Beauty & Elegance - Ashley Gerrity Photography
Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in photography but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ashley Gerrity, Owner of Ashley Gerrity Photography, located in Malvern, PA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm honored to run Ashley Gerrity Photography, a wedding and portrait studio offering photography and videography with a mission to capture life's moments, both intimate and epic, through a lens of beauty and elegance.
Tell us about yourself
My business truly started on a whim after having a terrible experience with my own wedding photographer. I had worked in management with Starbucks for many years and decided to marry the business and client experience skills that I'd learned in my role with a fledgling love for photography that I had begun to nurture. From that point, I took on an apprenticeship with another studio for one year before striking out to form Ashley Gerrity Photography. Through the years, we've grown into a multi-photographer studio and acquired a local videography company.
Now, I am motivated every day to be my best self because this work has allowed me the flexibility to build my work around my life and to create daily as a part of my career. I know that our work has a deep impact on our clients because when all is finished from so many of life's moments, a picture or video can be all that is left to remember. I get to spend my days working with people on some of their happiest memories and creating heirlooms filled with joyful images of them and their loved ones. What could be more motivating than that?
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Aside from the deep honor I am given every time that someone trusts me to point my camera at them, I think my biggest professional accomplishment has been nurturing and developing my team. I'm not only working and building a company for myself, but I am also able to support my team both personally and professionally. We work hard not just to provide paychecks but to create relationships among the team and offer growth opportunities.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Sometimes the biggest blessing is also the hardest challenge. Not only do I have the honor of creating jobs for my team, but I then have the responsibility to do everything in my power to take care of the people that take care of my clients and me.
During the pandemic, the events industry was genuinely decimated. But through creative promotions and really intentional financial planning, I was able to keep our salaried staff employed through it all and did as much as I could to support our freelancers, too. Being the boss is tough, and sometimes it means putting others ahead of myself.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Never stop learning - Educate yourself on your industry, business skills, the world around you, and industries beyond your own.
- Focus on relationships - Whether you're fostering a professional network or focusing your energy on creating a truly seamless client experience, time and effort spent on people will always pay off.
- Get scrappy - When you're starting a new business, you're probably the person on the line for just about every role, from CEO to janitor. You need to be singularly focused on the dream and fight to create the company you see for yourself and others!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: http://www.ashleygerrityphotography.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ashleygerrityphotography/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleygerrityphotography/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/photographerash
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ashley-gerrity-photography/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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