Meet Heather Chesky | Photographer Coach & Mentor

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

Hi Heather, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Though there are many factors behind success, I would say one of the most important factors behind mine, is stewardship.

Now stewardship isn’t a word that’s thrown around a whole lot in everyday life so let me take a moment to define it.

Stewardship is how faithful you are with what you have now. It’s how well you manage what’s in front of you.

If you’re in business for yourself, you likely want more: more bookings, more clients, more time, more income (more, more, more), but when we apply the strategy of stewardship we have to ask:

How well am I currently stewarding (managing) my current clients, my time or my money?

You see, if you can faithfully steward what you do have and what’s already in front of you, you’ll be given more.

Let me give you a real life example of how this has played out in my business.

Back in the early days of my photography business, I had subpar gear that I was honestly embarrassed by.

In fact, I remember shooting weddings and many of the wedding guests had nicer, more high end cameras than what I had at the time.

But instead of spending money that I didn’t really have and invest in the latest and greatest gear, I chose to learn how to use lighting and off camera flash.

I watched so many you tube tutorials and practiced using one flash and two flash set ups on little figurines that were laying around the house.

And as I practiced, I became more confident and really proud of the work I was creating, even with the lower end camera gear.

My clients loved the look I was achieving with my off camera flashes and they happily referred me out.

Back then, I didn’t feel like I had much going for me. But I did have a reliable camera and some off camera flash gear. By stewarding those well, I was able to create amazing photos and super happy clients…which lead to more bookings.

Don’t despise small beginnings. You have something in front of you right now that you can do better with.

So ask yourself: How well am I stewarding my time, my clients, my resources and my money?

What do you have that’s already in front of you that you can learn to steward better?

Be faithful with what you have, even if it feels like a little, and more will be given.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
As a full time entrepreneur for nearly 10 years now, my business has transformed over time. I started as a locally based photographer who photographed weddings and high school seniors and quickly built a six figure studio. As other photographers saw my growth, they began to ask me how I was able to consistently find my ideal clients and create consistent income. Their interest in learning the marketing open the door for me to coach other photographers, first in a one on one capacity and now through a 12 month group mentorship program.

The journey has not been easy, but I have learned so much along the way. It’s incredible to share the knowledge I’ve gathered and share with other aspiring photographers as they work towards their dream.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m just right outside of DC so we’d take the metro into the city and check out the monuments and museums! I’m also just an hour away from the mountains so we’d go hiking along Skyline Drive!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Many of the success principles that I’ve applied in business have come right out of the book of Proverbs in the Bible. In fact, I’ve been committed to reaching a chapter in Proverbs every day for a year (there are 31 chapters so reading one chapter every morning is the perfect thing to do every month). From that book, I have learned more about how to interact with people, integrity, stewardship, faithfulness, diligence and so much more.

Website: www.heatherchesky.com

Instagram: heatherchesky

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercheskyphotography

Youtube: http://bit.ly/thebookedphotographeryoutubechannel