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2024 Big Updates

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The last year was absolutely jam packed to say the least, but we made some massive moves that expanded our business in ways we couldn’t have dreamed! I have so many updates for you all:)

 

First, 

I need to mention that in 2019 I moved to NASHVILLE!  Did I ever post that officially on a blog on mine? Holy moly it still blows my mind to even type. My girlfriend is a country artist and was able to get some incredible opportunities there. Instead of trying to do the long distance thing, I decided to kick my scarcity mindset to the curb and start a brand new photography studio across the country! Check out the Nashville studio here.

 

Don’t worry…

We love our San Diego Studio clients and wouldn’t dream of leaving them without the beautiful opportunity of a ‘By the Sea’ shoot under a California sunset. So, I got real wild. I decided we were going to keep BOTH studios open. I expanded my already incredible San Diego team, and they are waiting on your call to book the shoot of a lifetime (yes, even photographers need to be pampered)!

On top of both studios, I decided to continue the ‘Adventuress Photo Expedition’ trips. These are international trips where I take a group of women from all walks of life (who we call our models) and curate the most incredible vacation in an exotic location. On our last trip we rented out a huge villa in Greece by the water. We focused on mind and spirit, formed sisterhood bonds over wine and great food, we took deep breaths during yoga, and danced away the sunset on a catamaran. All their photos all turned out just beautiful, it was a truly incredible experience.

I’ve spent so much time teaching photographers how to live the life they have dared to dream for themselves – and such a massive part of what I teach is automation. Done correctly, it should enable any photographer to reap in great profits while also experiencing true financial freedom.

I so deeply believe in giving photographers the tools to experience this kind of joy. To watch their wildest dreams come true. 

That’s why I created a financially accessible course that’s subscription based (cancel anytime!). It’s called Marissa’s World. So, instead of paying a crazy amount of money for a one on one or a full course (likely with a photographer that’s never owned a studio), you can get my 15 years of experience for the price of a couple starbucks runs a month. 

 

I truly do this out of love, and it is one of my greatest accomplishments to see the community we’ve created. If you’d like to check it out for yourself, here’s an easy link to Marissa’s World:

For those of you that want something even more intense and customized, I did create a much more detailed business intensive called the ‘Catapult Strategy’ with our accompanying PLATFORM.  – I would recommend this only if you’ve already started your business and are ready to expand it to the next level. 

 

Well dang, I think this might just get the award for the longest blog post so far! If you’ve read all the way to here, thank you. I truly hope you come join our little community of badass women either as a model (which you ARE) or a photographer – or even as someone thinking about either of those things. You are welcome here, my team and I hope to meet you soon!

30 – Greece awesomeness and next year’s destination location announcement

By | Destination Shoots, Uncategorized | No Comments

Finally on blog number 30!

In Feb or so I set out to do 30 days of consecutive-ish blogging. Whoops! I’m not gonna lie…. kinda cracking up at myself that it took almost a year to get to 30 posts. When I set out on this journey of change and re-branding I don’t think I really knew how freaking bananas it would be. I have never, ever worked so hard in my life, and for like two years straight now. Although, I will say that the change has been rewarding, and I have never been so proud of the art I create. This business just feels like an extension of who I am and what I love. For example, this post is all about travel, photography and new friends. My heart is full!!!

It’s doesn’t feel like a coincidence that we are celebrating our 30th post with the re-cap of our Greece trip. AND the launch of our next trip!! My heart is soaring at the memory of our Greece days with wonderful ladies. And the next adventure that awaits.

My goodness Greece was an incredible two weeks for us. We drove all around Mykonos and got to know it like the back of our hand. I think we did a pretty cool job of finding all the hidden gems of locations to shoot at. We drove down dirt roads that looked forbidden, asked locals where to shoot, drove behind slow cattle, swerved and curved on one lane roads, got bit by horses, warned about snakes, learned that yes a shitty rental car can drive up a hill so steep that I would have guessed a quad roll backwards, and acted like Pinterest photo detectives to make sure all our ladies got the very best locations.  Check out all the fun we had there and scroll to the very, very bottom to hear about the new trip that involves both photographers AND clients….

