Educate Yo' Self

The things you should absolutely be doing when inquires are slow and you don't have sessions, aka SLOW SEASON. Biz owners get down on themselves because we have this idea in the midwest that slow season is really that — one season. Dec-March…..WRONG. Slow season is, like nature, happening all year round. MAN, this season is testing me Blogging galleries & content Take a course or do the course you bought but haven't done yet Refine and organize your workflow Email your current clients and check-in Show up on social media offering value Check-in on your mind. Therapy? Its the one thing people say “I'm too busy for” in person and online Pinterest Create guides for your “on season” Rebrand and new website (not for every slow season) Get organized before your season starts back up   What is NOT the time for….. Re-editing photos in Lightroom to test out a new preset Freak out Scroll through Instagram Curate your feed   Calendly: www.calendly.com Tailwind: https://www.tailwindapp.com/i/cateannphotography Narrative (for blogging): https://narrative.so?fp_ref=ugkdr Canva: https://www.canva.com/join/contrasts-circus-ruler Betterhelp (therapy): https://www.betterhelp.com/ Talkspace (therapy): https://lp.talkspace.com/try   Show Notes: HoneyBook: http://share.honeybook.com/cate675 Get 50% off your first year of Honeybook, a $200 value! This was the best investment I made in my very first year of business. With over 70+ projects currently open, it's the perfect place to keep your emails, invoice, and contracts all in one place! After the first project booked, it pays for its self for months! If you want to connect with me follow me here! https://www.instagram.com/eduateyoselfpodcast/   Podcast Inquiries: podcast@cateronan.com

Are you afraid you'll sound annoying and repetitive on Instagram stories and Facebook lives when you sell something? Whether it's photo albums, mini sessions, weddings, a service, or physical product, you should be selling with passion. I talk about the mindset shift on how you can break out of the fear of selling online. There is no magic word or a day where *poof* all of the fear and anxiety will disappear. I explain what I did to get over that fear officially in November 2019 and how you can practice to actually enjoy selling. Let's dive in!   Show Notes: HoneyBook: http://share.honeybook.com/cate675 Get 50% off your first year of Honeybook, a $200 value! This was the best investment I made in my very first year of business. With over 70+ projects currently open, it's the perfect place to keep your emails, invoice, and contracts all in one place! After the first project booked, it pays for its self for months! If you want to connect with me follow me here! https://www.instagram.com/eduateyoselfpodcast/   Podcast Inquiries: podcast@cateronan.com

There are thousands of Facebook groups. Whether those are filled with photographers, moms, hobbyists, The Office lovers, etc, finding your community — your people, is so so important for growth. I learned the hard way about what a toxic community and in this episode, I talk about what happened, how I learned, and what made me walk away. I go through how I found my people and community. I go over whether a digital or in-person community is best for YOU, or maybe if you should have both? This subject is close to my heart because I was burned so early in my new business and I urge other creatives to find the people that get, help, challenge, and uplift you.     Show Notes: HoneyBook: http://share.honeybook.com/cate675 Get 50% off your first year of Honeybook, a $200 value! This was the best investment I made in my very first year of business. With over 70+ projects currently open, it's the perfect place to keep your emails, invoice, and contracts all in one place! After the first project booked, it pays for its self for months! If you want to connect with me follow me here! https://www.instagram.com/eduateyoselfpodcast/ Podcast Inquiries: podcast@cateronan.com

How many inspirational quotes have you saved to instagram or pinned on a Pinterest to boards like “new me”, “2020”, “mindset”, etc? ME? I had a TON. But when you are lacking that inspiration and motivation to get your to do list or even have the energy, do you go to those Pinterest boards and re-read tholepins and get the motivation? I didn't. Over the last couple of years, I have found what works for me on the days where the depression is bad and personal life is hectic. My technique helps me get jobs and tasks done even during the most busy days. This episode is for the parents, business owners, teachers, 9-5'ers, and students. Planners: Papersource: https://www.papersource.com/desk/planners Northfolk: https://www.papersource.com/desk/planners Show Notes: HoneyBook: http://share.honeybook.com/cate675 Get 50% off your first year of Honeybook, a $200 value! This was the best investment I made in my very first year of business. With over 70+ projects currently open, it's the perfect place to keep your emails, invoice, and contracts all in one place! After the first project booked, it pays for its self for months! If you want to connect with me follow me here! https://www.instagram.com/eduateyoselfpodcast/   Podcast Inquiries: podcast@cateronan.com

Throwing your money at advertising avenues is scary. The Knot is one other avenue that is sorta foreign to some wedding industry businesses and they rely on the advice and recommendations of other creative business owners. Unfortunately, that isn't always the best way to decide or pass on this way of promoting and exposing your business. Click play, if you have questions like… “Is it worth the price?' “How many bookings do you get?” “Wedding Wire or the Knot?” In this episode, I go over my pros and cons for using this platform and how you can figure out if it is beneficial for your business. I go over the pricing of storefronts, first page vs second-page listings, investing and how you can work it into your budget, and more on the platform its self.   HONEYBOOK

