Yesterday, I had a blast being the guest speaker at the Aldwick Business Breakfast Network meeting. The topic of my talk was “Why Being The Best Is Not Enough” – all about an epiphany I had in my business a few years ago.
When I first set up SuperFunkyPenguin, I focussed so hard on being the best photographer I could be. Reading the camera manual (no, really), hours and hours of training courses, practicing my socks off.
All good stuff. My skills improved dramatically. But there was something missing.
I did have clients, and they were happy with my work, but finding new clients was really, really hard.
The Broken Business Model
My business model at the time was simply to take the best photos I could, and hope I’d be noticed.
I wasn’t putting myself forward in any way whatsoever, other than a few facebook posts where I showed a few photos (but never showing me).
A Hard Truth
One of the many hard truths is that there are often lots of people who are offering the same product as us.
There are certainly many, many photographers out there, all taking great pictures!
Hoping that we will get noticed won’t work. We have to take a deep breath, and take control. Yes, it can feel difficult at times, but if we want our businesses to thrive and flourish we have to put ourselves out there.
The Happy Reality
There might be thousands of photographers, but there’s only one me, doing things my way, with my vibe.
There might be thousands of people offering similar products and services as you, but there is only one YOU, doing things your way, with your vibe.
And the best news is, there are already people out there looking for someone who does what you do, in the way that you do it. You just have to help them find you.
Which is where marketing comes in
There are so many different ways to market ourselves (podcasting, blogging, guest speaking, social media, networking, flyers, our websites…), but the thing that all these channels benefit hugely from is you.
Showing people what you do, how you do it, who you help and why is far more memorable, and hands down the most effective way to get your vibe across easily and effectively.
Marketing is, quite simply, how we shine a light on our businesses and help them to flourish.
Finding Balance
We just need to find that balance between working hard on improving what we do, and shining a light on the bigger picture: who we are, what we do, who we help and why.
The Success Story
I feel so passionately about helping other business owners get themselves out there and be visible, because I’ve seen such a huge improvement in my own business.
I’ve gone from genuinely struggling to find people, to being booked up two months in advance (and I already have bookings for 2026!).
The other thing that’s happened is the majority of people who book an enquiry call are a good fit – we tend to hit it off really well – because they’ve already experienced my vibe online, and decided to reach out. If you want the correct jargon: I have a high conversion rate. And this isn’t because I’m a good salesperson (I’m really not 🫣), it’s because the right people are finding me, and we get excited about working together!
I’ve seen the same thing happening with my clients too, once they’ve got their brand photos sorted!
Next Steps
If you’re struggling to catch the eye of the right clients, collaborators and investors, then let’s chat!
Keen to check out my work first? Click here
I’m Adèle Williams, and I founded SuperFunkyPenguin Photography in 2015.
I specialise in taking natural photos that genuinely gives prospective clients a real feel for what it’s like to work with you, creating that initial connection.
We work together to plan and design your brand photoshoot to be as effective as possible. Your portfolio of images from the shoot will be carefully crafted to align to your brand values, and includes everything you need to help you easily craft social media content and refresh your website.
Curious to know more? Book a cuppa-and-chat by clicking here!