 

 

Aren’t these gals just the coolest!? You can just see that they are “Adventuresses” of their own right. I will be forever grateful that I was able to photograph them on now one of the most meaningful places in my heart and mind. And I have to thank Ashley and Lindsey who played a huge role in making all this happen. And Megan who stayed home and kept up the fort!

Are you ready to hear about the BIG news of our May 2018 trip? That clients (we are calling them models) AND photographers are invited?!!! Click here to see out next “Adventuress Photo Expedition!”

If you are new to us, MARISSA-INC, The Boudoir Divas, and found yourself here randomly, well let me introduce myself. My name is Marissa Boucher. I am one of the owners of The Boudoir Divas. The duo that had one of the crazy, biggest boudoir photography studios ever called “The Boudoir Divas” in San Diego. We have photographed over 4000 awesome women at our studio. We recently scaled back to a smaller, more boho, less ultra glam boudoir studio by the beach. In the past 10+ years we have also taught many other photographers about boudoir with our workshops. Some the workshops in other countries (so cool!). And we have alternated boudoir photography workshops with destination portrait photo shoots since 2008. This year I want to bring you all both!! Gah, check out my idea here.

SO PUMPED!
Marissa

29-Getting into our groove here in the boudoir loft

By | 30 Days of Blogging, Boudoir Photo Shoots | 2 Comments

Things have been busy! I still haven’t hit my goal of 30 posts! Sheesh! I knew it would be a doozie to reach it, I guess I just didn’t realize how many curveballs life would throw in during this change. Nothing we can’t get through luckily. For example, one thing I certainly didn’t expect was to have to demo all the gorgeous walls we built in the old studio. When our landlord gave us total permission to beautify the space, I never imagined that meant it also had to come down. Just crazy. Lesson learned!

But even though we have been busy editing Greece (cannot wait to post those, coming soon), and shooting away here in the boudoir loft, I wanted to take a moment to meet a recent client’s request. She flew in for a shoot with us allllll the way from Maryland and stayed at the adorable Surfhouse down the street. We had such a blast at her BY THE SEA shoot, and I am hoping she’ll let me share some pics with you!!! Any way she mentioned that she had hoped we would show more of our shots here in the loft so she could have a better idea of what to expect. And she is so right! So we quickly shot an email to a few clients we thought may be open to letting us showcase them, and so now first up we have Miss E! She came with props for her boudoir shoot including books, jackets, and color bombs for the bath. Too cute huh!?

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boudoir san diegoboudoir san diegoboudoir san diego

Getting in the ocean for our BY THE SEA shoot isn’t for the faint of heart. Some of our clients only want to put their toes in. Others don’t mind getting completely pummeled by the waves to “THE SHOT.” And we always make sure it’s worth it! Luckily it’s pretty dang warm here right now. But the “golden hour” doesn’t actually last more than 30 minutes really. So come winter we might still ask our clients if they will get in with us. What’s a little shivering for 30 minutes when you get shots like this right?! ♥

Thanks again for stopping by,

Marissa

The New Boudoir Divas is a re-launch of The Boudoir Divas studio in San Diego. We’ve changed our vibe and moved to Encinitas, Ca (a city of San Diego). We are honored to say that we have boudoir clients travel from all over to have a shoot with us at our new loft space. We do our best to make you feel comfortable and have a total blast during your shoot. If you are interested in a shoot please email us at sdstudio@theboudoirdivas.com or call or text us at 858-485-0443. Or fill out the contact form below.

The NEW Boudoir Divas

28- We’re here.

By | 30 Days of Blogging | One Comment

“Come adventure with us” is what the Greece launch said…

About 8 months ago I started our new website, which really meant starting our new business officially. One of the biggest factors in finally launching this new chapter was that I wanted our next destination photo shoot adventure to be on our new blog and site, because according to my plan, that would be around the time that all would be officially changed over and different. As with everything it started as an idea. But this Greece idea didn’t seem far fetched or even that grandiose. What was cool is that it just felt like “what we do.” We go to beautiful places, put out an open invite, and people join us and let us take their photo. How cool is that?

We arrived in Greece last night (instagram story available @marissa.boucher if you want to see exhausted us traveling grumpy, sans make-up coupled with delirium). Our first stop was Santorini. 48 hours here before we hit Mykonos. It’s Sunday, and on Wednesday we will have our welcome dinner for the six Adventuresses that we will be photographing on picturesque locations and on a catamaran.

I couldn’t sleep so I decided to get up at dawn and sit outside. The silence was wild. I mean not a peep. Not a bird, a boat, a plane, a human. All things were dormant except for everything running in my mind. For this girl who seems to always be spending a few weeks here and there in another country, it has actually been a full two years since big trip like this for me. And for the first time in a long, long time, being a foreigner actually felt kinda foreign. Having days off, real days off felt the same as well.

I slept well the first few hours last night, then I lay awake for more hours, feeling odd. Restless. But with no real distraction to distract me. Nothing to hang on to and sift through my mind till I found a solution. Nothing needed a solution any more. I think it was time to just be. To do what I was here to do; have fun and make incredible pictures. It felt odd. In a way that you would perhaps feel odd if you time hopped and were all the sudden in another time and space. I’m kinda just quiet and in awe. Sorta waiting for old adventure Marissa with all the gusto to show up. She’ll be here soon I think. As soon as jet lag decides to leave.

There are still  plenty of stressors to deal with. Like the new information that I am to demo the $28,000 build out we did to our old studio before I can finally close those doors officially. How do you even do that when you are on the other side of the world? Amongst some other things. But that’s not really what’s on my mind at all right now. What’s on my mind is that I just came from the busiest months of my life, and now I’m thrust into serenity in Greece. A magnificent beauty that is all around me and I need to chill out pronto and get my head in the game of absorbing all of it before it’s too late.

I wish you could feel the air. It’s thick and warm but not humid. The sky is pink and blue in the perfect gradient. And the smell, it’s like musky Earth and clay meet sea. It wafts through our deck every few minutes and instead of enjoying it, I’m almost surprised it smells good. Clean, beautiful and yummy smelling? In traveling all those things rarely happen simultaneously.

I am grateful to be here. And I am very much looking forward to creating some seriously gorgeous images for my clients. Time to settle into and celebrate the new, I can already tell it’s going to be beyond my wildest dreams. And I can barely sleep because of this new and wonderfully odd feeling.

To all you in the states, good night. It’s going to be an incredible morning.

 

Marissa-boudoir-Leucadia-Photographer-beach encinitas

27- Here’s to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem….

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This has been a pretty wild ride, and I’m also pretty spent. But it makes it all worth it when it really comes together.

It feel so good to show off the first all out ‘BY THE SEA’ shoot we did about 10 days ago. It was a beyond enchanting day. I woke up before my alarm like I was a kid and it was the first day of school. I haven’t had that buzzing, electricity-in-the-air feeling to that extent in a really, really long time. Everything didn’t quite go as planned that day, that’s just life and it’s ok. I went from a high, then a grumpy low that I’m not so proud of, but as soon as we got momentum it was smooth sailing.  There were 100 details to make this what I envisioned, and even though the logistics were overzealous, the end piece that is below is everything I hoped for. I can’t thank the Diva girls for rallying and executing like the awesome team they are.

I just sent out a newsletter to about 25,000 women who (it seems) have followed our journey for a bit. When I was writing out the ‘letter’ portion of the newsletter I went for it like I usually do. Very ‘business professional friendly’ sounding. Then my favorite song on the La La Land song played on the soundtrack I have on repeat all the time. That monologue solo that she does, which essentially reminds you that sharing the details, while being vulnerable, is not only far more interesting, but more meaningful for all involved. And I said ‘no’ to my businessy side, and ‘yes’ to just being me. Be un-edited like her. Say more. Say how you really feel. A mix of all these different things. So much going on. So many long, long solo days to make this happen. I wish I could sing it for you like she did in the movie. But I’m simply not as cool as Emma Stone.

