Mindset & Money Mastery for Photographers with Karinda K.
57. Business Books Every Photographer Needs to Read
Dec 27, 2023Episode 57
Karinda K.
Have you ever felt stuck in your business and personal growth?
Get ready for a reignition as I share my transformative journey from struggling to thriving in my business, fueled by books like "Get Your SHT Together" and "You Are a Badass."
Join me as we explore the potent impact of storytelling in marketing, drawing insights from "Building a Story Brand" and "All Marketers Tell Stories." Learn to craft narratives where your clients become the champions of your brand's narrative, shifting your mindset and strategy to a new professional chapter.
The excitement continues as I open up about my upcoming business book, "The Unicorn." Dive into the rollercoaster of writing experiences, from overcoming the challenge of a lost editor to the thrilling moment of finalizing the manuscript. This episode isn't just about the book; it's a journey of resilience and determination.
Get ready to transform and become unstoppable in your photography business journey!
Have you ever felt stuck in your business and personal growth?
Get ready for a reignition as I share my transformative journey from struggling to thriving in my business, fueled by books like "Get Your SHT Together" and "You Are a Badass."
Join me as we explore the potent impact of storytelling in marketing, drawing insights from "Building a Story Brand" and "All Marketers Tell Stories." Learn to craft narratives where your clients become the champions of your brand's narrative, shifting your mindset and strategy to a new professional chapter.
The excitement continues as I open up about my upcoming business book, "The Unicorn." Dive into the rollercoaster of writing experiences, from overcoming the challenge of a lost editor to the thrilling moment of finalizing the manuscript. This episode isn't just about the book; it's a journey of resilience and determination.
Get ready to transform and become unstoppable in your photography business journey!
Welcome to Mindset and Money Mastery for Photographers the podcast. We help overwhelmed photographers make more money while simplifying their business by mastering their you guessed it mindset and money. Tune in each week for practical and actionable tips to take your photography business up a notch. Let's dive right in.
Speaker 2:
Hey guys, today I have a really big announcement for you all on the podcast and I am just been dying to share this with all of you. If you're in my coaching program or if you attended the Equine Photography Summit, you already know about this, but kind of listen to hear the story of why we're doing this and what's happening. So through my journey as a photographer and as a business owner, something that really helped me grow was reading books. I actually was not a book person. I would not consider myself a person that loved to read. I did. When I was growing up I loved to read. I was the person that read the most books every year in school and got some special award. But as an adult I just didn't enjoy reading and I actually started reading books probably like I think it was six or seven years ago. I picked up this book called Get your SHIT Together and when I picked up this book and started reading it, it was kind of my first experience and the realm of mindset work and the power of mindset and reading that book really changed my perception on a lot of things and it really made me fall in love with reading business and self-development books. Since then I have read so many books. Guys. I have an entire bookshelf. I don't know. I probably have like 50, 60 books over there in my bookshelf, plus all the audiobooks and digital books on my phone. All of that stuff. There's a lot and I've read so many of them.
Speaker 2:
And what I wanted to do today is I wanted to share with you some of my favorite books related to business and personal growth and some books that really helped change my perception on things. You might have heard me mention these books in passing before, but I wanted to share those and then at the end I'm going to share with you my favorite book and the book I'm the most excited about. So I mentioned the Get your SHIT Together book. I love that book. It's amazing. It's a great way to start on the journey of personal development and understand the way you think and what you focus on can become your reality and how you can make the reality you want to have your life. It's a little bit woo-woo, but I do really love the book.
Speaker 2:
The second book I love are the you Are a Badass books by Jensen Sarrow, and those are truly awesome. They're amazing. She has your Badass and your Badass at Making Money. I promise I read books that don't have curse words in the title, but those just happen to be the two books that caught my eye in the early days of reading business and self-development books that I have really, really loved. So your Badass is one of those books that I actually at one point in time I ordered like 30, 40 copies of it or something ridiculous, because I loved it so much and I thought that everybody I met needed to read it. And I would randomly be talking to people or talk to my friends, or I went to the movies with this girl that I'm friends with. We were talking and I was like you need this book. Hold on, I'm going to go get you this book. I'm like, hold on, here's the book is. I would just pass out copies of this book like candy because I firmly believe that everybody needed to read the You're a Badass book. It really helps take you into a level of taking power in your business and what you're doing and just going for it. I love that book. If you want a great book to kind of kick off your journey of personal development books, check that one out. You are going to love it.
