Keep Reading
Paying Herself Consistently for the First Time Ever! Nicole’s Story.
It’s normal to not make any profit the first few years of business, just look at Besos— They say. It’s normal to pay your employees more than yourself— They say. It’s normal to question where your next paycheck will come from or overwork out of fear that it will all run out— They say. While […]
Paragraph
It’s normal to not make any profit the first few years of business, just look at Besos— They say. It’s normal to pay your employees more than yourself— They say. It’s normal to question where your next paycheck will come from or overwork out of fear that it will all run out— They say. While it may be “normal” it doesn’t have to be your story. Being overworked and underpaid isn’t a necessary right of passage for entrepreneurs. A well travelled path? Yes. But necessary? Not on my watch!
Nicole Watford is family photographer and systems and workflows strategist for creative entrepreneurs. A self-proclaimed unintentional business owner, it took Nicole a few years into business to get serious with her numbers. After tripling her revenue in 2023, she realized she also tripled her time investment (whomp, whomp). Something that wouldn’t fly for a busy of mom of two.
That’s when Nicole joined my signature course The Blueprint Model. After walking through the curriculum, Nicole started to see her time as a finite resource & began pricing and structuring her offers accordingly. Her biggest win? Being able to bring home a paycheck every month for the first time EVER in her business!
I am so proud & excited to have Nicole on the blog to share her story. So here we go— Meet Nicole!
_
Let’s start with some fun stuff! Lightning round, here we go:
Tell us what you do:
I’m a former teacher, turned full-service newborn, maternity, & family photographer in Columbia, SC, who is now pivoting into her new era as a systems and workflow strategist for creative entrepreneurs!
Vice/Guilty Pleasure :
I have a sweet tooth, and I love supporting local businesses, so I can never resist stopping in for a treat at our local ButterKreme Queen bakery when they’re open!
Favorite Snack :
Pop Secret homestyle popcorn… it has the perfect butter-to-salt ratio!
Something you’re proud of:
Asking for help and sharing my story in the hard season following the loss of our second baby. 💜
What you’re currently working on:
On a personal front, I’ve been learning watercolor painting, and it’s been so fun, creative, & relaxing! I’m also working on finding new rhythms and routines between home life & work life as our two kiddos start the new year at the same school!
On the business front, I’m working on 1) content for my fellow creatives where I share stories, tips, and resources from my experiences building a business alongside motherhood, and 2) beta testing an offer that merges my gift (and love) for systems & workflows with my passion for helping other creative small business owners create an unforgettable client experience!
We probably wouldn’t guess…
I was in JROTC for three years in high school, serving as both a flight sergeant and a flight commander.
Best advice ever received?
“Assume good intent.” The world is such a better place when you approach interactions this way!
Currently Reading/ Listening to/ Watching:
Listening to: My kids and I listened to The Vanderbeekers series (by Karina Yon Glaser) this summer during our drives to and from summer camp, and we’re looking for a new series to enjoy together! Now that I have more time with the speakers to myself, I alternate between podcasts (Pantsuit Politics, The Lazy Genius Podcast, Under the Influence with Jo Piazza), T Swift radio on Spotify, and a mix of classical and acoustic playlists. 😊
Reading: If reading were an Olympic sport, I’d be medaling in the 2024 reading challenge. 😂 My most favorite five ⭐ reads: The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, and Stephanie Land’s memoirs (Maid and Class).
Can’t live without…
My morning cup of half-caff coffee, my Google cal, Target drive-up, my emotional support chapsticks (iykyk), our public library, time alone to recharge my batteries, and my support network!
Secret Fantasy Job:
A KonMari consultant!
What do you want everyone to know reading this?
It’s okay not to be good at something the first time (or even the first hundred times). You’ll often learn more from what *didn’t* go the way you expected than nailing it on the first attempt! 💙 And if you’re on a path that’s not working for you, it’s also more than okay to pivot.
_
Let’s talk turkey, I mean, Business!
How did you hear about Shanna?
I’ve been in the Ashlyn Writes universe since mid-2020ish, and I’ve always heard her talk about how working with Shanna through BPM changed the trajectory of her life & business.
In what ways have we worked together so far?!
Why did you decide to work with Shanna?
As an unintentional business owner, it took me a while to really get serious about knowing my business numbers and using them to plan intentionally.
At the end of 2022, I had a harsh reality check about how little return I was getting in my business relative to how much time & financial resources I was investing in my business. The next year (2023), I worked with a coach and made a HUGE shift in my business model; even though I tripled my revenue from the previous year and served fewer clients, I had also increased my time investment with each client and my overhead costs.
