Have you ever looked at someone else's business and wondered how they “made it” so quickly?

In this episode of the Take Your Shot Podcast, I’m pulling back the curtain on what “overnight success” really looks like—and why it’s almost always anything but overnight. I’m sharing real stories (including one from a YouTuber who worked for 10 years before seeing traction) and my own journey building a business that’s sustainable, fulfilling, and built on systems—not hustle.

If you’ve ever felt behind, burnt out, or unsure whether your hard work is ever going to pay off… this episode is for you.

You'll walk away with:

• Why consistency is your most underrated advantage
• How to build a business that can actually last
• Why comparing your journey to someone else’s middle will always backfire
• And what it takes to create momentum that compounds over time

Whether you're in year one or year ten of your business, this episode is your reminder that your work matters—and it’s working even when it doesn’t feel like it yet.

• Learn more about the Booking breakthrough
• Free Business Resources & Tools
• 1:1 Coaching with Halle
• Follow on Instagram

If you found this episode helpful, leave a review and share it with a friend who needs to hear this today.

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Take Your Shot podcast. Today I am talking about some of my candid thoughts around what it takes to be successful and some of the misconceptions that people fall into.

And you know, for me, there's so many different ways you can define success and find success and all the things.

And I was actually at a retreat earlier this year and I got to meet, who is Matt Johnson? So, Matt Johnson is a huge name in the wedding video space. He, , is really known for his YouTube channel. He does a lot of gear reviews and camera reviews and all the.

Things. He's sponsored by so many different, , brands and cameras and all that, and he is kind of the real deal. And, , in terms of success, I just remember, like we were at this retreat, it was a videographer retreat, and so I'm a photographer. , And I, how did I end up on this retreat? Well, I'll just blame my husband for that.

But anyway, it was a really cool experience and I really loved it. And, , you know, this guy's there and I'm just like, man, like I, I don't really know him that well, I'm not super familiar with his work. But I do know that he has a very successful YouTube channel. So, you know, I went up to Matt and I was like, so Matt, like.

Tell me more. Like you do your YouTube channel, you obviously have found a lot of success. What would you say is the number one thing that has helped you get to where you are today?

And I'm actually really glad that I asked that question because what he said actually really has stuck with me. And he just turned to me and he said, confidently, I had to be willing to fail for 10 years. You know, I was putting out videos and nobody would watch 'em, but I knew my content was good, so I just kept going and it took.

10 years for me to find success in this. And you know, it's been something that I'm passionate about, I really love. And I think when you do those things and you keep showing up and you keep doing what you're passionate about and you keep making good content you will find success.

You won't find success if you give up, but if you keep going and you don't give up, you'll find success. And that has really stuck with me because we're in just such a world where we're looking around and we're seeing so many people going viral and having the most success on social media and in their businesses.

And that's like what is highlighted. Like literally the algorithm is only showing us the most successful reels, the most successful people, the most successful businesses.

And, and I think that like. We have this whole thing about like what it takes to actually be successful. And what I was expecting him to say was not 10 years of failing. You know, I, I think that's fair. And I think that's a really awesome and good perspective. And when I think about it, I'm like, yeah, that makes sense.

And so I'm just really inspired by just being able to embrace the process more and encourage people in that. And so that's what we're gonna be talking about today.

So to dive in, , let's just talk about some of the things that people get wrong about success first.

There's this narrative that success just happens, that you just have to have one lucky post go viral, , or one shout out that someone gives you, and then all of a sudden you're just like, okay, I've made it. Like, sure, that'd be really cool if Taylor Swift wanted to tag me in her posts. Uh, but that's probably not gonna happen.

, Uh, I'm not gonna bank on that and I'm not gonna wait for that day. And so if you're like waiting for something like that to happen where you're just like waiting for a go viral moment .

You're not really seeing the whole point of what sustainability looks like because it's the habits. And if you haven't read Atomic Habits, I encourage you to do it. But it is the habits that you build that is really building that foundation. Because let's say you do actually go viral, right? Like let's say you actually hit a moment where, oh wow, my real is really taking off and I've had this happen several times before.

And it had I think like a couple million views, I wanna say like 10 million views. And we had never had anything go viral before like this would like, like this was like our first big one. , And, and you know, you see that and you're like, okay, cool. Like we just went viral. Um, now what? Right.

And so, , you know, so many people would see and started following us after that. First viral reel went live and it started getting a lot of traction. People started following us, but what a lot of people don't see is all the content that we created before that. Right? Like that wasn't my first reel I ever made.

I wasn't just like, oh, let me just make this reel and it goes viral. Like, no, there are like a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot of reels that I had made prior to this that literally didn't get many views at all. Like it got in like the hundreds, maybe like. Thousands. Uh, but it was not getting millions of views.

Okay. And, , some people would kind of make comments , like, oh, it must be nice to just like, go viral. It must be nice to just this and that, you know, thinking, man, okay, like, this is it. But, but, but there were kind of like what Man Johnson was saying, like there were hundreds of reels before that that didn't go viral.

You would think, oh wow. Like that's gonna be life changing. It wasn't okay. I was not in a place where I was trying to strategize and monetize my account. I was not in a place where I was capitalizing on that. Honestly was just like making reels, making content for the sake of like learning how to make reels and just like putting our personality out there.

And that was great, but that in and of itself is not what booked us and got us to where we are today. Has it been one of the pillars and one of the things that has helped for sure, it has , built credibility and it has helped us, like obviously gain a following and build a community and things like that.

But that in and of itself. Again, is not why people book us. They don't look at the number of followers we have. Some people literally don't even know how many followers we have. , They're finding us on Google. They have us being referred to from friends. Like there are so many ways that people find us.

It's not always through Instagram, although that is a big one, but they're not looking at the number of followers. They're looking at the content, right? And when you are consistent with your content and when you are showing up, that is what's gonna make you successful. Going viral and you know, having content that reaches new audiences, that's one way to grow.

But if your content and how your messaging and everything on your page, if that's not clear, if it's not branded well, if it's not speaking to your ideal clients. Going viral is gonna do nothing for you. So that's not the actual goal. And so many people think that that's the way to success. But let me tell you my friend, as someone who's seen that and built that and been there, I can attest that is not the way to success.

And so the success is actually those reps and all the work put in before that. And again, I think so many people can do really good and really consistent work and never go viral and still see success.

Okay, so it's the consistency. And the clarity and the messages that you're sending and the ways that you're communicating with your ideal client, that is what's gonna see success.

And I think that like so often if you just like I'm just post this, oh no, I didn't get any views. Okay. I'm just not gonna post anymore. Like. You're really not setting yourself up for success. And I think that's what so many people get wrong, is they're just like waiting for that instant gratification.

And we live in such an instant gratification world where that is like what we're teaching our brains to look for and crave. And you know what, what, what we really need to be doing is building these foundations and building these habits and showing up consistently, even if we're not getting rewarded and I think that's the hard work, and that's the work that I think so many people aren't willing to do. Think about it like how many people wanna fail for 10 years? I know for me that is something where I'm like, I, I heard that and I was just like, wow, that is, that's a lot.

Like, am I willing to do this podcast for 10 years and fail for 10 years of this podcast? Um. . That's a big question to answer and, you know, you have to commit to yourself like, okay, like what is it that I'm actually doing and how do I stay consistent?

And like, I think a big part of that too is just recommitting to your why. You're starting, like why are you doing this? What is it that gets you excited about picking up a camera or showing up on Instagram and you know, the business that you started, like why, why did you start it and what part of your life is that fulfilling and, and who is it that you wanna do this with and how do you wanna serve them?

