Q&A: Your Most Asked Questions & My Responses

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Try it and True with the Dash of Woo, where we blend rock solid tips with a little bit of magic. I'm Renee Bowen, your host, life and business coach and professional photographer at your service. We are all about getting creative, diving into your business and playing with manifestation over here. So are you ready to get inspired and have some fun? Let's dive in. Hey, hey, I'm Renee Bowen. Thanks for joining me again here on another episode of Try it and True with the Dash of Woo.

Speaker 1: 0:31

Today is going to be a quick episode. I always say that and it always ends up being longer, but I'm actually timing myself. Today it's going to be maximum 30 minutes. We're going to go over five questions that I get all the time. I figured this is just probably the easiest way for me to answer everybody. I get these questions in DMs, I get them in my coaching groups, in one-on-one coaching, all kinds of places. So I figured this would be the best way for me to give you guys the information and my answers to these really hot button questions that a lot of you guys are dealing with. So some are going to be photographer related and some are not. They're going to be just for everybody.

Speaker 1: 1:15

So let's get into it and just start right off the bat, with number one Starting off strong. The first question that I always get is what do you do when you tell someone your prices and they respond in a very condescending or angry triggered sort of way? Okay, so, first of all, it's not uncommon for people to not be able to afford us. Right? Whatever kind of service business or whatever business you run, if you know your cost of goods and you know what you should be charging, you're not going to be in everybody's price range, and that's okay. Right, it's a hard lesson to learn for a lot of us, but once you get there, it's amazing. So, that being said, there are sometimes where you get a reaction from people that is less than kind. I have gotten a couple, not a ton, over the years. Most of my responses are no worries, unfortunately, we can't afford you. We love your work. They're all very kind and I always respond in a really nice way and I definitely always let them know. You know I will work with you guys if you want to really do this. You know there's payment plans available, but it's not about converting somebody who isn't my target client into a target client. It's about letting them know that there's some options, and if that's not for them or if they still can't do it, you know I'm not going to take money off of their table. So it's all good.

Speaker 1: 2:45

Right, like not everyone can have the experience that we're offering, but when you do charge appropriately I will say this just as a side note when you do charge appropriately and you are profitable and you're running a really good, sustainable business, you can go and give away some stuff because you know and you don't have to even advertise it. I always like to give back like this and I don't advertise it, I don't tell people I'm doing it. I'm not going to run a contest about it. I always want to give my services away to deserving people families, high school seniors and even in my coaching business as well. So that is something that you can do when you know you are profitable and you know, when you know how much money you're bringing in. You can't do that if you are constantly struggling yourself.

Speaker 1: 3:41

Okay, so that's just a little side note, but the way that I handle some of these negative, triggering responses and the way that I would coach you through that is first of all, don't get triggered yourself. Okay, you are responsible for you. You are responsible for your nervous system, they are responsible for theirs, and if you triggered someone, you know, for instance, if they respond in a very negative way, like oh wow, I can't believe you actually charge that much or something to that extent, just know that they are triggered, you know, for their own reasons. That is something that they are dealing with internally and it's up to them to either address it or not, and it's really not your job to do that for them. However, I do really believe that we are learning partners for each other, and so when things like this do happen, it's kind of interesting and it's kind of like huh, okay, well, you could definitely just respond very kindly and say, absolutely no problem. And you know, I really hope that you can find someone in your budget that works for you, and I wish you all the best. You know that's the most concise, professional way to respond, and I think that sometimes I also like to take the opportunity to educate people a little bit as well.

Speaker 1: 5:03

Now, I do this in my inquiry process too, so, like you know, when they inquire about my services, I'm going to give them a little bit of context. Anyway, like I, you know, especially for my photography services, like what I do is a lot more than your average. You know, shoot and burn photographer. If you have only had experiences with photographers who deliver a flash drive of images, you know what I do is a little bit differently and here's how. And so I walk them through that process during that. You know, first inquiry, email and also if I get on a phone call with them or anything like that.

