
This continues our series of Q&As with our new 17hats Ambassadors.

Today I’m talking with two professional photographers: Bryan Striegler, of Striegler Photography in Arkansas, and Rachall, of Photography by Rachall in Victoria, Australia. Rachall is one of a handful of Aussies who are 17hats members – and yes, she just goes by her first name, Rachall.
In our candid roundtable discussion, I asked both these 17hats Ambassadors about obstacles they encountered when starting their businesses, as well as advice they had for others to help overcome similar problems.

Tell us more about your photography businesses. What are your specialties?
Bryan: I help couples enjoy their wedding day by making wedding photography fun and easy, while capturing all the important moments of the day. Most people aren’t professional models, so they stress out about looking awkward in their photos. I help them relax in front of the camera and focus on each other.
Rachall: Me, I specialize in maternity, newborn, and child photography. I strive to create beautiful, timeless images to help parents capture this amazing time in their lives. I also teach other photographers how to build a business working as a newborn photographer. I want others to be able to launch successful studios, and enjoy this profession as much as I have.
This is terrific. We have a lot of members who have similar pursuits, so they will be keen to hear your experience. When did you decide that you wanted to start your own business?
Rachall: Well, for years, I followed Marie Forleo. She encourages people to create a “business and life you love.” I took that to heart. I wanted work to be fun. I didn’t want to dread going to work each day. So, instead of working at someone else’s studio, I wanted to make my own rules, work in my own way, and be my own boss. In my mind, work should be fun and easy.
Bryan: I started doing photography way back in 10th grade, and I always loved it. Back then, I focused on sports and events. It wasn’t until my second year of being a teacher that I shot my first wedding. After that, I was hooked, and I decided to start my business. I continued teaching for another eight years while I built my business. Eventually I stopped teaching, and I’ve been doing photography full time for five years now.
It’s always fascinating to hear how members made their start in business. Of course, there are always bumps in the road. What would you say was your biggest obstacle when you started your business?
Bryan: Good question. Early on, I was upset that I wasn’t booking more weddings because my images were just as good as other photographers. I didn’t understand that there’s so much more to running a photography business than the photos. I had no background in business, so, as time went on, I slowly had to learn about marketing, pricing, workflow, and everything else. In the beginning, it was hard to know what I should be doing or how to do it.
Rachall: I would say it was all the different roles that I needed to play to get the business up and running. You wear so many hats – 17 sounds about right! (Laughs.) When you start out, you don’t have the money to hire someone to help, or the time to oversee them if you did. But, after a while, I identified what was stealing most of my time. I learned to automate, delegate, or eliminate those repetitive tasks.
Ah, there’s the magic word – “automate.” Success requires automating your small business, as any 17hats ambassador can tell you. That’s what 17hats is all about.
OK – last question. As you reflect on the obstacles you faced starting out, what advice would you have for a small business person making their start today?
Rachall: Business can be easy, but we overly complicate it, because it’s easy to get overwhelmed. If it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day, consider tracking what’s taking up your time. Then see if you can’t assign some of those tasks to a system, like 17hats. Odds are, these won’t be your favorite tasks, anyway. Admin work can take up your whole day if you let it!
Bryan: There are a lot of different cogs in a business. It’s time-consuming, if not impossible, to take care of them all by yourself. The good news is, everyone can learn. There are tons of resources out there that can help. Read blogs, watch videos, buy a course, or find a mentor. I’m still constantly trying to learn, but I feel like, with the help of 17hats, I can run my business the right way.
Thanks so much to you both. I know our readers will benefit from your insights.
Bryan Striegler’s website and social handles:
https://www.facebook.com/strieglerphoto
https://www.instagram.com/strieglerphoto
Rachall’s website and social handles: