Teowai Ratahi of wwwpoihakenaportraits.com is someone I've been looking forward to recording with… for a few reasons.

One, she's been listening to the podcast and has been a member since 2013! And nothing makes me happier than recording a success story with a Premium member.

Two, she has a business model that I haven't really explored, and I'm sure the things she's learnt along the way will be helpful for your photography business. She specialises in high volume, lower cost family photography.

And three, this all started as a side hustle to her full-time job as a train driver! Today, turnover exceeds $220,000, paying her and her husband a wage.

I'm talking about Te-o-wai Ratahi of Poihakena Portraits, and I'm truly rapt to have what feels like an old friend with us today, even though we've never actually met or even spoken until now.

Te shares how to run a profitable, high-volume photography business in this interview.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:

• A brief background of the Māori culture


• Teowai's business model


• Teowai's booking process


• Preparing for photo sessions


• Teowai's viewing process after the photography sessions


• Pricing and packages for high-volume family photography


• Teowai's most popular photography package


• The importance of continuously marketing your business


• Teowai's marketing strategies


• How to boost Facebook events


• How to find venues to shoot indoor sessions


• Teowai's target demographic for her photography business


• How portrait fundraising works


• How do you know if your photo session event in different cities will be successful


• Going to small communities to do photo sessions


• Showing prices upfront to potential clients when boosting Facebook events


• Sending email reminders of what to prepare and expect during photo sessions


• How Teowai deals with clients who say they can't afford the packages


• Why Teowai allows clients to take photos during photo sessions


• How to deal with negative comments on your Facebook Ads


• Setting up different payment options for clients to choose from


• How taxation works when doing business in Australia and New Zealand


• Why you need to enrol in a small business management course


• The benefits of having a business plan


• What is the proper way to set wages


• Why Teowai prefers family portraits that wedding sessions


• The advantage of setting up a company for your photography business


• Does competition exist in Maori family portrait sessions


• Discussion about cultural appropriation


• The success rate of getting clients by boosting Facebook events


• How to target specific demographics on Facebook


• The best content to upload on social media


• Repurposing different social contents


• Why Teowai doesn't find the need to email past clients if they're going back to do photo sessions in their cities

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything away from what Te-o-wai shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, let me know by leaving your thoughts in the member's FB Group. What are your takeaways? What do you plan to implement in your business due to what you heard in today's episode?

The portraits are about celebrating heritage and connec