Show notes:
This week I’m chatting to wedding photographer Mycah Bain. We discussed her philosophy that success in the wedding industry is not solely defined by financial metrics but rather by the joy and fulfilment derived from one’s work. She reflects on her early career, the challenges of burnout, and the pivotal decisions that led her to establish a balanced approach to business.
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Time stamps:
- 00:14 – Introduction to Wedding Business Strategies
- 00:29 – Embarking on the Journey of Wedding Photography
- 11:48 – Embracing Change: The Journey to Self-Care and Business Growth
- 17:33 – Transitioning to a Team-Based Business Model
- 31:24 – Understanding Money Mindset
- 37:52 – Embracing Change: The Role of AI in Business
- 40:26 – Defining Your Dream Life
Transcript:
Mycah
00:00:00.560 – 00:00:13.840
The more that we can kind of like separate ourselves and our worth from what we’re making or not making. I think that’s just going to be so powerful. And I mean this is like an age old thing.
Becca
00:00:14.560 – 00:01:12.280
I’m Becca Poutney, wedding business marketing expert, speaker and blogger, and you’re listening to the Wedding Pros who Are Ready to Grow podcast. I’m here to share with you actionable tips, strategies and real life examples to help you take your wedding business to the next level.
If you are an ambitious wedding business owner that wants to take your passion and use it to build a profitable, sustainable business doing what you love, then you’re in the right place. Let’s get going with today’s episode. Today I’m chatting with Micah Bain.
After spending over a decade building her photography company into a six figure business with a team of 10, she now helps other creatives build their own businesses, but in a sustainable way so that they feel as good as they look on paper. Based in Minneapolis, Maika herself is proof that it’s absolutely possible to scale a business without losing your sanity.
And you can pay yourself while still prioritizing. Joy, this is a topic I also really love to talk about, so I cannot wait to get into it. Maik, welcome to the podcast.
Mycah
00:01:12.520 – 00:01:14.040
Yay. Thanks, Becca.
Becca
00:01:14.040 – 00:01:47.560
I am thrilled to have you here. Thank you for getting up early so that we could record this on my time zone.
I really do appreciate it, but I want to get to know you a little bit better and I want my audience to get to know you a bit better.
So before we go into a bit more of the topic about sustaining our businesses while keeping that joy, I want to hear a little bit about you and your background. So I said in the intro, you came into the photography world. How did that happen in the first place? Take me back.
Did you have a career before photography? Was photography the first thing you did? Tell me more.
Mycah
00:01:47.560 – 00:02:43.980
Yes. I first got into photography in when I was in college.
I had plans to spend the summer studying in the Middle east and then the following fall in Uganda in East Africa. And this was like pre smartphone days. So I was like, I better get a camera.
So before that I bought a camera, took a photography class, then like took my took my camera with me traveling and I thought like, wow, I must be the next National Geographic photographer. Like, I am so good at this. This is amazing.
But really I think what it was is I just had so much fun getting to know people and like telling their stories visually. So when I came back to the US I was living in Santa Barbara, California at the time.
So I started shooting weddings and was like, okay, maybe there’s something, maybe there’s something to this photography thing. So over the years, things have ebbed and flowed and yeah, fast forward 14 years later, here I am today.
But that was, that was kind of the first spark.
Becca
00:02:43.980 – 00:02:58.140
Okay, well, let’s go back because I think that’s incredibly interesting because most people don’t suddenly say, especially from the States, that they’re going to jump on a plane and go travel in Uganda, go travel in the Middle East. Like, why did that happen? Like, why did you decide to do that?
Mycah
00:02:58.140 – 00:03:47.160
Yeah, in, in college, I was double majoring in anthropology and religious studies. So I was like, I knew I wanted to just like, get to know people, cultures, religions from like around the world.
And I had done like, just a tiny bit of living. I had spent like a month in Honduras in Central America the previous summer, and was like, whoa, there’s. This world is huge.
Like, I gotta, I gotta see as much as I can. And where I went to school, I had some amazing, like, off campus, like programs or partnerships.
So I was like, why would I not, why would I not see the world? Like, I had grown up road tripping.
Like, Minnesota’s right in the middle of the US So like, my family had taken us on like a ton of road trips growing up, which was super fun. And the US is like a very diverse country, so I’d seen a lot. But I’m like, okay, this is like just scratching the surface.
So, yeah, that was, that was why I wanted to get into it.
Becca
00:03:47.160 – 00:04:24.420
And I bet you’d learn a lot that you probably still use in life and business today. Because I know for myself, when I was in college, I traveled to Kenya and Tanzania.
And I believe some of those experiences, just seeing such a different culture, different way of life, different level of, of richness, you know, people in extreme poverty transformed my thinking. That still impacts me all these years later because it opened up my eyes to a world that was much bigger than the western world we live in.
Do you have anything that you remember from that time or is there anything that you learned during that time that you think still impacts you today?
Mycah
00:04:24.580 – 00:05:43.400
Yeah, it really taught me that the, that like, there’s just so much to see, so many beautiful, amazing people to me, and just like the, the value of like, stepping outside of like your own bubble and like, thought process and like, way of, way of thinking, way of being. So since then I have like, prioritized travel to an extreme. So I’ve been to nearly 50 countries.
I take two to three months off every year primarily to travel internationally. And like, to me it just matters so much. I feel like, I feel creatively inspired. Yeah, I get to just like learn more that the world has to offer.
