Have you ever wondered how to ensure your business reflects your personal values and goals? Join us as we talk with Brianna Kay, a photographer, videographer, and podcast host, about running an aligned business. Brianna explains what alignment means, how to identify when your business is out of alignment, and practical steps to realign your business with your life goals. Tune in to learn how to create a business that not only thrives but also supports your personal well-being.

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• Resources from Breeanna

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EPISODE SHOWNOTES: https://takeyourshotcollective.com/how-to-run-an-aligned-business-with-breeanna-kay/

She talks deep into setting goals and just making sure that you're readjusting and resetting in any way that you need. So if you want to run a business with intention, you're not going to want to miss this episode.

I like home projects. So anything that makes my husband work a little bit harder. , and I just I love entrepreneurship, business, all things photography related and, , kind of just developing into the best human and friend spouse that I can possibly be. So that's kind of where I'm at in life as of right now.

I love it. It's so much. And honestly, what's really cool about what we're talking about today is just like being really aligned in like both your business and personal life. Uh, just to jump right in. Do you mind just telling us a little bit about like, what does running an aligned business mean to you?

So, for example, if your number one priority in life is family, but you're running a business that continuously takes you away from your family and is actually causing further separation between where you are and where you want to be in your life. Then that means that at least a portion of your business isn't currently in alignment And let me be clear that you're not going to find alignment 100 percent of the time And if there are seasons where you're happy to hustle harder There can also be seasons where you need more rest and you want to rest more so be sure to take this into consideration to and Revise your business plans and your schedule during each season of life I think that's so great.

And so they tend to be pretty jam packed between the months of like May and October. So I think just like having this in mind and kind of having this mindset of like, okay, if you're going to have like a hustle season of your business, then where can you like take that time back and like kind of take a backseat and do that?

And I'm actually going on sabbatical probably when this episode airs or close to, and, um, that's been something I've had to adopt in my own business in life. It was just like, okay, if I've got these really crazy months, like how can I take that time and like also have intentional time off? So I think that's really, really cool.

So when I started my photography business, just about any and everything that I could shoot was fun to me. But some of you will be able to relate to this, I really quickly learned that family photography and other types of photography aside from shooting couples for the most part, it just like physically drained me and didn't leave me feeling fulfilled from my work.

So after some years I learned that like for me, Small weddings was kind of where I thrive and doing this type of work felt really good. It left me feeling energized versus drained. So I don't know. Can you relate to that at all? Have you ever just left a wedding and you're like, Okay. That was amazing. And then other weddings you've left and you're like, why am I in this line of work?

Then that's going to be a huge sign. Like when you do have that happen over and over again, that you need to change something, something there isn't in alignment, whether you said it is like the type of clients you're booking or the types of weddings, there's something that you need to dive deeper into.

That we love and if your business has shifted from that, then do a little business, business health check and see where it is that you've fallen out of love with your business. And then the final point that I want to touch on would be that your business, if it's not on a, on a trajectory. to support where you're meant to go in life long term, then that's going to be a sign that it's not in alignment.

So shooting weddings every weekend and trying to stay caught up on the back end of editing and admin work in between all of that Was really hard and it made me burn out pretty quickly since What was in alignment for me at that time was actually going to be to slow down and prioritize my personal life I decided to stop including free engagement sessions with every package And this meant that I was home more and that I had more time to focus on what truly mattered to me in that season of life.

I know generations before us, before us have been very like, yeah, career driven and you got to work the 40 hour work week and you got to kind of like wait to retire and all those things. But you know, and not everyone's created for that. And in my opinion, and I know in yours too, um, do you mind just sharing some tips that have helped you kind of like go from this season of, okay, I'm, I'm doing all these things.

I know you've kind of made these small shifts in your business, um, to kind of be more aligned, but like. What has helped you actually like figure out what should those boundaries be and actually start prioritizing more of what you love both in your personal life and business? Yeah. So this is one of my favorite questions and I feel like the answer again is really just so simple.

So this can lead to long hours and late nights. And like, if you've ever just been. Up trying to meet deadlines because you kind of push something off for so long and all of a sudden just piled up like that's where this can take you so not all that long ago, like I think just last year. Honestly, I started scheduling in everything into my planner so I can look out and see when I'll be editing when I'll be working on my podcast and then I can schedule and space out other appointments so that I'm not Working 24 7 so that I'm not like overloading my schedule without even realizing it So when I took the time to schedule all of that work, I actually Could see how busy like I really wasn't it was just insane so When you have control over your schedule and you're proactive versus reactive about it, you can intentionally leave that time open for the priorities that you've defined in your personal life as being like, the most important [00:09:00] thing or some of the most important things to you.

So maybe you decide to stop taking more than one wedding per weekend, or you leave one weekend open per month. You then can take that extra time when you're too busy. Taking off of work and you can schedule in things that you have determined are a priority in your personal life. So, again, that could be family, which it is for many, um, free time, it could be fun, it could be friends, like, really, it can be whatever you decide is, like, the most important place for you to put that time.

Just do something that you're really, truly excited about, and give yourself that fulfilling feeling that you used to have, probably, when you started in the industry, and you're like, okay, this is just, you know, thing ever. I can't believe that I get to do this for a job. And then finally, I would say to set goals for the future of your business that are going to help your business move forward down a path where it continues to serve you and the life that you want even better.

I love that. And I think what you were saying about just like, Setting up fun shoots and kind of like really giving space to be creative. I think that's such an easily missed thing because I mean, when we're doing our client work, there are elements of creativity, but at the end of the day, it is a client deliverable.