What I love about this new chapter is not only that our pictures are more real and relaxed. But I feel more real and relaxed too. I feel like we are all totally friends, and this isn’t so much of a businessy tryna be a #girlboss- photographer-like relationship anymore. It’s just me. Being me.

My last client, can’t wait to blog about her, was so honest and shared so much with me at her shoot here. I think it’s because I shared a lot too on the blog these past months. Especially the first few posts.

So without further ado I present to you my latest project that I am super proud of. We styled and directed this entire shoot in hopes that it would set the tone for all our shoots here on out….

boudoir encinitasboudoir photographer san diegoleucadia encinitas boudoirboudoir photographer encinitasportraits san diegobeach encinitas photographerencinitas beach photographer

Here’s to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem….

I feel a strong desire to leave you with these lyrics that moved me from that scene I was talking about before. And if you haven’t seen it yet, please watch. Here’s the context; she’s a young woman, timid, but persevering in her dream. She makes some sacrifices that I think she ultimately regrets in the end (have to see the movie). But she couldn’t help herself, or change her direction, even if she wanted to. It’s really beautiful, gonna embed it below.

‘My aunt used to live in Paris
I remember, she used to come home and tell us these stories about being abroad
And I remember she told us that she jumped into the river once, barefoot

She smiled

Leapt, without looking
And tumbled into the Seine
The water was freezing
She spent a month sneezing
But said she would do it again

Here’s to the ones who dream
Foolish as they may seem
Here’s to the hearts that ache
Here’s to the mess we make

She captured a feeling
Sky with no ceiling
The sunset inside a frame

She lived in her liquor
And died with a flicker
I’ll always remember the flame

Here’s to the ones who dream
Foolish as they may seem
Here’s to the hearts that ache
Here’s to the mess we make

She told me
“A bit of madness is key
To give us new colors to see
Who knows where it will lead us?
And that’s why they need us”

So bring on the rebels
The ripples from pebbles
The painters, and poets, and plays

And here’s to the fools who dream
Crazy as they may seem
Here’s to the hearts that break
Here’s to the mess we make

I trace it all back to then
Her, and the snow, and the Seine
Smiling through it
She said she’d do it again’

So bring on the rebels,

Marissa

 

26- Our first official music video….

By | 30 Days of Blogging, Music Videos | One Comment

 

Wow have these months been something else. Wake up, get on laptop, plug away, shoot, process, Sorrento Valley studio stuff, back on laptop, bed, a quick unhealthy meal I typically regret, then repeat. Not too much a of personal life these days. But it’s just for a season. I know I’ve mentioned this before, so I’ll just get to the point!!  I’m sounding like a broken record.

All these focused days make it so dang worth it when it’s show and tell day on the blog!! So I clearly haven’t been blogging as much as I thought I would. But it’s only because what I have been doing is making things! Things that make my heart oh so happy like this music video.

I know I chatted about all the help we got to make this video. But my gosh am I still blown away by all that came together to make this happen. I made en extensive list of thanks in the last post, read it here.

And then there’s Angie. This video is all about her, so I’m compelled to use that excuse to write about her. I’m inspired daily by her talent and abilities. If you don’t follow me on the FB you probably haven’t seen my overposting of her voice on the new fireworks song, Happily Ever After, for Disney’s Magic Kingdom. AND, I’m kinda dying that they are treating me to go see her perform there next week. A couple years ago when I took Angie to Disneyland to try to get her to try to understand my obsession with all things Walt, I jokingly (but really I was serious) told her I would feel like my life was complete when Disney invited and paid for me to be a VIP at Disney. Thanks to Ang it’s totally happening. It seems like the perfect way to celebrate a new chapter. So many things are happening and I am beyond grateful! Check out that goodness here…

So with that said, if you know of a musician that may be interested in having a music video done in the semi near future, I’d be honored if you shared this site with them. I’m excited to sit down with artists and start to chat about their vision and come up with a custom package for them.

Dare to dream!