And yeah, I just feel, I also feel like as a woman in this day and age, like the generations before us did not have the opportunity, like, first of all, as women, second of all, like, I have a passport where I have access to go to like really almost anywhere. So why would I not take advantage of that? And I also work for myself and like, it’s never been easier.
So I’m like, I kind of feel like it’s like doing a disservice to previous generations of women for like all the hard that how all the hard work that they have done to like provide me opportunities. I feel like it would be like a disservice them if I just came home every day and like sat on my couch all night and like watch tv.
I’m like, why there’s so much to do in life? Like, why would I do that?
Becca
00:05:44.120 – 00:06:17.310
It sounds incredible.
And we’re going to come back a little bit later in the conversation because there’ll be people who’ve just heard you say why she takes two to three months off a year. We’re going to come back to that. So if you’re listening and wondering how’s that possible, don’t worry, we’re going to get there.
So you finish a traveling stint, you went back to the States and you very casually said you just started picking up weddings. But I’m sure there was a bit more to the story than that.
And a lot of people when they listen to this podcast are kind of at the beginnings of their journey and getting that first work is the struggle they’re in right now. So again, do you remember back where some of that first work came from, when you first got into the wedding industry?
Mycah
00:06:17.710 – 00:08:04.580
Yes, I mean I started assisting like I was getting paid like pennies to drive hours and like carry gear around all day and then like drive hours home. So I was doing like anything possible to just see what it was like to be on like on a wedding day.
So I did some like freelancing for some other companies and then I did like pretty soon start my own, my own thing, but it was like small and it was slow. And so as I was doing that, yeah, like I said, I was like assisting for other companies.
I also had other part time jobs that were completely unrelated to just like Pay my basic bills.
So from the get go, I could, like, in my own business, like, have pricing that felt fair and reasonable and stick to that while at the same time waking up way in the middle of the night to work at a local coffee shop for, like, literal minimum wage.
So, like, on the one hand, I could, at that time, I could have been like, well, I could just, like, do a discount on the wedding because takes me so many hours and I’ve just served so many cups of coffee to, like, you know, make a similar amount of money. But I think that was really like, building my own trust, muscle to be like, okay, I have some.
Like, even early on I was like, I know I. I know what I’m doing.
I have, like, talents and skills, and I want to, like, honor myself and also honor my clients to, to stick to, you know, even those early on, like, smaller kind of basic collections and then make sure I’m covering myself financially elsewhere. So even from the beginning, I was like, I never want to get into that scarcity mindset where I’ Fine, I’ll take it.
I’ll do whatever, like, whatever you have to pay, you know, just. Because I think that’s like, a very slippery slope.
And I think this just, like, really set the foundation for, like, a really good, like, mindset early on.
Becca
00:08:04.900 – 00:08:57.600
I think that’s really smart. It’s interesting.
It’s come up a couple of times in recent conversations I’ve had on this podcast around people having extra income and not being ashamed of that and actually seeing it as a positive thing and not thinking, oh, because I’m not full time in my business from day one means I’m less than.
Actually, it can sometimes give you the freedom to be more than because you can go straight in at the price that you’re worth and you’re not desperately seeking the work totally in terms of your business, then your business journey, as it grew, as your wedding photography business grew, did you face a struggle with balance and burnout, or have you always had your business set up to a way where you could have that time for yourself?
Because often when we hear people coming into the coaching world or they’re starting to teach on a topic, it’s because they’ve experienced the opposite for themselves. So I’m just interested to hear, is that your. Your situation, or have you always done things how you would see in a balanced way?
Mycah
00:08:57.600 – 00:11:48.370
Effy? No, no, definitely not always balanced. And I, I also think that, like, not every season of life is balanced. Like, I, I just don’t.
And if someone Says that like, congrats to them. Maybe they have some secret that I’ve never heard of. But yeah, like in the early. In my early mid, early mid-20s, like I was working all the time.
I had. Actually I had multiple other jobs. I was doing this, the photography for. Alongside all of the different things.
I also moved across the country back to where I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. So that was, you know, another, another transition in there. So I was working like all the time for many years.
And eventually, maybe six years into it, I kind of reached this point where I was like, okay, I need to reevaluate. I gotta, I gotta drop some things. I gotta make some serious shifts. So, yeah, I made some big career adjustments. I.
And that was the first time I took some time off. It was in. It was in a January, I think it was three months. January, February, March here. It’s very slow, wedding wise. Anyway, it’s snowy.
We just got a massive snowstorm last night. Like there’s not that much work anyway. So it just kind of was like a natural time to be like, let me just catch my breath.
It was definitely scary at the time because I was like, well, I’ve never. I’m just gonna be like living off my savings. I’m intentionally.
Even if someone comes to me with projects, I’m gonna be like, all right, I’ll be available in April. You know, that is kind of scary to do, especially when you’ve been hustling your booty for so many years.
But I, I just knew, I was like, if I don’t do this, like something bad is gonna happen. Like, I just feel it. So I took the time off. Like, I read a lot of books. I randomly got like yoga certified just because I was like, I like yoga.
Like, let me do that. Did not end up teaching, but it was just more of kind of like a personal journey, like that kind of thing. And did.
Did a road trip or two during that time and then, you know, jumped into the year, had a great year. Then at the end of the year, kind of looked back at numbers and was like, okay, I took three months off. And you know what?
The finances were still there. What if I circle back and do it again? So then that just kind of became a pattern.
So each, each winter, somewhere in the January, February, March, I take like usually two to three months off. And I intentionally align it with when things are usually slow here anyway.
