There's no instant gratification to this one. Sometimes you've got to plant the seed and keep checking in to see if it takes. This week we talk about some long term seeds we've planted and how they are doing. Tune in!
This week's episode is sponsored by our friends at Retouch Up! Use the coupon code GYST10 for a special discount!
This episode was written and performed by Mary Fisk-Taylor and Kira Derryberry, produced by Kira Derryberry and edited by Joel North.
There's no instant gratification to this one. Sometimes you've got to plant the seed and keep checking in to see if it takes. This week we talk about some long term seeds we've planted and how they are doing. Tune in!
This week's episode is sponsored by our friends at Retouch Up! Use the coupon code GYST10 for a special discount!
This episode was written and performed by Mary Fisk-Taylor and Kira Derryberry, produced by Kira Derryberry and edited by Joel North.
This week's episode is brought to you by our friends at retouchup. Retouchup works smarter, not harder. Welcome to Get your Shoot Together. The photographer's podcast where we discuss studio business life and keeping it all in line. I am Kara Derryberry and I am Maryfus Taylor.
Speaker 2:Hello Maryfus Taylor, hello, hello, hello, so um hi, hi.
Speaker 1:I'm just watching this lady on the Spanx website just dance around in these little pants.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sorry guys, we were doing a little imaging USA shopping before and we're like oh my gosh, we are here to podcast, not to shop.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we, literally I was like well, we really got to get going. It's, you know, I was running late or whatever. And then I was like oh, did you see this one thing I got, I got this one, I got this. And then we're just setting each other links, yeah. So I'm like should I wear?
Speaker 2:this Thanksgiving. What do you think of this? And yeah, so that's what we do. So that's what we do, guys, that's what we do, just like you. So, uh, everybody does it. I bet so, but it's hard. I mean, I was thinking about this the other day. It's you know, most of my really good, close friends don't live with near me. Like, yeah, I honestly I don't think I have any friends that actually live in Richmond. Like I think everybody lives out of state. Maybe that's by design, Maybe I only could have friends that live out of state. I don't, I don't know. But, um, I mean, obviously my family's here and that's that's huge, but all my friends live out of state. So we have to do, when I get online with people, we do things that you would normally do in person with people. Maybe I don't know.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, we call this fashion show is what we do at my house. And, uh, sometimes you and I will get on FaceTime and it'll be fashion show. But I do this with Lucy too.
Speaker 2:We do it with Lucy, we do. We always do a back to school or a birthday haul. You know, we're gonna. We're gonna this kind of like our own little private TikTok yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and unboxing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and unboxing of all our outfits. But what I?
Speaker 1:what I decided to do was just start taking little videos of me in an outfit and then just texting each other.
Speaker 2:I I, I appreciate that I got one other day and I was. I okay, guys, I went on Friday. So for some reason this weekend I had this weekend completely off. I wasn't traveling anywhere, there was no concerts to go to, I was home. I was home and hungering down.
Speaker 2:I know Every time my neighbor my neighbor checked on me because she couldn't believe I was home all weekend. So I said, well, I'm going on Friday and I'm going to just get the buffet of vaccine. I mean, it's going to be vaccine Friday. So I got my shingles shot, my flu shot and my COVID booster.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 2:God, and I knew I was going to be sick. I didn't know you were going to do the shingles, because that that one's brutal. I had to Like it's 55. I have to get it care. I don't want to get shingles.
Speaker 2:So I was like I don't want to get sick three times, I'm just going to get really sick one time. It just made sense to me. It just made sense to me until until it didn't. Well, yeah, there was a point. There was a point on Sunday morning that I was cussing myself. I was wanting to, you know, rip marm off and beat my own ass with it, cause I was like what were you thinking? However, I'm doing better today, but but I did kind of fever dream. Look at things. I played a lot of cooking diary and I fever dream shopped?
Speaker 1:Oh, so do you don't know what you ordered?
Speaker 2:I don't but I don't think. I don't think I don't think I ordered, I don't know that actually I have got to. I'm doing some recon that today's the first day I feel someone human. I'm doing some recon to figure out if I actually got in order to go through, because I don't. I didn't have my credit card, like I didn't have my purse upstairs.
Speaker 1:I don't know, but you got an apple pay, you're not wrong.
Speaker 2:You're not wrong, so it's going to be a surprise for everyone. We're going to see what happens, but yeah, yeah, but I created a lot of shopping carts, so that's what I'm sharing. I was sharing some of the things that I was like. Oh, that's actually not bad. You know, in my fever dream I picked that. You know what, maybe I'll just I will go through and buy that.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't think you have bad taste, Like even when you're sick. I mean, I think you're, you've got good taste all the time.