Marissa

25-A glimpse at what your By The Sea photo shoot might look like…

By | 30 Days of Blogging, Boudoir Photo Shoots | No Comments

I had been dreaming of this day for quite a while now. My first official By The Sea session. Yes I have photographed at the beach quite a bit. But I was saving one of my best visions for the beach for a day such as this. The idea that I might be able to walk down to my beloved ocean a couple times a week,  put my feet in the warm water while photographing a new friend, and call it “work,” just blows me away.

I’d be honored if you took a peek at the behind-the-scenes video shot by our newest video assistant, Miss Lindsey Estes. It was her first time getting all the footage herself and I think she did just awesome!! Our clients will be able to add a 3 min behind the scenes video to any session if they like for $850. It’s probably  THE most exciting way to show your images off on social media!


(Song in the video gifted to us by Triple Scoop Music, artist Rachel Pearl, Tidal Waves). Thank you to Tenley, one of my best friends and best models

You guys have no idea how much my heart was soaring doing this shoot! I love my job. Thank you to all those who continue to cheer us on!

This portrait session was done in Leucadia, California! A neighborhood of Encinitas. We are pinching ourselves that our new photography headquarters is just a block away from this awesome beach. We still have some sessions available at the discounted soft launch rate! Grab your spot by calling us!!

Openings at 30% OFF
Thursday May 18, 2017
Friday May 19, 2017
Saturday May 20, 2017
Saturday May 27, 2017

Thursday 25, 2017
Friday May 26, 2017
Thursday June 2, 2017
Saturday June 3, 2017

Next openings at 20% OFF
Thurs June 8, 2017
Friday June 9, 2017
Sat June 10, 2017
Weds June 14, 2017
Thurs Jun 15, 2017
Fri Jun 16, 2017
Thurs June 29, 2017
Fri Jun 30, 2017

#24- I want to grow

By | 30 Days of Blogging | 2 Comments

So early this morning I was kinda dragging. I swear I have two modes and only two modes; out of control productive maniac, and sloth. Luckily sloth only comes out 10% of the time. But man sloth mode is ultra slothy. I did eventually get my act together around 10:00am, but ya know what I was doing during this molasses of a state? I know you are already guessing it. Cuz I have a feeling if this blog even remotely interests you (ya know business, making things happen, etc), that you maybe do it too.

I was beating myself up a bit.

Cuz that’s what we productive people do right? We shame ourselves from time to time when we aren’t at peak level. Can I just say, I don’t want to do that anymore. I’m going to try not to do that anymore.

Anyway, that’s actually not what this post is about. So this morning as I was making my instant Folgers coffee (I just don’t want to hear it, we like what we like) I heard a singer I’ve always admired, Jennifer Knapp, say these words, “Time makes fools of us all.” And I in my half coma I was like, ‘yea. Yea. It does’. Here’s what came to mind for me….twenty something Marissa with the business, the traveling to cool places, the committed relationship, the faith, the formula, all the good things… she lacked empathy. True empathy for the everyday hardships. Things like I hate my job. Or I don’t know what to do next with my life. You get the idea.  I always thought I could fix it for people, or had the answers. In a loving way, but still in an annoying way. Pray more diligently, make better decision, healthier choices, get up earlier, work hard. Are you doing morning devotions? Are you praying for the wrong things? Are you scheduling things correctly. This was a majority of my well intentioned advice, if asked. Ask one of my besties Candice, not sure why, but she got the brunt of it, for reasons still unknown to me. Formal apology coming soon Candy.

While I wasn’t quite as annoying as I sound like I was, mostly just trying to make a point here, I don’t want to be her anymore. And it took some life experience to say that now I’m not.

I just want to listen. Not blab. Not solve or even tinker. This is what the RISE sessions are about. Letting people purge a little and then re-establishing a higher vision. Dreaming. Fostering the beauty and accepting the ashes, but painting a new picture. I don’t want to construct to-do lists, I mean unless it’s a biz consult, then heck yes! Love to do lists. My point is though, even though I’m in a season of being ultra busy and can’t quite make the time for people that I want to, I still know I’m a better friend these days. I really feel that. And I want to continue to provide a space where people can be open around me and I can be open around them as well too. I’m so excited to do that.

