Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Keegan Gross.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 2009, I started a part-time portrait photography business while working as an attorney. I had spent most of the previous year out of work. I was a new attorney right when the recession hit and firms were not hiring. But I used that time to be with my new baby daughter and work on my family photography skills while looking for work. I’d been an amateur photographer with professional aspirations since high school, but somehow, I’d ended up an attorney instead. Being out of work turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Although I eventually found another job, I started to have friends and family ask me to take their portraits. And because I knew better than to work for free, I decided to start what I thought would be a “small part-time business” that would help support my hobby (camera gear is expensive!). I learned quickly that running a business is not a part-time job!
Over the first two years, my business grew very slowly but the more time I put into it, the more it grew. As my busy 2011 holiday season ended, I was exhausted and pregnant! I knew there was no way I could do it all anymore. I had to choose. I could stay with a safe job at a law firm that I didn’t love but provided a regular paycheck, or I could make the leap and go full-time with the business that I loved.
As I was struggling to make this decision, I received an email from a client that made me surer than ever which path I should take. I had photographed her family in November and just a few days into the new year her husband passed away, leaving her and their two little boys. She emailed me to ask me to make prints for the funeral and told me how thankful she was that they had these photos taken, the last photos of them all together as a happy family.
Although what I did as an attorney was valuable work, it could never be as valuable as the images that I was able to create for that family. That email helped me to choose to spend my life doing the work that I feel so passionately about. It helped me to decide to have faith in myself and believe that I could make my business a success. And six years later I truly have. I now have my own studio, a full calendar, loyal clients I love, and an amazing staff supporting me.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not at all. Growing a business is never smooth, especially when you’re balancing that with taking care of small children at home. Over the years I’ve struggled with that balance–wanting to be with my family, but also to grow the business that I love so much. I found that I had to really set boundaries, prioritize family time and allow my business to grow more slowly than I may have wanted. Eight years in and I think I’ve finally found a pretty happy balance in my life. My business is thriving and I’m able to leave my work at work and spend my evenings and every Sunday with my family.
Just Maggie Photography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Just Maggie Photography specializes in Family and Baby’s First Year portraiture. I absolutely adore being around joyful, loving families and capturing that incredibly precious first year of life from maternity through baby’s first birthday.
I’m so proud that we truly love and care for our clients and their children and we really understand what life is like for working parents and do everything we can to capture the truly important life moments that can be difficult to appreciate when you live a busy life. I’ve built this business with the goal of making family portraits easy and stress-free for moms like me. My team and I take care of every single detail. We help you choose the session location, our wardrobe stylist helps choose the outfits you’ll wear, we send one of our talented hair & makeup artists to your home to get Mama ready, we walk you through choosing your albums and wall art, and when your portraits are ready we even send someone to your home to hang your them on the wall for you. We take care of everything for you so you don’t have a thing to worry about!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Being asked to teach a course for the Click Photo School (http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmu/art-business-babys-first-year/) was such an honor. They are an amazing community of photographers and knowing that they wanted me to share my knowledge and insight into what I do was the biggest compliment.
Contact Info:
- Address: 23560 Lyons Avenue, Suite 209, Newhall, CA 91321
- Website: http://justmaggie.com
- Phone: 888-823-2585
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justmaggiephotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justmaggiephotography
- Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/just-maggie-photography-santa-clarita
Image Credit:
Just Maggie Photography
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