Freedom Focus Photography

Four Stages of Growth

• Nicole Begley • Episode 280

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280 - Ever feel stuck in your photography business, wondering how some photographers are booking high-end clients while you’re grinding for low-paying gigs? 

In this episode of the Freedom Focus Photography podcast, Nicole Begley kicks off a 10-part pricing series by unveiling the four levels of photography business growth. Learn how to move from budget-friendly shoots to luxe, high-end sales—without feeling salesy or pushy.

What to Listen For:

  • The four levels of photography business growth: Swift, Stork, Eagle, and Peacock
  • Why earning $2,000+ per client is the fastest path to a six-figure income
  • How to avoid burnout from serving too many low-paying clients
  • The key differences between selling photography and selling an experience
  • Transitioning from digital-only packages to profitable product-based offerings
  • The hotel analogy that makes pricing levels crystal clear
  • Avoid staying too long at this level, which can stall your business growth
  • The mindset shift required to confidently raise your prices
  • What makes a $5,000 sale feel effortless for top-tier photographers

Where are you in your photography business journey? Are you still stuck offering low-cost digitals, or are you ready to soar into those $2,000+ average sales? No matter your level, this episode will help you map out your next steps. Want more guidance? Visit freedomfocusformula.com for resources that will help you grow your business with confidence and clarity. 🎯 Don’t forget to subscribe and catch the next episode of our 10-part pricing series!

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Nicole Begley (00:01)
I'm Nicole Begley, a zoological animal trainer turned pet and family photographer. Back in 2010, I embarked on my own adventure in photography, transforming a bootstrapping startup into a thriving six-figure business by 2012. Since then, my mission has been to empower photographers like you, sharing the knowledge and strategies that have helped me help thousands of photographers build their own profitable businesses. I believe that achieving $2,000 to $3,000 sales is your fastest route to six-figure businesses;

that any technically proficient photographer can consistently hit four figure sales. And no matter if you want photography to be your full-time passion or a part-time pursuit, profitability is possible. If you're a portrait photographer aspiring to craft a business that aligns perfectly with the life you envision, then you're in exactly the right place. With over 350,000 downloads, welcome to the Freedom Focus Photography Podcast.

Nicole (01:01)
Hey everybody and welcome to the special pricing series here of the Freedom Focus Photography podcast. I'm your host, Nicole Bagley, and I started my photography business back in 2010. I do still serve some photography clients here in Charlotte, North Carolina, with an average sale just under $3,500 and a cost of goods sold of 17.7%. And I also focus a lot of my time helping photographers like you.

make more money in their business, either by mastering the craft at the Hair of the Dog Academy or at Freedom Focus Formula by helping them make more money, build their business, and grow their business. Over the past, gosh, 10 years that I've been coaching photographers, I have worked with over a thousand photographers and I have noticed some themes that I've put together that I really just want to talk about during this 10-part series. Now, for today's episode,

I want to start off with talking about the different levels of a photography business, of which there are four. Actually, if you look at a lot of different types of businesses, there's these similar levels of business in almost every type of industry. I'm going to compare our photography business to hotels because, well, I'm a bit of a travel addict. I love to travel and I love to stay at some nice hotels. This is a great way to help

help you see the similarities and might allow you to see a little bit about where you might fit in right now in your business. So by the end of this episode, I want you to know exactly where your business is sitting right now, where you want your business to be, and how to move forward to those next levels because I believe firmly that reaching an average sale of $2,000 up to $3,000 per sale as your average is the fastest way

to get to a six figure business as a portrait photographer, full stop.

Because if you're making $500 a sale, that is going to be 200 clients you need to serve in a year. I'm just tired thinking about that. Where if you have a $3,000 average sale, it's 33 clients. If you have a $2,000 average sale, it is 50 clients. So it's a lot easier to get to those goals of where you want to be once you start to reach those higher levels. And a lot of people feel like, my gosh, that's so out of reach.

but it's really not by the end of this 10 part series, you're going to see how easy it is and what you need to do in order to get there. But like I said today, let's focus on these four levels and yeah, and I want to compare them to the hotel industry.