And I just feel like it really helps me like, reset gives me like a new creative feel fuel if, like, if people are doing Weddings, there’s ebbs and flows to seasons, no matter where someone lives. I’ve not heard of one single market that’s like 100% of the days are like, wedding, wedding, wedding. And if they are, then I think you can just.
Maybe if you’re getting so many weddings, you can just take a break anyway. But, yeah, that was kind of the beginning of it.
Becca
00:11:48.370 – 00:12:17.440
And it’s interesting, isn’t it? Because in our heads, often we tell ourselves, if we work harder, we do better.
And actually, we also know, on the contrary, that people say to us, you know, take the break, and then you’ll be more productive down the line. So it’s interesting that although you are forced into that break, actually when you reflected, it didn’t impact your business very much.
But actually, the positive impact it would have had on you, your health, your family time, your personal life would have been huge, I imagine. Totally.
Mycah
00:12:17.440 – 00:12:28.680
And I think we forget a lot of times as, like, business owners, like, we are our own best asset. So, like, if we’re not taking care of ourselves, like, you don’t have a business. And that’s actually not dramatic.
Becca
00:12:28.680 – 00:12:29.080
That’s.
Mycah
00:12:29.080 – 00:12:43.100
That is a fact. Like, if you are your business and you.
Your mental health, your physical health, spiritual, emotional, social, whatever, how you want to judge it, like, if you’re not taking care of yourself, eventually something’s gonna happen, you know? So, like, you gotta just care for yourself.
Becca
00:12:43.180 – 00:12:54.700
So when you came back after that break, did you change other aspects of your business other than knowing you needed to take breaks more? At what point did you bring other people in? Explain how that worked?
Mycah
00:12:54.780 – 00:14:53.500
Yeah, I think that was kind of when I started taking things, like.
I don’t know if more seriously is the right word, but maybe you’re trading it more of, like, a business and less of, like, I’m a photographer, you know? So 20. That was 2018.
That was the year I set up Dubsado, which is like my CRM, because before then, I was literally doing, like, paper contracts and checks, which was not that insane in those years, but obviously would be, like, wild. If anyone is doing that today, like, immediately open an account with Dubsado or something else, because what are you doing?
So that was, like, one of the first things that I did, just kind of slowly, like, making changes and adjustments. And then a couple years later, like, end of 2020, I was in, like, a big life, personal crisis. And that was when I made my first hire.
That was just like, okay, I need to take time off again. And I don’t know what things are going to look like when I get back. So I. I just have to do something.
And I also know for my own mental health, I seriously cannot be on social media for months. So also, as a business owner, I know that can be kind of scary to just disappear. So I’m like, call a friend crying.
I’m like, can I just give you my password and post some stuff? I have no plan. Just, I don’t want people to forget about me. I’ll be back at some point. I don’t know when, obviously.
Would 0% recommend this as your strategy for your first hire? Because I gave her no direction. But it also, again, I was kind of forced to, like, force myself into it.
And then when I came back, I was like, you know what? Again, that year actually went better than the previous one.
And everything, like, the business stuff was better because I had taken the time and the energy to take care of myself and figure out, like, what I needed. And that also taught me that, like, you know what, someone else can do things for me. Was it different than how I would have done it? Yes.
Were some things better? Absolutely. So I think that was also a pretty exciting moment to realize, like, wait, I’m actually not the best at everything in my business.
What if I did something about that?
Becca
00:14:53.820 – 00:15:43.160
And that is a big moment. And I think that’s a point that a lot of business owners get to, and they’re scared to let go.
Like, to your point, even about Dubsado, I do still have people who are, like, attached to their paper diary and their spreadsheets because they’re so scared of letting go. And I keep saying to them, it will be so much better on the other side. I know it’s like £27, £100amonth, whatever system you’re on.
But compared to your valuable time, time that you’re spending in that spreadsheet, like, please let go, but then letting go to another human again, I feel like people see that as a huge step. And again, your situation, you almost hit crisis, which. Which meant that you had to do it and that.
But I think if people can get into the mindset of thinking that before they hit that point, they’re going to do so much better. So for that first hire, what were they actually doing for you? You mentioned social media. Were they taking photos? Was it all just administration?
Mycah
00:15:43.480 – 00:15:54.450
It was five hours a week, and she just posted, I think, like three times a week and then left them Comments like, I. I honestly don’t even know what she did, but she can die. Don’t Care.
Becca
00:15:56.210 – 00:16:35.060
And that’s a sign that you’ve hit burnout too, right?
Because when we hit that point, for sure, like when we hit that point, we know that that’s, you know, if we’re like, we don’t care anymore, it probably means that we need to take a break.
So anyone listening that’s starting to feel like that that is a sign in your body, your soul, your spirit that you need to take some time out and hiring someone may be the way forward. So let’s fast forward to today then because I took a look on your website and you now have a big old team of people working for you.
It’s no longer just you and your friend doing the social media. And so now are you at a point where other people take photos? Are you still doing the photos and everyone else is doing other stuff?
Explain your setup to me now.
Mycah
00:16:35.060 – 00:17:33.390
Yes. So what thing? Things have changed a lot over the last couple years and even more in the last like six months.
So now I have a solid behind the scenes team that runs the majority of like the day to day things like emails, marketing, editing, those types of things. And then I also have a handful of photographers here in Minneapolis who do. They each kind of have their specialty.
So now my team does all of the weddings, all of the seniors. That’s like a very big deal in this market, like graduating high school and then all of the families.
