“I CAN’T STAND OUT IN MY MARKET BECAUSE _____” ( INSERT YOUR REASON )

I am pretty sure we have all said these words before! We can’t do something because of a reason that seems like it is holding us back. 

The truth is though, that reason is in your head! Today I’m breaking down the common false biz beliefs I hear that hold you back.

Here are a few common things I hear … 

False Biz Belief Number 1:

“I can’t stand out in my market because I don’t have a big portfolio” 

I am about to get real honest here- Photos don’t sell your service all by themselves! When I started my business I almost immediately dove into weddings with absolutely NO portfolio. Seriously, I had around 5 weddings booked before I shot my first wedding which was a private elopement that included no details or even a couple’s portraits for me to use to advertise! In my first year, I booked 19 of my own weddings with no second shooting experience or portfolio to fall back on. I focused on serving, being fast and efficient with replies, marketing daily, and creating a connection with my clients! I wanted It bad enough that I found a way to make It happen even with the odds stacked against me which means you can too! 

False Biz Belief Number 2:

“I can’t stand out because there are too many cheaper photographers taking my clients” 

Nope, that isn’t why you can’t stand out! It is actually because your clients or followers aren’t seeing enough value in what you have to offer – so they are going with the cheaper option because they don’t know better!

It isn’t your client’s job to know your value. It isn’t their job to know why one photographer is better than another. It isn’t their job to understand how valuable photos are. It is YOUR job to show up, show value, teach them what makes your services special, and explain why professional photos are so valuable! If you are losing clients to someone cheaper – it may just be because they are hustling harder and not assuming a client should know who to book. 

False Biz Belief Number 3:

“I can’t stand out because I don’t have thousands of dollars for a good website” 

Again, I am going to go back to when I started and I can tell you that for the first TWO years of my business I used a WIX website and a $20 Etsy logo.

Now Wix is much better now than it was then! There was a free option and then my plan which was roughly about $10 a month. This website had no good templates to work off of, minimal tweaking that could be done, a blog that had terrible SEO and layout design, and it was NOT high end looking one bit but guess what – it got the job done!

Not only did it help me book over 30 weddings but I booked my first destination weddings, broke into a new market, and drastically began upping my prices with that website! 

I wish more than anything that I still had the photos of that first website to show you how unbranded, unpretty, and rough it truly was – but all that mattered was that I used that little home on the internet wisely and allowed it to help me grow by showing up often to give It some TLC as I grew my business. 

The point of all of this is, no matter what you feel like is holding you back – it is just an excuse! Plenty of people make their dreams happen with less than ideal situations which means you can too! …and can I give a little tough love? Sometimes you are the only thing putting you in those situations that are keeping you stuck and feeling like you can’t stand out. Now let’s kick those false biz beliefs to the curb!