So let's start with our first level, which is the Swift level. It is called the Swift level because I am a bird nerd. I used to train birds for a living for several years and I absolutely love them. Each of my four pricing levels is named after a bird. Now, Swifts are those little tiny birds you might see feeding at night, flying all over the place, eating lots of bugs. They actually eat about 10,000 bugs a night, so they are very, very busy.

And that is why I labeled this first level the swift level, because generally these are entry level photographers that are just starting out. So they might be doing that all inclusive, low cost pricing where it's, you know, $250 and includes X number of digital files. Now, if you're there right now, you might've heard others in the industry saying you're ruining the industry. I don't think that's true. I think it's just you're starting your business and

Maybe you need to create a portfolio and you would like to make some money while you create a portfolio and you're learning how to master your craft and no one said you can't get paid a little bit while you master your craft. And to move up to these other levels that we're going to talk about requires you to then focus on building the experience of your business, learning how to sell products and you can't do everything at once. So it makes sense that when you enter the industry, you might be starting here at the swift level at that all inclusive

digital files lower cost level. There is nothing wrong with that. Just know that if you stay at this level for a long time, you're likely going to get burnout and it's very, very challenging to get to the point of actually being profitable at this level. It is just that, a stepping stone, a way to bootstrap your income as you get started when you are starting at this level.

Think about the Swift level in terms of the hotel industry kind of as that roadside motel. It's inexpensive, it's functional, you'll get a place to sleep, but the quality of the experience might vary wildly. Some are actually quite nice while others leave you wishing you brought your own sheets. So very similar to kind of a low cost experience. Some photographers give a great experience, others, well, they need to continue practicing at this level.

So that is kind of our level one. Everyone starts here. There's nothing wrong with you being here. If this is the level that you're at, I just want you to know that this is not a level that you should stay at because often you'll be working really hard but barely breaking even. And if you stay here too long, you're going to be questioning whether this business is even viable.

So moving on to level two, that is our stork level. You guys know the stork. They bring in change, they deliver babies. And we never had any storks that actually delivered babies. So I don't know. I don't think that's actually where babies come from, but we'll leave that for another episode. In the hotel industry, I would liken the stork to the Hampton Inn. It is consistent, it's dependable, it's comfortable. It's a solid choice for anyone needing a reliable place to sleep and shower.

These are the types of places that we stay at when we go to horse show weekends or soccer tournaments when you're really just going to be at the hotel to sleep and shower, maybe have some breakfast, maybe eat some dinner, but you're not like excited to hang out at the hotel all day. It is place to sleep. So at the Stork level of photography business, this is where people start to transition from that low cost shoot and burn sessions into product based offerings.

Your revenue is growing, but profitability might still feel a little bit out of reach. Your confidence is growing, but you're also still getting quite a bit of imposter syndrome that might be sneaking in. At this level, you're ready for more, but you may be unsure how to make that leap to those higher sales. Generally, it's where you start to bring in some different products. Maybe you start selling some wall art or some albums.

and you're starting to create that experience for your client, but it takes time. Remember, all of this doesn't happen overnight. I never, ever, ever want any of my students to be waiting until everything is in place in their business before they start serving clients because guess what? That day's never gonna come. I've been in my photography business for 15 years and there are still plenty of things that I wanna update and change.

in my business, it is just a revolving door. You're always improving it. You're always looking for ways to shift it and improve it and grow it. So it's never done. So at this level is where you're starting to make that transformation. You're starting to bring in some products. You're starting to elevate the experience. And generally at this level, you're often going to have your first thousand dollar sale, $1,500 sale. That can definitely happen and it can happen quickly. You don't have to

spend a year or two in the low cost in that swift level, you can move through these levels pretty quickly. All right, let's move on to level number three, the eagle level. This is my favorite level. This is the bread and butter of a portrait business. And this is the $2,000 plus average sale, generally in the two to $3,000 range. In the hotel world, this is the resort.

This is when the hotel becomes part of the experience itself. Think about some pool days, a spa day, some beautiful views. You're not just buying the room and the shower for a place to sleep and clean up. You are actually spending money to enjoy the experience. So your clients at this level of photography business are buying your services to enjoy the experience. It's not just about the final result.