And then I get to focus almost exclusively on business coaching and also personal brands. So I specialize working with women owned personal brands. And it is so fun. I absolutely love it.
And yeah, it’s been amazing to like make this pivot and I’m like, it feels, it feels so good. It feels amazing.
Becca
00:17:33.710 – 00:18:10.170
So I think there’s a few questions I want to ask around this because I find what you’ve done really inspirational, particularly because you started as a photographer and there’ll be a photographer, photographers and other solo business owners listening who feel like when they hit the limit of events they can do, there is nowhere for them to go. And that building a team isn’t possible for a number of reasons.
Number one, they feel like it’s them that’s built relationships with clients and therefore how could someone go out and deliver that wedding in place of them? And secondly, because the business name is your name, but actually you’ve done that and it seems to be working. So talk me through those two points.
Mycah
00:18:10.920 – 00:21:31.910
Yes, I mean, I will say, for starters, I definitely do not think a team is for everyone. So if you like, I’m not going to try to convince someone that they should do it if they think they would hate it because you know yourself best.
So that’s my caveat. I will also say that as far as building a team, like, I’ve done it very slowly and very intentionally.
And also this is my name, my business name, also my, like, livelihood. I’m the one responsible for taking care of myself. I don’t have another career or a partner to fall back on for that.
So, like, I take this very seriously. So all that said, I think once you.
Once you figure out how to, like, to communicate what you’re doing with your clients in a way where you’re just like, oh, this is what we do. It’s amazing.
People like a lot of my, for example, regular family clients because I was like, oh, this is going to be hard because I’ve been photographing them for years. Are they going to, like, working with my team when they reach out? I’m like, oh, here’s the options. This person’s amazing for this reason.
This person is amazing for this reason. Reason. They’re like, okay, like, we trust you. And I’m like, okay, perfect. That is a great client for me.
Like, some people have maybe taken, like, a tiny bit more explaining of, like, oh, you know, like, this is why it’s so great. Da, da, da, da. Now we can be more available because you’re not just, like, limited by my own schedule. It’s like you have a few people’s options.
So I think just being able to, like, explain the benefits to people. And also now that I really, like, tighten up my systems, like, my clients are getting a better experience.
Like, I would say, I would say, like, a lot of my photographers have actually, I would say all of my photographers have specific skills that are better than mine. Like, some of them are, like, better at taking candidates at weddings. Some are, like, better at taking photos of family.
Some are better at taking detail photos at weddings. Like, whatever the thing may be, these are very, very talented people. So I’ve been incredibly intentional about hiring and that type of thing.
But now I’m also able to, like, I can put more effort into, like, planning the timeline or the calls with the people, with the couples or families or whatever. And then we can also deliver things faster because I’m not like, drowning in, like, doing every single thing on every single project.
And also something I’ve noticed with myself is, like, on the occasional, like, I just had someone who was like, oh, like, can you like, these two photos, like, different. Can you edit them so they look the same And I was looking at them side by side and, like, the light was coming in behind a tree.
Slightly different in the two photos. So was. So I was able to be like, oh, like, this is why it looks like it. Like, you know, the. The sun had shifted. So we didn’t, like, edit it.
Edit it differently, which is like, the actual light was differently, different in that moment. And da, da, da.
And they were, like, so happy and, you know, even though I hadn’t, like, done the request that they asked, but, like, I felt like I was able to be much more patient and, like, excited to reply to them. Whereas even me, a year ago, if I would have gotten that email, like, honestly, I would have been like, why did they not get it? You know?
But it’s like, how would they possibly get it? You’re not a photographer. Like, that’s so rude. So I think I’ve just become, like, much more patient and understanding in my self.
Like, would the email have been different a year ago? I don’t. It would probably have been the same, actually, but I think how I would have felt about it is. Would have been a lot different.
Becca
00:21:32.070 – 00:21:37.270
And do you think that’s because you freed up some more of your time and you’re not under that intense pressure that you were before?
Mycah
00:21:38.130 – 00:21:39.570
Yes, absolutely.
Becca
00:21:40.130 – 00:21:59.010
And how about the fact then that people are going out under your name still? So one of the big pushbacks is, oh, I don’t want to name my business my name in case I want to grow it in the future.
Whereas you’ve kind of proved that you can grow it whilst it being under your own name. So have you had any confusion about that? Have you considered rebranding or is it just working beautifully?
Mycah
00:21:59.090 – 00:22:38.220
I like it, like, I don’t have any intentions to rebrand. I think there’s, like, think of any, like, designer, like, they all have businesses named after their names, like, I don’t know, Louboutin.
Like, do you think that person is literally, like, crafting their wares and, like, answering their emails? I don’t think so. Like, Kate Spade, you think she’s, like, at home sewing a purse? Like, the answer is no.
So, like, I think other industries have done that. I don’t know why in the photography industry where, like, it can’t be done. So, yeah, at this point, I mean, I could always change my mind.
Like, I. I feel like I’ve lived enough life now where I’m never. I’m never gonna say never, but right now it’s working great.
Becca
00:22:38.780 – 00:23:12.420
I love it. I think that’s really, really good analogy as well to people to think bigger.
I think we get into such a small minded thing in our own little world about our business and how it should be that I love talking to people who are doing it differently because it just breaks that wide open and says to people, you do have other choices. You may not want to do the exact same as Mike has done, but there may be elements of it which could work for you and give you more of that freedom.
