We recently had the chance to connect with Andi Willis and have shared our conversation below.
Andi, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Lately, what’s bringing me the most joy is spending time at our new home, which sits along a beautiful creek. My husband and I love watching the birds, the occasional deer, and just soaking in the peacefulness of the trees and greenery around us. This summer, we added two raised garden beds, and it’s been so rewarding to plant, nurture, and watch things grow.
There’s something deeply satisfying about that process—it reminds me a lot of building a business. There are highs and lows, moments of uncertainty, and then, with care and consistency, comes growth and pride in what you’ve created. Whether it’s a thriving garden or a thriving photo organizing business, the joy really is in the journey.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Andi Willis, the founder of Good Life Photo Solutions, and I’m passionate about helping families preserve their most treasured memories. As a Certified Personal Photo Organizer, I work with clients across the country to transform overwhelming boxes of prints, outdated media, and messy digital folders into beautifully organized, accessible, and meaningful photo collections.
Good Life Photo Solutions began in 2010 with a deep love for storytelling, family history, and the power of photos to connect generations. Over the years, we’ve grown into a team that offers premium photo organizing services—from sorting and scanning to digital organization, photo books, and long-term storage solutions. What makes us unique is not just our expertise, but our heartfelt approach. We know that behind every photo is a story, and behind every client is a legacy worth protecting.
We’re especially passionate about supporting busy women—often the family memory keepers—who feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of safeguarding their family’s photo legacy. Whether we’re working on-site or virtually, our goal is to make the process as stress-free and meaningful as possible.
Right now, we’re expanding our services and resources to help more people tackle their photo overwhelm and finally feel in control of their memories. At the heart of it all, we believe your memories deserve to be seen, shared, and cherished—not stuck in a closet or lost in the cloud.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents taught me the most about work. Growing up, they both had full-time careers—my dad was a forester and my mom an occupational therapist—but when I was around 10, they partnered with my grandparents to open a boarding kennel for cats and dogs. They literally built the facility from the ground up, all while still working their day jobs.
Running the kennel was a true family effort, and I quickly learned that being a business owner means wearing all the hats—owner, scheduler, cleaner, bookkeeper, marketer. Nights, weekends, holidays—work didn’t stop just because the clock said so. We even waited to open Christmas presents until the animals had been fed and cared for.
Watching my parents and grandparents pour their hearts into something they believed in showed me what it really means to commit to your work. If you love something and believe in its purpose, you’ll make sacrifices—but you’ll also grow in ways you never expected. That experience laid the foundation for how I approach my own business today.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
The first year of my photo organizing business was really tough. I had chosen a niche that most people had never heard of—especially in the relatively rural area where I started. Trying to convince people that their photos mattered enough to hire someone to help them—and that my work was worth paying for—felt like an uphill battle. When I look back at my income from that year, I cringe. Now I make more in a month than I did that entire first year.
But I believed deeply in the value of what I was building. I knew that helping people preserve their memories, tell their family stories, and take control of their photo chaos was something meaningful. That belief kept me going. Joining the local chapter of a professional association also gave me the support and inspiration I needed—I met successful, like-minded women who showed me that building a thriving, heart-centered business wasn’t just possible, it was absolutely doable.
Looking back, I’m not entirely sure how I pushed through, but I’m so thankful I did. Today, I know without a doubt that the work we do at Good Life Photo Solutions makes a real difference in our clients’ lives. And that makes all the early struggles worth it.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I used to believe that if I wanted something done right, I had to do it myself. That belief—rooted in perfectionism—held me back for a long time, both personally and professionally. For the first 13 years of running my business, I did it all on my own, wearing every hat and managing every detail. I thought asking for help was a weakness, or at least something I couldn’t afford.
But over the past few years, I’ve slowly (and sometimes painfully) realized how wrong I was. Letting go and bringing in support—whether it’s my virtual assistant, bookkeeper, CPA, or website manager—has been transformational. Now, I’m free to focus on what I do best: helping clients organize their photos and preserve their family memories with care and purpose.
If I could offer one piece of advice to new business owners, it would be this: don’t wait to get help. Hire support as soon as you can, even if it feels a little uncomfortable. It’s not just an investment in your business—it’s an investment in your well-being and your ability to grow.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I know I’ve helped a family preserve their legacy—when the work we do transforms a lifetime of scattered photos and memories into something meaningful, organized, and lasting. My business is rooted in the values of family and connection, and there’s a deep peace that comes from knowing we’ve honored someone’s life and made it easier for their loved ones to do the same.
One project that especially brought this feeling home was when we worked with a group of adult children whose parents had both recently passed away. They had left behind decades worth of photos—prints, albums, even some old slides—and the siblings were overwhelmed. They didn’t know where to begin, but they wanted to honor their parents’ memory and preserve the family story for the next generation.
We helped them sort through the collection, digitize the best images, and create a shared digital archive that each family member could access. For them, it was more than just a photo project—it became a healing process and a way to reconnect as a family. Knowing we played a part in easing that emotional burden and helping them celebrate their parents’ lives gave me an incredible sense of peace.
These are the moments that remind me why I do what I do. It’s not just about organizing photos—it’s about preserving love, legacy, and connection.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://goodlifephotosolutions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodlifephotosolutions/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andiwillis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodlifephotosolutions
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodlifephotosolutions
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