Meet Brian Loeffler

We recently connected with Brian Loeffler and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Brian with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

As a kid growing up in middle class Akron, Ohio, if I wanted something, I had to work for it. Wanna go to soccer camp? Worked by mowing lawns in the neighborhood. Wanna go to college? I delivered newspapers for the Akron Beacon Journal. Want that MBA? I bartended on the weekends, invested those tips and earnings in the stock market, and I let the stock market pay for my MBA.

Basically, I was taught early on that if I wanted something, I was going to have to work for whatever I wanted because no one was going to hand it to me. If I encountered anything in my way, I found a way around those issues even if it meant working extra hours.

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

I created the idea of selling my print images back in 2020, and so I sat down one afternoon and started writing a business plan. What are the legal aspects of owning a business, how do I take advantage of social media, and how do I reach out to local businesses? Once I had my answers, I launched Unledded99 Photography with the goal of selling my wildlife photography as print images.

The crazy part was people started commenting on the landscape of where I was photographing wildlife, and so, I started taking more and more landscape photography. The response I received from my landscape photography was just as great. The next step was to incorporate the night sky into my landscape photography. Easily my most popular photo, the Ethereal Moon, is with the moon rising over Barlett Lake with cloud cover making the photo very surreal.

I have absolutely enjoyed the evolution of my photography business, and I am very grateful to share this evolution with everyone.

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?

One of the key qualities that helped me launch my business was organization. Sitting down, writing an outline, and setting milestones on when aspects of the business needed done.

Another key aspect is perseverance because not everything is going to go smoothly. The purpose for writing a business plan is to revisit where things went right, where it went wrong, and how the issue can be resolved. Social Media has really tested me on reaching people, but I stuck with it by referring to my business plan, making adjustments, and moving forward.

Finally, simply be appreciative and be nice! You never know where you are going to meet prospective clients and so be engaging and answer questions in a very nice manner. I was at the grocery store after photographing the wild horses, and I smelled from the wild horses. A woman commented that I smelled bad in a joking manner, and I mentioned to her she was right, but I just came from photographing wild horses. All of the sudden, she wanted to know more, see my photos, and now she is a client.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

Social Media has been by far the biggest challenge as everyone is trying to grab other people’s attention. So, I have been using Instagram, Facebook, and other forms of media to get my name out there. It does take time, I took my lumps, and now the arrow is pointing up as my social media presence is beginning to grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.unledded99-photography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unledded99/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unledded99/