Speaker 2:I don't know, sometimes there's some questionable things I've purchased, but thank you for saying that I am.
Speaker 1:You're always put together.
Speaker 2:I try, I try, I try. So just a little update on my rowing blazers. I finally heard back from them yesterday y'all. So it has been another like two weeks since I've heard finally heard from them yesterday that they're going to finally address my concern, but their email was just to tell me they're going to address it. So, oh, I don't feel like I don't, I don't feel seen yet.
Speaker 1:Action will be taken, yeah.
Speaker 2:At some point At some point. Yeah, I just sent you Kira a TikTok and I was waiting. Kira was running Kira's with a client and you know how that goes. So I was just sitting here waiting, watching the TikTok, as we do, and there was a TikTok that came on and it's this couple and their younger parents and I think he's hilarious, she's funny, but they did an entire, like their entire TikTok today was about how don't ever have a funeral for your pet unless you know for sure they have passed what. When you watch it, kira, I was cry, laughing. I could not stop cry laughing.
Speaker 2:So long story bearable. Last night they're going to bed. They can't find Kitty, kitty. Kitty's like 13 years old, so like, oh, I wonder if Kitty got out. Something's happened all night they're searching, can't find it. Get up this morning they're like you know what? We don't have the heart to tell the kids that they probably accidentally let Kitty out. Kitty is probably no longer in this world. So over breakfast they're telling the kids that the kids want to have a funeral. So they're having a funeral for Kitty on their over breakfast and they had heart pancakes because when the five year old said Kitty loved hearts.
Speaker 2:So they're having heart pancakes and they're all talking about their favorite moments of Kitty and all of a sudden they hear meow.
Speaker 1:As Kitty walks up, it's like what are we doing?
Speaker 2:Kitty walks in and the five year old jumped on the chair and he goes hallelujah.
Speaker 2:I almost cried my eyelashes off. I just could not say that Hallelujah, a miracle is enough. Anyway, it's a TikTok. You guys check it out. It's. Um, her name is called Mom's, chat is her channel and his is Dad's Chat, and he always wears colored like glasses. He's hilarious. But I send it to you, check it. It's. It's, oh, my God, I can't wait. Guys, if y'all need a laugh, if you need a little chuckle, check it out. But anyway, I guess what we'll do right now is we'll take a pause for the cause, for our amazing friends.
Speaker 1:Ah, re-touch up while I get my salt together.
Speaker 1:Get your salt together. Be right back. All right, be right back. Hey you. Is it 2am and you're still up retouching that one year old cake smash session because there's just not enough hours to get it all done. Stop what you're doing right now and upload that session to re-touch up. Never tried re-touch up? No problem. Sign up for a free account at retouchupcom and use the referral code G Y S T to tell them you're one of our loyal listeners. With re-touch up, there are no contracts, no minimums, no complications and nothing to lose. For a limited time, all listeners of this podcast can save $10 with the coupon code GISTFALL10. That's G Y S T. F A L L 1 0 for all customers. That's enough to retouch like four headshots, or get five extractions, or remove all the leaves out of the pool and the cars out of the parking lot on that real estate shot you just took. Get your life back with retouchup at retouchupcom and we are back. Yes, we are we are back, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:So anyway, this has been an interesting, I'm going to say overall, this has been an interesting year for me as a business owner. I think everybody kind of feels that way and I don't know if it's good or bad or what it's just been, I don't know. I just feel like I've been more unsure maybe, but like, yeah, I think maybe unsure is the right word Like it's just kind of been like I don't know, maybe it's going to be an amazing week, maybe it's not when in before I felt like it was incredibly measured and I kind of had more of a rhythm and it's kind of been just like really really high or really really nothing, like it's not been a lot of in between, which I want that. But the long game of that is is that it's there's some dry spells in between those really really big highs. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Right, right, right, right, and you know it's been like. You know some clients are coming to me and you know, like they always have with, you know, booking for the holidays, Some clients I still haven't heard back from, but also like there's a lot going on right now. So you know, I don't know, but I have been seeing some of the seeds that I've been planting.
Speaker 2:Working.
Speaker 1:Grow a little bit. You know, like, like those mood boards we've talked about episodes ago. I've been, I've done several of those consultations and the clients are loving it. They're loving having like more than one tap touch point, you know, with it, like being able to send it to me. Let me kind of put it on the board and and then talk through some of the ideas. That has gone really, really well. I just had a consult with somebody yesterday and they were like oh yeah, no, that helps me. So, like they were, it was like a oh, that's great, it's like a big moment, and I know that a lot of us do clothing consultations.
