Do you feel like you’re doing everything right and you’re putting yourself out there, but you’re still not seeing the results you want? I see this happen time and time again among photographers which is why I want to reveal my secret sauce to building a successful photography business. Spoiler alert: It’s probably not what you think.

What Can Happen When You Partner With God In Business

Many of my followers will send me a message telling me “BROOKE I love you. It seems like everything you touch turns to gold. I want a successful photography business like you!” I don’t bring this up to brag, but to point out that my business completely changed once I started partnering it with God.

Faith is my lifeboat. It has gotten me through some of the worst times from losing my brothers to my parents’ divorce to friendships falling apart. If I didn’t have my faith and relationship with my Eternal Father, I honestly don’t know where I would be. It’s so easy to crumble under all of that pressure or choose something to numb the pain.

It Doesn’t Mean Everything Will Be Perfect

The reason I’m talking about this today is because I’m walking through this again. It’s so easy for me to want to be in control of everything. It’s actually the number one thing I struggle with. And it comes down to silly things like letting my children wash the dishes. Nope, I have to do it my way. So I’m trying to let them but I’m cringing the whole time because I know if I did it my way it would be done by now. Is that relatable?

I’m the same way about my life and my business. Before the pandemic hit I was a five year planner. I’m a Type A who loves to have a five year plan in place at all times. It lets me know what’s coming so I can have my own safety net to fall back on. But then the pandemic hit and my world was rocked. It was terrifying. But I soon saw that this was God’s invitation to be like “Brooke, I never asked you to carry yourself. I never asked you to be the one to do everything in your own strength and always be in control.”

You Can’t Control Your Outcomes

It’s so easy to put God on the back burner or to just have no faith at all. Then what do we do? We put all of our faith and our trust in ourselves. Can I let you know what the problem with that is? The world tells you that you’re enough and you can do absolutely anything you set your mind to. You can build a million dollar business or a five figure full time photography business or whatever it is that you desire. The world is going to give you a big high five and tell you: “yes, you go girl! You’re enough! You can do it all by yourself!”

But the truth is…you’re not enough and you can’t do it by yourself. And the reality is you know you’re not because you’re sitting here in a season of struggle and you’re overwhelmed because you have tried doing it all by yourself. You can’t find time to work on your business because you’re barely finding time to show up in your home life. I definitely know the feeling because I’ve been there. I walk in and out of that season on a regular basis.

An Invitation For You To Build A Successful Photography Business Another Way

I know my calling is not only to show people a reflection of who they truly are from a local photography standpoint, but it’s you. You are my calling, my reason to show up. I want to help lead the way into freedom in all areas – Spiritual freedom, mental freedom, physical freedom, financial freedom, time freedom, you name it. I’m equipping you with an invitation to show you what’s possible for you with God.

Marketing and strategy are not enough when you’re doing it by yourself. Marketing and strategy will get you somewhere. But then you’re going to have a breakdown, another hiccup, you’re going to have to stop to refuel. It’s not always going to be marketing and business advice that you’re going to need. Sometimes you need someone to speak the truth into you. Sometimes you need a faith refuel.

Which best describes you in this season?

We constantly will bounce back and forth between these three cars because we are human and we are high achieving people. When we want something we try to figure out the fastest way to get us there.

Car #1: You are relying on faith alone, but not taking action. You trust that God called you to a photography business but in the same breath you’re paralyzed. You’re not taking action on your business and you’re not really pushing your business forward.

Car #2: You are implementing the strategy, but not doing it with God. I hand you the Blueprint Program and you do everything on it, check all the boxes and go back through to do it again. You are going to take the action and implement. The problem here is you like to be in control or something has happened to where you don’t know if you can actually trust God fully. Maybe you don’t necessarily even believe in God at this point in your life. No shame there, no shame at all. So you are an action taker, but there’s no relationship or faith component.

Car #3: You are allowing God to be in control and implementing strategy. He knows who you are and he called you to this business. You trust that he has a good plan for you, even when the storms come. You can’t see where the light at the end of the tunnel is, but you bring in that faith component and you bring in that “I am going to take action in my business!”

When faith meets action, there is success because success comes from God. God is the source of letting that success happen.

But Can You Have A Successful Photography Business Without Being A Christian?

The honest truth is yes. You can experience success without God. But is it going to fulfill you? Is it going to sustain you? Or are you building this idea, your version of success on a broken and shaky foundation to where one day when the going gets tough it’s all going to crumble? You’ll find yourself at ground zero.

God’s version of success and his plan for you, it’s solid. It might take a little more time doing it God’s way. Sometimes He is the acceleration. I want you to know, I’m not at all preaching a prosperity gospel. I’m not saying that when you choose to follow God that you immediately will have everything you could ever want in life. That is absolutely not the case. That is not a true version of following Christ and having faith. But God does call us to an abundant life. That means being free on the inside and knowing that no matter what you’re going through you have peace of mind.

The Top Two Things That Create a Successful Photography Business

If you are wanting to experience true success and even do this full-time, I’m telling you it comes down to two things: It’s when faith meets action. Be so completely sold out on your faith and so completely sold out on taking action in your business where you are committed to showing up day in and day out. That is success right there and that is going to lead you to freedom.

If you’re in car number one or car number two then you have one without the other. That might be why you feel as if you’re missing something.

You Can Have A Successful Photography Business

I just want to encourage you today, let today be the day that you surrender that control over and you say you know what, I brought me this far. I know there’s so much more for me, that has to be what I’ve been missing. So Lord, you can have your way.

I probably pray this multiple times a year. We are all broken people because we live on a broken planet. It’s a broken world. So give God an opportunity to really step into the gap for you and carry you. Let God show you what he has for you. I understand this is a different blog post from my others. But I truly felt called to share this with you. And I know that when I Feel that call it’s not coming from me, it’s coming from the Holy Spirit. God is using a blog and a podcast to speak to you right now. Right where you are. And I hope this leaves you feeling changed. I’m here for you. I’m an Instagram DM away.

If you enjoyed this content then be sure to listen to the Podcast every Thursday!

You can also come join my Blueprint Program where I walk you through building a successful photography business.