Speaker 1: 5:38

So it's not like I'm having to justify my prices to anyone. If they come back to me and are very derogatory about it, usually what I'm just going to say is no worries, you know, I'm definitely not for everyone. I realize that what I offer and the experience that I offer isn't, you know, feasible for everyone. And you know, I hope that you are able to find someone who is and, as you know, you know I run my business based on, you know, my cost of goods. It isn't just a hobby that I do, it's my actual career, my job and how I support a family of five. So, you know, I wish you all the best and I kind of leave it at that, and I suggest that you do too, because, honestly, if someone is triggered by your prices. You might have just given them a gift, you don't know right, but it's not up to you to internalize that. What I don't want you to do is take that in and get really in your head about it, because that's what we do is creatives and spin for days about you know the guilt right. So if that is happening to you, I believe that's an opportunity for you to look at it in a neutral way and not judge yourself for that reaction and just realize that there's a little bit more work that you have to do there and then look a little bit deeper and if you choose to do the work.

Speaker 1: 6:58

The next question is sort of similar. I hear this one a lot from especially photographers. How do I be happy for my competition or how do I not let my competition bother me or get me down when I am trying to build a sustainable business and I am charging appropriately and they are undercutting me and everyone else and you know, just doing everything for $115. You know how am I supposed to compete with that? You know, this is kind of a lot of what I hear from a lot of photographers, especially in my Facebook groups and things like that Not so much in my coaching anymore, because if you guys have been coaching with me for a little bit, you know that we work on this kind of stuff. But in my Facebook groups it definitely comes up and the first thing I want you to realize also is that it doesn't really matter. None of that really matters, right? Everyone else is charging how they choose to run their business. It's really none of your business.

Speaker 1: 8:02

I don't even really think you should be looking at what they're charging. I know that that sounds controversial because you're probably going to hear from a lot of different coaches and mentors that you know do your market research and see what's out there. I didn't do that and I don't really think that it's necessary. You know what you offer. If you're really clear, okay and if you listen to this podcast and you know you've been in my world a little bit, you know that If you know your brand messaging and your brand voice and you have clarity on all of that and you speak to your target client all of those foundational things that you should have in place If those things are happening, you don't really need to worry about that other stuff because you are going to be speaking to that target client and, along with that, your pricing should reflect all of that messaging. Okay, so that's kind of like the short answer on that part. So, all that being said, it still can get to you right when you see someone seemingly super busy because they're so cheap and you know, you know they're working themselves to death.

Speaker 1: 9:09

First of all, the best thing to do is just to try and approach this from a neutral observer stance, like I'm always talking about, really work on your nervous system regulation and realize that you don't need to react in a negative way, because anytime you give it any kind of attention, you're calling more of that energy in. So if you are angry and upset and, you know, just generally pissed off about this person or multiple people in your area doing this, all you're really telling the universe is that you super care about it and that you would like more of it, and so the best thing to do is just to be like best of luck to you and move on. Where you put your focus is where energy is going to flow to and from you. So you need to direct your energy to your business, how you can serve your clients better, how you can stand out on your market more. All of those things are far more important than worrying about what these other people are doing. Truly and I know it's hard, but it is really the best thing you can do.

Speaker 1: 10:08

Also, when you are sort of in that place of either comparison or, you know, getting really upset about this kind of situation somebody charging not a lot of money for a service that you're doing first of all, what you offer should be different and you should know that and you should know how you stand out. But also, that line of thinking is rooted in lack of mentality. And if you want to live an abundant life and have abundance, this means also being happy for other people and also realizing that there is more than enough for everyone. There's enough work for everyone. Okay, just because they have work doesn't mean you don't get it, and vice versa. There is more than enough for everyone. You need to stay in your lane and focus on what you want to do for your target clients and pour into them.

Speaker 1: 11:02

The third question that I get a lot from creatives and photographers in general is how can I invest in myself when I'm really just starting out and I don't have the money to really invest in high level coaching or programs right now. Okay, so there are a lot of things that you can do for free, and this is not an exhaustive list. I'm sure there's probably more, but I'm just kind of go through some of the things that I would recommend you do for free to at least get yourself started. Okay, first of all, youtube. Listen, when I started my photography business, youtube was like in its infancy stages, like you really couldn't find hardly anything anywhere. I had to, like, beg people to help me in the early days because I am self-taught, okay. But now you don't have that excuse. You've got YouTube and you've got the internet right, if you've got the gumption and the grit to dig in and do the work. You have a lot of resources online. So, definitely, you know you got to put in the work and that's why coaching and things like that saves you so much time is because there is a lot of information out there and it's hard to decipher what's good and what's not. But you at least have the option.