Speaker 1:That's not new, but it was the presenting it with the mood board and then being able to look at it for the look at overall picture.
Speaker 2:I mean, I agree and I think, because we're visual people and we're selling a visual product, it only makes sense, right? But it just, and it's not hard. I mean getting it going and started it does. It takes some. It takes some determination and it takes some willpower just to make yourself sit down, but once you created it, it's not hard. It's just why didn't we do this sooner? It's probably where you're at right now, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, I know, because it's not that it's not time consuming too. You know, I'm trying to make it as as easy to execute as I can and letting the client email me and text me. Now I did have one that was like hey, did you get the pictures I sent? You know, because now it's working so well that I'm like, oh, I haven't added those to her midboard. So we, you know, there's, there's a little thing we've got to keep up with there.
Speaker 2:Get it in the rotation.
Speaker 1:But I do think that the clients are appreciating the added bonus help. You know, I do think that that's going really well yeah.
Speaker 2:Because I think if we're we're you know, we're so quick to talk about how overwhelmed we are or whatever they're overwhelmed too. I mean it's they're carrying their own burdens, right. So you know, anytime we can make it easier on them to do business with us, we're going to come out winning right, like that's. That's what it needs to be. So I think that that's one thing that you that makes it very easy for them. Giving them an amazing visual that you've procured and curated for them, helps them just go. Oh Okay, I can do this.
Speaker 1:Like this is very manageable. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I literally just stopped somebody from wearing all white shirts.
Speaker 1:And like she. She put together a really good idea, you know what I mean. But when she showed me the idea, it was almost like dad and little boy are in exactly the same outfit and her and you know her and her daughter are almost matching completely now they're and they're all wearing like one pattern across the bottom and I was like, oh, we need to just like move this around, you know what I mean. So that was like she had like a that Burberry pattern, you know what I mean. Yeah, so we needed to introduce one another color, because all we had was black, tan and and white you know what I mean which, in my opinion, are neutrals. Yeah, so we needed to pull in that red tone, that like cranberry tone. So we were able to do that and mix things up a little bit and in the end I haven't shot it yet, but I'm about to and I'm happy that we had this much connection.
Speaker 1:Because I think I think they're such a great family that I work with all the time. But if they come in and they're all in matching white shirts which is nothing wrong with that, but it but all matching Bottoms with the plaids and you know what you mean Like it just felt too divided.
Speaker 1:No, I got you yeah um, and then there was a call that I had yesterday with a client. She goes well, I think we're just going to do blacks and browns, but she didn't have anything you know to show with that. So I was able to take one of the style guides that I already created that had blacks and browns and I was, like talked her into incorporating a color, right, you know what I mean. So, like, let's bring in cranberry, let's bring in, like a burnt orange, let's bring in, you know, even a green. Like we can, you know we can put a jewel tone in there, but it I think it's going to be helping in the, in the overall like look and feel of everything in the end.
Speaker 2:I'm so happy to hear that. Yeah, I'm really glad to hear that, and I have not been as diligent as as kira. As you know, we, I, you know we do, I did some of it already, but I I wanted to take it to another level and I'm going to be very honest with you, I've just not really done it.
Speaker 1:No, that's okay. Yeah, I haven't, I have it's like it's a handful. You know that I'm doing it with. But you know it's a. It's also a test, you know, to kind of see how it could work better next year. I wish I had you know in a perfect world. Oh, I'm not even going to tell you guys my idea and I'm like stop yourself. You have a business idea, but maybe one day something like this could be automated. Huh, yeah, right.
Speaker 2:There you go, isn't that funny? Um, well, you know, speaking of like, the long gamer, whatever I, I I did a lot of different things this year and I think I've talked about them here or there, you know whatever. But we did a big event with, um, you know, the down syndrome group here. We did a big event with a group called daisy days, which is a really big like, kind of like a Bizarre, bizarre, like a fair type thing that this really high-end Private schools do and we did some and I did a lot of really cool things and I invested heavily into them because I did like amazing swag and I did stuff.
Speaker 2:And I'm going to be very honest that, you know, I got that initial nice little shot in the arm that normally happens when you do something like that. You get a few, and then it just kind of tapered off and I went huh. So, you know, in all, when I do the research and I, you know, collect my data, I'm like okay, well, it was worth it. I certainly made enough off the canfield that came in immediately, certainly justified what we did, but I thought, you know, I really thought it would be better. And all of a sudden, like I would say, the past three weeks, these people are popping up from, like you know, four or five, six months ago.
