We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melanie Imperio a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Melanie, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I discovered my purpose through a very personal journey. First of all, I’m a Christian and I believe that God has a specific purpose for my life. I studied engineering and graduated in 2018, but three years later, I decided to leave that career and become a full-time photographer.
It all started when my sister lost her job due to her pregnancy. She needed a way to generate income, so she began making Argentine desserts and pastries. The only way we could promote her products was through social media. I started managing her social accounts, taking photos and videos with my very old phone at the time. Despite the limitations, I fell in love with how social media could help small businesses when they are just starting out.
That’s when I realized that I could really help many other women showcase their talents through beautiful photos and videos that tell a story—where they started and where they’re going. Watching my sister succeed, grow, and become a professional in the baking world inspired me to help other women do the same. I wanted to support them in growing their businesses by using visual content to tell the world about their talents and the gifts that God has placed in their hands.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My mission is to support intentional women entrepreneurs in communicating the true essence of their business through photos and videos that connect with their audience. I focus on helping Hispanic businesswomen transform their online presence with professional photography and video that highlights their authenticity. What sets me apart is my deep pre-production process, where I take the time to really get to know each client and their brand. This allows me to capture and project their unique essence, which helps them attract premium clients and position their brands as authentic leaders in the market.
I consider what I do a form of art, but I also love all kinds of art—music, painting, and more—which is kind of unusual for someone with such an analytical mind, like mine, coming from an engineering background. However, my focus is very niche; I work exclusively with brands. I don’t just shoot any kind of photo or video; my goal is always to tell the story behind a brand and elevate its presence.
As for what’s new, I’m excited to share that I’ll soon be opening my own studio. It’s going to be something unique—more than just a photography studio, it’s a space for content creators and entrepreneurs. They’ll have access to all the equipment they need—cameras, lights, everything—to create their own professional content. The idea is to remove any barriers or excuses for not showing up online and growing their brand’s presence. It’s designed to empower people to take control of their content and show the world what their business is all about.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back, I think three key things have made the biggest impact on my journey. First and foremost, God is the foundation of my business. I find peace in knowing that if He gave me this dream, He will also provide me with all the tools I need to make it successful.
The second is perseverance and consistency. No matter how many setbacks you face, staying committed to your path is essential. And finally, having a constant hunger for learning has been crucial. One of my strengths has been my desire to always keep learning new things. It’s allowed me to see that I never know everything, and there’s always room to grow and improve. My biggest competition is myself, and I think having that mindset is really important, especially in a creative field.
That said, I tend to be a perfectionist, and one piece of advice I’d give to anyone just starting out is to avoid striving for perfection. Instead, focus on failing as many times as necessary because every failure teaches you something valuable. The best way to learn is by doing. One regret I have is waiting too long, studying too much before taking action. I feel like I lost a lot of time trying to know everything before starting. So, my advice is to take action as you learn—don’t wait until you feel like you know it all because you’ll stay stuck in the same place.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
One thing that was really impactful for me was reading StrengthsFinder by Gallup and taking the test a few years ago when I was still working in the oil and gas industry. The book emphasizes that while you can improve areas that aren’t your natural strengths, you’ll only become good at them—not excellent. So, while I believe it’s important to put some effort into improving areas where you aren’t naturally strong—especially when you run a business—you don’t have to aim to be the best at them. For example, if you’re great at the creative side but struggle with business management, you should educate yourself enough to get by, but you don’t have to pour all your energy into mastering it.
Your talents are what define and differentiate you, and that’s where I believe we should focus our energy. For me, I know I can multiply my talents because they are God-given, and that’s what sets me apart. For instance, my analytical mind helps me create processes and systems for my photoshoots and ask the right questions to understand the essence of my clients’ brands. My talent for connection allows me to deeply resonate with my clients’ stories, and my curiosity pushes me to learn and ask the right questions.
In areas where I don’t have strong talents, like sales or marketing, I learn enough to manage, but I delegate when necessary. Learning to delegate is key, especially in business, because we can’t be the best at everything. Focusing on our unique talents is what makes us stand out, and that’s where I always aim to put my efforts.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.melimperio.com
- Instagram: @melimperio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soymelimperio
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/micreativestudio
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