When it comes to what my biggest win/aha-moment is and what my biggest challenge is I must say that the biggest challenge for me have always been numbers. Just the thought of having to do all the accounting stuff by myself had me panicking and almost kept me from starting my own business. Luckily my husband promised to help me with the whole set up of the numbers and with the layout of my business, and he did! Also, a dear friend of mine, Sarah, who started her own small business as a tailor a year earlier, walked me thru the daily accounting and just helped me with every question I came up with. And my biggest aha-moment was, when I eventually hired a pro for the legal part, taxes and business work. This gave me so much relief and trust. I learned that I would rather pay someone to do it right and focus my energy on the things I like doing. Because that’s why I started my own business after all.

Now the next thing I will be working on is improving my workflow. As a portrait photographer it is very easy to get caught up in details while editing. But in order to have a sustainable business I can’t spend two days working on a family session that lasted an hour. That just does not work. So I really need to work on that this year.

The most beautiful and fulfilling part of my job is always when I can make my clients happy with my work and the way I was able to capture them.

Q3 As an entrepreneur we sometime are alone at the helm steering our ship without any help and support – both mentally and physically – have you ever felt that way? And how and where do you find your support system?

Steering that entrepreneurial ship all alone is not easy. If I don’t do the things nobody does them. If I don’t answer my e-mails, if I don’t pay my bills, if I don’t send out inquiries, if I don’t clean my office or even order new toner for my printers – no one else does it. This can be quite overwhelming, for me especially when I have a lot of work. Keeping track of everything I should do and everyone I should reach out to costs a lot of energy besides all the shooting and editing. I should probably say that here the busy season for photography is from September to the end of November. I was completely drowning in work and at the border of what I could still manage. And it was not the sheer amount of work but having to think about everything else too.

Honestly, I almost slept all December long, I was so exhausted. Now this year I try to make a better layout, to automate everything that can be automated and to get organized really well before busy season kicks in again. Prepare, prepare, prepare ist my mantra for 2019.

Q4 What does the business and entrepreneurial landscape look like where you are based?

I live in a valley with a pearl string of small towns. The nearest city is maybe a 20mins drive away. I usually work within a rayon of 45kms which are about 30miles. Of course I will travel further if requested  – but most of the jobs are within reach. People here tend to think very regionally and there are many small businesses and family owned businesses. A lot of them in construction. Carpenters, painters, butchers, farmers, lots of farmers, bakers, you name it.

In Switzerland there are. Many associations or unions for business owners. I  joined the local association/club when we first moved here. It is very important to make yourself known and seen as a business owner.

In Switzerland it is not very easy to get to know new people. It’s not like in the US, where you can get invited to a BBQ by someone you just met at Starbucks. That’s just not how Swiss people work. People expect you to take action and to integrate actively. Friendships take a lot of time to establish here. So I decided to get active from the very beginning and so far I am happy to already own a little space in the local entrepreneurial landscape.

Q5 Lets talk motivation / mindset / growth / business for a moment – unlike Corporate where someone else is in charge, for an entrepreneur it is all you – so how do you keep yourself motivated and excited about your future? What keeps you going when the going gets tough?

Motivation – mindset – growth. Honestly, that’s an easy one for me. I have so many ideas and creative drive, I think I could go on forever. But maybe the secret lays in two things:

1. It’s a process. You are never at your destination, you will never reach your final goal. It’s a long row of ideas, new goals and development. You have so many opportunities to adjust your path and you should not be afraid of change.
2. It’s a seasonal thing. There is a season to dream, to make concepts, to gather ideas and energy. And there is a season to hustle, to work work word and having to simply deliver. It is not a steady walk. Sometimes you run, sometimes you stroll.

Also, I find it very helpful to have two or three entrepreneurial friends. People to talk business with, people to brainstorm and to rant about stuff. People that make you feel like you’re not alone on this journey.