Speaker 2:I was at this event and I've been meaning to use it. I was at this event, I've been using it and they've been some of my biggest sales of the whole year. But it took them like five or six months to act on the gift card or the offer or whatever it was that I had handed out. And I want to ask them like, what took you so long, but I can't. Well, maybe I could, but I don't feel comfortable asking them Because people just do what they do. But I guess my point here is that don't give up. Like I wish that these events, that I could have collected names and emails, but they like charity events. They're not going to give you their list, which I totally respect and understand. I did collect some from like that fair we did at the daisy days thing, but um, it's just. Sometimes it's just take. I feel like it's taking people a lot longer to act on things.
Speaker 1:I don't know.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you're having that same experience and tell you no, I, I think I am.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think I've I've tried a couple of things this year that you know I got a big burst of energy from and then like it sort of tapered off, you know, and I think that's kind of I mean I I don't know if it's par for the course this year or or what, but I mean, like, like, I'm just trying to think of like different ways, different ways to approach it.
Speaker 1:You know, like, uh, for example, like I've got the, the headshot, so I got hired to do this two days of walk-up headshots at this event that's coming up and it's like all these business owners, it's called impact week and they've got all these guest speakers talking about talking to entrepreneurs and stuff. So it's it's a great place for me to meet other businesses that probably need team photos and we can do a quick headshot for them, you know. But, like, on the sign-up form now I've gone ahead and added like a you know, are you interested in hearing more about offers from, from us, you know, and added that checkbox so I don't have to jump through that hurdle of did I get permission for? You know, to add them to my mailing list?
Speaker 1:That kind of thing right and um, I think I've also got one on there. That's like you know. Are you interested in um you know, team or group photos in the future? So it's like you know what I mean, so that I can Find out if it. I'm almost surveying them while they're being, while they're signing up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, does that make sense?
Speaker 1:No, it does and and um, and maybe that way it'll give me a better target to shoot at Um from the people that are at the event, rather than feeling like if I just blast them all that we shot and not hearing much back. If I blast only the ones that really said hey, I'm interested in Having you do my my company headshots, you know, or my company, our group photos or whatever you know, maybe that would be a better um, maybe just a better feeling. You know what I mean for me personally, because we talked about like how when you get a low percentage rate of opens or you get a low percentage rate of engagement, you're like, well, nobody liked it, but then you just said you booked like a few right off the bat. You know right.
Speaker 2:So maybe, if it's more targeted, yeah, I mean maybe, yeah, I think that's true. I like that idea. I like the idea of you know when you had that opportunity for them to opt in to what they want, um, but let me, let me pick you back on that. So you know that I do, I do funnel, or you know, digital marketing and I will and I have a pretty. My target when I do that type of marketing which, guys, that means is facebook ad run and it's usually an incentive so enter to win this sweepstakes or are you interested? It's so you have to actually go off platform and fill out a form For me to get it. And I'm very targeted. I mean, I have a pretty. I have like a 30 day, 30 dollar a day ad spend on facebook. Okay, but it's incredibly targeted as far as zip codes, education, background, homeowner, children in the home, income level as targeted as you can get with me.
Speaker 2:So I'm not getting tons because I'm so. I know my client, I know my avatar, I know who's gonna Be able to. You know who's gonna, honestly, who is going to be able to afford me, right? That's kind of what it boils down to, or at least as much as I can, when I'm doing blanket type marketing. But the point is is that they have a form that they fill out, so they don't just give me their name, email and a number. They have to, like tell me why they have to give me their address, and they give me a lot of information for them to even come to me.
Speaker 2:And it is shocking to me how many people will fill that out. And if I reach out to them because they're this week's winner or are they you know they're gonna win a comp, the runner-up prize, or whatever that's how I run these how many of them go? Oh, um, I don't. What is this? Or what are you talking about? Or? Yeah, I'm not no longer interested and I'm like. You took at least five minutes to fill this form out like you were hot salsa.
Speaker 1:30 seconds ago.
Speaker 2:How did you? I would remember filling out this form. It's not like I'm just, you know, cold calling people. They have told me. I want to hear from you, I want to win xyz.
Speaker 1:And now they're like just kidding.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So with me, these are either like it's either that it's like crickets or you know or they've been some of my, some of my best. Actually, they definitely have been some of my biggest or the biggest sales I've had all year brand new clients, so it works. I mean it definitely works, but it's like I'm either jumping for joy or pulling my hair out like Do you say? I'm saying like it's like I get this brand new client who literally has three kids, perfect ages, just moved to Virginia. He's a surgeon, she's a farm rep. They had three kiddos in vitro Later in life.
