Meet Jodee Friday

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jodee Friday. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jodee below.

Hi Jodee, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

I’m so lucky to have two incredible and inspiring parents. They’ve always modeled confidence and high self-esteem within themselves and loved me in a way that allows me to naturally have it in myself. They have empowered me throughout my life to take risks and work hard. They have taught me the importance of being kind and a good person to others and also to myself. I wouldn’t be who I am without their encouragement and care. They are the foundation for everything I am.

On top of that, I think developing your confidence is a continuous journey. It’s easy to have imposter syndrome. I read a quote once by Anaïs Nin that has really stuck with me that reads: “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage”. I hope to have a large grand life and with that comes the necessity to have courage and confidence in your decisions and actions.

Sometimes you have to fake it until you make it. Other times, it’s helpful to really listen to and take in the compliments others give you and surround yourself with people that uplift you. Another great exercise I do whenever I find I’m doubting myself is writing down what I’m grateful for and the accomplishments I’m most proud of. I find this practice helps to ground me and bring me back to a place of pride and confidence.

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?

I’m a destination wedding photographer capturing fleeting moments for fun couples. My goal is to create unique images that tell an authentic story.

I personally love telling stories of real couples and individuals. For me it’s more than setting up poses or adjusting camera settings, it’s allowing people to come alive in front of the camera and give them space to have real connection, emotion and moments. Being able to pause time with a click of my camera is powerful, so I work very hard to ensure that what I’m capturing is real and meaningful. I think that is what is most special about what I do. After all, I’m invited into some of the most intimate moments of my couple’s lives, and I get to be their visual historian.

I am so excited to say that I just launched my new brand of Jodee Friday & Co. I changed my last name when I got married a few years ago so I’m very excited to make the change professionally as well as personally. The & co is to incorporate my associate team of photographers who are wildly talented and document weddings on behalf.

I also love traveling and adding new collections to my print shop: Wild & Fleeting (www.wildandfleeting.art). You can find the most recent collection of Santorini prints there available for purchase.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Networking

I cannot stress how important it is to build strong connections with not just your clients but also your peers. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my incredible network of mentors and creative partners. It’s so fun to work with people I admire and respect and like to be around! And I hope people feel the same way when working with me 🙂

2. Streamlined Communication

In today’s world, response time is key in business. Clients expect instant gratification, so I think anything you can do to set up automated responses, templates, a website with clear information about your services, etc. to set yourself up for success is necessary. Quick and clear responses are crucial.

3. Genuine Enjoyment

I truly feel that people want to be around others that are genuinely excited to be doing what they do. Authenticity is key when showing up and if you don’t love what you’re doing, it will come across. So making sure to stay inspired and avoid burn out when growing your business is key. You want to come back to the why and enjoyment of your craft even in the difficult and tiring seasons. Everyone has their own techniques of doing so, and you’ll have to figure out what works best for you. Is it taking a break? Is it actually taking on more work that inspires you and propels your career? Is it hiring a team to help offload the tasks that subtract from your excitement?

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

There are so many books, podcasts and videos that I can share because I feel like learning is pivotal in business and entrepreneurship – we are never done evolving or bettering ourselves. But one that immediately stands out is a book called “Building Your StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen”.

I think people often jump into the world of business ownership knowing their skill, product or even industry but maybe not their customer or better yet target customer. And in return, they also do not fully grasp the messaging they need to use to articulate what their business can do to make their customer’s lives better.

I re-read this book every few years because Donald Miller does such a great job at highlighting how to make your customer the hero of your story. It’s so easy to share your “about” with you as the lead. But in reality we all want our customer to be the hero in our story so we can serve as their guide by offering them a service or product that is essential to them achieving their goals. It’s why they must buy “it” and not just from anyone but from you.

I find that it’s easy to fall back into the pattern that I, the business owner, am the main character in the story, but that’s not always the best way to sell myself or my service. And that’s why this book has been a huge help in reframing the narrative and impacting my thinking.

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Image Credits

All Images: Jodee Friday & Co

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