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

Hi Stacey, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I feel confident in saying that being a small business owner comes with great risk and even greater rewards. I became a small business owner while still in college, I am now in my early forties and realize that my evaluation of venturing out on my own came with a lot less stress and twenty-year-old carefree confidence. Now, later in life, my persistence, passion, and hard work have pushed me through any rough patches over the twenty years.

We still take risks. Every business can identify with that. Each year we evaluate our rates and if we feel the need to increase we work on the strategy and communication for our new and loyal clients. We stand firm that we know our worth and what value we bring to our clients. In addition, we spend a lot of our time throughout the year sharpening our skills and educating ourselves. We take risks by trying. Sometimes the risks are small and have small misfires but come with great lessons that we are able to share with our clients. Right now, I am earning my FAA Remote Pilot Certificate, as I am combining photography skills with my video skills to offer drone photography. Learning a new skill takes time, money, and a gamble but I feel more importantly keeps my business fresh, exciting, and evolving. All of those things are how I want to live my life and my business should always be a reflection of the person I want to be

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My business is Willhouse, we offer creative and vibrant photography, smart websites, and engaging brands. We have small business clients that come to us for all their marketing needs, we are able to create the brand, take the product photos, make the website, and help a business market it all on social media. Our goal was to make a home for all of our skills, build a strong relationship with a client, and feel like a member of their team. We are successful because we care about this relationship and we are always evolving our business. We spend a lot of time on education and inspiration and we learn new skills that we can offer to our clients. This energy we are proud of and it is what excites me and makes this work incredibly rewarding.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My business partner is Richard Shay. We met in 2009 at the time we were both working in our careers, I was focused on photography and Richard was focused on design and websites. Our story began with love but shortly after we settled into a relationship we started assisting each other in our creative work endeavors. This relationship was organic but more importantly was something we really enjoyed doing we equally had great interests in each other’s work. Richard focused on learning photography and became my assistant and second shooter. I learned design in college freshened up my skills and learned the various Adobe programs, as well as web design. We are each other support system, colleagues, and educators. Now, 14 years later we have a lot to show for our relationship that blossomed into so much more than we could ever imagine and hope for.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the best lessons I have learned from running a business is creating boundaries. In my early years, I evaluated working 60-70 hours a week as success, that working yourself to exhaustion was somehow a good thing because it meant that you were succeding. Being a creative person I have discovered burnout is real and can alter the success of your business if you wear yourself out. Small errors in judgment, lack of creativity, and overall tiredness are not good for anyone. I have found a great work-life balance. I go on frequent walks and take breaks to play with my dog. I always stop to eat lunch. I schedule phone calls rather than just answering any call while I am focused on a project. I have learned to say no. I take time throughout the day to read, volunteer, and work on learning new skills. All things that bring value to myself and my business. I feel that I am more productive now that I work a 40-hour work week than a 60+ hour week.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.willhousecreative.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willhouse_co
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-millett-59789045

Image Credits
all images by Willhouse