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Starting a Business Before You’re Ready

Today on the podcast I chatted with Meghan & Crosby Brackins from True Foundation Photography. They are wedding, real estate & branding photographers & videographers who share about starting before they were ready. In this episode, they share their journey of becoming wedding photographers and how Crosby started his videography career. We’ll also talk about how a branding session can level up your business & your brand! Let’s dive in!

A Business Journey that started with Sisters

Meghan & Michaela are twin sisters who started True Foundation Photography 10 years ago. They are self-taught, just like many other photographers who start young. She started reading the manual all the way through. When she was showing her grandma some photos at church, someone walked by and asked her to shoot her wedding! Before they knew it, they were working full time as wedding photographers!

In 2019, Crosby & Meghan started dating. Crosby was working at the airport before the pandemic and she encouraged him to try videography after some layoffs at his work. He started to teach himself how to use the gimble & how to become a videographer! They took the leap of faith & it paid off! They booked 5 weddings that night. Now in 2020, Crosby works full-time in the business as well.

A Self-Taught Videographer

Crosby knew how to shoot manual photography, but was new to videography. He shares his journey about how he learned to do wedding & branding videography. You don’t need to be afraid to try new things! Sometimes we need that dose of spontaneity to learn new things & try things before we talk ourselves out of them. Owning a business is a lot of starting before you’re ready. Confidence is key! Be confident in who you are. When someone asks you what you do, say it with confidence!

Community as a Business Owner

I asked Crosby how he figured out videography on his own. He took the online course Fulltime Filmmaker and learned a lot. They also have a tight group of friends that are professional photographers & videographers who answered a lot of their questions. They were even able to ask questions down to the price structure. Leaning into a community is so important for a small business owner to continue to learn & grow. You don’t have to do this alone! Keep asking questions and reaching out to people and you will be rewarded with amazing relationships! We are stronger together!

How Branding Photography Can Level Up Your Business

Not only do Meghan & Crosby do wedding photography, but they also do branding. It really all started for them when covid caused them to pivot. They realized small businesses had a need and this was the time for branding photos & videos. Many businesses had to shift to solely online, so being able to offer branding services helped the small business community. Their content helps match your level of professionalism! Being able to present your business in a professional way is so important.

Not only that, video has exploded in the last year or two. Meghan & Crosby help to create video content for their clients. It helps clients get to know you & build a better relationship with you. They do small batches for reels, promo videos, intro videos, and more. Whatever you need, they are here to help! Social media marketing can be so overwhelming and intimidating. It doesn’t have to be! Meghan & Crosby took the leap & made the plunge to pivot at a great time!

Changing Markets & Pain Points

The strategy for social media has changed so much! Everyone is pushing video. Have you ever felt like you can’t do that? This is where community comes in place! I believe that everyone should feel empowered to do what they love. It’s all about finding those people that you can connect with! Contact Meghan & Crosby to see how they can help you. You don’t have to feel overwhelmed anymore! They can help you figure out what to post & when to post.

Pivot Before You’re Ready

As business owners, we constantly have to pivot. It can be overwhelming if you are forced to pivot before you want to. What if instead, you viewed it as an opportunity!? Starting a business before you’re ready can help you grow by leaps & bounds when you take advantage of the twists & turns that business throws your way.

Working With Your Spouse

I asked Meghan & Crosby to share how they divide up tasks between the two of them & Michaela and how they work through boundaries. Michaela & Meghan learned to play to each other’s strengths. Put yourself where you thrive! Meghan manages calendars and communications and things like that, and Michaela does blogging and things that are more artistic. Let each other go where you thrive and give them full control and trust.

When Crosby joined the business, they also learned to play to each other’s strengths. Not only that, they learned that over-communication is key. Crosby went full-time 3 months before they got married. So the first full year in the industry was also their first year of marriage. They realized they have different working styles & had to work that out. A great piece of advice is to not micro-manage & recognize that differences aren’t a bad thing! Listen to each other & give each other what they need.

Their faith is also really important to them and they decided to keep God at the center of their relationship and their business and have seen their business thrive when they do that. In addition, to keep their work and personal life separate, they decided to set business hours and not answer emails after work hours.

Keeping Mentors in Your Life

A full-circle moment here – it all comes back to community! Meghan & Crosby encourage everyone to have mentors in their life who they can go to for anything. Keep learning, keep growing, and you will be successful!

About Meghan & Crosby

Meghan and Crosby Brackins own True Foundation Photography – they are Portrait and Wedding photographers and videographers. They also specialize in real estate and branding photography and videography for small businesses. They’ve been in business for 10 years – seasoned business owners.

TuesdaysTogether Greenville is the local chapter of The Rising Tide Society – a community that exists to empower the creative economy and unite small business owners in the spirit of community over competition. We believe that you were built to belong, that you’re not alone, & that there is power in community.

Follow Meghan & Crosby: truefoundationphotography.com

Follow Christi: christijohnsoncreative.com

Join RTS: greenville.therisingtidesociety.com