The Top 10 Business Coaches and Mastermind Groups to Help You Grow Your Photography Business

Photography is a good business when you’re good at it. Of course, mixing business with the creative arts isn’t always an easy thing. Fortunately, you’re not on your own. Whether you are just starting out or you’ve hit a plateau, or even if you just want more for your business than you currently have, there are plenty of resources out there to assist you. 

You don’t have to give up your creative ways to get a business going. In fact, with the right assistance, you can marry the creative with the business savvy that you need to build a flourishing business doing what you love: taking amazing photos. 

It doesn’t matter what kind of photography you are into or what kind of business you have. Even if you’re just starting out doing photo shoots in your free time to build up your portfolio, it’s never too soon to start planning ahead. Photography is a highly competitive business, but when you know how to do it right, you’ll be able to charge the premium fees that the “big guys” charge and know that you’re worth every penny. 

Business coaches and coaching groups are a tool that a lot of people overlook. However, they offer a lot of value. Using a coach or joining a mastermind group will help you learn everything that you need to know about business by applying it directly to your photography business.

Coaching solutions come in all shapes and sizes. Every small business owner or entrepreneur will have different needs, but there are some similar features to consider when it comes to choosing the best person (or group) for the job. In this guide, we’ll cover the top 10 coaches to help your photography business, but first, let’s talk about what choosing the right coach means. 

Tips for hiring a coach or coaching group

There are several factors to consider when you hire a business coach. As mentioned above, every business has its own needs and concerns, but some elements will be important to everyone:

• Skillsets: You can choose a coach that’s skilled in marketing, client relations, or even a specialist in photography to help you build your business. Whatever you desire, make sure that you choose a coach with the skillsets and areas of expertise that suit your coaching needs. 

• Experience: It’s always better to choose a coach that has years of experience. There’s no arbitrary number here, but the more, the better. If there’s a specific area in which you’re hoping to grow your photography business, find someone with that experience, and so on. 

• Coaching Style: Sometimes, you might not agree with someone’s style, or they might just not be the right personality for you. That’s okay, because there are a lot of different coaches out there that you can choose from, and they all offer something different. Make sure that the style and chemistry is there so that you can learn as much as possible. 

• Types of Coaching: Do you prefer online coaching? Maybe you really want that one-on-one consultation. Either way, you should look at the coaching solutions and see what kind of services they provide. Some work with online courses. Others do in-person training. Some do both. Find what works for you. 

• Agenda/Focus: What is the coach going to focus on? Do they work on helping you build your business savvy? Perhaps they focus on social media marketing to grow your brand. Find a coach that has the agenda that suits your marketing needs and that will deliver the type of results that you have been looking for. 

Although there are several things that will be on your agenda when you’re looking for a solid photography coach, these are the biggest things that you should check on. That way, you can guarantee that you get a coach that suits your needs and delivers the training and expertise that you want. 

Now that we’ve covered a little more about what to look for in a business coach, as well as why your photography business needs one, let’s take a look at the 10 people you should be considering for your coaching needs. 

The top 10 coaches and groups for photographers and creatives 

1. Alexandra Peterson

Alexandra Peterson knows what it’s like to feel like you’re wasting time and overwhelmed in a creative business that isn’t as successful as you’d like. She offers insight and support from her own experience to help others create the thriving photography businesses that they have always dreamed of. She understands the business side of photography and can help people streamline their own processes and systems to attract new clients, improve marketing, and more. She will help you through custom coaching sessions because she believes that personal experience is what makes the difference, and that there is no one-size-fits-all coaching solution in this industry. 

2. Shaw Photo Co.

Shaw Photo Co is the brainchild of a fellow photographer who wanted to help people create more out of their business. She realized that you could do a lot of brand building and success creating without having to hustle twice as hard to get results, as long as you’re authentic and know how to reach your audience. Now, she teaches that to wedding and portrait photographers who are trying to grow their business and make their career a success in photography. Christina Shaw has years of experience in both photography and coaching, working with entrepreneurs who want to align their success with their dreams. 

3. The Photography Business Coach

Richelle founded the Photography Business Coach to help others succeed like she has. She owns her own boudoir studio and is all about personal development and building a business that you love. She’s combined her two decades of experience in business with her photography experience to build her own business and help others fulfill their destiny in the industry, too. She is a wizard at creating leads and sales systems and bringing your profits up faster than you might expect. She's totally transparent about everything, including the fact that the secret to success is focusing on creating a strong business system first and the photography passions will do their work on their own. She offers online coaching, one-on-one sessions, and more. 

