the prosperous photographer
i'm melissa.
Welcome!
numbers geek, photographer, educator, serial entrepreneur, traveler + wanderlusting flâneur
i can help because i've been there
My first stab at being an entrepreneur was in 8th grade.
Bermuda bags were so popular. Most girls I knew didn’t have the budget to continuously buy new covers for their bags.
I saw a market and I started making my own and selling them via word of mouth. I had McCall’s pattern #7517, some fabric and my Nana’s old Singer sewing machine, I got to work. Oh how I wish Etsy had been a thing back then.
so the entrepreneurial journey began!
What makes me different from all the other photography industry 'coaches' that promise big results?
I have had to overcome my own lack of self confidence + and scarcity mindset in order to build multiple six figure photography businesses from the ground up.
Working on my self confidence has been a struggle my entire life. Getting out of my comfort zone and changing my thinking was something that I had to do in order to end my battles with limiting beliefs - around me and what I was capable of.
Fast forward and I can tell you it wasn't always easy but it sure has paid off. This isn't just one lucky year, this is two decades of learning and growing, working on myself, my mind, finding the clarity to visualize what I wanted and reach my business goals as fast as I possibly could.
Together we will create a business where you make money more consistently and with ease, eliminating the stress and overwhelm - and creating possibilities for you and your business that you may never have imagined possible. And it all starts with a single thought - I can do this.
After I graduated college I left Boston and chased my dream to live in NYC.
No plan, no idea of how it was all going to play out.
Moving to NYC was a metaphor for what the rest of my life would be like. Taking this chance seemed to be who I was, a resilient young woman with intuition and seemingly unafraid of failure. [But guys, I'm really a shy introvert. Putting myself out there was not easy for me.]
A part time summer waitressing job for a small restaurant group on the Upper East Side turned into a 15 year career. From waitress, to assistant manager, full time manager, I ended up overseeing this group of restaurants. I resigned as CFO when I was about to have my first child.
I took this milestone in my life as an opportunity to walk away from this very successful, very stressful career. This chapter could close and another would open.
The first 10 years after leaving this career I worked on establishing Keith's photography business. By this time I had two small kids and really enjoyed the challenge of growing his [which now was our] photography business.
Now that the business was established, I started having this nagging question, could I be a photographer? I really, really wanted to be part of the creative process.
Enter my next career. I went back to school to learn photography in my 40's.
I had to believe in myself no matter what. I had wildly stepped out of my comfort zone, but I survived. In spite of setbacks and failures I kept believing that I could do it. And guess what, I could.
Over the last decade we have expanded to multiple six figure photography businesses. I am so humbled and grateful for our journey. It made me reflect back at the success I had in the restaurant business, helping the group prosper and grow year over year. And then thinking back on our trajectory in photography - most photography businesses never get off the ground never mind grow by leaps and bounds during recessions and a pandemic.
The ability to scale our business and execute it successfully was no accident.
Both these industries have staggering failure rates - but we thrived.
The common denominator for both was that they were built on a solid business foundation and the willingness to push forward every single day.
PERSONAL
my why
These special humans, they are everything to me.
Sometimes I can't wrap my head around how fast the time is passing. We only have 18 summers with them as kids - and we are trying our hardest to make the most of it.
Currently living in Montpellier, France. My impossible is happening!
PS This is a family self portrait taken 2 summers ago. The kids apparently aren't big fans of our constant photo requests - especially when a self timer and multiple takes are involved.
What I love most about life is how there are so many chapters...
“When I found a four leaf clover during recess in 1st grade, I had no idea where that luck would take me. I am right here, right now, dreaming, changing, exploring and evolving and enjoying everything along the way.”
- Melissa
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my favorites
a few quick facts
either a coffee or a glass of wine. never empty handed.
nothing i love more than an office with a view
happiest when I'm exploring a new destination with my family
RECENT massive action we manifested: living in France
let's work together!
create the business you want. start now.
Working together we will change the trajectory of your business. I will teach you how you can use your agency and create the personal results that you want and create a business for the long term so that you can live the abundant life of your dreams.
