It’s crazy to think that I’ve been on this journey for almost eight years now. I certainly have had a lot of adventures, and a lot of ebbs and flows within that period of time. I’ve also been so lucky enough to meet so many wonderful people, many of which I still have relationships with now. 2015 was a really fantastic year for my business, and it is growing in leaps and bounds. I am truly so thankful to all of my return clients, as well as the many new clients I have met.
One of the biggest benefits to running your own business is the flexibility I have to be at home with my children during the day. I am very fortunate that I’m able to have the time to take my son to his therapy appointments, my daughter to dance, and all of the other little things. But, on the flip side, it can be very hard to ever truly take a day off when you are a small business owner. You feel the constant pressure to always be ‘on’ and available for your clients. Especially for me, as a strong type A perfectionist!
One of my goals for 2016 is to find a better balance for myself with work and home life. I want to ensure that I can provide the top notch service to all of my clients, while still living a happy and stress-controlled life. So, in the hopes of finding some balance, I will be making a few changes to my business.
Here are some of the 2016 (and beyond!) updates:
I will only be shooting a maximum of four weekend days per month. Either Saturday or Sunday of any given weekend. This leaves me a weekend day free to enjoy time with my family. This means weekend sessions will book up quicker than ever. If you absolutely cannot shoot on a weekday, please make sure you book in considerable advance.
Studio sessions will be available Mondays, Tuesdays and select Sundays only. Generally these occur in the morning, but I can accommodate an afternoon session if need be.
Product packaging and any mailing will be done on Wednesdays.
There will be some slight cost increases, but nothing too major. The most notable change is that studio mini session costs will be increasing by $25. This means regular studio minis will be $225 + tax, and cake smashes will be $250+ tax. Why? Because I work to customize your session and that means creating special items that incur both time and out of pocket costs. I am also now offering a deluxe cake smash sessions as well, that include high quality custom designed products with your session images! I’ll be creating a special new mini magazine soon (I hope!) with more details.
I hope that all of these subtle changes will help me continue to better both my business and my personal life. I appreciate each and every one of you that have supported me over these last nearly eight years. Here’s to a happy 2016!