Speaker 1: 12:15

Okay, there's also freebies. I offer a lot of freebies on my site. Some mentors do you know as well. They have like between one and three or four free things you can download. That's a really great way to start. Get on people's email lists, if you like what someone has to say. Get on their email list and learn as much as you can that way Okay, even if they are selling to you in their emails which they should be, because that's you know how you run a business. It's showing you how to stand in your confidence, and you can learn a lot just by looking at what they're emailing and how they're emailing if you really want to reverse engineer things. And then okay, podcasts Great resource that I didn't really have access to either, and podcasts have been super helpful for me, though, in growing my coaching business. For sure.

Speaker 1: 13:06

Books okay, read with audible. You can listen. It still counts, I definitely. You know, even though I am only listening to books right now and have time to do that, I still count it as reading, okay. Meditation, hypnosis yes, some things are paid. Some you can find for free online.

Speaker 1: 13:26

I've got a couple of freebies. There's a lot of people who do offer that. So, do what you can with what you have, and as soon as you can invest in some of that, then you know maybe like see if it works for you and if it does go deeper into that. Basically, the other thing I'm going to tell you is allow yourself space to dream and, you know, conjure up and get curious about what you want. Go for long walks they can be super meditative. Take long hot baths. Be indulgent in yourself, take care of yourself with the intention of growing as a person, right. So dive deep into personal development. That is my biggest tip for you. Okay, there's a lot of free resources out there I'm one of them but there's so many. Better yourself. That's the best thing you can do is invest like that way in yourself and your self-care and make that a non-negotiable for yourself, because the more that you do that, the more confident you're going to get and the higher your vibration is going to be. And the higher vibration you have, the higher it is, the more abundance you're going to call into your life. That's literally just how it all works. So you want to be in a good state and when you're in a good state, you're going to operate so much better across the board. Regulate that nervous system, feel good.

Speaker 1: 14:46

The other question I get a lot is why is this happening to me? Okay, so, and with that I mean with respect to why am I feeling stuck? Why am I constantly spinning my wheels? Why do I find myself so distracted? Why can't I make more money than I can make? Why is this happening, basically? So I really believe that everything that comes into our field, into our awareness, is happening for a reason. It's happening so that we can grow. It's happening too rigorous, so that we can look at it with neutrality and honesty and choose to grow from it, because it's all a choice. Some people choose to grow from it and some people don't, and that is up to you. That's a choice you can make.

Speaker 1: 15:38

Personally, you know it's taken me years to get better at this. Okay, a few years ago, even like probably three or four years ago, pre-pandemic right. Things have changed so much and I've been on this personal development journey since the 90s. Like the mid 90s, okay, I was reading the books, listening to Tony Robbins. In the early 2000s, I went to massage therapy school, like a really woo-woo school in 1996. I was already on that journey in my 20s and I am 53 and I am still learning. Okay, I still have reminders.

Speaker 1: 16:17

It is a practice. It is putting in your reps, it is consistently committing to yourself that you're not going to let yourself off the hook that this is, you know, something that you want better and bigger and more, and all of that. But you can choose to think in the way that why is this happening to me, which is a very victim sort of mentality, or you can choose to look at it as an opportunity and know that the universe has your back, because I really believe that life is happening for me. And when you make that reframe in your mind and you double down on it and you put in the work to actually support that right Remember energy flows where your attention goes. So if that's the kind of attention that you are putting on and that's really what you are committing to, then that is what's gonna show up for you.

Speaker 1: 17:10

You know you are going to find proof of whatever you're looking for and I really believe that the universe has my back and I believe that the, that that life is working for me. So even when things do not work out the way that I would like them to, or shit hits the fan or, you know, financial stuff starts popping up out of nowhere, I believe it's an opportunity for me to sit back, not get reactionary, not not be reactive, right, and say, okay, what about this is triggering for me, because wherever that is, there's gold there, because that's where I know I need to focus on growth, that's where I know I need to give more attention to you and it's like, okay, thank you. So the first thing I do is say thanks, thank you for showing this to me. I appreciate it. Okay, I get it. There's still some work to do. Let me sort of, like you know, sit with this for a minute and be uncomfortable. That's the other thing too. A lot of us don't like just sitting with the uncomfortableness. Sometimes you have to do that to get through it, sit with it, Allow yourself to feel it and then decide to move through it. That's, you know, the short answer. Obviously, there's a lot of different ways to do that, but that's my little concise way of trying to help you reframe that thought pattern.