4. Mark Rossetto

Mark Rossetto is a photographer and creative expert, helping others with marketing, pricing, digital branding, and so much more. He can even help you improve your systems and processes to make a more functional business on the day-to-day basis. He’s been featured in many major publications and has a lot to offer. As an award-winning photographer with multiple nods around the globe, he’s also a keynote speaker and life coach, helping people all over. He's originally from Australia but works with clients in the UK and US, as well. His YouTube channel has a lot of great information and he’s got plenty of coaching resources, including one-on-one sessions, to help your business thrive. 

5. Victoria Rayburn

Victoria Rayburn is an expert marketing coach for photographers. She will sit down with clients and discuss all the aspects of their business, even for those who are just starting out. Then, she’ll figure out what you need and help you come up with a strategy specific to your business goals and your creative energy to ensure that you get the best outcome. Victoria has learned a lot in her career, but most importantly, she understands that creatives aren’t marketing experts, and she takes the time to teach you the extra skills so that you can build your brand and make a name for yourself in the industry. She’s got online resources in addition to “scheduling a coffee date”, offering a causal connection for anyone with professional results. 

6. Sparkle Society

Sparkle Society is the brainchild of Cyrissa Carlson, a southern Ohio photographer that looks unassuming at first, but is a total powerhouse with marketing and media. She's built three of her own six-figure companies through social media and is eager to help other female business owners do the same. She focuses on helping clients with smart and strategic marketing efforts that will allow them to spend more time enjoying life and less time working because they’re landing better clients and gigs. She offers a full workshop of coaching solutions and also has a master's in Art Education, and she’s got an impressive online following. This is one coach that should be on everyone’s list. 

7. Katelyn James

Katelyn James is a photographer and entrepreneur that takes her passion seriously. She started in coaching almost accidentally when she was asked to be a mentor for some of her friends and colleagues. This was at a time when mentoring wasn’t as common, and she struggled herself to find the support that she needed. She started offering meetings and coaching and has worked on her own business at the same time. Her mindset is that everyone should be able to have a purposeful and profitable business, and she does various coaching and training sessions, including one-on-one coaching, to help people get there. 

8. Arielle Peters

Arielle Peters is all about putting it all out there so that you can get it right the first time. She will sit with you in a one-on-one coaching session and dig through all the dirty laundry and skeletons in your business closet, helping you get rid of bad habits and identify places where you need to make new ones. She offers plenty of resources and support and she’s an open book to her clients, saying that “nothing is off limits” when it comes to questions and concerns. She offers a variety of coaching support options and even has online resources. Plus, her passion and focus on helping others succeed makes it easy for you to feel like she really cares. 

9. Creatives’ Coach Academy

The Creatives’ Coach Academy is a coaching academy that is designed for photographers and other creative businesses. Yvonne van Dalen built this organization after building her own creative business and wanting to help others who struggled to do the same. They have a free 5-day video training course, along with tons of other resources and coaching tools to help you grow your photography business. You can also request one-on-one coaching, check out the blog, and see what the programs beyond the free training have to offer. No matter what you choose, her resources will have you on the right track in no time. 

10. CEO Warrior

CEO Warrior is a service-based coaching organization founded by someone who had a very different start in the business world than the success that he has now. He’s not a photographer, but he’s an individual who knows the service industry well and knows all about building your own success. He started with two people and a broken truck and today has built a coaching empire to help others like him find their ways. If there’s any business that’s difficult to start, photography definitely makes the list, so this is a coaching option to consider for everyone. There are online courses, one-on-one coaching, and more. 

And when you need extra support, ask how Smith.ai can pick up the slack 

Our team of virtual receptionists are ready to answer the call—or the chat, Facebook message, SMS message, or any other number of communications needs you might have. We understand that building a business can be hard and you shouldn’t have to do it on your own. Of course, we also know that you don’t need to. We have a team available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to act as the face of your brand for all kinds of different needs. 

We’ll even help craft the ideal strategy to handle everything for you, no matter what you have in mind. Plus, we can integrate with your CRM to keep it all streamlined, and we’ll deliver the best service to your customers on your behalf, no matter what they need. If there’s anything that requires your attention, you’ll be the first to know. 

You can learn more when you schedule a consultation to find out how our 24/7 virtual receptionists can help spur your business growth by freeing up your time. You can also reach us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.