When you’re a wedding or family photographer, there is typically a slow season and a busy season. It’s usually based on the weather. In Arizona, slow season is summer. In Utah, slow season is Winter. Our calendars are usually pretty empty January through March. Not a lot of brides or families want to brave the 0 degree weather or take pictures in dead frozen forests.
I love “slow season” because its typically a huge season of growth and planning for me as a person and a business. In slow season, I focus on education. I review notes from conferences. I update our portfolios, websites and systems. I prepare for busy season so that when we’re photographing multiple weddings in a weekend we can keep up. I train, I mentor and I plan.
The downside to slow season is:
- sometimes you run out of things to do and go stir crazy.
- you aren’t bringing in money.
THAT’S WHERE THE SLOW SEASON SIDE HUSTLE COMES IN!
HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO SIDE HUSTLE:
1. Become an Affiliate
Find a few brands you LOVE and share them with your family and friends. There are so many programs for connecting people with brands. Use CJ.com or something like influenster.com. Make sure you’re only promoting things that you would naturally so you don’t lose your credibility or friends.
If you want to become an affiliate for Kylee Ann Studios, send me an email with your name and website. I love to work with photographers in sharing our classes, tools and workshops.
2. Start a Shop
Using Shopify and Oberlo you can literally start a shop online tomorrow and shipping by Monday! “Oberlo allows you to easily add hundreds of products to your Shopify store and never worry about packaging or shipping. Since the company’s founding in September, 2015, Oberlo merchants have sold over 85 million products around the world.”
3. Maskcara Beauty
This year I have a slow season side hustle that is extremely fun, keeps me busy but not too busy, brings in the cash and free make up and gives me purpose I never imagined would feel so incredible. Not to mention, it fits perfectly with my profession as a photographer and my life as a mom. This year I did something I never thought I would do. I joined Maskcara Beauty!
It’s like an affiliate program on steroids because instead of just a few percent, I make 20-40% on every sale…not to mention bonuses and free make up. It’s a product I absolutely love and use every single day and would share with my friends even if I wasn’t getting weekly pay checks.
If you’re feeling 1. stir crazy or 2. short on cash, look into joining me on my mission to share the beauty of Maskcara. Being a Maskcara Artist aligns perfectly with my mission of making people feel as beautiful as they are and leading women in running successful businesses from home.
I wrote a few blog posts on My Why & the Artist Perks that made me want to add one more thing to my crazy schedule.
Learn more here or Pin It for Later!
Kylee started Kylee Ann Photography 9 years ago, and has since grown from a one woman amateur show to a full associate team. We shoot 50-75 weddings a year, and thrive on kindness and service. After a year of teaching Intro to Photography at the local technical college, she discovered that helping other entrepreneurs create thriving businesses is what fires her up! She hosts semi-annual Kylee Ann Sleepovers all over the US, speak at conferences and teach online courses about running a small business and marketing.
January 30, 2018
Kylee Maughan