592: Amy Donovan – From Weddings to Boudoir: A minimalist approach to a $180k Photography Business

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area  Amy Donovan of www.amydonovanphoto.com and www.amydonovanboudoir.com was someone I was looking forward to recording with, following an email exchange, seeing both her websites and multiple social media accounts. For example… I love that her two websites are basically one-page websites, just like those promoted and shared by photography business coach Jeff Brown in his recent podcast interview. And Amy tells me her websites have been performing well. Between them and Facebook ads, she says she has been lucky to stay busy for many years. Amy focuses on two separate genres—boudoir and weddings—depending on the season. Her annual revenue ranges from $150,000 to $180,000. In that email exchange, I asked Amy what she hoped to cover in this interview, and she said… I’m not looking to promote my photography business through interviews. My current focus is sharing why I do what I do. I've been noticing an epidemic of our culture using photography to diminish women's value. This isn't philosophical talk or a fancy public speaking point. I see the negative impact every day in my work. My reply was an enthusiastic… I’m all in for a discussion on this topic. However, as a business-focused podcast, we will be keen to hear about Amy, her photography business, and how these topics tie into her marketing, ads, referrals, etc. She was all in, and here we are, talking about weddings to boudoir and how Amy's minimalist approach has led to $180k photography business. Here's some more of what we covered in the interview: What’s on Offer for Premium Members If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, a fantastic back catalogue of interviews, and have ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet. Plus, special member-only interviews. Hearing somebody say, ‘You look great.' ‘You're doing a good job.' ‘You have good posture.' ‘You have nice eyes.' Whatever it is, hearing a good thing about yourself instantly changes the way that you feel about yourself, and it instantly disarms you, and it makes you breathe easier and your shoulders come down. – Amy Donovan You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online. Seriously, that's not all. Most of my clients who would book through Instagram will tell me, when they show up through their session, that they have followed me for years. So none of that is like instantaneous. – Amy Donovan In addition to everything above, you'll get access to instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable, and build friendships with other pro photographers with motives similar to yours – to build a more successful photography business. What is your big takeaway? Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Amy shared.