Podcast Episode 348 - When friends and family question your pricing or think that you have a "cute" photography business.

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Have you ever had a friend or family member make a discouraging comment about your photography business? Maybe they question your pricing, doubt your success, or think it’s "just a hobby." In this episode, Heather shares why these comments sting, how to stop internalizing negativity, and the best ways to respond with confidence. You don’t need their approval—you need your own belief. Let’s build a mindset that deflects doubt and keeps you moving forward, no matter what anyone says.

Show Notes:

• The most common negative comments photographers hear from friends and family
• Why these comments only hurt if there’s already doubt in your mind
• The power of unshakable belief in your business
• How to stop seeking external validation and cultivate your own confidence
• Quick-witted responses to shut down negativity (with a little humor!)
• Why your success isn’t dependent on anyone else's belief but your own

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TRANSCRIPT

You're listening to the Flourish Academy podcast and today we are talking about

friends and family that say stupid things. My name is Heather Lawton and I'm a

photographer, educator and entrepreneur and I founded the Flourish Academy as a

resource for photographers of all levels. We want to help you pursue your passion on

your own terms because we believe there is room for everyone. In this podcast, We

focus on creating breakthroughs with your mindset to discover the things that are

really holding you back in business and life Last week in a few of my private

coaching calls as well as inside of our elevate program This challenge came up like

more than just a few times so I thought maybe we should talk about it and that's

when you have a friend or a family member or somebody in your life that wants to

make a comment about you starting or growing a photography business. So I don't know

if you've had this happen yet, but you will. So I gathered a list of some common

things that photographers hear such as, are you sure you can do this?

Why would you leave your job for something so risky? Wow,

that's really expensive. No one will pay that. I don't think it's a good idea to

leave your job. Why would you start a business? It's probably going to be really

hard. There are already so many photographers in our area.

I mean, aren't there a ton? How can you charge that much for your photography when

there are other people that are charging half.

Everyone that has tried a photography business has failed. No one actually succeeds

at that. Oh, that's cute. You're turning your hobby into a little side hustle.

I've also heard people imply that because photography is creative and we enjoy it,

that maybe we shouldn't charge for it. I don't know how that makes sense. Other

people have said things like, "Well, that's okay for a side job, but what's your

real job gonna be? And why would you give up a steady paycheck and benefits?" Now,

here's the thing. The problem is not that they offer up these opinions or

suggestions. The problem is that you believe them. These statements will only and

ever impact you if you think that there is some truth to them. You might feel

great about your pricing but get triggered when someone mentions how expensive you

are and that's because there's probably already a tiny little seed of doubt in your

mind that whispers but like What if they're right? The problem here is that you are

receiving and Internalizing their words because if there if you had a hundred percent

belief and zero doubt Then these statements wouldn't bother you in the least.

In fact, you might even laugh at them I always use this example if somebody looked

at you with disgust and said "Oh my gosh, I hate your purple teeth." You would

laugh at them because you know that you do not have purple teeth. Therefore,

there's no part of you that believes this. Now,

of course, you might ask your friends and family for their opinion because you love

them, you trust them, and you would appreciate their support. Like, no kidding, it

would be amazing if they all supported us, but you're also looking to them for

affirmation because you want to feel better about your decision. My question is,

how could you get the affirmation that you need from yourself? How could you

cultivate enough belief internally that you don't need to seek it from others?

I've just decided that I am responsible for my own security, for my own confidence.

And to give myself the affirmation I need to move forward with belief and

commitment, I do not need to seek it from others. I mean, listen, it would be

great if everyone encouraged us and believed in us, but that's usually not the

reality. I am going to build a million dollar business. There might be people in my

life that can't see it or don't believe me and I don't care. How does that serve

me to listen to their unbelief? I just don't receive it. I choose not to receive

it. Negative thoughts and negative suggestions have no influence over me at any level

of the mind. Now let me help you take the thought process out of the equation here

because sometimes you can be caught really off guard by these comments. So I want

to give you some responses when people have something to say about your business. I

use this one all the time. I say, "Tell me more about your degree in micro or

macro economics. We studied our region, right? The city, you know everything about

it. This next one is, have you ever started a business? What is your experience as

an entrepreneur or a photographer? Obviously, they probably don't have this experience

and that's the point. I really like this one as well. If you just pause for a

second and look at them and maybe sort of, you know, cock your head to the side

and ask them, Do you even realize what you're saying or what you're asking? Because

I don't think they fully realize how much they're discouraging you with their

comments. And lastly, and this is my all time favorite because they cannot argue

with this. I say to them, you might be right, but this is what I'm doing anyway.

Because how can you argue with that? I just said that you were right, but I'm

going to do it anyway. So basically shut up. I want you to repeat after me

negative thoughts and negative suggestions have no influence over me at any level of

the mind. I personally would have a response ready for any and all negative comments

that I receive about my business. And oftentimes it's a little snarky or sarcastic,

but whatever. People that know me just don't mess with me this way.

And I think that one reason is because if I'm telling someone about my business, I

am extraordinarily confident. I am in full belief and I think that they can sense

that. I wonder if it's possible that your friends smell your fear and then they

play into it because you know what, I don't know. I really don't think it's

intentional. I think most of them probably mean well, they just don't realize what

they're saying.

So what I think you should do is develop a protocol for these situations. And

remember a protocol is just a thought plan. It's a plan for what we will think in

feel when this type of situation arises. And when I'm developing protocols,

I also recommend that you do this. You write them down. So you could write, when

someone questions any part of my business, I will think, dot,

dot, dot, and then you create a list of the things you're going to choose to

think. Things like, I have resources. I know I can figure this out. I'm excited

about this. I know I want to build this business. I know what I'm doing. I will

not let their fear or negativity impact me and I need to call Heather because

oftentimes my clients know this, but they still need to talk it out because it's

just so troubling when it's someone that you really care about and you value their

opinion and then they're raining on your parade. No one, repeat, no one is raining

on my parade because I will carry my own umbrella.

Negative thoughts and negative suggestions have no influence over me at any level of

the mind. I hope that you found this useful. I'll see you in the next episode.