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I'm Alicia, your effervescent Peter Pan, helping you add a sense of color to your home or shop.
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Growing up, I always thought the idea of owning my own business was a bit daunting. I equated being in a position such as business owner / small business creative to being stressed and simply having a difficult job.
Then I became a parent.
Currently, I own and operate my wedding and portrait photography business from the comfort of a corner in my dining room. I’m Bethanne, and I am a work-at-home-mom, which sounds cooler than stay-at-home-mom. Most days, you will find me juggling sippy cups and invoices, cleaning up spilled milk and emailing clients, wiping tears, kissing boo-boos, packing soccer bags, and of course, editing my recent weddings and portrait sessions, all while my 15 month old daughter makes a mess bigger than the last. And most days, I simply don’t have it all together.
What I have found though – running a business is sort of like being a parent. You have something so precious and meaningful to take care of, and you love it so much and you want it to grow! There are lows, and there are highs. There are days when things can be too much and you almost feel like giving up, and there are days when you are just the happiest person ever and you feel as though you can take on the world! The two most important things I find that are the same in both of my “jobs” and help me the most are routines and love.
In my business, I would be lost without routines, or workflow. With taking care of my kids, I would be, again, lost without routines, or momflow, as I like to call it! 😉 With running a photography business and having little ones at home to take care of, I have developed routines that (mostly) work and allow me to have that work-life balance that we all strive for! I never want to be that mom who is constantly working and missing important things in my kids’ lives. And of course, I never want to be that business owner that is drowning in other things that I can’t serve my clients well! Routines are incredibly important, and by sticking to them, I can wake up knowing what I’m going to get done that day and go to bed assured that my kids saw enough of me and my face, and not just me at my computer screen! Naptime is another huge part of my routine; not only is naptime seriously crucial for my kids, it’s a lifeline for me. It’s a time when our home is quiet and still, and I can sit down and accomplish tasks without having to worry about what’s going on in the next room! Having a daily routine, complete with checking off items on to-do lists, naptime / bedtime rituals, set times for checking emails and marketing/social media-ing, as well as scheduled downtime, allow me to get important tasks done and keep my business (and family) afloat and growing each day.
Not only are routines really essential for this work-at-home mama photographer, I must also highlight the importance of love. When the days get tough (and they do) because maybe you’re having a hard time getting a session edited or emails knocked out because your children are acting like crazy fools, I have to remember the love I have for both my business and my family is incredibly strong. It’s much stronger than those hard days! Having a family and raising children is a lot like owning and running a business because you’ve got to keep working hard and putting in the sweat and tears to ensure that your “baby” is growing successfully. Doing both at the same time can be difficult, but again, I find the following help me most with both:
Routines – Workflow/Momflow
Love
Bethanne Arthur is a lifestyle wedding and portrait photographer serving clients in VA, WV, MD and beyond! Catch her latest work over on her blog.
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I make whimsical art for color-lovers and California dreamers. I'm based in Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C. where there are most decidedly no palm trees in sight.