-old Indian American currently working as a Creative Media Photo Intern for Georgia Football, proudly cheering on the Dawgs! I take pride in capturing the essence of the players, support staff, recruits, and coaches both on and off the field, all while showcasing the brand that Georgia Football embodies. During the season, I have the privilege of attending home and away games, where I photograph and skillfully edit content for our social media platforms, ensuring our fans stay engaged. During the off-season, I focus on shooting and editing spring practice and game pictures, with a special emphasis on delivering high-quality images to our recruits.

Furthermore, as an Advertising major with a minor in Design + Media at the esteemed University of Georgia, I am well-equipped to handle the dynamic and ever-changing world of media. My passion for photography has driven me to run my own successful photography business since 2015, specializing in people and sports photography, where I continue to refine my craft outside of school.

Oh, and I am a server/social media manager at a Mexican restaurant. Which is kinda cool.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

Recently, I was the Marketing Chair for the largest Bollywood-Fusion Dance Competition. It is called UGA India Night.

I was recruited as the Marketing Chair by the show directors and the president of ICX. That night, I told them “if you make me your marketing chair, do know that I will sell out this show.” They replied with, “that would be incredible, but it’s never been done in 29 years of our existence.”

On top of social media marketing, I was their main photographer, graphic designer, and custom apparel chair. Essentially, any creative job was sent my way. This was a load for me to carry on top of Georgia Football and school, but I wanted to elevate the brand of UGA India Night. In the previous 2 years, UGA India Night’s exec board had to cancel the annual competition because of COVID. So we had to make a comeback. Imagine shutting down a business for 2 years and the minute you open back up, you expect people to just come running back to you. Unrealistic right? We knew that we had to will the hearts of the people back. And that, we did.

From August 2022 to February 2023, I marketed UGA India Night on multiple social media platforms. On the day of the show, all 2500+ tickets were sold out and the show was a success.

So for the first time in 29 years, UGA India Night tickets were completely sold out. One of the directors came to me after the show and said “I didn’t believe that you could do it, but you really did it.”

This is what I do. I make things happen.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

To be honest, I wish there were more people of color in the creative world for me to learn from and look up to when I was younger. I was very close to quitting photography in high school because my parents, like most Asian parents, insisted that photography is merely a side hobby, not a career. I needed someone to look up to at that moment, but there weren’t many options. So I just had to believe in myself. This isn’t a bad thing, but to have that support or idol back then would’ve saved me from a lot of hurt and doubt.

To help this, I am looking into starting to share more on TikTok and Youtube about my position, what it consists of, and how I got here. Hopefully, I can inspire a few. That is the goal.

Contact Info:

• Website: shwetamistry.org
• Instagram: @shotsonshweta and my personal is @shwetadmistry
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sssdmistry/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/shwetadmistry
• Other: Gondola – https://gondola.cc/shwetadmistry