And all those things, like the more you focus more on the why, the less. You're gonna care about the number of people or the number of views, or the number of followers you have, because you're grounded in the work that you're doing that you already know is good. And again, I think that so many people just get caught in that trap.

And so I wanna encourage you, like, get out of that trap of, okay, I have to go viral, or I have to have this like big moment and you know, it's just one lucky post. And everyone that's successful is lucky. Like, no, they're putting in the reps and, and you can do that too, right? Just like any athlete shows up to practice, you can show up and.

Figure out, okay, what is it that I'm gonna do that's gonna get me one step closer to this? Or what am I gonna do today that's gonna move the needle and make an impact, even if it's not global? Like what is it that I'm doing even in the sphere of influence that I already have? Okay. So think like that. And you know, that kind of goes on with my next point of just like, consistency is more important than that visibility in that, you know, when you build your systems and messaging , and then just truly staying consistent. In fact, don't even look at the metrics. Just continue to look for ways to show up and maybe hop on a new trending audio and put your own fun spin on it.

What is it? That you can commit to and do consistently. So maybe that's showing up twice a week, or maybe that's showing up every single day. Um, I wouldn't start with every single day because that will burn you out. But like put together a system where, okay, I'm gonna like have my non-negotiable.

Like I'm gonna post every Monday and Thursday, and if I have any more energy, I'm gonna add a couple reels in there and do that as well. But really like figuring out, okay, what can I consistently. Commit to. Okay, so that is the next thing is it's like really making sure that you're committing , and stick with that. Like when I started this podcast, I remember one of my close friends and one of the most successful people I know, Laura Peters. I know I've had her on here before, but she told me like, Holly, like I wanna encourage you when you start this podcast, like, you know, don't.

Don't give up. Okay? I want you to commit to one year show up whatever day that you commit to showing up. Like you're gonna do that every single week, and I want you to not miss a single episode, and I want you just to commit to that for one year. And I'm so glad that I had that conversation with her and that I like had that like commitment going into it because.

Every time when things would get hard or I was feeling overwhelmed and I was like, oh man, do I really wanna record this week? I've got so many other things. I just had Laura's voice in the back of my head saying, you're gonna do this for one year. You're not gonna give up. You're not gonna give in. And after the one year mark, you can reevaluate, okay, what do you want that to look like going forward?

And that for me has really helped. Like this has been so good for me just to have that perspective and have someone who like was cheering me on and just like. Very much telling me like, Hey, you can do this. You're gonna commit and you're not gonna give up. And you know, after going on for a little over a year, I did have that reevaluating moment of just like, okay, maybe doing an episode every single week just isn't really sustainable for me.

And that's when I switched to doing bi-weekly and it's been really good. That has been a really good fit to me. So, so just knowing that like consistency for you can look different in different seasons, but really like make that first commitment. For consistency, commit to it. And then once you've kind of gone through that, then you can reevaluate.

And there's probably gonna be a point in the future where I evaluate and maybe go back to doing weekly again.

Like, that's awesome, but you have to really commit within what's your capacity. Okay? So consistency within capacity, keeping that in mind, but also making that first commitment and not giving up. Okay? The power is really in the person who doesn't quit, okay? So don't chase attention. Don't chase anything for the wrong reasons, like you are here for the right reasons, showing up consistently, making good work.

And then my next point is the comparison drop. So I know I've done an entire episode on this. If you wanna go back and listen to that, I highly encourage you. I go into a little bit more depth. But, you know, in a world where we not only have instant gratification and we also have the, you know, desire to have, you know, everything like right away, , the comparison trap.

Is real because we're seeing so many people find success and what that algorithm is telling us is like, this is what success looks like and you have to do this and dah, dah, dah, dah, dah. And everyone has their 2 cents on it. Right? But really I want you to think through, okay.

Am I. Actually setting myself up in a healthy way by comparing myself to this person. Because you know, if you're, if you're on day one of your business and you're comparing yourself to someone that's on year 10, like that's not a fair comparison to be making for yourself. Okay. . It takes time to build all of this.

