If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a busy mom trying to build a thriving photography business, and I get it. I’ve been in your shoes—trying to balance motherhood and being a wife and homeschool my kids, all while growing a business that actually pays the bills. I remember wondering if I’d ever break through that income barrier and make a real living from photography.
I’m going to be totally transparent about what it really took for me to consistently hit $10k months. There were some tough lessons and moments of growth along the way, but I want to share them with you because if I can do it, you can too. So, wherever you are—whether you’re editing photos or making dinner—let’s dive in and get real about what it takes to grow a photography business that hits those big goals.
1. Looked at challenges as a chance to learn and grow
Okay, I’m going to be honest with you: I don’t like challenges. I like when things go the way I planned. It’s so much easier when you know what to expect, right? When everything goes smoothly, it feels great. No surprises, no stress. Easy peasy. But, here’s what I’ve learned over time—challenges are actually a way to level up in your business.
Challenges are not just problems; they’re opportunities to learn and get better.
Let’s say you’re doing a photoshoot and something doesn’t go as planned. Maybe the weather changes, or your gear doesn’t work the way it should. It’s frustrating! I get that. But instead of seeing it as a bad thing, you can think of it as a way to grow. What can you do to fix it? How can you make this a learning moment?
Here’s an example: Imagine you’re in the middle of a shoot, and it starts raining. Your plan for beautiful outdoor photos just isn’t going to work now. If you have a fixed mindset, you might think, “Great, this is ruined. I guess we’ll try again some other time.”
But if you look at it as an opportunity, you can say, “Okay, how can I make this work? Maybe I can get some cool shots in the rain, or maybe we can move indoors and try something creative with the lighting.”
Another example: Maybe you have a newborn session, and the baby just won’t stop crying. Instead of feeling defeated, you can take a moment to figure out what might help the baby settle down. By doing this, you’re learning skills that will help you in future sessions. This challenge makes you a better photographer.
The photographers who grow their business, book more clients, and make more money are the ones who take challenges and turn them into chances to get better.
When you can face problems and keep going, clients will trust you more and you’ll trust yourself more!
Think of something right now in your business that didn’t go according to plan and ask yourself: What can I learn from this??
Something that I’m really glad that I did is anytime I get challenging feedback from clients, maybe they didn’t like the photos or something unexpected happened, I use these feedback, both positive and negative, to push past my comfort zone and look at these as opportunities.
2. Made goals based on effort not outcome to hit $10k months with photography
Here is what I mean – I used to set goals that were all about the outcome like how many sessions I booked, how much money I made, or how many dream client followers I wanted to get on Instagram.
Not that those are necessarily bad – But I realized that I couldn’t always control those outcomes, and when I didn’t hit them, I’d feel like I failed on my goal.
What really changed things for me was when I started setting goals based on effort—things I could control. This was a huge mindset shift.
I would still set goals but I would focus on the actions I needed to take to hit those goals.
So Instead of focusing on booking 5 new clients in a month, I would set a goal like “I’m going to reach out to 10 people who’ve inquired about sessions.” That’s very clear if I did it or not right?
Or “I’m going to post consistently on Instagram three times a week for the next month.” I can go, “Okay, did I do that or not?”
These are things I could do no matter what, and they were steps that would ultimately lead to the outcome I wanted.
4. Watch my words to push past my comfort zone and stop playing small
This one might seem small, but it was a huge game changer for me—watching the words I was saying to myself.
For example, I used to say things like, “I’m not good at selling or I don’t like selling.” But what if I just add one simple word to those phrases:
YET.
That one word shifts the whole statement.
Instead of saying I’m not good at something, which feels final and limiting, I’d say, “I haven’t figured this out yet.” It keeps the door open for growth. It reminds me that I’m still learning, still improving, and that I can get there with time and practice.
Another example is switching up how I talked about tasks. Instead of saying “I have to do this,” I’d say “I get to do this.”
Small change but it makes a big impact.
When I said “I have to answer client emails,” it felt like a chore. But when I reminded myself, “I get to answer emails. I GET TO connect with clients and make their experience amazing, I’m so thankful to have clients” it shifted my perspective.
