Just because you love being a photographer, doesn’t mean you always love being a business owner. For most of us, it’s the photography side that we learn faster because we already have a passion for it. If you didn’t enter into your own photography business with previous business-owner experience, it can be intimidating. Let me walk you through my own story of getting started with business automations that became lifesavers for me, and what they can do for you too!

I know how you feel, because I’ve been there too.

The Story of How I Created My First Business Automations

We all start at zero. I launched my business with nothing after dropping out on only day two of grad school (it’s a long story). If you are already deep in your own business but without any systems in place, or you’re just starting out–I understand how overwhelmed you may feel.

I started my photography business without any knowledge of the industry. I very quickly became overwhelmed in trying to keep up with my client payments and contracts all inside of an Excel Sheet (yes, that’s how I did it at first). As I gained more clients, the only downside to this success was that I couldn’t keep track of everything! Eventually, I made the switch to Honeybook as my CRM (customer relationship management).

After spending hours watching Honeybook tutorials to learn all that it was capable of, I added my branding. Then I wrote some email templates as my first attempt at business automations. After a lot of research and consulting with other photographers, I realized that the inquiry to booking process is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Through lots of trial and error, I created the best processes for my own business. I found the most seamless conversion process that both served my clients and worked well for me too.

You don’t have to copy my process, but it is important to find your own.

The Benefits of Using Honeybook as Your CRM

For photographers, I recommend using Honeybook. You can organize large portions of your business automations by setting up systems for invoicing, contracts, questionnaires, and emails.

This all-in-one CRM allows me to send proposals (bundled invoice + email + contract), collect payments, send templated and automated emails, set up calls through a built-in calendar scheduler (that links to Zoom & Google Meet), and take notes on each project.

The best part is being able to make visual workflows for my clients that marks their progress and shows any gaps in the process. That way I don’t miss anything!

Honeybook Features That I Love the Most

• Inquiry Form embedded in my Showit website: whenever someone inquires, it automatically enters it into Honeybook. Crafting a concise inquiry form within a seamless process helps you know whether the potential client is a good fit.

• Email Templates: having these written and ready to go in an easy process. It has both relieved my own stress and helped build friendships with couples during the midst of their stressful wedding planning.

• Questionnaires: these are easily created to gather as much information as necessary sent along using a curated email template.

• Calendar Scheduling: a calendar scheduler link is included in my initial inquiry response so that clients can choose what time works best for them. They automatically receive a Zoom link with their confirmation. 

• Quickbooks Integration: it connects your income to your Quickbooks account for taxes and other financial reports which makes everything easier!

Read more about my top 12 tools and resources that I recommend for your photography business automations!

How to Get Started with Building Your Own Business Automations

Creating business automations completely changed the course of my business for the better. Not only did I gain back so much time by having automations and templates in place to serve my clients, but it also got the right clients into my inbox.

Email templates and Honeybook workflows were created to specifically resonate with my ideal clients and turn away any that don’t match my brand and process. It was so much easier to find the perfect fit because my automations were catered to the kind of client that I wanted to work with. 

If you’re not sure where to begin in organizing your own business, I always recommend starting with a CRM like Honeybook. Don’t let a lack of knowledge or fear of the unknown stop you from starting to use a new tool in your business. Honeybook can save you so much time! Here are some steps you can take to overcome any hesitations you may have in learning a new CRM:

1. Hire a Honeybook Pro to help with your initial setup.
2. Join me for a Mentorship where we cover all the major topics of your business including your workflows! I’m happy to help with your Honeybook tweaking or setup!
3. Get your own affiliate link for Honeybook. After one year, the seamless process you build and the profit you make on affiliates will repay that cost over and over again!

Feeling like you just need someone to walk you through the process of setting up automations? I’m here to help through my photography coaching.

I want to let you in on a little secret: when I dropped out of graduate school to pursue my creative passion, I knew very little about photography, let alone about how to run my own business. That didn’t stop me from diving into the wedding photography industry full force, which all started with education. It started right where you are now, with so much left to learn either about where to start or how to scale once you’ve hit your initial goals.

I poured all of my determined heart and soul into this business. I learned something new every step of the way and falling more in love with it by the minute. Since then, I have photographed more than 150 weddings all over the world. This included building a distinctly personalized and recognizable brand and a competitive, six-figure business from the ground up. But, none of this happened overnight. I’ve worked tirelessly to make these things happen, teaching myself everything I can about mastering photography, brand strategy, and business management.

As someone who never thought it was possible for me to book a destination wedding to now being paid to shoot in dream locations around the world–I have a passion for teaching photographers how they can level up their portfolio and develop their own ideal clientele.