And you know, they're not ahead of you. They just started sooner. And you know, people who, you know, you might say like, okay, but what about these people who just started and I've been doing this for five years and they just started last year, and they're already seeming like they're so successful. Like, right, like that, that, that could be something that maybe you're seeing and that can feel discouraging, but just keep in mind too, like you're not always seeing the full picture.

Right. People are putting their best selves out there and people pay for styled shoots, they're paying for publications. They're paying to be a part of these things. Maybe they're second shooting, maybe all the weddings they're posting aren't their own, like that's theirs to deal with. I encourage people, if you are second shooting, make it clear that you were second shooter.

, If you are doing styled shoots, make it clear that these are styled shoots. I'm not saying that these guys are, you know, all doing that, but there are plenty of people out there who try to come across as more successful than they are. And that's something where if you're comparing yourself to someone who isn't even being honest about where they're at.

Or maybe like it's just unrealistic and it seems too good to be true. It might be too good to be true. Okay. And it's like okay to challenge that. But even so, just like stepping aside and not even like thinking too much about other people like that is really where I think you're gonna find the most success.

I know for me, when I have taken time to honestly just like stop following people who I feel discouraged watching, um, there was one so friend that. You know, I had mentored her, I taught her a lot about SEO and you know, she was someone who was local and you know, a really good friend of mine and you know, she ended up stealing photos from my website and putting 'em on hers and posing 'em as her own.

And she stole so many other photographers work and you know, would keep posting these things online. And I was just like, man, like you know, this is someone who was a friend of mine. And after calling her out on it and tried to talk to her, she still didn't listen. She was like, well, I don't care. It's not stealing it's photos.

They were on Google and I'm like. That's not how that works. Uh, first of all, and two, like that's really unethical and you know. People might be comparing themselves to her, and I'm like looking at her business and sure, maybe in some ways it looks like she's very successful, but I know that it wasn't in an honest way, and I know that it wasn't in a way that like you can show up with integrity.

And so for me it's like I'm not gonna compare myself to someone like that because that's not who I wanna be.

And like you have to keep in mind, like when people take shortcuts and when people don't show up consistently. And with integrity, sometimes it is just kind of like, okay, well that's good for them, but honestly it's not who I wanna be. And so I just think it's so important to be aware that, you know, people all run their businesses differently.

And on the outside it might look good, but on the inside, maybe it's not just, maybe it's not honest or maybe it doesn't have integrity. And so with that, it's like who are you comparing yourself to and what is worthy of that comparison? And honestly, I think if I'm being completely transparent, like I don't think that you need to compare yourself to anyone.

Like the only person you should compare yourself to is yourself. And when you look back a year ago, are you better? Now than you were a year ago. Great. That is your check mark, and that means you're good to keep going. Okay? And you can use other people as like inspiration and like, look, look up to them and all that.

But even then, it's like nobody's perfect and everyone's doing this differently. And how they're running their business is gonna be different than how you wanna run your business. And you want to work with people and be aligned with people who are going to inspire you and encourage you, not like, make you feel worse about yourself.

And so I, I hope that I'm a place for that and that is like one of my biggest goals for not only like take your shot collective, but just. As a coach in general, and I really am so passionate about that. And I could probably do more episodes about like empowering people and building community and all of that.

But really I really don't want you to fall into the comparison trap, and I really want you to feel empowered to really make the right decisions for your business and build something that's sustainable, profitable, ethical, all those things.

And so if you're feeling discouraged, I want to encourage you and just know that if you're doing good work and it feels like no one sees it, I get it.

Okay. Like we've all been there and there are things that I put out all the time, like sometimes I put a podcast episode, I'm like, oh man. I thought more people would listen to this or you know, even. So like the algorithm's constantly changing and like even myself, I'm like, man, I, I, why didn't anyone see this?

