Investing in Education: Marie Forleo B-School for Photographers, a Marie Forleo B-School Review
Photographer Credit: Eric Michael Pearson, used with permission
I get a TON of questions about this, whether Marie Forleo B-School is for photographers, so I decided to put everything in one place, including more of my story. Because seriously – we all start somewhere. We are all beginners at some point, and investing in ourselves is one investment that will pay for itself over and over again.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. So here we are, an honest look at my story and my Marie Forleo B-School review.
First, let me be clear – I added the “for photographers” at the end of this title so that photographers could find honest information about B-School that pertains to them directly, but B-School is a collection of amazing business information, that is applicable and beneficial for photographers too.
It is for any business owner that wants to learn some business principles to implement and change their business in positive and amazing ways. Personally, I think it is wonderfully suited for creatives, including photographers. So, Marie Forleo’s B-School for photographers review is just that – my review as a photographer and how I used this business education in my own business. There is a TON of education out there when it comes to running a photography business, and I found great strength and diversity in going outside of the photography industry, which is how I came across B-School. And straight up – it changed my life.
You all know how much I value education. I spend literally thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of dollars on education every year and am PROUD to refer to myself as a course junkie. Learning and growing is so important in business, and there is NO shame in consistently reaching out to learn new skills. It is faster to learn from someone that has the expertise you want, instead of trying to do it yourself with free content – so the investment in these courses is WELL worth the cost!
I have so many courses that I have purchased, that I actually have a project in Asana to keep track of them all, so that when there is a particular skill that I want to learn or reference, I can find them quickly.
I have shared my story with you in the past, but I wanted to give you a little more detail on some of it, and how it relates to the education that I’ve chosen in this journey.
I started my business in 2006 with a senior shoot on a point and shoot camera for a whopping $20. YEP – I was living the dream! Or so I thought! I was just SO EXCITED that someone would actually pay me to do what I loved, that I wasn’t thinking about whether it was sustainable. I LOVED taking photos for people, and it didn’t even dawn on me that I might need to charge more. After all, $20 was $20 more than I had before that day, right? Plus, I was still working a full time job and so it was just fun money at that point. But then I started to think that maybe I wanted to do photography FULL TIME – because THAT was the dream, to be my own boss. New dream, new issues – $20 per session wasn’t sustainable.
Fast forward to 2009 and I began to see more and more that maybe, just maybe, $20 a session wasn’t a good idea. Even $50 per session wasn’t sustainable long term. But what could I do to change that? I was a single mom, living with my mother and my son, and terrified about what my life would look like. I had just met the man of my dreams and things were starting to look up after my divorce a few years earlier, and I knew that I wanted to grow my side business, I just didn’t know how. In 2010 we got engaged and moved into his parents’ basement to save for a wedding and a house of our own. In early 2011, I decided that I wanted to actually start learning the BUSINESS side of things, and figured those skills might help me actually go where I wanted to go with this business thing.
In 2011 we got married, but I was still working full time for another company, spending about 50 hours a week away from my son, working for someone else to grow THEIR business. Which isn’t a bad thing, if that is what you want in your life – but I knew I wanted more.
Then, at the end of 2011, life threw a curveball – we got notification that my entire department was being laid off, effective December 31, 2011.
I freaked the F*** out. Seriously, I panicked. I remember sobbing in my husband’s office, wondering what the heck I was going to do. We had moved in with his parents shortly after getting engaged to start saving for the wedding and a home, and now it looked like we would NEVER be moving out of his parents’ basement. Now, don’t get me wrong – we had a beautiful living area that eventually became my studio for awhile, it’s not like we had a terrible home. But still – it was living in someone else’s home. Under someone else’s roof. And while I do have amazing in-laws, it’s still difficult to live in someone else’s home, no matter who it is. For me, being laid off was a crazy punch in the gut that meant I would NEVER have my home home, and it was so upsetting.
On May 25, 2012, I decided to invest in Marie Forleo’s B-School while still searching for another job, having NO idea what I was doing, or what I would learn. B-School for photographers was a HUGE investment for me and let’s be real – it was scary. But I knew that I had to start treating my photography business like an actual business though, so I knew something had to change, and I was hoping that B-School would help to make that change!
