How I built a freedom-based photography business (and how you can too)
I always wanted freedom.
Freedom to travel, freedom to choose, freedom to live like I want.
Today, I'm humbled to be in that position.
And today, I wanted to share a part of the model I've developed.
This model allows you to get freedom and high-paying clients - without burnout. :)
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But before we dive in, I have just opened the waitlist for my Photos to Profit Accelerator™.
It's a 1:1 Mentorship program where I help you personally to build you a freedom-based business, so that you can land high-paying clients, create income stability, and focus on what you love.
There are only 5 spots in total.
Click here to join the waitlist now.
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1) The 2 ways to build a freedom-based business as a photographer
My model is called the Freedom Photographer Model™.
This model allows photographers to get high-paying and consistent clients the fastest.
These are the 2 paths it introduces for you to choose from:
1) The Freedom Client Path™
2) The Freedom Coaching Path™
The Freedom Client Path™ -> You take photos (and videos if you want) for clients to get paid.
The Freedom Coaching Path™ -> You teach your knowledge to others to get paid.
Both can bring you freedom, and high-paying clients you love working with.
It's up to you which one you want to go for.
The Freedom Client Path™
If you choose this path, you must know the following:
1) Who is a client who'd allow me to have the freedom I desire, and pay what I desire?
2) What is the freedom I desire?
Often photographers get stuck with client work.
Why?
They might not get paid enough, or then they want to travel but get stuck locally because of the client.
If you want to have freedom to choose in your life, and not location-freedom per se, then it's about finding the perfect clients for you who are there locally.
But, if you want location-freedom...
Now you must figure out who you should work with to get to work in different locations.
The Freedom Coaching Path™
First, you don't need to be a total expert to coach.
As long as you are some steps ahead of someone else, you can teach.
For example, many don't understand the ISO, aperture and shutter speed - you could teach those - and make a full-time living.
The coaching path is the path I've chosen to build my freedom.
This allows me to travel wherever I want, whenever I want... as long as I have internet access to my students.
All I need is that, and the laptop.
I work with premium clients, winners, who are serious about changing their lives - and the transformation we get them allows me to have premium pricing.
So, you have 2 paths - just pick whatever aligns better with you and what you want. :)
2) Have a Freedom Offer™
Once you know the path, you must figure out what to offer.
A great Freedom Offer™ is an offer that is stupid to say no to.
More specifically, a Freedom Offer™ allows you to:
1) have freedom
2) get premium clients
3) positions you as "the go-to"
4) make people feel stupid for saying no.
When you know how to do that... you have a winning offer.
3) Install a Freedom Client System™
Now you have an offer, but you don't have clients.
That's what we need to solve next.
This is a big rabbit hole to dig into, but in general, these are the 4 ways you can get clients, as per Hormozi's Core 4:
1) Warm outreach (reaching out to people who are aware of you)
2) Cold outreach (reaching out to people who have never heard of you)
3) Free content
4) Paid ads
What's the secret here - what is best?
The secret is... all of these work!
But, I'd say there are best ways of getting started with this.
I'd not do ads before you have a great following - and I'd not do content immediately if you chose the client path.
My Freedom Client System™, depending on the path you've chosen, focuses on these things:
The Freedom Client Path™:
Warm outreach
Cold outreach
The Freedom Coaching Path™:
Warm outreach
Free content
These get photographers the fastest results.
When you have the right strategies around this all, you'll win.
4) Get The Freedom Sales System™
Photographers trying to go full-time often don't struggle with taking good photos...
The problem is they don't know the business side.
The business side includes the offer, and finding potential clients...
But also sales.
Do you know how to handle a sales call?
Do you know how to sell step-by-step?
Do you have a sales framework?
Do you even do sales calls?
Sales is a game of its own... there's so much that goes into it all.
And it's the most important part of running a business.
If you don't know how to sell... you won't make sales. And then you won't have a functioning business.
Sales can feel icky at the start, and tough to navigate...
But there's a way that allows you to sell in a relaxed way that doesn't make you feel like a terrible human being. :D
The Freedom Sales System™ allows you to do this.
It's a 2-call system designed for getting high-paying clients, and in a way that feels like a normal chill conversation.
There are other ways of doing this... but I saw worse results, and also felt bad doing sales the other ways many teach.
Developing my Sales System was the key for me to landing 4 and 5-figure clients on calls.
5) The Freedom Growth Engine™
When you have:
1) The offer
2) a way to get people aware of the offer
3) sales skills to sell the offer...
It comes to making people or companies work with you long-term.
I feel this is what many of us photographers really want...
We don't want inconsistent gigs, but actually predictable income.
And this is doable... when you know how. I help my clients do this with The Freedom Growth Engine™.
For example, one of my clients just bagged this epic win last week:
That's an €18k deal! He got that 2 weeks(!!) after us working together!
Imagine if you got a deal like that... or heck even a few.
Imagine the consistency and predictability you'd have in your life.
Imagine how FUN working with these people or companies would be - when you can do what you love, and get well paid for it.
But to do that the easiest, you'll need to have The Freedom Offer™, The Freedom Client System™, The Freedom Sales System™, and The Freedom Growth Engine™.
This model has taken me years to put together...
And now I'm installing them for 5 of you through Photos to Profit Accelerator™.
I'm opening the doors on March 31st - and the coaching will begin in April at a time that works for both of us.
If you're interested in getting my help to build your freedom-based business - so that you can get those high-paying & consistent clients, and focus on doing what you love...
Click here to join the waitlist.
Warning: This is NOT for you if you:
are not a photographer or don’t want to turn your skills into a business.
are already making great money and don’t need more clients.
don't value 1:1 mentorship
aren’t willing to put in the work to build a thriving photography career.
aren’t open to learning new strategies.
want to build a massive team around yourself to manage.
want to take lots of debt for your business at the start.
want to send hundreds of cold emails per day as many mentors recommend.
prioritize money over creating a business & life you truly love.
But - if you:
are a photographer who wants to turn their skill into income
want high-paying clients without chasing or relying on luck.
want a steady flow of clients instead of inconsistent gigs.
want to stand out in a crowded industry.
want a freedom-based business - without burnout or low-paying jobs...
This is for you.
Here is the link to join the waitlist once more (we already have 10x more people than I can allow in there):
Click here to join the waitlist.
Till next letters. :)
Hugo