And, um, it doesn't necessarily have to be a client deliverables. Like you can do this in your own time. And I think. Um, you're doing that then for yourself and, and, and yeah, you can share it if you want, but you don't have to. But, um, I've found that when I've, you know, done stuff in my business and have kind of just like only focused on client work and not necessarily doing anything that is creatively, you know, inspiring, um, it can easily lead to burnout.

And so I, I love that. I think that's so good. So for anyone listening, like if that's one of the things you take away from today, like for sure, think through like, What do you need to do to create and like be more inspired? Because what Brianna is saying here is so dang true. And I'd love to kind of dive deeper into the planning aspect of it.

And the key is to go by yourself and be fully disconnected when you go there. So stay off of social media, stay out of your email inbox and don't be tempted to text with friends either. So you can set vacation reminders if you're worried about your, your email, but like just completely try to disconnect as much as you possibly can.

You need to be able to get uncomfortable and to get bored with yourself. And then that's where the real magic is going to happen and where you can dive deep into what you actually want. So you're going to use your think week to map out your next quarter or your next year. So whatever it is that you decide and set some big business changing goals for yourself.

I was just talking to Hallie before we get on, got on saying how nervous I get when I speak. So like, I can't imagine that if I didn't do Think We can just kind of sit with myself and my thoughts and my wishes for the future. Like I probably never would have started one or been on podcasts because I just, I would have kept pushing that aside.

But when you kind of sit with yourself and like what it is that you want out of this life and what it is that you have to do to get there, then you can start to dream bigger and become the visionary and the CEO for your business instead of just spending your time at working on the small tasks inside of your business that don't actually move the needle forward.

So, set a date, if you set a goal, set a date that you want to have it achieved by, and then set dates for all of the steps that you break that goal into. So I'm going to stay on the podcast trajectory. Let's say that you want to launch a podcast. So in order to launch that podcast, maybe you have to get a microphone.

Maybe you have to schedule calls, pick a name, edit your, your podcast episode, schedule your show, et cetera. Like there's a lot of steps that go into actually launching that podcast and making your goal a reality. So within. Each of those steps, what I want you to do is set a due date, and then we're going to go back to your schedule and you're going to schedule in each of the steps.

So you're breaking this big goal that could change your business and in turn change your life into smaller bite size steps and, and giving yourself a date that you can like follow through on and make sure that you do each by. And then the key from there is just going to be sure that you are putting the action behind.

Where do I start? What should I call it all these things like it was like a whole thing, right? But I love how you just talked about like breaking it into like little bite sized pieces And just like taking on one little thing at a time I think it's so easy for the go getters to be like, okay Yeah, I'm gonna do this and then maybe you do a little sprint and you get pretty far but then You can't really fully take it to the finish line because you get burnt out, you get overwhelmed, and you're like, man, this is too much.

So, um, I think it's really good to just kind of sit with yourself and figure out like, okay, yeah, like, how can I make this actually manageable and find the time to do this? Because it might be a big project, but if you give yourself kind of those little bite sized tasks and do it over a course of like a longer period of time, you'll be able to walk away from, you know, that time period with actually finishing something versus trying to do it all at once and getting burnt out, feeling overwhelmed, and never finishing it.

Yeah, absolutely. So one of my favorite things that I heard, and I think I've even said this before in our mastermind. So nobody cares what you're doing as much as you care about what you're doing. So everybody is always worried about posting online because they're worried about their high school classmates or what other people in the industry will think.

And it's really just hurting you and people who could have benefited from what you have to offer if you're holding yourself back there. And then The other people's opinion of you is, like, literally none of your business anyway, so their opinion of you is for them to know, not you. It's not your business.

So am I qualified to have my own podcast? I feel like some people would probably say no, but I know that I figured out how to run a successful six figure business and there are so many others who would love to get where I have and I feel called to help them get there, but teach them how to do it without making the same mistakes that I have along the way.

So. The first step is going to be your vision and your purpose. So discover and clarify your vision and your purpose. And this is going to set the foundation for every decision that you make, and it helps you stay true to whatever your own unique path is. So you're going to use your vision and purpose, and you're going to infuse it into every decision you make for your business.

So if somebody asks you to do something like, let's say, Hallie asked me to be on this podcast, and it didn't serve kind of where I. Want to go or it didn't support my vision and my purpose. I would have said no. So everything that you do moving forward Is it an alignment? Is it something that you truly want to do?

The next step is going to be to work on your strategic planning and your goal setting, which I touched on when we talked about think week, and then as a CEO, you're going to have that roadmap for success, and it's going to be crucial for your business. Next. So when you're strategically planning and your goal setting, you will clarify where you want to go and break those goals down again into those actionable steps that will move your business forward.

And then the final step in kind of becoming that CEO and getting that business, that's like really aligned to your life and like where you want to be is going to be to implement efficient systems and a workflow. So. Time is a precious resource. I know that some people don't want to even trade time for money and money is obviously a huge resource.

So streamlining the processes are going to free up your creativity and it's going to help you grow and again, prioritize what truly matters in your life. And I think that's really good just to view all four of these things, right? Like having a foundation of like your vision and purpose, right? And then really going into making sure that your brand reflects that.

is empowered through the way that they build their business. So I love that. Thank you so much for people who want to connect with you more or learn more from you, where can they find you? And what types of things do you have to offer? Yeah, so you can find me on Instagram at Brianna K Photography, and then you can get my podcast from there, and my name is spelled funny, so just make sure to check the show notes.

There are two E's and two N's in Brianna, and then I also have a Discover Your Manifesting Superpower quiz that is really fun, so, um, again, that will be linked in the show notes. Awesome. Thank you. So be sure to check out Brianna. And Brianna, thank you so much for being here today. For those of you listening, we'll see you next week.