Meet Kendra Swalls

We were lucky to catch up with Kendra Swalls recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kendra, 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?

Confidence is always something I have struggled with both personally and professionally. However, over the last several years I have started working on ways to boost my confidence that have proven to be really helpful. One in particular is to focus on my growth. It’s so easy to get caught up in comparing yourself and your business to what others are doing and get lost in the imposter syndrome feelings. When you are able to focus on how far you have come in your own journey it creates an inner confidence. For example, I started keeping a “small wins” folder on my computer. Inside if have samples of my photography from when I was first starting out that I am able to compare to my work now and really see just how far I have come. I also include images I am really proud of, awards I have received or small achievements. Being able to look at those one days when I am doubting my abilities really keeps me feeling confident.

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 am a former teacher turned full time photographer. I currently focus on Personal Brand sessions which are geared towards small business owners who need content to help promote their products or services. I still do other sessions as well (families, seniors, etc) but I really love working with small business owners. It’s such a unique and creative way to create something special for each client based on what they do.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Running a business isn’t easy and it will feel like you are on a rollercoaster you don’t remember getting on, but it’s also one of the most rewarding things I have done. As far as the skills or areas of knowledge that were most impactful, I would have to say that determination is key. Some days you are going to feel motivated by your success or your passion for what you do, but there are also going to be days when you feel like throwing it all away and working at your local Starbucks instead. On those days you have to dig deep and really have determination to keep you going. For me, it was the knowledge that I didn’t want to go back to working a 9-5 job that kept me going on those more difficult days.

There isn’t a class or a course I can tell you about that will prepare you for running your own business…I wish there was! In reality, all the skills you currently have are enough to get started. From there, figure out where your weaknesses are and focus on building those up. For me it was the financial aspect of running a business. So I focused on learning how to run reports and keep track of my income and spending. When you boost your weaknesses you start to create a well-rounded business, and you never know when you might find some aspect of your business you never knew you enjoyed.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am a big fan of collaboration and building connections with other businesses. Since I focus on working with small businesses, I am always on the look out for people doing new and exciting things to partner with. If your business focuses on female entrepreneurs or photographers then I would love to connect and see how we can collaborate to work together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.paisleylaynephotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paisleylaynephotography

Image Credits

I have the rights to the photos