So I kid you not, I am on my computer right now with 5 tabs open in Safari, Adobe Bridge and PS doing their batch-editing thing in the background, and about a gazillion pieces of paper surrounding me on my desk with all kinds of lists and notes. Sessions to edit. Products that I ordered. Pricing sheets. Even an Entertainment Weekly magazine I got in the mail is currently sitting open on my laptop as I get distracted and read an article of two. Laboring away on labor day.
Laboring on Labor Day.
Kinda seems appropriate.
I have even sat here and tried to come up with a topic for my blog post this week but I think I am feeling the urge to clean my apartment more. That is true procrastination and writers’ block at its best.
So I decided to give you some insight to my not always glamorous life as a small business owner.
So here is some lesser know secrets you may not know:
- Although I like to think I can cultivate a very cool and put together social media facade, I am the conductor on the hot mess express 95% of the time. Case in point my selfie below. Hair sloppily thrown on my head. Narry a bit of makeup. What you cannot see is the stained oversized t-shirt and the fact that I am not wearing pants right now. WHOOPS. #SingleAdultRealLife #LivingAlone #HomeIsWhereMyPantsArent
- Taking the day off is a lot harder than you think. My business is so intertwined with so much of my life that I cannot easily just shut it off for a couple of hours. I get on my computer and I edit a photo or two. Yes, I want to answer emails at 2am in the morning. Or write blog posts on holidays. I once tried to set “normal” business hours and not respond to messages in the late evening – but yea, that did not happen. I’m weak (or my response game is strong, you decide) and usually message back.
- I am a crazy note taker because I love looking at new products or learning from other creatives. I write down everything which is why I have a lot of papers around me. Literally blog post topics, pricing, editing lists, notes to records payments, order products, so many papers. Then I struggle trying to find my particular note. This is why I do all my booking digitally because I would be absolutely horrified if I lost someone’s session date or just forgot to add it to my calendar.
- I am completely and totally anal about uploading my images from my card to my computer and backup external as soon as I come in from a session. This is not a joke. I come in the door and literally the first thing I do is upload my session photos to
my iMac and then copy them to my 2TB external hard drive. I am so paranoid about losing someone’s images. - Speaking of my OCD tendencies and my galleries – I am such a weirdo when it comes to organizing my files digitally. First by year then by session type and so on. See example below.
Life is not always rainbows and unicorns but oh, I love it. Being a small business owner is fun and exhausting and so rewarding. Watching a moma cry when she sees her little one’s gallery. The gasp of seeing a gorgeous product. The incredible compliment from a client that I made someone actually love themselves in their photos. How empowering is that? The high is unlike anything else.
So thank you for letting me share my hot mess life with y’all. Stay safe and hug your loved ones today. Because tomorrow is going to be the Monday-est Tuesday ever.
xx,
Sami
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