Jamie Swanson helps other photographers grow their businesses. She launched her first membership site in 2011, and provided comprehensive resources for photographers in SEO, sales, planning, and more. However, she found herself doing everything at the last possible minute – and despite having a huge audience, she struggled to grow.  

Then, her own search for a professional photographer led to a breakthrough that revolutionized her business forever. Now, she teaches personal brand photographers one thing: how to land their first 12 clients to build a reliable source of recurring revenue. With her new membership business, Jamie teaches photographers how to work with entrepreneurs and influencers to help them authentically connect with audiences – and share their stories in a split second.  

Today, Jamie joins the podcast to talk about why niching down gave her the power to scale her business in less time, how she uses her course to prequalify and onboard prospects, and why becoming the face of your business can better serve your clients.   

Key Takeaways

  • How Jamie built her first membership site back in 2011 – and why offering too much at once made it hard to maintain, sell, and grow.
  • The exact moment Jamie realized just how important personal brands are – and the ‘aha’ moment that led to her moving in a new direction within her industry.
  • Why Jamie was hesitant to launch another membership site and how a 15-minute coaching sessions organically led her to a new business model.
  • How Jamie shows her clients what value her membership site will provide long before they ever sign up.

Free Give

TRIBE membership guide

FREE Guide – Launch & Grow a Profitable Membership Site

Ready to reclaim your time and attract more monthly paying customers? Our step-by-step guide will show you how to build a membership site that turns your passion into recurring profit. Click here to download!

Memorable Quote

“I noticed that the people who were really doing well as educators – and really helping their clients get results – were the ones who were focused on their personal brand. I had never done that. I didn’t want to be the face of things, but to really stand out, I needed that connection with people – to share more of me and my story.” – Jamie Swanson

“It was like that moment when Harry Potter learns that he’s a wizard. All those things start to make sense, like, ‘Oh, that’s why these weird things happen!’ He takes on this new identity, and it’s kind of like what happened to me. I thought, ‘Oh my goodness. I can take charge in the photography industry. I can teach photographers how to work with entrepreneurs and influencers to help them to get the photos they need that really connect with their audience and share their story in a split second.’ It changed everything I did going forward.” – Jamie Swanson

“It gives me so much peace to know that my business isn’t going to fall apart if I get the flu. I have a little bit of runway. I’m not immediately dropping the ball, and I’m not working late on Sunday nights when I told my family I wouldn’t be.” – Jamie Swanson

“Keeping it narrow makes it so, so simple.” – Jamie Swanson

Episode Resources

Personal Brand Journey with Jamie M. Swanson PersonalBrandPhotographers.com

Transcript

Read The Transcript
Shelli Varela
Author

When you reframe your inner story, you reframe what’s possible. This is the mantra of our host, Shelli Varela who achieved incredible success, blazing a trail to become a fire captain, author, TED speaker, and host of The Yes Effect on Entrepreneur's list of 48 Best Podcasts for Entrepreneurs. Today, she uses the same approach to show people how to magnetize their message to achieve their dreams, and discover how they can make a BIGGER impact.

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