How many times have you compared yourself to another creative or person? “Their work is better than mine” “I wish I could travel as much as them.” “The book more weddings” “That mom has it all together.” Sound familiar? In this episode, I break down how I went from the comparison game to the inspiration game. How to shift your mindsets into healthy growth and how it ties into comparison and why it is killing your business and self-confidence.   Get 50% off your first year of Honeybook, a $200 value! So instead of paying $40/month, you pay $20/month. $20 a month to keep your invoices, emails, contracts, and details all in one easy to use CRM. The mobile app is amazing as well!   This was the best investment I made in my very first year of business. With over 70+ projects currently open, it's the perfect place to keep your emails, invoice, and contracts all in one place! After the first project booked, it pays for its self for months!   Connect with Cate! www.podcast.cateronan.com Photography: www.cateronan.com If you want to connect with me follow me here! https://www.instagram.com/eduateyoselfpodcast/ Podcast Inquiries: podcast@cateronan.com

Don't you wish you could create & post on Instagram, and clients would pour in? YEAH ME TOO. It is hard at the beginning of your new found hobby to think anything other than as an artist. The thought of the “business” side makes you feel like a used car salesman. In this episode of our two-part series, Kyle and I talk about how important it is to shift your mindset into a business one. How thinking like a business owner and not strictly an artist will propel your sales and exposure. We talk about how to not lose yourself and the artist in you while being a bomb business owner and thinking like a business individual.   Connect with Kyle! Kyle Seagraves is a mortgage advisor focusing and trying to bring creativity to a paper-pushing desk job. Kyle helps future homeowners win the house they love with crystal clear loans.   Website: https://www.winthehouseyoulove.com/free His Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCkIdUg2r0FwwcN_0zNJ1KUg Podcast: https://plinkhq.com/i/1493715474?to=page Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kyleseagravesmortgageadvisor/   Show Notes: HoneyBook: http://share.honeybook.com/cate675 Get 50% off your first year of Honeybook, a $200 value! So instead of paying $40/month, you pay $20/month. $20 a month to keep your invoices, emails, contracts, and details all in one easy to use CRM. The mobile app is amazing as well! This was the best investment I made in my very first year of business. With over 70+ projects currently open, it's the perfect place to keep your emails, invoice, and contracts all in one place! After the first project booked, it pays for its self for months!   Connect with Cate! Show Notes: HoneyBook: http://share.honeybook.com/cate675 Get 50% off your first year of Honeybook, a $200 value! This was the best investment I made in my very first year of business. With over 70+ projects currently open, it's the perfect place to keep your emails, invoice, and contracts all in one place! After the first project booked, it pays for its self for months! If you want to connect with me follow me here! https://www.instagram.com/eduateyoselfpodcast/ Podcast Inquiries: podcast@cateronan.com

Is being yourself scary? Do you find yourself hopping on a “trend” train and wondering why it didn't work for you? You've heard the term, authentic, but what does it actually mean? Now a buzz word, authentic is ironically everywhere.

Who here hates getting up early?

CPA. QUARTERLY TAXES. IRS. ACCOUNTANT. BOOKKEEPING. MILEAGE TRACKING. DEDUCTIONS…..   Did any of those words make you sweaty and want to curl up in the fetal position? YEAH. ME TOO.   If you've ever had any of these questions…. “Do I file as a LLC or Sole Proprietor?” “Do I need a CPA or a Bookkeeper?” “What is the difference between a CPA, Bookkeeper, and Accountant!?” “Do I pay quarterly or annual taxes?” “How do I choose and hire the proper person to help me with my taxes?”   THEN THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU, 2827365%.   This episode is a conversation I had with MY OWN kick-ass CPA, Katelyn Magnuson of The Freelance CFO. She is my guardian angel and I seriously have NO IDEA what I would do without her.   Katelyn lives on the side of a mountain outside of Boise, ID. She shares the cutest and coziness cabin with her husband David. They have the cutest rescued pitbull, three adorable cats (HOLLER CAT MAMA), and her gaggle of chickens. YES. SHE HAS CHICKENS. WUT?!

If you are someone who is still wanting to go full time with their creative business but unsure if it's possible, give this episode a listen! I promise that "dream" can become your reality with the right tools, attitude, and actions. The road to being an entrepreneur did not come easy. Money helps, but giving yourself time and patience is the key to steadily moving the needle in the right direction. Struggling at my 9-5 job, making $414 a week while trying to support my daughter and me in a two-bedroom apartment was no fun. Fast forward almost three years, and I just hit my first six-figure year, projected to surpass it again, while working smarter and not harder. In this episode, I share which business workshop gave me the tools to quit my 9-5 and be a kick-ass business owner. The business workshop that is helping me grow my second business and keep my mind on track to what being a smart and intentional boss is. I share my road from August 2016-Dec 2019 and how I booked over 40 weddings in 5 months and booked and served over 90 couples in the last 17 months. I also share the downs of this windy road, and why it's so important to press on. Grab a coffee and listen in on the timeline from my sad situation to my rad situation! Show Notes: HoneyBook: http://share.honeybook.com/cate675 Get 50% off your first year of Honeybook, a $200 value! This was the best investment I made in my very first year of business. With over 70+ projects currently open, it's the perfect place to keep your emails, invoice, and contracts all in one place! After the first project booked, it pays for its self for months! If you want to connect with me follow me here! https://www.instagram.com/eduateyoselfpodcast/   Podcast Inquiries: podcast@cateronan.com