They want to enjoy that experience with you. So at this level, we have photographers achieving consistent $2,000 plus sales. You're starting to get a lot more confidence in your pricing and how you're delivering value. Your business is profitable and there's room to reinvest to continue to grow your business. This is the sweet spot for building that sustainable six figure business. And at this level, your pricing, your messaging, your client experience are aligned to create those

consistent profitable sales.

All right, moving up to level four. This is the peacock level. We are talking lux, we are talking opulence. This is definitely the splurge level. At this level, photography businesses generally have $5,000 average sales. Clients are gonna seek you out for your exclusivity, because if you're having $5,000 sales, you're not serving 200 people a year. You're serving a handful of clients a month. You're getting paid very well.

You are giving them just an incredible client experience. There's a large amount of attention to detail. There are touch points throughout the process. Your client experience is off the charts. You're a recognized authority in your niche and you're commanding premium rates and you're offering premium products. At this level, you're no longer offering the regular products that your regular lab might offer. You're seeking out really beautiful

hand created exclusive products at this level. So what is this level in the hotel world? Think of the Ritz-Carlton's or Six Senses. The service is impeccable. The details are flawless and every moment is pure luxury. It's just like the previous level. The resort is certainly part of the experience, but you know you're also not going to have to lift a finger and you know the quality of everything.

is going to be the best of the best. Can you see how there's a difference between those two levels? If you want to experience it for yourself, no one says you have to go fork over the $1,000 plus to go stay at a Ritz-Carlton for a night. Go for dinner. Go hang out in the lobby bar and grab an appetizer and a cocktail. You can start to see how that experience is very different than maybe just a Hilton Resort or another kind of

you know, middle level dessert, dessert, Freudian slip Resort. And then also that's very different from that Hampton Inn experience. So again, there is no right or wrong in any of these levels, but to get to that peacock level, pretty much every business has to go through these other three levels to get there. And not everybody has to get to the peacock level. I've seen plenty of photographers that stick

Right in that Eagle level that $2,000 to $3,000 average sale and they have very successful incredible businesses So this super lux option is just that it's an option But I do want all of you if you want to have a profitable business To have the goal of getting to this level three that $2,000 a sale Eagle level because whether you're doing this part-time or full-time

That is going to be the quickest way to have a profitable business where you're getting paid well for your time because let's face it, it takes quite a bit of time for us to serve our clients. We're talking probably about 10 hours per client in order to plan the session, shoot the session, edit the session, create their artwork, order the artwork, deliver the artwork. There's a lot of time that goes into that, so we want to get paid for that.

So the main thing that's gonna move you from one level to the next is going to be that client experience. It's going to be the quality of the products that you're selling. It's gonna be the value that you're delivering.

And as you move through those, the pricing is going to go up. Your messaging is going to have to shift because what you're selling changes. Down at the Swift level, at that all-inclusive digital collection level, yeah, your messaging is, selling photography. But then once you get to that peacock level or that eagle level, the $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000 sales, you're no longer selling photography. You're selling custom artwork.

You're selling the memories of the relationship they have with their dog. You're selling an experience, like the actual experience of creating these images should be really fun that people just absolutely love. And so all of those different pieces continue to grow as you go through those levels. And like I said, you can move through these three, four levels pretty quickly, but generally you do need to take the time to move through them because your workflow

is going to, you know, you're going to perfect it as you move through. And one thing I like to remind people is, you know, we start this business and if you hung up your shingle today and then tomorrow, all of a sudden you had, you know, 50 clients that were spending $3,000 each, you wouldn't be able to handle it because you haven't built the systems in place. Like having this little stair step options as you grow your business is actually helping us in the long run. So,

Don't be too impatient to get there. mean, definitely still continue to get there as fast as you can, but just know that it's all part of the process.

So before we wrap up this first episode, I wanna know what level are you at now? What level do you wanna be at? Take a moment and reflect on your current business and dream about what's next.

Because here's the best part, those $2,000 plus sales are the easiest path to six figures and they are achievable no matter where you are, even if you are just starting out.

So if you're ready to move on to the next level, stay tuned to this series and you can also check out more resources at freedomfocusformula.com because that is your roadmap where we help you align your pricing, messaging and experience so you can continue to grow with confidence. I'll see you in the next episode.