So you’ve grown a team. You’re now having your time off every single year. So are your team still going out during that time? Is everyone taking that time off?
How’s that gonna look?
Mycah
00:23:12.980 – 00:24:21.710
Yes, so everyone takes, well, people take off different amount of time throughout the year. I basically tell people, you can my photographers, I’m like, you can do what you want, you can take off a lot of time.
Obviously you’re going to have less work, so that’s up to you. My behind the scenes team takes off between Christmas and New Year’s and other vacations throughout the year as they desire.
And then like January and February when I’m away, they will keep things rolling. We will still be doing less work than we do in like a July, August, September. So I think that probably makes it a little bit easier to step away.
And I’ll also be, I’ll be checking in with my team like once a week. So I’ll probably be working like two hours a week. I will still consider that time off because that’s certainly less than usual.
So I’m not gonna, yeah, I’m not gonna just be like 100% unavailable and be like, good luck figuring things out for two months. But yeah, I’m, I’m. That’s kind of what it’s gonna look like at this point.
And this is also my first, this is also my first sabbatical with a bigger team. So I will be figuring out as I go.
Becca
00:24:21.710 – 00:25:04.440
Yeah, be interesting to see how that works. But I think the whole system you’ve got set up is lovely.
When I came to your website to have a look at how it looked from a customer’s end, just the beautiful picture of all of your team together, I just thought you look like a family, you look like one company, you don’t look like an individual. You know, it’s, it’s fantastic.
And I think it, like I say, it opens it up to show people that they can run businesses in the way that they want them to.
Now obviously we said at the beginning that you are now also coaching other business Owners and working with other business owners, helping them to achieve similar kind of things, I guess go after the things that they want in their business, not getting burnt out. What made you decide to go down that route?
Mycah
00:25:05.000 – 00:26:51.700
I think after working with like a variety of like business coaches, going to a bunch of retreats, whether it’s like photography or business or things like that, I was kind of like, they can do this. I can definitely do this.
I mean, I have had some great experiences with different coaches and retreats and I’ve also had some honestly, very bad, borderline scam experiences with retreats and coaches. So I’m like, okay. I think from people who are extremely well known, I’m like, this is shocking.
I cannot believe this is the reality of what they’re like in real life.
So I think that kind of inspired me to think, okay, there are a lot of people who are, who are seeking to learn, seeking this knowledge and the options out there. Yeah, there are some great ones. But also I have a lot to bring to the table.
I have learned a lot over the years and I love, I just find myself talking about business, like all the time. Like, even one of my best friends and I, every time we walk into a store, like, we’re like, okay, this would be better here.
Like, this would be more optimized if they did this thing a little bit different. Like, I can’t even help myself sometimes, so. And I think I also like to be really clear with people that I really like to focus on the business.
Like the mindset, the strategy, that kind of thing. Like, I do not like talking about photography.
Like, if people are like, how do you best light a reception or what kind of shutter speeds did I use in this situation? I’m like, I’m, I’m not your person for that. Like, it’s just not a passion of mine to talk about those like, nuances and also go on YouTube.
There are like 1 million billion people who love to talk about that. So that’s kind of my, that’s kind of my thought process there.
But if it’s like, okay, let’s dive into to your business and things that like, you cannot just like Google ChatGPT, go on YouTube, whatever, like, that’s where, that’s where I love to like, partner with people.
Becca
00:26:51.700 – 00:27:16.100
Okay, so if there’s someone listening and they’re thinking, right, I am in the thick of it. I am a florist, a cake maker, something like that, I am working all of the hours. I feel like the return is low.
I’m hustling hard, I’m exhausted, I’m burnt out. They come to you and they go, micro needs some help. What are the first things that you would help them put in place?
What’s the first step for them to make that change?
Mycah
00:27:16.260 – 00:29:00.270
Yeah, I always have people start by thinking about, like, where they are now. So this is going to like, take, take a minute to figure out, like, okay, where are you? How many projects are you, how many clients, how much money?
Like, the actual information about where you are now. Because if you don’t know that, like, it’s very difficult to make any educated decisions.
And I’ve also been in that place many times where I’m like, who knows? I don’t know.
Did a couple weddings each month, you know, so it’s like, this is not like a judgment, but it, but it is an invitation to go in and be like, you got to figure out where you are. And also secondly, most importantly, where do you want to go? Because I think a lot of people are like, I want to grow a team or I want to work less.
It’s like, why? Like, you have to have like a why, a reason, a dream to even know, like what you’re trying to do.
Or I think a lot of people in the creative space are like, I want to hit six figures. Like, okay, for what? Like, you know what I mean? Like, is that enough? Is that not enough? Like, that’s just an arbitrary number.
So I think like, really figuring out like where you are, where you want to go, looking at the difference between those two, and then kind of starting to fill in the gaps, you know? And I also really like working with people who are like going to do it.
Like, if people want to talk about this all day, every day, and then in three months, they want to keep talking about the same thing that we talked about in the first day. Like, I am not for you.
I like to work with people who are actually going to implement, jump in, make it happen, want to actually make a change to the business in their life because so much is possible. Really, anything is possible. And I think I like to just kind of provide people that invitation to dream way bigger than you even thought reasonable.
Becca
00:29:00.910 – 00:29:36.050
And to your point, the first piece of work that you get them to do, where they have to actually see where they’re at, I think that’s actually a huge piece of the puzzle. I see a lot of business owners that are in this kind of chaotic state where they don’t have.
They’ve lost control in that they don’t know their numbers, they don’t know their costs.
