So you quit your day job and started your own business. Now what?

Today’s blog post is one I’ve been wanting write for a few months now but glad I waited till now to do so because I’ve recently found some amazing people I want to share with you all that I know will be so helpful to inspire you in your business.

Let’s kick things off with my favourite topic – photographs (duh!). Having strong beautiful images on your website and social pages is not optional these days. It should be at the top of your to-do list. Brand photography is such a passion of mine – after all I built my photography business offering custom branding photo shoots and it’s still my most popular package after 4 years – I do have a stock library which is only open to my branding clients (for now ;D) – perhaps one day I will open this up to everyone since after ‘Do you shoot weddings?’ is the second most requested Q get in my inbox…but till then I’ll leave it to some experts in the field (that I know you’ll love!)

SC Stock Shop

Meet Shay Cochrane the amazingly talented woman behind SC Stock Shop. This is not just for new business owners but for seasoned ones as well. I love working with my one on one clients and creating custom photography that fits their brand but I get a lot of emails of business owners who aren’t quite ready to take the plunge and do a huge custom website photoshoot and I always suggest they take a look at SC Stock Shop. Just because you’re starting out does NOT mean your website has to look like it too. Invest in a few great images that will make you stand out! Grab your coffee and prepare to be dazzled. I also love that she has a limited # of each stock image which mean you won’t have to worry that 100 people will have the same photo as you!

Jasmine Star – My Social Curator

I’ve been a fan of Jasmine’s for a long time – I remember when I first saw her on Creative Live I adored her vibe! Even though I’ve never photographed a wedding her passion for helping other photographers, marketing and love of what she did drew me to her. She seems like the kind of person you want on your speed dial when you need a good pick me up! She just launched a new innovating business called ‘My Social Curator‘ and how it works is you get a monthly set of gorgeous images for social media PLUS templates for captions (which if you’re like me struggle sometimes to find the words for the perfect caption). This is a no brainer, don’t waste hours trying to get the perfect social media photos + captions – let Jasmine do it for you and get back to working on your business!

Bloguettes – Stock that Rocks

I recently came across the extensive database that Bloguettes have in their Stock that Rocks service! I love that it’s a membership so you pay each month and get access to hundreds of images you can use for your blog, website or social media!

Next up – online courses! You’ll want to immediately go and devour all the free content these incredible entrepreneurs have open to you!

Marie TV

Anyone who knows me knows my deep, deep love for Marie Forleo! For me, visiting her channel is like visiting your grandmothers house. Its familiar, inviting and always makes you feel good! A few people have even said we look alike and I think those are some of the best compliments I’ve ever received (hello #hairgoals). Every Tuesday (without fail) you can except a brand new video from Marie to help bring your biz goals to reality and help keep you motivated and inspired along the way. There are hours of FREE business tips and advice. I promise, you will love her.

My first big investment before I quit my day job and went full time with photography was signing up to her B-school program. This was way back in 2012! That was the best business decision I’ve ever made. I met so many incredible business owners which I went on to photograph. It was from taking this course and discovering what I could uniquely offer that birthed my branding photo shoots!

Melyssa Griffin

I’ve written and posted about Melyssa few times but my love for this woman just keeps growing. When I was in early stages of labour I was reading her blog and was in denial that I was in labour because I was so excited about reading her content – Ha! Since then I’ve purchased a bunch of her courses and even was lucky enough to do a quick 30 minute Skype chat with her. I love that she has so much heart behind her business – she just launched her new podcast Pursuit with Purpose and it’s gone to the top of my go-to Podcast list!

Read the blog
Listen to the podcast

Alex Beadon

Where do I even begin with Alex?! As you all know I recently photographed her new brand images and she JUST launched her website featuring all the images – real talk: when my boss babes know how to use the images we create together it ROCKS my world!

Alex is one of those people who just get my so excited and fired up about my business. She has a ton of free content up on her youtube channel (grab some coffee + a big notebook and prepare to be inspired). She just get’s it and has a way of clearly explain exactly what you need to be doing in your business. No fluff here – just incredible content.

She just launched her latest challenge: 5K in 5 Days

Todd Herman – 90 Day Year

You all knew this one was coming right? I’ve talked and raved about Todd + The 90 Day year in a few blog posts (here, here and here) so he needed to be included in this list. Since writing this blog post implementing his systems has been monumental in getting me back on track. I’ve hired a team, created systems within my business and gotten booked out 3-4 months in advance. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again – the way Todd teaches and puts things into perspective is refreshing and straightforward. No fluff – just the good stuff. If you’re feeling stuck in your business this is program you need to be investing in.

I’ll be writing a few more posts about this program once it opens again but if you want to be first to know join the waitlist now!

Hope you found these resources helpful! I’ll be doing another post come fall with all my favourite apps and software (still testing and trying them out).

As always, have a Q? Leave a comment below or email us info@ananwithlove.com and we’ll be sure to answer it in future posts!

Lots of love,
Anna