Speaker 2:I mean that's my ideal avatar, by the way. Like they wanted these kids so bad. And there's it, all the stuff, and she wants everything and she's there, isn't anything. Yeah, she, she hit pay now and I said her the proposal of what she thought she wanted. So like this is ideal. It's either that or it's. Oh, I, you know it's okay. I'm like what? Why did you then? Why? Why did you do that? Why? Why? Like I don't understand, it's just so confusing to me. Like I don't know, I don't know. Like they feel you told me to call you. You know I'm saying I don't know.
Speaker 1:Right, you know.
Speaker 2:I did not swipe on you or whatever.
Speaker 1:That is yeah, yeah you invited me to this party. I'm ignoring me.
Speaker 2:I don't know what's happening here. So anyway, I Don't know. It's just been in. I guess the thing is is that I Guess it's just like that's how I felt so much of this year. It's either I'm so excited and so Pumped or I'm just like so deflated, and I hate to say that, because I'm not trying to be negative at all. I think in general I'm very pleased with my business. I'm proud of our, how hard we work. Yeah but it's been so much of that this year that I don't know.
Speaker 1:Well, I think it's a safe space. Yeah, everybody who listens, yeah, space for us to talk about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, like you know that we're enjoying our business, but at the same time, like you know, like everyone, it's just like the struggle is so real, and especially emotionally, when you feel like you're pulled all over the place and you think you're just like I put all this effort into this thing and it's not paying off. But I think, I mean I think it is paying off. I think I think that in the long term, these little seeds that we're planning are paying off. They just aren't the instant gratification that we want.
Speaker 1:Yeah, from life right now, yeah you know, I need that like burst of Endorphins to make me feel like I'm doing a great job today. Mm-hmm in my it's like I need to see the fruits of my labor now.
Speaker 2:Yeah you know, or something, or just like, just, can we get a sprout, can we get something? Just moving along here, like, can we give, give me something? And and you're right, and I think it's because we work by ourselves, or you, I mean, I work with Jamie, but we work independently, we're, we're apart. I actually talked him on the phone today because I haven't even seen him in like four days, like, well, I was sick, I was dead. But I mean, like you know, he's on location, I'm on the cake, you know, we're just, we just keep missing each other. So we work alone. So when you're not getting that satisfaction from your clients, it's like huh, you know what I mean. And it's just, it just feels, you know, very heavy. And you know I don't want to get discouraged, but it's been just, I don't know it's been all over the place for me. I don't, I don't know where I'm at with it.
Speaker 2:I mean I'm you know, it's not like I'm quitting or I, you know, feel like a failure, but I just, I don't know. I just wish I could have a little bit of consistency again and I think I think in this in the?
Speaker 1:I mean I we say this all the time, but in this world, now, after, after the past few years, I mean, what is consistency? You know, that's what it's so hard to compare it and you know like anything was better than what was going on. You know a little while back and now we're like it's it's maybe normaling out and we're like trying to compare it to like 2018. No, you know what.
Speaker 2:I mean no you're right, it's just different. It is very different and that's okay. Different is okay, I guess it's just. It's good to have a space to talk about it and I and I know you're the same way I tried very hard not to bring my Bring that home with me, because I don't am I. You know, darrell runs his own business. He doesn't need to, he has enough Strud you know.
Speaker 2:So we really try to leave our business at the doorstep, so to speak, and then Jamie and I we try to talk about it, but then we go, then it sometimes it becomes like a little bit of a blame game or I don't know. So it's just like having it's the ability to kind of talk about it and talk it out. Sometimes it's it helps me to just start talking about it because I'm like, oh okay, you know what? Actually I just answered my own question, you know. But but I'm glad that we stuck it out and I'm glad that we did some of the things we did, because I'm really have seen the Finally see the fruits of that labor.
Speaker 2:You know all the energy I went into that down syndrome event. First of all, this lady out of the blue just popped up and called a couple weeks ago and came in and it was a huge order. But not to mention I'm gonna get, I'm getting emotional, but not to mention the fact that you know her, her children is down syndrome, and just her Weeping in my arms when she's looking at these pictures of her 12 year old Because she's never had a professionally photographed, because she just didn't feel like that, or she's tried and it didn't work, or she didn't find a photographer that you know was structured and set up, and you know I'm working on a tripod and I'm taking my time and I'm not, you know, ask, you know.