When it came time to plan for 2024, I still didn’t feel clarity about what numbers I should be aiming for and WHY. I also knew that with the season of life I’m in, serving more clients wasn’t sustainable, and I didn’t want the pressure that would come with the increased costs of outsourcing or bringing on a team.
Long story long 😉… as I wrestled with this uncertainty, Ashlyn Carter shared that she would be bringing a cohort of creatives through Blueprint Model, and knowing how big of an influence it had on her business, I knew it was EXACTLY what I needed, and I jumped on the chance to go through the program!
Tell me about the big ‘aha’ moments you had during The Blueprint Model!
Before starting BPM, I had been feeling a lot of tension between my roles as mom and business owner, each feeling like it was in the way of the other.
It feels a little dramatic to say this 😉, but I truly believe Shanna’s vision casting exercises changed the trajectory of my life and my business. It helped me get so much clarity about what is important to me in this season—as a wife, mom, AND business owner—and really think about how I am architecting my business to fit into that life… not the other way around.
Another big lightbulb moment was placing value on my TIME as a finite resource when structuring my pricing and offers. I really had never considered my time into the equation of calculating my offers before, and it was a very eye-opening experience to see that my offers were still not as profitable as I needed them to be when I ran all the numbers!
Tell me about one change or success you’ve experienced since working together!
One of the biggest financial wins is that for the first year EVER in my business, I have paid myself a regular paycheck every single month, which is HUGE!!! 🎉
Second, because I have clarity on what’s enough for me, and what it actually costs to run my business, I knew with confidence at mid-year that both my owner’s comp and operating expenses account were fully funded for the remainder of the year. This meant FREEDOM to choose how I want to spend my time & energy in my business and what offers I want to focus on. Honestly—the peace, calm, and clarity I feel from this alone was worth the investment (both time & money) in the program! 💙
On a personal front, I jokingly refer to the first six-ish months of 2024 as my “burn it all down” era. I haven’t shared this before, but before joining BPM, I was feeling so dissatisfied with my business that I was honestly considering whether I wanted to shut it down entirely.
However, after six months (& change) of reflection, wrestling with my offer & pricing, gentle nudges and mentoring from Shanna, and important (& sometimes hard) conversations… I emerged with a skeleton of another offer and a new direction for my business as a systems and workflow strategist for creative entrepreneurs!
Okay, real talk— What would you tell someone considering buying a course or working with Shanna?
As far as education goes, Blueprint Model is hands-down the BEST investment I have ever made in my business AND MYSELF! I only wish I’d done it sooner, but I also believe that it came at the exact right time.
And as for working with Shanna? The thing that I have loved most is her belief and encouragement that there is more than one way to run a successful business. She has such kind and encouraging “big sister energy,” but she will always point you back to doing what works for YOU and what is ENOUGH for you in whatever season of life you’re in.
Final thoughts?
I’ve always had kind of a love-hate relationship with social media, and over the last several years, I’ve signed out completely from social media from mid-December through the end of January to give myself a bit of a breather. As this new year (2024) began, I felt a STRONG pull to take an extended step back from the noise of social media, look inward, and really re-evaluate my long-term goals and plans for my business.
As I worked my way through BPM, joined Shanna on the coaching calls, and listened to her podcast, I have felt so much freedom in hearing how she chose to leave Instagram as a business owner, and also how she and OTHER entrepreneurs run successful businesses without Instagram. She doesn’t demonize social media, but it has been so meaningful to me to see another entrepreneur running a successful business with an intentional choice to do it without the ‘gram, because it shows me that I can do it, too!
“
Because I have clarity on what’s enough for me, and what it actually costs to run my business, I knew with confidence at mid-year that both my owner’s comp and operating expenses account were fully funded for the remainder of the year.
This meant FREEDOM to choose how I want to spend my time & energy in my business and what offers I want to focus on. Honestly—the peace, calm, and clarity I feel from this alone was worth the investment (both time & money) in the program! 💙
”
— Nicole Watford
Nicole, thank you so much for sharing more of your story and experience working together. I am so grateful for such amazing students like you! And loved getting to know you better through this spotlight!
Want more inspiration? Plenty more stories that are sure to inspire you, click here for more student success stories! If you’re ready to feel empowered in your personal and/or business finances, I’d love to work together through one of my courses!
xo.
Shanna
RESOURCES MENTIONED :
Let’s Talk (Small) Business! Chat with Nicole.
Shanna Tells All! Running a Business Without Social Media (Part One)
_
Nicole Watford
CONNECT WITH NICOLE:
SHARE THIS:
October 1, 2024
Previous Post:
Next Post:
And if you found this helpful, share with your friends!