I am still running off the adrenaline and excitement from our FIRST EVER GPS Workshop (The Genuine Pursuit of Success)! We feel incredibly blessed that this full scale photography business workshop was such a success for everyone! I knew deep down in my heart that teaching and helping others grow their business was what I was meant to do. This workshop gave me every bit of confirmation I needed. My heart is full and I am overjoyed to now be connected with each and every one of our attendees. I also have the most gratitude for my partner, Brittany Griggs. She and I worked so well together and our vision truly came together seamlessly. We worked hard long hours and we made mistakes, but in the end, every obstacle lead us to create an amazing event
The GPS Workshop is a 2-day workshop (next workshop will be 3 days) for new photographers looking to build and grow successful photography businesses. The 2 days we were together with our 6 attendees were a whirlwind. We never stopped learning and connecting. We were up at 7:00am rocking and rolling until 11:00pm at night! It was exhausting and our brains hurt … but it was SO WORTH IT!!
We started on Monday by welcoming attendees into a beautiful private lake house in Lake Norman, NC. One by one each attendee entered the home ready to build new friendships and get their businesses on track! We provided a home cooked Mexican style dinner that was super delicious and a great way to start the workshop. I even served my famous, secret punch! We had friends from South Carolina, North Carolina, NY, and Philadelphia! I must say, we had a pretty awesome group of ladies, who came with open hearts and minds. Over the course of 2 days we became a close group of passionate women on a mission TO DO WHAT WE LOVE and make a living while doing it. We built the very first GPS TRIBE with these ladies. It’s going down in the history books!
As I mentioned briefly above we nestled in a private lake house located on Lake Norman in North Carolina. I am pretty sure spoiled sums it up. We were all very very spoiled. The home provided everything we needed. Attendees could choose between having a private room and bath or a shared room and bath. We had the most beautiful kitchen for sharing meals and conversations (ps: we totally had Chickfila one morning for breakfast). The large back deck was perfect for lunch, chatting, and soaking up the fresh lake air. We felt connected yet still felt like we had our own space to rest and unwind.
We had the most ideal learning space on the lower level of the home. We had big comfy couches and chairs and a large projector screen. The big windows were nice because they kept us connected to the outdoors even when the attendees were inside crunching numbers and soaking up a ton of information.
Day 1 of the workshop was all about simplifying what scares us most in our businesses! Yes, you guessed it, the money! Brittany tackled setting up your business for financial success with financial planning and goal building. She covered taxes, incorporating, pricing for profit, and outsourcing, just to name a few. Brittany guided the attendees through all of this using handouts, worksheets, and the most important tool of them all, her financial workbook! This my friends is priceless. Brittany was very open and honest with the attendees by sharing her numbers and her experiences, so that everyone could fully understand not only the seriousness of having this in order, but just how easy it really and truly can be.
We finished the day with head shots for each attendee and a little Boost Bus Surprise! (you’ll have to wait til Wednesday to hear more about that!)
We enjoyed a fabulous home cooked meal, Italian style, around our large dinner table! Lasagna and salad to be exact!
Day 2 of the workshop, which is when I presented, dove into creating a client experience that rises above the rest (i.e. an oversaturated photography market). Woven in with the client experience we discussed how your web and social media presence is key to building your brand. We covered how to attract your ideal client through social media and blogging. Then once you have set yourself up for those client inquiries we discussed how to have a successful and manageable business workflow, model/rep program, and of course in-person sales. I shared with the attendees exactly how I do everything, even some of my best secrets, if you will. Each attendee learned exactly what they needed to do to get the client they dream of!
We finished this day with two distinct model shoots. Attendees had the opportunity to photograph a family under the direction of Brittany or photograph two high school seniors under the direction of myself. What I LOVED most about this opportunity was that each attendee was able to get one-on-one instruction with us and plenty of shooting time. The small group atmosphere was non-negotiable for Brittany and I. We had both been to workshops where the groups were just large enough that we felt like we were fighting to get “the shot” or where we didn’t feel like we had enough attention from the instructor. We wanted our attendees to feel as little pressure as possible to try and get the shot. It’s definitely a bonus with our workshop. (see below for behind the scenes from our senior model shoot).
Overall the two days of instruction really drove home the concept that this is a business. This is not a hobby. This is what needs to provide you with the income to take care of the necessities in life. Food, clothing, and a home; they don’t come free and neither do you! We spoke directly about respecting oneself enough to turn away business that was just not right. We also spoke about respecting ourself enough to take time away from work to relax and to be with our family.
We most definitely had some teary good byes and tight hugs! We bonded in a way like no other, opening our hearts both professionally and personally. Digging deep into WHY we are doing what we are doing. The way you connect with other women in this type of environment is absolutely PRICELESS. The friendships made at this workshop will last a long time.
Brittany and I are most definitely looking forward to the next GPS workshop in 2016. We are looking forward to the upgrades being made based on our experience and attendee feedback. We have some crazy awesome ideas that are just going to catapult this whole experience to a new level. We are ready for our next group of attendees and our next GPS TRIBE to be formed! Are you one of them??
Brittany knocked everyones socks off with her AMAZING financial spreadsheet designed exclusively for creative business owners. This spreadsheet is given to all GPS attendees as part of the workshop learning. Each attendee was able to plug in their numbers and get a head start on building the foundation for running a business.
Yup, there’s the hand talker coming out in me!!
A portion of my Day 2 presentation was about running a successful model/rep program. I took each attendee through the who, what, where, when, why, and HOW of it all.
We discussed in-person sales, the process, all of the products I sell, how I price, and why!
We had some of the best vendors sponsor our workshop! We had a raffle to give away some of the BIG BIG prizes. Each attendee walked away with a prize.
(see end of post for list of vendors and raffle prizes given away at the GPS workshop)
Behind the scenes during headshots!
Brittany and I both photographed each attendee so that they could have a nice collection of images to use on their websites and social media outlets.
(that belly I have .. yes … I am pregnant!)
Our beautiful attendees!
The workshop is very much designed for someone who is fairly new to the business. This is designed for someone who needs the building blocks for a STRONG foundation in their photography business. A moderate level of experience in photography is required as you should be comfortably shooting in manual mode. To learn exactly what GPS is all about CLICK HERE. New dates will be listed VERY SOON!
If you need one-on-one coaching to build up your technical skills in photography I suggest booking a COACHING SESSION .
Visit the coaching page to learn about all the topics we can cover! It’s all about YOU and what you need for your business.
GPS Raffle Prizes & Sponsors
Millers – 1 Free Signature Album
Fotostrap – 1 Free Camera Strap with complimentary monogramming
Clickin Moms – 1 year subscription to Click Moms
PhotoFlashDrive – 1 flash drive bundle
Melissa Lynn Hunt – 1 hour complimentary coaching session
Brittany Griggs – 1 hour complimentary coaching session
Additional Awesome Sponsors that We LOVE
Marlee & Me Branding
