nancy ray photography

last year when i attended love affair workshop, i sat under the teachings of 4 incredible lady photographers from all over the US. i have since become friends with the talented millie holloman, who lead a mini-workshop at love affair called “get it together.” I SOAKED UP THIS WORKSHOP LIKE A SPONGE. seriously, it was one of the most beneficial workshops of love affair in my opinion.  during the workshop, she kept alluding to a kit that she was working on, that would be released to photographers in a year or so. as soon as the Get It Together Kit was released, i had to have one! if it was anything like her mini-workshop, i knew it was going to help me.

i got more than i even expected.

whether you are beginning your photography business, or if you are many years into it,  the GITKIT will benefit you. i wish i had my hands on something like this 1  1/2 years ago when i went full time with my business!  however, i am so glad i have it now, so i can tweak my business to make it more productive and successful.  even if you are a successful photographer who doesn’t “need” a kit that helps you organize your business, i bet it would help you to simply compare how you run your business with how another successful photographer runs her business.

to be completely honest, i am a conservative person with how i spend my money.  while i knew it was going to be great, it was hard to pay $175 for a tiny book.  however, once i read the book and looked through the disc, i quickly realized how valuable this material is.  yes, it will be a complete waste of money if you buy the book and don’t read it or do anything with it.  when you purchase the kit, you have to agree with yourself to actually do the work. BUT, if you actually apply yourself, this kit will be worth much more than the $175 you put into it!  it will give you sanity and increase your bookings, which is priceless.

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a few of my favorites from the kit: [keep in mind there is MUCH MORE to the kit.  these are just a few of my personal favorites!]

• love your systems
this section of the book spoke to me because i am such a big fan of organization, so having your “systems” in place is vital. however, when you choose to put your systems in something pretty or fun, it makes them that much better! millie’s systems are adorable, and i have already begun to adopt some of those systems for myself [pictured above]. but what i love most is the freedom this chapter gives. while she shares all of her working systems with you, millie encourages you to create your OWN systems. since i am a big fan of creating and not copying, this was very helpful for me to see what I need to do next.

• leadtracker
probably one of the most important parts of the kit, the leadtracker has already helped me book a few leads that i have received since reading this book. like any workbook, if you don’t apply the principles, you won’t see results.  but as soon as i started applying these principles of tracking leads, i started seeing results! that is exactly what i was looking for.

• shootq tips
this two-page section has already helped me better understand what i was NOT using in shootq, that i should be using.  in the next few weeks, i will be re-vamping my use of shootq completely, to serve my business and clients more effectively.  i am STOKED about this!!

• hiring help
some incredibly encouraging words on hiring an intern or employee.  this is one thing i have admired about millie’s business – her leadership and ability to have a team of photographers work for her. breaking it down has helped me immensely.

• the disc
i would pay the entire amount of the kit all over again just to have received the “brides expectations sheet.” this is priceless! i don’t know why i haven’t thought of this sooner, but in my opinion, the strongest thing about the disc is reading through this sheet.  i will be drafting my own expectations sheet very soon, and having millie’s as a guide will be worth the entire purchase of the kit.

thanks, millie, for such a helpful tool to create success in the photography industry!