Then, later in the day, on a sunset run I was still thinking. I mean what else is there to do on a run. I heard one of my favorite Jimmy Eat World lines…

“You’re not bigger than this, not better
What can’t you learn?
You’re not bigger than this, not better
What can’t you learn?”

I told myself I need to remember this lesson. I wanted to write it down. I want learn, and I want it to sink in.

Ok, so maybe time makes fools of us all. But, maybe, feeling foolish is okay. Maybe feeling foolish means you’ve had a lesson, and you aren’t too scared to evaluate who you really are? To share it.  And try to grow.

I want to grow.

 

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Image by Deena Cormier

la jolla

#23-Do you believe in your art?

By | 30 Days of Blogging | One Comment

I pulled off the 101 on my way home from the studio the other day to soak up this incredible view. It got me thinking about how much a scene like this feeds my soul and my imagination. And how pursuing the things of my imagination has gotten me this far. I trust it, and I trust what I create from it.

With everything going on I’ve caught me second guessing myself on some different things. Things from business decisions to the pricey decor and equipment I’m buying for the new chapter. Today I stopped to be grateful for the fact that at least I’m not second-guessing my art. I don’t second-guess my imagination or the beautiful images that I make, and I trust the process in which I make them. It’s a very powerful feeling. And it leads me to ask….

Do you believe in your art?

Now I know not everybody is going to love my work. And that’s totally OK. But what I do know is that when I create the imagery I want, I will attract somebody who’s like me; wild spirited, wanting to find a space where they feel free and alive, and hungry to create and play with the ideas they have in their mind and heart. Somebody who doesn’t look at something and see the technicalities of it, but more sees it for the emotion that it stirs.

As we’re finalizing the last details of closing the current big studio and opening our new space (3 weeks left!) I’m getting more and more eager to create this new kind of imagery here in my personal space. With that said, I’m also very excited about the shoots I’m doing every day at the studio. I know that it’s going to be my last opportunity for a while to set up a scene like the one below, something super flashy and with vibrant, over the top glamour. The NEW Boudoir Divas will have an entirely different look that we have been slowly cooking up the past few years, and like I said I’m counting down the days until my very first Boudoir Loft or By The Sea Collection, but I’m also in one of the most nostalgic moods I’ve ever found myself in. This huge world of all things over the top boudoir will be dismantled soon, so I am cherishing every moment while I’m photographing a client there. We’ve even extended a couple weeks in that space, so us gals can do a few more shoots there. It just felt right as the end of those powerful lights, and flashy glamour was coming a little fast for us.

But change has been whispering in my ear for quite some time. And I do so with a glad heart because I really do believe in myself. And I believe in what I create, and I believe in the relationships that are created through our photo shoot experiences. And I know what we do is meaningful and timeless.

What areas in your life do you believe in yourself the most?

Are you feeding and nurturing those areas? Or are you starving them? What is your art?

22-Feeling rejuvenated and also now totally behind

By | 30 Days of Blogging | 5 Comments

 

So it wasn’t 20 days in Bali, but it was a few days in the sunshine and heat in Palm Springs at the Saguaro. I needed that mental break from this kinda focused and obsessive state that I’m in. To stop and soak up all things sunny, warm, lazy and imaginary instead. Relaxation is easy for me if I have fun company, water, heat and a good historical fiction.

But while that was easy and needed, coming home from a vacation is not, even if it was short. I immediately realized that 10 balls have been dropped and even more opportunities lost. And worse, that I let a couple people down, one being a very important one, like my tax guy. And that’s one person you never want to leave hanging.

I’m really not complaining here. Honest. More just evaluating. As crashing down from this relaxation high got me thinking a lot about the pace of life that I have chosen.

I have so much going on non-stop that the only way to breathe a little bit feels like I need to run away. Or “adventure” as I have more positively called the past couple years. I am shooting so much these days that tackling all the studio admin things, and then starting this new business too,  has to be done in the stolen hours of dawn or late night. So my little escape cost me. This brought two important things that I made mental notes of and decided I wanted to share with you.

