Hello, friends! Spring is finally here and Easter is just around the corner. I always seem to forget just how beautiful spring is until it arrives. It always amazes me how a tree can look completely lifeless and then bloom beautiful delicate flowers that will soon turn into lush green leaves. It’s the perfect reminder of where we came from and where we are going. We can’t be any more excited to share with you where we came from and our hopes and dreams for the future.
When we first started our business we went through many difficult stages. At times it looked hopeless to join the ranks of full-time entrepreneurs. I think the biggest key to our success was our desire to never give up. When things looked impossible, it was our desire to find a better way and grow our business. We invested in mentors that could help us see the issues that we couldn’t. We had to be willing to change by stepping out into the unfamiliar and learn new ways to take our business to the next level. Along the way, we had to give up our social life for a season, work two full-time jobs and dedicate endless hours to education. They say 80% of small businesses fail in the first 5 years. We are so excited to share that we are just finishing up our 5th year in business stronger than we have ever been.
How did we know this life was for us? To be honest we really didn’t know. All we knew is that we wanted a life where we could find joy, be adventurous, and pour out our heart to serve others. When I met Kevin he loved photography and told me that it had everything he could ever want in a job. It was from there we decided to find out what our options were. He started working for a horse racing magazine while we started to photograph weddings on the weekend. From the beginning, I loved meeting with couples and helping them plan their wedding day. It was in those moments that it became my dream to work with Kevin full time photographing weddings and investing in couples.
How did we know the time was right? The key for us was preparation and choosing to make the leap. In order to even consider taking our business full time, we decided that Kevin would jump first. When Kevin quit his job we wanted to be 100% out of debt other than our home. We also wanted to have an emergency fund saved and a calendar full of weddings for the upcoming year. At the same time, we knew that jumping full time was scary and the perfect time would never come. So we punched fear in the face and set a date knowing that we were heading in the right direction. Once Kevin jumped I kept working full time while we shot 25 weddings that year. It was the hardest year yet, but we knew that it would all pay off. I planned to continue working full time until fate had other plans. The career I had chosen was not going in the direction I had hoped for which helped me to reevaluate the possibility of joining Kevin full time. So you can guess what happened next. I did it! I took the plunge and had faith that it would grow our business even more into what I had dreamt it could be.
So what’s in store for the future? From the beginning, our goal was to serve others. We love meeting with brides at the beginning of their journey to help them plan out as many details as we can. We also love helping other small businesses in the wedding industry grow and be successful. We are continuing to do both of these things but our desire is to expand on those things even more. So far this year we have really focused on our brides by providing them with an experience that takes care of so many of their needs. We are so excited to do more as we share about our personal life and how we are growing together.
What do we want you to know? We want our brides to know that we love you and we do everything with you in mind. We want vendors to know that we care about you and want to see you succeed. We want photographers to know that we are on your team and we want to encourage you along the way and help your business blossom. For you struggling entrepreneurs we want you to know that you shouldn’t give up. We have been where you are and we want you to know if you have the desire and are willing to learn the tools that it takes you too can take your business to the next level. Give it time and give yourself grace. Success stories don’t happen overnight but instead with hard work and consistency. As our mentors have told us,”Success is not for the chosen few, but it is for those who choose.” So get out there and start dreaming and succeeding. If we can do it so can you!
Be sure to check out more of our adventures by clicking on the photo below:
http://kevinandannaweddings.com/category/kevin-and-annas-adventures/