Speaker 2:
The next few books are all marketing related books. They are Building a Story Brand, finding your why and the 22 Laws of Marketing. Building a Story Brand is so good. It's a Donald Miller book and it's really about learning to tell stories and build a story in your business, and that book is so, so good. And actually, while we're on the theme of stories, I'm going to tell you about another book. All marketers tell stories and actually it says lies and lies is crossed out and it says stories. Don't worry, I'll drop all the information for all these books in the show notes so you can go check them out. But really, what these two books help you do is learn that marketing is really about a story, a journey, being able to spin the story, tell the story the right way and tell the story in a way that it isn't about you, and that's really why I love Building a Story Brand. Building a Story Brand is telling a story that relates to you and what's important to you and what matters to you, but making your client the hero of the story, making your client the person that the story's about, so they can feel themselves and see themselves in the story, which is the journey of working with you as a brand. I think it's so powerful and it really helps change my perspective on marketing.
Speaker 2:
And what marketing was? The book that's called All Marketers Tell Stories. That book is not what I plan on talking about, but as soon as I started talking about stories, I knew I had to share this one with you as well. It is just a really good look at the way you talk, the way you spin your story, the way you say things matters and it's little nuances and the way you tell your story and your marketing and your brand that can make or break your business. If you haven't listened to the podcast episode called, I Can't Even Give Away a Free Session. That is a great podcast episode that shows you the power of marketing in spinning your story Because, depending on the way you tell your story and the way you use your marketing and your business, you can either sound like the desperate guy that can't even give away his sushi on the street corner or you can sound like the guy who is building this business that is amazing and creates this buzz and this excitement around his business and everybody wants to be a part of it because it sounds and feels so cool. That is really the power in marketing and the power in the way you tell the story and spin the story, and so if you are like marketing is something I struggle with, I definitely recommend reading those two books to figure out the storytelling side of marketing and how important that is.
Speaker 2:
The next book is going to be Find your why. Find your why is so good at helping you discover the deeper meaning behind what you're doing as a business owner. We have a couple of podcast episodes where I talk about your why. I truly believe, as a photographer, it's like the compass of your business. It's really like the moral compass of what you're going to do in your business. You want to make sure that things you do align with your why, or else your business is going to feel really out of touch and it's really not going to feel good to you. So if you are not sure what your why is, go check out the book Find your why. There's two books Find your why and Start With why. They kind of go hand in hand, but those books are so powerful and so good. Go to YouTube. There's a ton of YouTube videos out there you can watch too. Go listen to my podcast episodes about the compass of your business and finding your why as well. I'm going to talk more about that.
Speaker 2:
Finding your why is about the deeper meaning, the ooey gooey thing inside of you that makes your heart go pitter-patter and makes you Continue to do this, even when things are hard, even when things are difficult. And really, your why is not like, oh, I just want to make some money for my family, or oh, I just want to be able to support myself. That's really not your why. Your why is something deeper. Your why is something like.
Speaker 2:
Not everybody can say so. If I ask you right now, what do you think your why is? And you give some sort of thing that's like, oh, I want to make people remember their horses forever. I want people to never forget their family members. I don't know. Whatever it might be some blanket statement. If you say, could any other photographer say that? And if the answer is yes, then that's not really your why. Yet you need to go deeper and you need to go further. And if you're struggling with that, check out the book, find your why or start with why, go through those books and really dive into your why and the value of your why.
Speaker 2:
The next book that was really a good read and honestly I'll tell you it was a little bit hard to get through. It wasn't quite as exciting, but it's the 22 laws of marketing and it really talks about basic marketing fundamentals. So it's like really strategic, business-based marketing strategy. It's not the most fun book ever, it's not the most exciting, it's not the most comical book ever, but it has so many good lessons and rules on marketing. It feels a bit more like reading a textbook on marketing because it is very strategic and to the point, but it is really good and if marketing is something you're struggling with, you definitely want to check that out because it's gonna help you again look at marketing in a different way and understand the principles and the basics of marketing or the laws of marketing, like the book is called.
Speaker 2:
The next book that I Truly love, that I think Everybody should read and everybody should be using and implementing in their business, is called profit first. Profit first is Truly such a powerful book that will help you manage your money differently as a business owner and Understand how to look at finances in your business. So many people are scared of money, so many people are scared of finances, and dealing with finances in their business, that profit first gives you a very practical solution to dealing with your money. If you listen to the podcast episode called what should my session fee be? We kind of talk about this concept a little bit there and we talk about how to use these percentages like profit first uses in your photography business To actually reverse engineer how much your clients need to be spending with you. That is one of our first episodes. I think it's episode two or three, so it's back in the early days of the podcast. So go check that out. Go read profit first. It is so good. There's also YouTube videos. You can find podcasts. You can find lots of content about profit first.
