Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chad Zellner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Chad 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?
From as far back as I can remember both of my parents and grandparents have worked. Either for themselves or others, work has been imprinted in my memory as not just a side item to life. They took pride in their accomplishments and awards and taught me that, through ups and downs, you have to always do your best. They also showed me that work extended past your 9-5. My 9-5 was school, they said, but I also had after school activities that I practiced. My work life started at a very young age going to work with my mother and helping her. Then, when I was 12 years old, I started a lawn mowing business and mowed lawns every Saturday morning. I was fortunate enough to have a horse growing up, so I was responsible for taking care of him. If you’ve ever baled hay in the summer in Texas you know it’s not for the faint of heart! It was instilled in me that in order to have fun you have to put in the work. And I’ve tried to do that in all aspects of life.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’ve owned a Photography + Creative content business for 15 years. Our initial focus was wedding photography, but we’ve branched out into a lot of different avenues over the years. We’ve been featured in print, on billboards, in ad campaigns, and on the walls of our clients houses. It started out with my wife and I and we’ve grown to a team of 8 as we now offer videography services and a broader range of photography styles for our clients. We love capturing the story of our wedding clients in a creative free flowing way to working within parameters of a vision for a commercial client and everything in between.
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?
1. Be kind. Be honest. Be hard working. Deliver the quality of product you want.
2. Have your own voice. It’s fine to be inspired by others, but focus on your client and then see where you can add to make their vision flourish.
3. You will not be for everyone. It’s not personal, though it feels like it sometimes. People can have an opinion about your business, but make sure you’re doing what makes you happy.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
When it comes to someone I can problem solve or run through scenarios with to having a laugh about something that was a bust or turned out to be splendid, it is 100% of the time my wife and partner, Tressie. We help each other out in business, at home, raising our family, and doing all the things from the exciting to mundane.
I would say we were both raised with a “the show must go on” attitude. Working to find an answer when one is not easily presented and having the fortitude to fight through the slump has helped immensely. Don’t give up, but get creative and find the best answer available.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.twopairphotography.com
- Instagram: twopairphoto
