Meet Cody Benson | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cody Benson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cody, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Creating a good work-life balance is actually one of the things I’ve struggled with most in running my own companies. It’s always been difficult for me to “turn off” from work and really enjoy spending time with my family and friends without thinking about what I could or should be doing instead to further progress the standing of my business. When I first started doing photography 5 or 6 years ago, I let it envelop my life because of how eager and ready I was to learn and do more which left little time for anything else. After some time had passed I decided to take a small step back from photography to go into business with one of my long time friends selling coffee under the label ScatterBranch Trading Company. We were able to grow the company much faster than I had originally expected, but it came at the cost of constantly working to keep up with the growing demand and focus that it needed to maintain it. After some time, we both reached a point where it had become too much for either of us to handle anymore so we decided to shut the coffee company down where I quickly rediscovered my love of photography leading to where I am now. I’ve made a lot of changes since I began such as since I also work a full-time position at a company in Greenville, Texas I keep a pretty tight schedule to ensure that I’m spending enough time with my wife and really enjoy life without constantly working it away. Work-life balance is an essential factor in running your own business that everyone differs with, but I believe I’ve reached a point where it’s truly “balanced”.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Cody Benson Photography has come a long way since starting 5 or 6 years ago. I’ve always been really enjoyed having the ability to start a business and there is plenty that I wish I could tell that 18-year-old version of myself that started down the path as a photographer about everything that he would be able to be apart of. I was fortunate that when I was starting my photography business I was working through my bachelor’s and eventually my master’s in marketing at Texas A&M University-Commerce, where I was able to test in a real-world application the principles I was learning about in class which I believe has also helped me professionally working in the marketing field. Though the operations have changed on how I run my business, I’ve never stopped giving my clients my best when capturing whatever moment in their lives. One of my biggest challenges starting out was honestly the more dull legal side of running a company such as client contracts, but I was lucky enough to have some great advice from some of my peers to help me better understand the proper way to protect not only me but my clients as well. If I could speak directly to anyone reading this to explain more about my photography business, I would just like them to know that if I work with you, you’re more than a number to me. I love getting to know everyone I work with to give them the most personal experience I can.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Personally, whenever I’m in the city I’m usually looking for somewhere to just relax. I have always enjoyed walking around museums and just hanging out in local art galleries or parks. If I’m really looking to get out of the house though, my wife and I love hiking and being in nature which is where we spend more of our free time.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to my wife Leslie. She definitely deserves all the praise for encouraging me as I’ve gone through all the stages (good and bad) of running my own company. She’s been the person that has consistently believed in my passions and given me more than enough support to always push forward through whatever obstacle has come in my path.

Website: https://www.codybensonphotography.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codybensonphoto/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cody-benson-photography
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/codybensonphoto