Speaker 2:
But what you really need to understand is how you can use the standard percentages based on normal businesses to Essentially distribute your money every month in your business, to put money aside for yourself, to put money aside for taxes, to put money aside for Savings and also to keep your expenses in check, because you want to make sure you're not overspending Expenses. That way you can't pay yourself. You want to make sure all your numbers kind of line up and fit into those standard business principles there. So go check that book out, go search YouTube, read it, watch videos about it. It's really amazing and you're going to love this system once you start using it and you're gonna be like whoa, I have money in my business now. Now, all my money isn't disappearing. Now I understand my money, but it will really help you look at your money in a new way. Now for the encore. My favorite business book is called the Unicorn, and you're probably like Carinda. What is unicorn? So drumroll, please.
Speaker 2:
I have been writing a book for the last. I don't know. It was an idea that was born over three years ago. I vividly remember the day that I decided I was going to write a book and I decided what the book was going to be called. I was pregnant with Kai. Kai turns three in January, so it was over three years ago that this happened and I remember we went to Barnes Noble.
Speaker 2:
My husband and I love going shopping at bookstores and he goes and looks at his stuff, whatever he likes to read, I don't really know how to describe it. I go to the business section at Barnes Noble and every time we go there, I go and I like look for books and I'm trying to find new books to look at, and I like pick up random books and like open up a page and I'm like, do I want to read this one? I don't know. And I buy lots of random books. That's why I own so many books and then over time I just pull one out and start reading it.
Speaker 2:
And I had this idea and I was like you know what? I want to write a book. And I was like I want to write a business book and I want it to be the unicorn the unicorn of business books. And I want to write a book that just shares all of the lessons and principles and things that I wish I would have known in those first few years of my business, the things that I have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars learning and hundreds of hours learning, and I just want to put it into a book that is accessible and that people can just pick up and read and start to look at their business in an entirely new way. So in January we are releasing our book, the Unicorn, and it will be available for sale. You can pre-purchase it online and I will actually package it up and send it to you with a little note. Or, if you're going to be at ImagingUSA and you want to pick it up there. You can pre-purchase it and select that you want to pick it up at Imaging or you can just come by it at Imaging as well. But I am so excited for this, guys.
Speaker 2:
It has been such a labor of love and just tears, and I think what's been really interesting about this journey is that I'm a firm believer that when you're trying to do really good things in the life of that, the devil comes out and he kicks you in the butt and he tries to kick you over so that you can't do it. And I would say that's been an accurate representation of what's happened with this book. It's been hard, it's been a journey. I actually hate writing. I am not a fan of writing things, I think it's not my best skill, but I've had to learn to be a better writer and in the journey of writing this book it's really forced me to face that and deal with that and to decide that I am a good writer and I can sit down and write amazing things. And I have had oh my goodness, I've had a copywriter that was helping me with the book, an editor essentially helping me with the book that quit on me halfway through because of some personal reasons, and then trying to find somebody to step in and help me finish editing the rest of the book and get it done in time has just been a crazy, crazy journey.
Speaker 2:
But it has really taught me that when you want to do something and you know so deep down inside that what you're doing is powerful and important that you can't go to bed at night without letting those ideas go out there and be put on paper and get them in the hands of people. And this is so important to me and I am so freaking excited for it. I believe that it is everything that I wish. I just could have known that somebody would have just told me about business ownership. It's going to be mindset, because you know I love mindset, and mindset is important as a business owner. It's going to be your why, how your why relates to your photography business, how you can build a business that feels good for you and yourself. We're going to be talking about pricing pricing psychology in there. We're going to be talking about marketing strategies. We're going to be talking about taking your clients to that experience. It's going to be so good and, honestly, the editor that I did end up finding after a lot of heartache over this.
Speaker 2:
She was saying like I want all of my students to read this. I wish I could just put this book in all the hands of my students who aren't even photographers, who are just creatives and writers and put this in their hands and say y'all need to read this. Because she was like it is so good and there's so many valuable lessons in this. Corinda, this is powerful and this is going to change people's lives and I am just incredibly excited about it. I know it's going to be good. This isn't just some little. I don't know if you've ever bought like a little dinky business book where you get it and you're like I read that in like 30 seconds. That was a joke. No, this is like 250 pages of jam packed content psychology, strategy, research I mean I don't even know how many random studies are cited for different things that are important in business, but there's so many good things in there and I really am just excited to be able to share this with you and put this out into the world, because I know y'all are going to love it and I know it's going to be so good.