Like, everything has spiraled, and everything has just become so chaotic that they feel out of control, and that is adding to the burden of, like, not having balance because they think they can’t take any time off because they don’t understand. And so I guess just taking the time to slowly get that control back and understand and look at the numbers is going to be a huge help.
Mycah
00:29:36.130 – 00:29:36.690
Totally.
Becca
00:29:37.170 – 00:30:04.730
I also see people burying their head in the sand. I don’t know if you see this with your clients, but when people are worried about what the numbers are going to say to them, they don’t look at them.
So if they don’t want to face the reality that maybe their business is either not profitable or is making them peanuts and they could earn more working in the grocery store down the road. And I think that fear sometimes stops them actually putting numbers on paper. What would you say to that?
Mycah
00:30:05.210 – 00:31:17.210
I. I firmly believe knowledge is power. Like, no matter what it is, whether it’s in business or even.
I was, like, talking to someone about a relationship, and, you know, she had some questions for her partner. I’m like, the longer you go without asking, like, the worse it’s gonna be. Just ask the question, and then you can make a decision, you know?
So I think, like, just taking the bold step to. To figure out where you are. Yeah. Where you are financially.
And also, if you do need to get a job at the grocery store down the road for six months, like, that is a hundred percent fine. Like, I think so many people are just, like, in this spiral where they’re like, oh, I have to. I have to work for myself 100. Otherwise, I’m a failure.
And, like, who told you that? Like, don’t listen to those voices. You know, like, there. There are different seasons in life for different things.
And, like, I don’t know, I think people just need to be very realistic about, like, where they are. And this kind of, like, leads a little bit more. It’s like money and mindsets. Money mindset stuff, which I, like, love talking and coaching about.
But it’s just like, if you. Yeah. If you don’t know what you’re trying to do, then you’re not gonna get there because you don’t even know where you’re trying to go.
Becca
00:31:17.770 – 00:31:53.990
Okay, let’s talk a bit about money mindset then, because that was actually next on my list of things to talk about, and it’s come really naturally to this point. I think that money mindset is huge.
I know there’s lots of different people Talk about it from lots of different angles, but I definitely see it all of the time in myself, in my clients, that we have these beliefs around money.
Either that, you know, we can’t charge a certain amount, people won’t pay a certain amount, we’re not worth a certain amount, we should never earn a certain amount, you know, or we have to hit six figures to be successful. This arbitrary number. So what do you think are some of the fundamentals of getting a better money mindset? Oh.
Mycah
00:31:55.880 – 00:33:44.080
I think one of the most important things is when you can separate yourself as an individual from yourself as a business owner. Because I think that kind of goes into value worth rejection.
I know that maybe seems like it’s not extremely linked to money, but for me it definitely is at times. As a business owner, how often do you get rejected? Literally all the time. Also, if you’re not getting rejected, you gotta raise your prices.
If 100% of people are booking you, that means your price too low. So one, so like one of the, you know, tickets to entry as an entrepreneur or business owner is like you’re gonna get rejected very regularly.
And I think the more that you can, the more that you can be like, okay, they are rejecting me as a business owner or they are rejecting this specific offer that I am offering to them for whatever million reason it could be. They’re not like saying that I’m a bad person and like they hate me. And if they are, then you gotta do Simone. You know, that’s not on you.
Probably someone’s got some issues.
But I think the more that we can kind of like separate our, ourselves and our, our like our worth from what we’re making or not making, I think that’s just going to be so powerful. And I mean this is like an age old thing.
Like there’s, I’m, I don’t know the actual stats, but like I know you know, so often here in the US like people retire at 65 and like men, like I don’t like gender stereotypes, but so often men have found their identity in, you know, in work and career and then it’s like very soon after that their health just plummets or they even die because it’s like they’re, they put so much worth in their, you know, career or finances. And it’s like, is that, is that how you want to live? Like again, that’s only you can say.
Becca
00:33:44.890 – 00:34:11.490
Yeah, absolutely. I think the other thing is sometimes there’s this feeling in our heads that earning more means working harder.
And so people have these Beliefs, particularly in our industry. And it kind of comes back to what we were talking about earlier, that, you know, if I’m a photographer, there is an income ceiling.
I’m gonna hit that. And I can never earn any more. Or I, in order to earn more, I’m gonna have to work so hard that I’m gonna have no life.
So how do we, how do we balance those beliefs around money?
Mycah
00:34:11.490 – 00:36:09.580
Yeah, that, I mean, that’s super tough. Like, I wish I had like a two sentence answer that could have the solution.
But, but I mean, I think, I think there’s a difference between working more and working more strategically. Or like working. Yeah, like smarter. Like work smarter, not harder, as I say, but like, that is so for real.
Because you can sit in front of your computer all day, every day, you can tweak every single photo until your eyes fall out, you can bake a thousand new cakes and arrange, you know, a million bouquets, all these kinds of things. But like, like, is that the smartest thing for you to be doing? Because busy work is not necessarily like smart work.
Like there, there is no chance I could ever be done working because that’s not how it works. So. But it’s not about being done.
It’s about like focusing on what’s like the most important and what’s actually going to like drive your profits forward. And then, you know, maybe, maybe you could consider hiring someone five hours a week to run your Instagram.
Or you could hire someone five hours a week to be your personal assistant.
Take some of these, like, household, like, if you don’t, if you don’t want to give up anything on your business, like, this would be my challenge to you. Hire a super part time personal assistant. Like, I did that a few months ago. I am not married, don’t have kids, don’t have pets.