Speaker 1: 18:29

Okay, last question, told you, guys, I was going to go fast. The last question today is definitely geared for the senior photographers, because I have gotten this question a lot over the last couple of weeks, because at the time of this recording, it is mid-March and this is the time of year where high school senior photographers are signing up their senior rep teams, their ambassador teams. You know, you can call it lots of different things. I call it a creative team because our Gen Z clients and our Gen Alpha clients are way more in line With being a creator and not an influencer and not a model, and so I definitely teach it in a very unique way.

Speaker 1: 19:06

But, to answer your question, the short answer is like no, it is not too late to start a team for class of 2025. You absolutely can do it. It is, you've got plenty of time to do it and, honestly, this is a fantastic time to do it because you can jump on the marketing, like energy that's already happening around you. We've got proms coming up, we've got graduations, we've got like you know, it's the end of the class of 2024 senior year, and so all of those kids and all of those families and parents are super excited about sharing all kinds of stuff online because you know it's the energy of like I just got into college and you know the last few days of high school, all of these different things, and as a high school senior photographer, you are privy to shooting some of these things, photographing these events, and if you can get out there and do that for class of 2024, they're going to share them more and that's going to give you marketing juice for class of 2025, because you should really be booking right now for summer and fall, and if you don't have any bookings for summer and fall yet, you really need to get your marketing dialed in ASAP, and a team is a fantastic way to help you get your marketing on track and quick. Ok, so no, it is not too late, you definitely can. And hey, even if you don't want to do like a full team, like a formal team situation, because I know that can seem like a lot and very daunting you can do like a modified version, you can do like a VIP program. You can even do a teen team, meaning like younger than seniors, which is a great way to like build up your high school senior program.

Speaker 1: 20:41

I go into all of that in the creative team method. Like that is. The creative team method is a meaty, meaty course. Like it will give you all the information and there's so much marketing in there as well. Like it's ridiculous how much marketing is in there. So, even people who don't run teams, I tell them like you should. You should watch the modules because you're going to get a lot of marketing ideas just from watching it.

Speaker 1: 21:06

So, if you're interested in that, I do have a spring sale going on for the creative team method. It's not going to be on for long, though, so you need to jump on it, and I will put the code and the link below for you, because you can get it right now for 50% off, which is pretty awesome. Keep in mind, too, that anytime I update this program which is a lot you get access to all the updates. So you get lifetime updates and lifetime access, and I've gotten so many, so many good feedback comments on this, and so I don't want you to struggle. I don't want you to like be out there swimming in a sea of, like marketing craziness and trying to like beg people to shoot with you. Okay, there's a better way and I can help you with it, so just go to the link below, and I promise you it will definitely transform your business, okay, so I think that we are coming in right at the mark that I said I was going to, and I hope that these questions helped you. I hope that they maybe sparked some ideas for you, and if they did, of course, let me know.

Speaker 1: 22:06

I would love to dive deeper into all of this with you. I've got lots of resources for y'all, from free to inexpensive to high ticket coaching, and if that's where you are like, if you are like done and you've tried all the things, you've tried all the freebies, you've tried all the other like you know, lower level classes, and it's nothing is really clicking, it's probably time to like really invest in yourself with one on one coaching, and there's so much good stuff that happens inside of that container, especially if you work with somebody who is also certified as a life coach, which I am and we know how to ask the right questions to help you, you know, get to where you want to go. It's not about, like, giving you all the answers. That's. The cool part, though, is that you do get access to all the things that I do in my business, all the templates and everything. You also get life coaching, and you learn to do all the things that we were just talking about, right, and regulating yourself, not being reactive, coming from a place of neutrality, and when you can do that, like I said, you raise that vibration. You raise that vibration and you start feeling good all the time, or most of the time and you make a choice that this is where you're going instead of over there, massive things will happen in your business. I absolutely promise you, and I'm kind of living proof for that. So if you need proof of it, you've got me, and a lot of my students as well. So I love you guys.

Speaker 1: 23:33

I hope you have an awesome week. We are coming up to spring and it is the spring equinox today, so I hope that you get out in nature. I hope that it's warm wherever you live. It is absolutely gorgeous here in California, so I am going to be soaking in the spring equinox. It is a new beginning. It's Aries season, so I have an Aries moon and I am feeling super energized about getting all the things done, and I hope you are too. If you want to chat about any of this stuff, hit me up in the DMs over on Instagram at Renee Bowen All the links that you need are going to be below in the show notes and stay tuned for some really awesome shows coming up. I am coming up on the one year anniversary, by the way, of this podcast at the end of April, and I'm going to be doing some fun giveaways for that. So stay tuned and I will see you guys soon.