Speaker 2:So I Didn't treat him any different than I would any other family, but I did have a little extra time and a little more patience because it's it took a little extra effort, but the fact that I did that and I mean, and again, it paid off. You know, even if she hadn't spent any money, it would have been a very rewarding session. It just wouldn't have been. But you know, I see, on the cake was, it was a great order, and now she's told so many of her friends. She's like you need to remember that thing you got, you got to use them and I could see now, all of a sudden, I have five more sessions lined up because she had such a. You know what I mean. But it took five months or four months For that right. So it's just being patient and Understanding that it will come in, it can come, and if it doesn't, I won't do it again. I guess that's the lesson right if you. But you got to give it 12 months, I think at this point to see.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you got to give it 12 months to see. And you know, and it's just, I feel like Sometimes you don't even know where you planted a seed and why how it's working, you know, and I mean like, I mean I think about I mean the session I just finished up, actually this afternoon was a young man who's going to Apply for a bunch of theater programs, like so I've got, you know, I've got this theater company that I work with, but before I had the theater company, there was like two kids and I want to say this was like Six or seven years ago there were these two seniors and they were best friends. This guy and squirrel and I did their headshots and all of their friends loved it, like all of the friends at the company, at the acting company, loved it. And so after that, for like the next, I mean ever since I have been getting referrals From these kids you know what I mean from not only have I worked with the entire school now, like because I worked with them and their headshots were so great and the entire school Hired me to come out there and do headshots of everybody, but now, like every kid that's, you know, applying to these programs for the, you know, for their headshots.
Speaker 1:They're coming to me and they're putting Nate Jones or young actors, theater, as like as the referral, you know, and it's like God, you know, this kid it, he, we couldn't have been in high school, even when Nate was, you know, with me or whatever. And I guess they're all in touch with him or they keep up on social media. And then I just saw that Nate booked another session when he's back for his senior year of college. He's coming, he's gonna come home and visit and he's gonna have me do them and I just it's just like so special, like, and you don't even realize, like when the seed like that is being planted, you know like a super, you absolutely don't.
Speaker 2:And sometimes I mean, and don't you love it when it's a surprise like that because, let's be honest, this Younger person comes in and let, I'm gonna say it, we tie, we, we tend to discount their reach, maybe because it's like, yeah, and I have a great example of that this girl that we photographed for a long time and I'm very honest, we photographed her, so she was like five or six and she's now out of high school and goes to community college and works full-time. Her mom is a single mom and they always would come in anytime, we would do something somewhat promotional or whatever. Not ever big spenders, which is totally fine, but they love what we did. And we have outside sales reps, right, and I just recently did a little kind of an email out looking for a few more because some of I have moved or, you know, things have changed. I wanted to bring a few more in and she applied and I thought I'm literally rolling my eyes, thinking okay, and I'm not going to say no, I have never been more wrong about something in my whole life, like she works at a country club, she rides horses and she waits tables at a. She waits, she waits tables at this country club. She has given our name out more than half of my reps all combined.
Speaker 2:Like I'm, like you're 18 years old and you're killing it, like you know, because I know what her commissions are. Like you know, and I would have, I think, a couple of years ago I probably would have passed on her, but I thought you know what I adore her, I'm going to give her a shot and you know what, it's okay, she'll get a free head shot and it'll be fine because she's been a great client her whole life. You know, I was so wrong, I was so incredibly wrong about her and I love that. I mean, I like being wrong, that's that's hey.
Speaker 2:I have no problem being wrong about that all day long, but it's just funny, you know, I just really wouldn't have thought that and that's shame on me, I mean, and it's not a reflection of how I feel about that generation or anything. It's a reflection of how I felt that how's an 18 year old going to have a reach to a demograph, to my ideal client? And I just discounted the fact that she rides, which is an incredibly expensive hobby, you know hobby and she works at one of the best clubs in the city. So she's meeting these people all day long and she's incredibly lovable. It doesn't surprise me at all that people fall in love with her and want you know, want to take her advice, you know, yeah totally.
Speaker 1:Well, that's awesome, isn't?
Speaker 2:that cool? Yeah, it's cool. So just again, long game. Long game, like just things that I don't know, Like I, I don't. And I also feel like a couple years ago, when I was in a little bit more of, like you know, grind mode, I'd like to pretend, like pretend that I was. Let's be honest, I don't know that ever really was, but when I was doing more things I would have been way more like worked up about this. But I think now I've just kind of settled in. I call myself semi-retired.
Speaker 1:Do you? Yes, I found myself.
