Inheriting the Family Business | Lesle Lane

Lesle Lane wasn't supposed to take over her family's photography business. Her brothers were the obvious choice. Commercial and industrial photography in the early 90s wasn't considered women's work — and her family wanted her shooting weddings instead. She said no. And then she spent the next 33 years proving that was the right call. Lesle is the owner of Studio 13 in Indiana, and someone in her family has been taking pictures for 95 years. In this conversation, she talks about what it actually looks like to inherit a family business without a real succession plan, survive every disruption thrown at a small business in one lifetime — recessions, a pandemic, the digital revolution, the sudden death of her longtime employee — and build something flexible enough to outlast all of it. We also get into the real cost of cheap photography (and what it means for your business when the low-bid vendor bails three weeks before the event), how she transitioned from one W-2 employee to a team of 15 specialized 1099 contractors, what woman-owned certification has — and hasn't — been able to do for her business in the current climate, and why gratitude isn't a mindset practice for Lesle. It's just the only logical response to still being here. "When you've been on your knees, there's no place to look but up." Connect with Lesle Lane:Website: https://studio13online.com LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/studio-thirteen Mentioned in this episode: Olan Mills Photography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olan_Mills Episode with Adam Zuckerman on Succession Planning for Solopreneurs: https://kandasrodarte.com/256 Show notes: https://kandasrodarte.com/320 Gratitude Geek is hosted by Kandas Rodarte — business education for Gen X women solopreneurs who want sustainable growth without the hustle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices