
Vanessa Joy is dedicated to her craft as a photographer. Her shots have a refined interplay of light and shadow, and you feel the emotion behind the images, particularly in her wedding photography.
Small wonder Vanessa was one of just five wedding photographers chosen by Canon as one of their Explorers of Light.
But when I have spent time with Vanessa, including during this must-listen episode of our HatsOff podcast, I have been struck by how much attention Vanessa pays to the business side of things.
She is laser-focused on delivering a high-touch client experience. And she credits 17hats, the premier small business CRM, for making that possible.
Vanessa says it plainly: “My business would not have the reputation that it does without 17hats.”
A Focus on Customer Experience.
For more than 20 years, Vanessa has been capturing breathtaking images.
But the Austin-based photographer is just as focused on making her high-end clients feel special.

Vanessa leverages the built-in features of 17hats to create a repeatable process that her clients perceive as tailored just for them!
Here are just a few ways that 17hats helps her do that:
- Lead Capture Form. Vanessa can include her 17hats Lead Capture Form on her site and in her socials. When prospective clients fill out the form, they receive an automated reply from Vanessa. (She could be at Barton Springs with the kids, and new leads still get a personalized reply from her. 😀)
- Questionnaires. Vanessa gains insights into her clients using 17hats Questionnaires. As she puts it, “I use Questionnaires to trigger certain thoughts and perspectives so that I can photograph my clients the way that they want to be photographed.”
- Workflows. “By setting up Workflows, you get to fully plan your client experience, from start to finish,” Vanessa says. Once your process is in place, 17hats cues you for what action item is next for each client. You don’t drive yourself crazy trying to remember the next step to take for each customer! 🤯
All-In-One Small Business Platform.
Vanessa has some hard-won advice to pass on to fellow solopreneurs, whether those are photographers, balloon artists, or life coaches:
“To run a business, you need the tools to run a business.”
Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
But I have met so many would-be small business owners who are trying to run a business using pen and paper, and a patchwork quilt of apps. It’s a sure road to burnout within a few years, if not year one.
Contrast that with Vanessa, whose business hums along, because she relies on the integrated features of the platform. “There isn’t anywhere else that I need to go to manage my business – everything is inside 17hats.”
Here are a few built-in features that Vanessa depends on:
- Dedicated mobile app. 17hats has a use-from-anywhere mobile app, not just a site that you can access on your phone.

- Quote, Contract, Invoice. Create and update these documents in concert. A change to the Quote (like an upgraded package) is automatically updated on the other documents.
- Fully integrated CRM. All Contact and Project details are recorded, stored, and easily accessed. Our CRM (Customer Relationship Management) feature is fully integrated, so that every tool works seamlessly with the others.
- Emails. Our members love our new AI-powered writing assistant, Hattie. 💚 Within seconds, Hattie can offer you a starting point for every kind of email. You can even specify the voice you prefer, from professional to conversational to funny.
- Bookkeeping. 17hats has an integrated Bookkeeping feature, too. (“You don’t have to go learn Quickbooks or something,” says Vanessa.) Automated billing reminders for Invoices nudge your clients when it’s time to make a payment.
Find Your Higher Gear.
I hope that every small business solopreneur can experience the kind of success – and work/life balance – that Vanessa has.
As we talked about in our interview for the HatsOff podcast (EP 11), that all comes from running her business like a business, from the get-go.
On the podcast, we take pride in keeping it real. 😂
And Vanessa is keeping it 100 when she encourages her fellow small business owners to take just a few small steps that will make a huge difference.
“You gotta jump in the pond. And get out of the puddle.”
Candid, Real-World Small Business Advice – HatsOff Podcast
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