Speaker 2:I happened to Waffles Waffles was, you know, trying to charge and take over a little Chihuahua the other day and I run outside and I'm getting wrangling that little butt head back inside and my neighbors outside. We have lived next to each other since Jack, for 20 years, and we're perfect neighbors. We love it when we see each other, but we're totally cool if we don't Like. We're great neighbors and I love and I do love them and our kids grew up together and they're good friends. But I was like well, I'm semi-retired. Now she was talking about wanting to do like a this go to take this trip. I'm like, well, I'm semi-retired, I can go. And I'm she's like you're not semi-retired. I'm like no, I am, I am in my heart, I am semi-retired. And Daryl comes out and he goes just because you're done with the board of directors doesn't mean you're semi-retired. You still work an entire full-time job and you consult. And you I was like no, no, no, no, no. Don't tell me that I feel semi-retired and that is.
Speaker 1:That is what I'm going to go with Well, do I get to be so? So does I get to be semi-retired. You're going to feel semi-retired.
Speaker 2:And next, this time next year or next March not, not, not March of 25, you're going to feel semi-retired because it's going to be so much time.
Speaker 2:You're not going to believe it I just, and you know the funny thing is is that I don't care about stuff as much as I do. I just don't get all wound up about it. I'm like, okay, well, you know, if that's how you want to be, you can be that way. I don't. I'm not going to respond. I literally got an email. Oh my God, I got an email last night and it was a very passive, aggressive, gaslight email, like it was just and it's another group that I volunteer with and you know what I did. I'd be old me would have. I mean, I would have Irish Catholic, that I would have. I would have. I've got my dukes up, y'all. You can't see me, but I'd have been throwing fists with my typing right Mm-hmm. I deleted it.
Speaker 1:So you didn't, you couldn't even come back to it. I didn't respond.
Speaker 2:I didn't want it. I literally justified it to myself. I was like I don't even want to see this. When I wake up in the morning and go to my email box, I'm just going to delete it and pretend like it never happened. Pretend like it never happened. So that's where I'm at with it. That's wonderful, that's you know, what I just I know, and the old me would have absolutely responded.
Speaker 2:I probably would have written it and sent it to you and asked you. It just sounds too harsh, or you know? Nope, just deleted it, just flat out went doop Bye. No, ma'am, not today. Yes, exactly Next, next. I know so, honestly. It was sent to several people and somebody else. Let somebody else deal with it. I don't need to deal with it, somebody else. Oh, that's where I'm at now too, I know.
Speaker 2:Oh man, I know, I know so well this will come out Okay, so this will be done, but you're heading to Atlanta. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:It'll be coming out while I'm in. Atlanta I hope some people are heading.
Speaker 2:I hope guys are. Well, this will come out and you'll be there, so it'll be too late for people to come. You'll have missed it.
Speaker 1:Well, maybe you came to the class and you're checking out our podcast as a result of the class.
Speaker 2:There you go there you go yeah there's a really great event happening in Atlanta this week, which today is the 24th of October. Just to give you guys a little landmark, what do you have after that? We haven't really talked about that. Do you have any? Your year might be wrapping up, I guess.
Speaker 1:My year is wrapping up as far as travel goes. I don't I've got, like some, some it'll pick back up in January. Yeah, I've got. I've got several more trips after January or in January and February, but this year I think I'm just going to see the Dallas Professional Photographers.
Speaker 2:Yep, it was a nice group, yep. And I want to say that's my last trip of the year it was mine, because they had it fairly late in December. I remember thinking, wow, we're just sliding right in before Christmas, yeah. Yeah that's a big group, that's a great group. So you'll get to see PG and Larry.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:My friend Emily McClure will be there too. Okay, some other other Dallas folks, it'll be cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a great group. Yeah, I remember that was a nice group, that's a lot of fun, and then, before we know it, we'll be at Imaging USA, y'all I mean.
Speaker 1:I know I got to get on these outfits.
Speaker 2:That's why we were talking about outfits. To be honest with you, it's like what are you going to wear at Imaging? And I'm so excited I get to walk and present a few people medals this year and I thought I wasn't going to dress up for the for the awards night, but now I am. So I'm sending you know how it is guys. You send pictures. I'm like is this hideous? Is this ugly? What do you think of this? So that was what we were doing before we started podcasting was deciding if what I was choosing was absolutely hideous or not, because again it was a little bit of a fever dream when I picked some of these things out.
Speaker 1:I'm writing the line between over the top and you know, and oh that you know she can pull that off. Like it's between, it's between she can pull that off, or who does she think she is? You know what I mean. Like that's, these are the. You know, like I'm just trying to land on she could pull that off. Yeah, you know what I mean. What I don't want is a oh, I wouldn't have done that. That's not what.
Speaker 2:Okay, but that that just is going to happen. There's going to always be somebody. It's like. It's like. You know, when we all decided to have seven margaritas and get a tattoo and there's, there's lots of people in my life that went, huh, that was a really bold choice, not was not something I would have done. Okay, that's fine that I can live with, but the who does she think she is? That's the one you need to stay away from. Well, yeah.
Speaker 1:I guess I have an answer for that this year, you know president, yeah but um, yeah, I don't know, I've got a few more. I've got a few more looks I got to send your way, for you know, we need to decide if it's a who, does she think she is yeah, or she can pull that off.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're gonna do like an OOTD every day. I don't think. Maybe that's what my job will be. I'll just come and photograph the outfit of the day, so that you'll have an entire Outfit of the day, like we'll do you kind of like in your jam jams and then outfit of the day and then you can do a really cool TikTok of you know. Imaging USA from the president of PPA. It'll just be about the app that looks yeah and like seven of us will watch it. It'll be so fun yeah seven.
Speaker 1:We'll work for so hard on it. That's what happens. We'll work so hard on this TikTok and we'll be like this is my masterpiece.
Speaker 2:Girl that TikTok I post. My TikToks are like the, what every TikTok is like. Don't do this, it's just pictures of my friends, because I want to. If TikTok sticks around, I want to be able to look back and go look at us. Look at us at the Bourbon and Beyond Festival, or look at us at the you know the game or whatever, the one I posted of us from Louisville. It got for me. It like was almost a thousand, which is for me. Is that like it might as well be a million, cause like I have like five followers on TikTok. But but yeah, I got a lot of.
Speaker 1:Got a lot of love and I was like maybe I don't know why, but I'm here for it. I'm not. I no longer care to understand the algorithm.
Speaker 2:I don't want to know.
Speaker 1:I don't want to know. I just want to blindly put out things sporadically at the schedule that suits me and wait for no one to see it. Agree.
Speaker 2:And I just, I just want to. I just want to giggle Like I'm not y'all that kitty one, I can't. I, I will be giggling about that. I will be showering tonight or I'll wake up in the morning. I will still be giggling. Please check it out, because you will. You too will giggle, it'll make your whole gosh darn day, cause it is, it is a. That's what gives me life, that, or? Now I'm going to be honest here. I will watch some TikToks and I will say to myself who does she think she is?
Speaker 1:Well, I love that you were watching, I love that I just showed you my new shoes and you're like oh, you got those. And then a few minutes earlier she had seen on TikTok that some TikToker hates these shoes.
Speaker 2:She literally said the five shoes I hate. And here they are. I was like if you wear these, just give up on life.
Speaker 1:Well, consider me giving up, because I have them on my feet and I love them and they're so comfy.
Speaker 2:I love them. Well, the funny thing about it is, I had just seen them and I thought I think I should order those. I think you should order those, cause this guy, what does he know? A who cares?
Speaker 1:Who cares what he thinks?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I just looked at them because I was like that is so cute, because I've always been a big Chuckailers fan.
Speaker 1:I think I like them.
Speaker 2:I have several pairs of Chuckailers, but the old school just.
Speaker 1:Yeah, if you're wondering which ones these are, they're what are they? The Chuckailer runners? All, all star runners or something like that. They're, they're, they're, they're cool. They have a running shoe bottom.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so they're not like the flat ones. That's what I'm with. I like them, but they're so flat that I I can't wear them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, these are. These are all the run star hike platform. Yep, their platform. They got all kinds of spikies on them. Yeah, they're coming, a bunch of different colors and patterns and they also come in PPA red. So Up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there you go. So there you go. So just a heads up, guys. We're going to, like I said, this is October, the week of October 24th, so this will come out this week and then we'll have a couple more weeks, but we will be taking off a little bit of time for the holidays, mm, hmm. But don't worry, we will be back with some imaging USA updates and different things like that, and we'll be back next week as well. But yeah, just in case you're planning, you're listening schedule.
Speaker 1:Don't worry, some of you do, some of you guys do, you're I. You're the first person to go. Where is the episode?
Speaker 2:Why is it an episode? I'm sorry, we just haven't gotten it out yet.
Speaker 1:I know we do, we do.
Speaker 2:We try, we do, we try our darn best. All for you guys. But anyway, well, hang in there, guys. If you're working on something and it's not paying off quite yet, don't give up. That's my, that's my whole takeaway from from this week is that, because things do all of a sudden, just you never know when they may pop up and really pay off.
Speaker 1:So you, never know, there we go, never know. Yeah Well, I'm going to wrap it up. You guys can follow us on Instagram I get your shoot together. You can follow us on Facebook at get your shoot together. You can email us at girl like get your shoot together dot com, and you can subscribe to us everywhere we're podcasts are played. We will see you guys next time. Thanks y'all.