Meet Holly Birch Smith

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Holly Birch Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Holly, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

Growing up on a farm, I learned the value of hard work very early on. I was very involved in 4-H & FFA and had many livestock projects. Taking care of livestock is not for the faint of heart — it requires daily responsibilities, often several times throughout the day. My summers were spent feeding and rinsing cattle twice a day, making sure they stayed cool and fed and watered properly. I also helped take care of our facilities and equipment, ensuring we were ready for travel and show days when they arrived frequently throughout the summer months.

That strong work ethic naturally carried over into my schoolwork and career. I always knew I wanted to go to a 4-year University (first-generation college student) so keeping my grades up and participating in extracurricular activities was super important to me. I sort of fell into photography during college and never dreamed at the time that it would become my full-time career someday.

Developing my hearty work ethic early in my youth has definitely helped foster where I am today. I went into my business never thinking of failure as an option. I had to succeed… it was what I had always done. There’s always something to work on to better and further my business, even in slow periods or when I have less photography work to do. I can always find ways to improve my business and make sure I am successful for myself and my family’s future.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a photographer for businesses & brands who loves working with other business owners to help further their marketing efforts through consistent and cohesive photography. My commercial portfolio is packed with all sorts of session types from products to food to events to headshots to behind-the-scenes and so much more. This year I opened a new studio which has been great for headshot days, brand sessions, and product photography. I’m looking to expand my brand photography services even more now that I have a dedicated space for them. Although I still love shooting on location too! I do still offer courthouse wedding photography in my local area, as well as high school senior photo sessions.

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?

Having an apprenticeship that taught me the basics of off-camera flash has been one of my most important skillsets and is something that to this day helps set me apart from other photographers in my area. It is such a crucial skill to have with the types of work I do and I love knowing that I can go into any situation and figure out how to light it properly.

I also have always loved writing and exuding professionalism, which I hope comes across well in my communication skills. Many of my clients are very busy business owners like myself and I want to streamline things avoid unnecessary back-and-forth time wasting as much as possible.

One other important part of my journey has been to never stop learning. I attend a conference or two every year, and I’m currently training on video editing and copyright. Trends and technology are ever-changing, so it’s important to continually stay on top of my craft and making sure I know what my clients are needing and wanting.

If you are interested in photography as a career, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of learning flash and how to use it well. I also think every business owner should have a solid website and start building an email list because social media is not reliable and could go away at any moment.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

Hands down, the Profit First book by Mike Michalowicz has been the biggest game changer in my life and business. The framework is really so simple, but for someone like me coming from no real business background, it has made a huge difference. Essentially the book (and movement) teaches you to set aside percentages of your business income to pay yourself, to pay taxes, to distribute profits, and to pay your business expenses.

Knowing that the money to pay taxes and myself is always there and set aside has made me a smarter and more resourceful business owner. Having separate accounts for all these things helps to not look at your money at a glance and think you can spend it all… it makes you pause and see what the money is actually earmarked for and what you actually have to spend on that new piece of equipment or computer, or whatever it may be.

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