So it’s like literally me in the home.
And this has been a game changer, like to just take a lot of the load of these, these daily life tasks off my plate, like, you know, meal prepping, laundry errands, these kinds of things. So now I get to focus more on my work because I’m like, I love to work. I love to work way more than I love to fold my laundry or cook a meal.
And that’s a fact for now. Like some of those things I would like to change for you at some point because I would like to enjoy cooking, but the today version of me doesn’t.
So instead of like getting hard on myself about that, why don’t I just like embrace it and do something, you know. Yeah.
Becca
00:36:09.580 – 00:37:37.170
And find ways to get your time back. It’s interesting. I interviewed Colleen Carswell on the podcast a couple of weeks ago and she was talking about tracking your time.
And I set myself a goal that for two weeks, as she did, I would track everything I did every 15 minutes. And it’s just been game changing to my mindset to see where I spend all my time.
Because what we think we’re spending our time doing or where the value is.
And then when you actually do that exercise, we’re tracking every 15 minutes what you’re doing, you realize, wow, you can really see where maybe someone else could be doing some of that stuff. And to allow me to have the freedom to go and do the things that I’m better at.
So that’s another way for people to look at it as going, right, go look at the time that you spend on things.
Go do that exercise where you write every 15 minutes what you’re doing for two weeks and then review that and it will very clearly paint a picture to you of what you should do. I mean, I did it a few years ago, go with hiring a cleaner because I realized I was spending half a day a week in my work hours cleaning my house.
And I was like, why?
Why am I doing this when I could be actually being productive and there’s someone else out there who has a business that I can support who wants to come and do that and is again, it’s been game changing for me because I got half a day of my week back, but I’m also living in a nicer, cleaner environment off the back of it. So sometimes I think when we talk about hiring, people are scared. They think we’re talking about taking on a full time photography employee.
But actually there are smaller ways that we can do that from the start.
Mycah
00:37:37.250 – 00:37:38.610
Yes. Yeah, absolutely.
Becca
00:37:39.410 – 00:37:55.570
Okay. We talked a little bit earlier about systems. You talked about CRM systems.
Is there any other systems that you’re utilizing in your businesses or seeing clients utilize in their business to help them work smarter? Are you using AI? Are there other things that you’re recommending to people?
Mycah
00:37:55.730 – 00:39:59.260
Yes, I am extremely into AI. I’ve been in Callan Faulkner’s AI programs for like, like over, over a year. She has a.
It’s a 12 week now AI course that I’m taking literally for the third time right now. Okay, third time. Because it’s changing so fast. Like every day is different.
And this is like a thousand times more than just being like, chatgpt, write me a better Email, you know, like, it. It’s really helped me with, like, mindset work, with figuring out, like, hiring and firing with the team. Like, there’s.
There’s really no limit to the ways that you can utilize AI. I actually have, like, an AI, like, money coach to, like, work with me on, like, my money mindset. So, like, it’s.
It’s very, very exciting to just get started. And I think if someone’s intimidated by it, I would just say, like, very realistically, like, you got to get on board or get left behind.
And I don’t think there’s a. But I don’t. I’m not gonna, like, say it’s after because I really, truly believe that’s it.
I think there’s different ways that people can, like, utilize it and work with it.
But, like, this I do truly feel is, like, as monumental as when the Internet got invented and the people back then who were like, I’m not gonna do an email. Like, I’m gonna stick to only the landline. And it’s, like, fine.
Like, some people are living like that, and that’s completely acceptable, and that is your choice. But, like, you are gonna limit yourself. So I think it’s just figuring out, like, what that looks like.
And then along with that, I’ve gotten very into, like, as I’ve grown my team a lot in the last, even six months, I have gotten really into notion just to kind of, like, get everything.
And also, I would say along with that, I hired someone who was good at it and I just explained what I wanted and she got it set up because I was like, this. I don’t get it. It’s overwhelming, it’s stressful. And I also took some classes on, like, how. How to use it.
So I think, like, you know, like, you’re not bad at something. You’re just, like, new at something.
So being able to, again, like, shift the perspective there, like, ask for help, help, hire someone, take some time to learn. These things are going to be, like, a total game changer.
Becca
00:39:59.260 – 00:40:24.070
I agree. And I think the speed of AI development is slightly terrifying and slightly exciting all at the same time. And you’re right.
It’s changing so fast, so quickly. And I think people need to at least start to board the train if they haven’t already, to understand it.
Because there are ways, of course, there are things that you can look at and go, they’re not so great for the world. But there are also things that you can look at and realize, oh, this actually can save me a whole lot of Time.
Mycah
00:40:24.310 – 00:40:25.670
Yes. Yes, Effy.
Becca
00:40:26.390 – 00:41:07.760
Okay. The final thing I want to ask you before we start to bring this to a close is about how we decide what we want in life.
Now, this is a big question, but I think often when we have these interviews and, you know, you talk about having your three months off and what you want your life to look like, and then people feel like they should have this thing in their head of what their life should look like based on what other people are doing. And so quite often to me, people will say, like, oh, I want to earn six figures.
And then they start talking about their life, and actually, that’s not really what they want to do at all. They want to have the freedom to spend with their kids or whatever it is.
So with your coaching clients, how do you dig in to what people actually want rather than what they think they want out of life and business?
Mycah
00:41:08.000 – 00:44:11.890
I think I like to start just pretty simple a lot of times and think of, like, what is your dream day? And you can think about it like it could happen tomorrow. Or if that just feels, like, so unrealistic, like, you could think about it like.