Or why didn't I get any likes or whatever? Like, it, it, it happens to the best of us. It doesn't matter how long you've been doing this. Algorithms, things change and. You know, at the end of the day, like when you are focused on those things, it's gonna be really exhausting for you. So I don't even look at the likes.

I'm honestly like, I'm just gonna turn those off. I don't really care if people see it, they see it. If they don't, they don't. Um, and that's fine. , That's not what this is about. That's not why I'm here. That's not why my clients book me.

And so just keeping in mind that like those numbers don't matter.

And really what matters is that you're showing up. You are finding ways to connect with people. You're sharing pieces of your business and who you are and what you value that matters. So when people do come across your page, if you're truly just chasing after being viral, right, you're just gonna have a bunch of stuff on your.

On your page, and it's not gonna convert, it's not gonna give anyone a sense of who you are, what you value, what you're about, what you believe, why they should book you. I mean, those are the questions that you need to answer for your clients and for anyone who's interested in booking you. And if you're not doing that then and you're just chasing trends, like again, it's just not gonna convert.

And so , if it feels like no one's watching your stuff, it feels like you're creating really good content, really good things. There's always a point where you wanna evaluate, okay, like, what, what could I do better? Or what isn't working? Or Why do I feel this way?

,

And so I just really wanna encourage you that if you've been feeling like you're putting out really good work and no one's seeing it, and it's feeling really discouraging, like, please don't give up.

Okay? , I want you to really take time to evaluate, okay, what's your capacity to show up and do that? Take a step away too if you need, if you need to take a month off of Instagram, because it's just feeling overwhelming. And honestly, if I'm being completely honest, the world feels overwhelming. So please, if you need to take a break from Instagram. Do it. I do it every once in a while too, because it's good for the mental health, And if you need to reduce it, that's totally fine. And also look at like, okay, what could you be doing to diversify things? So if you've been posting the same type of posts, and maybe they're not doing well.

Okay, cool. What can you do to switch it up? Like maybe you can try other types of content or other types of reels or, you know, going more in depth with content,, or going more in depth with some of your, you know, captions. Right? There's things that you can still do, but just don't lose the commitment to show up.

Okay. So continue showing up, but maybe just find different ways you can do that or look for different ways you can communicate that value through the ways that you're showing up.

And one thing to think about too, and I want you to ask yourself is like, you know, if you knew it would take five, seven, even 10 years to get where you wanna go, would you still go for it? Because again, success isn't about speed. It's about staying in the game long enough to figure out what works, right?

You have to be willing to fail for maybe it's a couple years, right? And I don't want that to be the case for you. I don't want you to have to wait 10 years to find success. , I've been running this business for 10 years and there's a lot of things I've learned and have tried to figure out, and you know, it's like.

You're throwing spaghetti at the walls and trying to figure out what sticks. But once you figure out what works, it's amazing. And you know, if you are someone who is like, okay man, like this sounds great. I don't know if I wanna wait 10 years. I don't wanna figure it all out on my own. That's okay. And I'm really glad you're here because I am opening the doors to the booking breakthrough.

It is my coaching program where I actually walk through. All the foundations that I have built my business on, and giving you the systems, the strategy, the mindset, and really everything you need to build a business that's not only profitable, but also sustainable. Because that's what we're after here.

And so if that's something that you're interested in, feel free to. Go to the show notes to learn more about how you can get in and what that looks like. Because again, this is something that I've been working on for years and I'm constantly refining things. I'm constantly adding to it. It's something where I just feel like so many people are getting this wrong and I wanna see people succeed.

I don't want to see people making the same mistakes that I've made. And so that is why I put together this program. I'm really excited for it. And if you have any questions at all, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram. I'm super excited to connect and talk with anyone, any questions you might have and whether or not this might be a good fit for you.

But either way, I am so thankful that you listened to this episode of the Take Your Shot Podcast and we'll see you next time.