21: How To Stop Playing Catch Up in Your Business with Sandra Monaco

I’m thrilled to have Sandra Monaco as a guest on this episode of Shine + Thrive, where she shares her story as a wedding photographer and how feeling burnt out and even not feeling like getting out of bed in the mornings led her to embracing outsourcing to see her life and her business change for the better. This episode is all about how to stop playing catch up in your business, putting an end to outsourcing shame, and regaining the most valuable thing in life - time. Timestamps[05:20] Sandra didn’t start out as a wedding photographer. Interestingly enough, she was massively into the car scene early on and only gradually progressed towards photographing weddings. Sandra talks about her background, working in telecommunications, and booking her first wedding shoot - a destination wedding in Jamaica. [08:29] Life before outsourcing, goals that seemed out of reach, and investing tens of thousands of dollars into workshops that just weren’t worth it. Interestingly, Sandra was already familiar with many of the things I teach in my outsourcing workshop that she took, but, in her own words, "I already used everything you mentioned, but I didn't use it right.”[15:00] Grinding and hustling to get to a six figure income and how things changed after implementing the outsourcing lessons Sandra learned in my workshop. Having more space and energy to take on more bookings that eventually bring in more revenue.[18:39] What burnout felt like, and why talking about outsourcing felt like coming out of the closet. There is a need to get rid of outsourcing shame because getting help doesn’t mean that you work less - everything still goes through quality control and in the end, it’s still the photographer’s work that the client is getting.[22:24] It used to take 16 hours for Sandra to do a full edit from start to finish. That was before outsourcing. Now, she is able to only spend 2 hours on checking the edits AND culling. 16 hours vs. 2. That’s how huge the effect of outsourcing is - the amount of time you’re able to get back to spend on things that matter most.[29:43] Sandra on taking my outsourcing course + advice she has for anyone feeling stuck.My Online Photography Courses for YouOutsourcing Made Easy: Learn how you can have more time freedom AND financial freedom as a portrait/wedding photographer. Sign up for the waitlist here now! (doors reopen once a year)Crystal Clear Marketing: Learn how you can attract and book your dream photography clients - Sign up here!Intuitive Storytelling for Wedding Photographers: Learn how you can storytell like a pro on wedding days - Sign up here!Say hi to me on social! I would love to hear which episode helped you!Instagram: @saramonikaphotoSubscribeIf you're not subscribed to my podcast yet + you don't want to miss an episode make sure to do so right now before life gets in the way. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!Click here to leave a review!With love + gratitude,Sara