5. Celebrate small wins
I used to hit a goal and quickly move on to the next without stopping to celebrate. But I’ve learned that celebrating small wins is key to staying motivated. It’s important because growing a photography business takes time, and small victories along the way help keep you moving forward.
For example, when I raised my prices, it took a while to book clients at those new rates. But when I finally got that first booking at my higher prices, it was a huge win! Even though I hadn’t reached my big goal of $10k months yet, that booking showed me I was on the right track. It was progress.
How can you do this? Take a moment to acknowledge each step forward.
Whether it’s booking a client, finishing a task, or having a great conversation—celebrate those wins! They add up and give you the momentum to keep pushing toward your bigger goals.
6. Surround myself with positive influences
This one is so important. When I started really looking at who I was surrounding myself with, I realized how much of an impact it had on my mindset and my business. You’ve probably heard the saying, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” right? I didn’t really get how true that was until I experienced it myself.
I used to be part of this small group of photographers. The goal was to help each other grow our businesses, and in the beginning, it felt great! We’d bounce ideas off each other, share struggles, and celebrate wins. But there was this one photographer who was super talented—like, she had all the skills. But no matter what, she’d always complain about how she couldn’t charge higher prices, or how no one wanted to pay her what she was worth. Honestly, it felt like every conversation with her turned into a pity party about how things weren’t working for her.
At first, I didn’t think much of it, but over time, I started noticing that her negative mindset was bringing me down. I’d leave our meetings feeling more drained than inspired. It wasn’t her fault—she was just stuck in her own struggles—but I realized that being around that kind of energy wasn’t helping me. Eventually, I had to distance myself from that group. While there were good things about it, overall, it wasn’t a positive influence for me.
Now, I’m not saying you need to cut people off immediately, but take a step back and think about the people you’re surrounding yourself with.
Are the people surrounding you lifting you up, or are they constantly bringing you down? Do they believe in what’s possible, or are they always focusing on the obstacles?
You want to be around people who challenge you to grow and push you to be better—not people who hold you back.
Here’s something you can do to analyze your peer group: Ask yourself, after spending time with them, do I feel motivated and inspired, or do I feel drained and discouraged? Surround yourself with people who talk about ideas, goals, and solutions—not just problems. You want to be in an environment where growth is the focus, because that’s what’s going to help you hit those $10k months.
Maybe that means finding an accountability partner, joining a mastermind, or even just following positive influences on social media who encourage you to think bigger and push past your limits. You deserve to be around people who believe in you and where you’re going!
7. Continuously LEARN
I was, and still am, always taking a course or paying for mentoring or coaching – I’m never done learning.
When photographers think of learning, they usually think about improving photography skills like editing or posing. But to grow my business to $10k months, I knew it wasn’t just about taking better photos. I needed to learn about business—things like marketing, client communication and pricing…
One thing that really helped was setting aside time each month for personal development. I’d read a book, listen to a podcast, or take a course.
But the key was actually using what I learned. I think the trap a lot of us fall into is listening to a podcast like this or reading a blog or taking a course but never doing anything with that information.
Which is why I often say to you on this show – how would you treat this time, right now, listening to this podcast if you paid me $100 to listen to this? Would you take notes? Listen multiple times? Take action on the ideas? I hope you will because the content of this episode are the exact things I did as a photographer to improve my mindset, stop thinking small and finally hit $10k months consistently.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret –
Hitting those $10k months isn’t about some magic trick or hidden marketing secret. It’s about growing your business and yourself.
It’s about learning from challenges, setting goals you can actually control, and surrounding yourself with people who lift you up. And most importantly taking action on what you’ve learned.
I want you to ask yourself one simple question: what’s one thing you can do today to get closer to your goal?
Maybe it’s shifting how you think about a challenge, or maybe it’s putting something you’ve learned into practice. Whatever it is, take that step. You already have everything you need to break through that income ceiling—you just have to go for it!
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My friend, if you have a passion – it’s not an accident. Not everyone loves photography, or event planning, or real estate… whatever your passion is, it’s there for a REASON. What are you going to do with that passion? Get out there and make it happen! Have a great week y’all!