The first is that as a business you owner you have to get used to having a ton on your plate. Like so much that things are just constantly falling off the sides of the plate and slapping onto the ground making you lose your balance and feel a little icky. Accurate priorities are a game changer here for many reasons. As I would never let a client’s expectations be compromised or something I equally value, those are top priority. But here’s the thing, when you take on something big, you have to be okay with managing “failures.” Hate that word, let’s not use it again here. My point being the better you can handle the load, the more you can let problems roll off your back and look for solutions immediately instead of having tantrums (I’m good at that now finally, but I still could be better). Then the more you can manage. And the more you can manage without it weighing you down, the more success you will find. Professionally and personally.

My next thought was that I don’t always want to live in a season of being overwhelmed, of always having to manage more. I don’t want to feel like I need to run away to have moments where I don’t feel like I have to move at a speed so fast that I might de-rail. I want a pace of life where I am thriving creatively and professionally, and that also leaves a few hours each day to do other things at a slower pace. Like sitting down and eating a meal, not shoveling in a protein bar on the drive to work.  I felt that way a few years ago, more relaxed, and my plan is to feel that way again come July when we have our Grand Launch of Marissa-inc.com. I need to insure that this is just a season by putting in the time to plan out the future and execute. As I was writing this post I somehow stumbled onto Facebook and saw that a few of my friends had posted this meme.

By how many people I saw posting this, I know I’m not alone in this thought.

What’s funny is that then I had to pause writing this post to welcome my client today and get her into hair and make-up. I was excited to see her because not only is she a return client, but she’s a successful business owner that manages a team of sought after wedding coordinators and also coordinates them herself. She is meticulous and an incredibly focused and hard working woman. She was handling the workload with with a calm strength as she always does, but she was still working what sounded like way too much to me. For whatever reason I opened my big bossy mouth and said, “you should just manage your team only and have more free time, stop coordinating weddings yourself.” Now I don’t even know the particulars of her situation or her specific wants in life. But I chuckled to myself thinking about how excited I am in this new mission I have of…..

simplifying AND becoming better at my craft AND giving more value all around.

I feel like those goals don’t sound like they can live together, but I know they can.

So here is the pep talk I gave myself as I was tucking myself into bed last night….. it’s okay to drop the ball when you’re overwhelmed. You have to just forgive yourself for that right away. It’s just part of the territory of taking on big endeavors, of being a self starter and your own boss. What matters is that you don’t dwell on your mistakes. Rectify and fix, don’t linger in that space of self doubt.

Next, and this is super important, instead focus on change. Make a plan. I’m currently assessing why going on vacation cost me equal parts stress to equal parts relaxation. I should be able to go away for a few days and not be scared to open my computer when I come home. And will the current plan I have in effect help insure this isn’t always this way? If not I need to re-examine it and make changes.

In considering a change/new plan in your life that would affect your finances and freetime here are a few things I have learned….

  • Start with thinking about exactly what you want your routine and schedule to look like weekly. Then try to build your business model to those specs.
  • When creating your business model, or your money making machine (see our online workshop for more on that), always create a very realistic budget. Key point here being realistic. Almost even pessimistic. When I created the biz model for our Marissa-inc.com I used worst case scenario estimates for things like repairs, utilities, insurances, fees, cost of goods, etc. Make sure you factor in savings for a future ‘just in case’ expenses. And then I almost always slap a 10% misc expense on there for each month. So that way when it happens, and it almost always does, you can rest easy because you planned for it.
  • Schedule all your change goals out on the calendar in detail. I personally couldn’t live without Google calendar. And it currently has things blocked out months in the future so I can ensure that my new business doesn’t have me working into the wee hours of the night like it currently does. I have marketing days blocked out, shoot days have the full day listed and detailed, and I have days off on there too. So I don’t overbook myself.

Okay so I definitely have a gazillion more thoughts and advice on starting a business. In fact 9 hours of an online course created with my biz partner Kimberlee. But those key few were rumbling in my mind last night.

See you all soon I hope!

Marissa