Like one, three, five years out. I personally don’t like to go too much further than five years out just because it’s hard for me to even, like, picture that.
But you can do whatever you want and just, like, journal or. I’m very big. Oh, speaking of tools, there’s like, a AI plugin called Whisper Flow that It’s like a free download on your computer.
So instead of typing, you just click a button and then you talk, and it transcribes the entire thing into any single thing so you don’t have to copy and paste. You can do that into, like. Like wherever your cursor is. And you would be typing. That’s where the. That’s where you can talk into. So Whisper Flow.
But, yeah, so I would just like. I like to walk and talk. So I go on a lot of walks by myself and talk to myself, and I don’t care what people think.
So I’m on my phone and I’m just like, you know, describing my ideal day. And then I think, like, thinking. Looking at that, thinking about that. Okay, what is important to you in that?
Like, if you, you know, really want to make sure you’re spending a lot of time outside, or you really want to make sure that you can have lunch with your friend once a week, or you really want to make sure you can have dinner with your family every single night, or you want to, like, have quiet space like, whatever is important to you or maybe you want to do something. Maybe you want to get your. I don’t know, I don’t get my nails done, but maybe you want to get your nails done once a month.
Like, think of what are these, like, little things to do or like, that are. That are in your day dream, you know, daydream, and. And then think about, like, okay, a lot of these are probably closer than you think.
Yeah, maybe in your dream scenario or like on a, you know, in a house on the beach. Okay, that might be a potentially a little more effort to get there.
But if the goal is to go on a walk on the beach, why don’t you start by going to walk around your neighborhood or walk around the park or something like that so you can start to, like, integrate these smaller things into your life.
Maybe it’s not the exact version of what you want later, but, like, if you want to have dinner with your family every single night and your schedules are out of control, like. Like start with one night a week, then two nights a week, then quit something else you can do three nights a week.
This is not going to happen overnight. This is going to happen with small, intentional movements over time.
And I think the more that you can know where you want to go, make small changes now and then do these daily visualizations to be like, okay, I am making steps to move myself there. Because even when I think about my dream life, like, I’m not looking to have, like, 10 houses and a private jet or anything crazy.
Like, that does not sound fun to me.
But, like, there are specific things that I do want to do, and I want to be able to, like, not work in the evenings and be able to, like, say yes to a spontaneous invite and, like, show up for my niece and nephews and, like, take my mom out for fun little adventures, you know, these kinds of things. So I’m like, yeah, I am capable of doing all those things now.
So if that’s in my dream life life, how would I schedule it into, like, this next month? You know what I mean?
Becca
00:44:11.890 – 00:44:59.850
Yeah, I think that’s great. So just take some time to sit and to think or to walk and to talk and understand what it is for you in your dream life.
Because everyone’s day, if we got everyone listening to this podcast together and everyone shared, I guess they would look entirely different. Because for some, it may be that they want to fly around the world on a private jet.
For other people, it’ll be that they literally just want to be able to go pick their kids up from school and not have to send someone else to do it. Like, there is so much variety. So if you’re listening to this, I encourage you do that exercise. That’s a great starting point.
Get the control back with the data, get that starting point, and then you’ll have the tools to start implementing stuff and make this stuff happen. Micah, I’ve loved this conversation. I always have my podcast with the same question, so I’m going to pose that to you now. And it’s this.
What’s one thing you personally wish you’d known sooner in your own business?
Mycah
00:45:00.050 – 00:45:40.750
This. I think we’ve, we’ve kind of already touched on this. But I would say to dream bigger than you ever think is possible.
Like, don’t look at someone else on Instagram and think, oh, maybe I can do it. No, think about like 10 times bigger than that. And, and also just like, really leaning into mindset, because I, I believe mindset is, is everything.
And you know, if you’re talking down to yourself or comparing yourself to others all day, like, that’s just not going to get you to where you want to go.
So I think when you can, like, like, really lean into, like, an abundance and like a generous mindset, like, you’re not only gonna, like, get closer to your own dreams, but you’re also going to be able to, like, serve and love the people around you better and like, be a better citizen of the world.
Becca
00:45:41.230 – 00:45:56.370
So, so true. Often the biggest thing standing in our way is ourselves, for sure. And getting that sorted out can move mountains.
Micah, if you want to find out more about you, about your coaching, about your photography business, this. Where are the best places for them to go and find out more.
Mycah
00:45:56.770 – 00:46:12.890
Yes, I love hanging out over on Instagram, Micah Bain photo. It’s my C A H. And I also have a fun little money mindset freebie for you.
So that’s micahbain.com money and you can just download it right there and dive in, send me a DM and tell me what you’re thinking.
Becca
00:46:12.890 – 00:46:22.550
Fabulous. I’ll make sure I put that link in the show notes so that everyone can go and grab it. Micah, it’s been such a great conversation.
Thank you so much for your time and enjoy the rest of your day.
Mycah
00:46:22.550 – 00:46:23.480
You thank. Thank you.
Becca
00:46:23.800 – 00:46:48.200
I love that conversation. It’s always interesting to hear about mindset, but what I love most of all is how Micah’s rewritten the game.
And so many of you say to me, if I’m a photographer, I can’t grow. I can’t grow a team. Well, guess what? She shows you can do it differently if you choose to.
So take some time, do that exercise, work out what your dream day would look like. And then you can start putting the building blocks in to make it happen. I’ll see you next time.
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