Failure is probably the biggest hurdle new business owners (especially freelancers) have to jump while on their journey to creating a successful business. You’re probably wondering: “What if it doesn’t work? What if I don’t earn enough money? What if they don’t like it?”.

First — deep breath: these are all common fears to have when you’re embarking on a new professional journey. My best piece of advice (which might sound a little cliche) is to trust yourself, the educational material you've invested in, and the potential you hold. I myself am a business owner that has successfully launched four businesses, and yes — I was terrified each time!

If it's any consolation: one of our Guide members Kimberly says "The only way to fail in this program is to not do it.It's thorough, it's detailed, it's like having your hand held to start a photo editing business. I'm forever grateful for this and the whole new set of freedoms I have gained from for my family."

Set SMART goals that are realistic and give remain dedicated. You’ll never know what the results will be if you don’t try to do this job, and you don’t want to regret not giving freelancing a chance years down the road.

Work hard to gain more experience and build your network and don’t sell yourself short. Charge what you feel you’re worth and choose to do work that excites and inspires you.

Also, understand that everything won’t happen as planned. Have a backup plan if you have to deviate from your original goals and try not to be too hard on yourself.

One person’s journey with photo editing (or any sort of freelancing) may not look anything like the next person’s journey.

 This answer was updated on 11/19/2020

Weddings and photography sessions are now adapting to the new normal in our industry. Shoots, weddings, and sessions are now resuming with varying degrees based on location. Private photo editors that have U.S. based clients are experiencing normal booking and editing season this fall (2020).

All of the results found on the Student Results page were results that came from 2020! If beginner students in the Guide were able to book and work with their first clients in 2020 (with all of the difficulty that came with this year) then that should be a huge indicator of the value inside the Guide. Our student results in the middle of pandemic are truly incredible. We are expecting that those students will see even better results in 2021.

Because of the large amounts of re-scheduled events and weddings from 2020 that moved to 2021 dates, photo editors should expect a somewhat normal to busy booking season during 2021-2022. Many wedding photographers are now booking 2022 dates too — so, it’s a great time to get into this business in 2021. Fall of 2020 has proven to still be a busy season for photo editors and many Guide students are actively editing for new clients at the moment. In fall of 2020, we’ve had beginner students start, launch, and book their first clients within 2-3 months! Photo editors that launch and market their business before March 2021 will be in a great position to book new or on-going clients for 2021-2022!

The lesson formats within the course vary (screen share videos, voice over presentations, digital workbooks, and there are even editable script templates). I've chosen the best format for the content of each lesson. The technical lessons will always be a screencast video of my computer screen as I verbally walk you through and demonstrate you the technical/backend instructions step-by-step.

I've also included 8+ practice galleries and my own Lightroom presets for you to practice with in Lightroom! (Yes, that even includes a full wedding gallery!)

First — the majority of our biggest student success stories start out as complete beginners. If they followed the program, they found and book their first clients! Again, this course walks  you through every single step.

Like every freelancer out there, if you want to find work you cannot let your fear of rejection prevent you from getting good clients. If you're starting from scratch - yes, it will take some work to build your reputation and experience (just like EVERY other career)!

You HAVE to be willing to spend time refining your skills, growing your business, and building experience to find great clients. There is no way around that. So no, after you do those things, it's honestly not hard to find clients. Clients will find you after you put in all of the work!

BUT — YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS ALONE. Yes - remember, ONE THIRD of the entire course is dedicated to marketing and finding those very first clients to get the ball rolling. I give you EVERY single tool, down to even writing email scripts for you, that should set you up on a great start to finding clients.

You don’t know where your ideal clients are? You don’t know where to start to find clients? You don’t know how other editors are booking clients? You aren’t sure how other editors that are also newbies are booking clients? Part 3 of the Guide will answer and Guide you through every single one of these questions/strategies! You’ll learn how to market yourself if you're brand new to the industry or to editing. THERE ARE WAYS, trust me. Everyone starts from somewhere!

Typically, students are able to book their first client consultation if they have completed the work and followed the steps! I'll show you how to genuinely attract your ideal clients, how to get photographers to work with someone new, and how to put you and your services out there to reach the potential clients that are best for YOU.

I'll answer this as a freelancer, because everyone goes through this when they are starting out, even when they've had extremely thorough training that holds their hand step-by-step (psst — it’s called imposter syndrome):

The world is full of amazing freelancers so it’s easy to feel like a little fish in a big pond when you’re just starting out. You may notice that your specific niche is competitive and wonder why clients would choose to work with you over someone else who has more experience.

On the bright side, there is always plenty of work to go around for everyone, and the more projects take on, the more experienced you will become. You can also charge clients an entry-level rate that is relative to your experience and increase your rate over time as your value and experiences increased (these are strategies I go over in pricing detail in the Guide).

My first response is no. If you're struggling financially, it might not be a great time to start a new business from scratch.

Student success is really important to me, and I hope that you're able to set aside money each month so you can join the Guide later on when it's not too much of a financial burden.

With that being said, I've started three businesses within the past 7 years. Each time I started a business I chose to invest and believe in myself when it probably wasn't financially the "right" time for me to do so... and because I invested myself when money was scarce it really fueled me - helped me get to where I am today!

Sometimes you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone to see your true potential, right?

But, hey, I'm not the person to give YOU your financial advice - what do you feel in your gut is the best for you? Go with that!

Due to the digital nature of the course and large amount of downloadable resources that are instantly accessible  upon enrollment, no refunds or "payment cancellations" will be granted for any products or programs purchased online in order to protect the digital content of this program. This is not a monthly membership/subscription platform that  you can "cancel"; the Guide is a purchase investment in an online training program with a payment plan option.

Read more on our legal page: Terms and Conditions page.

Yes, starting any new business from scratch does require some financial resources.

Good news! The photo editing business have VERY LITTLE monthly expenses, so much less than e-commerce or selling products! Your investment in the Guide is also substantially less costly than going back to school for a degree or certification.

In addition to enrolling in the course (provided you want to choose services/equipment suggested in the course), here are a few other tools you'll need, including any expenses you might incur:

— Dropbox Pro subscription: $10 / month
— Adobe Lightroom Classic subscription: $10 / month
— CRM Software for client management & invoicing - $35 / month (or FREE if you choose alternative routes that will also be mentioned in the course)
— Website: $19 - $25 / month

This is of course, the bare minimum as far as operating costs go. There are other optional tools and marketing tools you can subscribe to or purchase to help you market your services (tools that I cover in Part 3 of the Guide). On average, I spend about $220 per quarter on business expenses related to my photo editing business (not including internet).

In the course, I suggest what laptop/equipment you should use. (If you don't have a laptop or need to upgrade: you can typically find used or refurbished 15" MacBook Pros on BestBuy.com for a lower price)

Once you start working with your first client, a small portion of your first job could pay for an entire month of expenses.

AS you know, investing in an online course and business requires a bit more than money...

It takes time to learn the material and put everything that you've learned into practice. You have to be determined and persistent when things may not happen as easily or as quickly as you hoped. Everyone's journey will be different! You must stay positive and STICK WITH IT so you can persevere through challenges to reach your full potential.

I'm here to help, rooting for you!

No, this is a course purchase with optional payment plans not a monthly subscription or membership. This is similar to the way you'd pay for a single college course, either all upfront or in smaller payments (except with the Guide you'd get on-going, continued access to the course content without additional payment — lifetime access).