Speaker 2:
I've had a few people that have gotten a sneak peek of the book and they have come back just absolutely loving what they've read. I think the coolest part was sending it to my family and being like, hey, I'd love for you to read this and hearing, like my mom and my sisters, who were like, whoa, this is good, like you know all this stuff. That was a cool feeling. So that's just me being transparent and sharing. But I am so excited about this. Like I said, it's everything that I wish I could have just read a book and learned in one book and it's put into all of the stuff I've learned all these years and a lot of lessons.
Speaker 2:
I've learned a lot of research, a lot of studying that I've done over the years in business and I cannot wait for y'all to read it. I cannot wait for y'all to get your hands on it. I cannot wait for imaging to be able to have these books in my hand and show people that I have published a book and that I'm here with my book and that this book is going to help people make more money, find more fulfillment, master their mindset and do so much more as business owners. So I am excited for that. So check out the link in our profile. You can pre-order the book. I will also put a link to all of my favorite books I love personally and give those a shout out in the show notes. And if you're planning on coming to Imaging, let me know You're going to be there whenever you pre-order the book. You can pre-order it and have it shipped to you or you can choose to have it picked up at Imaging as well. So just choose which option you'd prefer. Like I said, if you pre-order, I'm going to include a note for you in your book. So that's another part of pre-ordering.
Speaker 2:
I am just y'all. Going to Imaging is just a pinch me moment to be there and to be a vendor and just being able to meet all of you as a vendor there and have the book there and do all the things, and it's truly a dream. And if you would have told me, I don't know, eight years ago when I went to Imaging for the first time, that one day I would be there with a book, selling my book and helping people build their businesses, I think I probably would have told you you were crazy and you'd lost your mind. But here I am and this is the journey that life takes us on and when you learn that helping people build their businesses is just so cool. And getting to see each and every one of you celebrate your wins with you, getting to see the things you've done, that makes my heart go pitter-patter.
Speaker 2:
In November, when we did the equine photography summit, like getting to spend that time with y'all and get to know y'all over a few days time and hear your stories and teach you and share with you and just do life with you for those few days. Holy smokes, that was so good. And if y'all are listening to this podcast episode and you were on the summit, you know what I'm talking about, because it was freaking awesome. I'm sure your brains are still recovering because there was so much good content shared. And if you weren't on the summit and you're like what the heck is this summit? What did I miss? Carinda, you can actually go purchase the recordings of the summit if you wanna come back and listen to the summit later on so I can post that in the show notes as well for you.
Speaker 2:
But really like getting to host these events, getting to write this book, getting to be on this podcast and share with you. This makes me happy, this makes me excited. This brings me joy in just knowing that I can make a difference in your life. So I hope that each and every one of you has had an amazing year. I hope that y'all are gearing up for the new year. I hope that y'all are already strategizing and making a plan for the new year.
Speaker 2:
If you're struggling to make a plan for the new year or you don't know what to do, you don't know what that vision is. Check out your magic year. We're actually doing some vision yearly planning stuff in there right now and you can get access to those trainings if you join us inside your magic year as well. So make sure you go check that out. I can now wait to see y'all. If you see me at Imaging, come say hi, come introduce yourself. Tell me you listen to the podcast. Tell me you follow us, whatever it might be. Tell us you listen to us on YouTube. Also, if you haven't checked out our YouTube and you're listening to this on the podcast, go do that, because we do have YouTube videos and you get to see me talking and you actually don't get to just hear my voice. You get to see me and there's actually some extra special content on YouTube that is only available on YouTube, so make sure you go check those out.
Speaker 2:
I love y'all. Thank you for coming along on this ride with me this year. It has truly been phenomenal. I've loved every moment of it and to any of you that have been here, been listening to this, just know that I'm here for you. If you need anything, please reach out, please post in our photography business tune-up group and please just connect with us, because I love getting to hear from you. I say us, it's just really me. It's just me. I do have some help, but it is me. So I love getting to hear from you and I hope you have an amazing year. I love each and every one of you and I hope and pray that you find the magic in your business over the next year and I cannot wait to continue going on that journey with you on the podcast, in the book in your magic year if you decide to hop on over in there. Bye, guys.
Speaker 1:
Thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to support the podcast, please make sure you share it on social media or leave a rating and review. As always, you can check out the links and resources in the show notes over at masteryourmindmoneycom. To catch all the latest from me, you can follow me on Instagram at masteryourmindmoney, and don't forget to join our free Facebook group. Photography Business. Tune Up with Corinne Decay.