I went through two months of B-School, and while I was still working full time, with a kiddo to take care of, and had to watch the classes at a delay sometimes, I did it! Well, most of it. I was learning and implementing and so when I started to get busy, I didn’t completely finish it the first time through. And, there were things I didn’t understand. Quite frankly – there is so much information there that I couldn’t possibly implement everything. Even NOW, 7 years later, I haven’t implemented everything in that course, because there are so many amazing lessons there. In September of 2012, I finished my first year of B-School and was ready to crush it. Well, I thought I was.
Honestly, I was still a little overwhelmed.
So much to do, so little time, and so much still to learn. Have you ever watched a course and you’re completely on board and learning, but you really only GET one piece of the course? That was, and is, definitely me! My first time through B-School had so many lessons to learn, and really, I would say that my brain only picked up about 20% of them. But it was SO much more than I had before, so I was moving forward, which was my ultimate goal!
2013 was the proverbial “breakthrough” year.
In 2012, I had just over $20k in revenue. In 2013, it went up to $52k in revenue, and I consistently doubled my revenue year after year, because I started treating my photography as a BUSINESS and started behaving like a CEO, instead of an employee.
2014 was my first six-figure year.
Straight up – it was NOT easy. It took time. The lessons that I took away from B-School weren’t overnight, and if you’re looking for some overnight success story, this isn’t it. And to be perfectly blunt – most of the people who say they’re self-made or overnight successes, just AREN’T. Success takes time, there are so many things that you’ll implement today and not see any benefit from for six months to a year. And that’s okay! You’re not broken, there is nothing wrong with you, that’s business!
But having the foundational understanding of business and how to operate like one is literally LIFE CHANGING. And anyone who knows me knows that I don’t use terms like that lightly. Epic, life changing, game changer – they’re overused and tired terms. So when I say that focusing on business was LIFE CHANGING – I mean it.
I’m sharing more of my story with you in this Marie Forleo B-School review, because so many people ask me about B-School and ask me if Marie Forleo’s B-School is for photographers. So let’s talk about some of the questions I get, shall we?
Is it worth the investment?
Absolutely, without a doubt. BUT – again, know that learning these things takes time, and give yourself some grace. SO many people want the quick fix, the magic pill, and it just doesn’t exist. The best investments are usually the ones that take time and effort, because they are lasting. I have repeated B-School now SEVERAL times, and sometimes I will only do one module or one video because that is what I need right now. Maybe you will be the magical unicorn that learns everything in the first go – awesome! Or maybe you will be like me and most of us – learning SO much that our brains need to move forward with that, before taking in everything else. Either way, love yourself, keep moving forward and give yourself grace.
Is it really applicable for a photographer?
Most definitely. B-School for photographers is an EXCELLENT fit. Ultimately, a business is a business – and learning the foundational information about how a business should operate and starting to think and behave like a CEO instead of an employee is what will start to change your business in a positive way. SO MANY OF US start our businesses because we love what we do. I wanted to take pretty pictures, right? But overall, being in business means wearing so many different hats. And eventually, you can absolutely outsource several of them, but to understand those roles and what needs to happen and why is priceless for ANY business, creative, brick and mortar, or online.
Are there things you wish you would have done differently with B-School?
Yep – I wish I would have taken it more seriously and set dedicated time to not only watch the course, but IMPLEMENT the things I learned. But like all of us, I was busy, and had a kiddo with activities and sports on top of that. Either way, whether you have the time now or not, that’s the beauty of an online course – you work at your own pace. I never took advantage of the coaching calls, and I wish I would have. I still can, which is an amazing benefit, but now my business keeps me rather busy. That’s one of the things I love most about B-School, I can go back to it over and over again when I need it!
Here is a snippet of my official review for B-School, on their website (written in 2014, I had some dates wrong when I wrote it and was estimating):
You can read my review on the B-School website here.
I will leave you with this:
Your business will never change until you do. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is getting you nothing but frustration. So if you want different results, it’s time to start looking at changing things up. And sometimes the mindset shifts that we all need in business are the most valuable lessons of all!
I am NOT an affiliate, and I don’t get any kickbacks for recommending B-School – these are just my honest thoughts and my Marie Forleo B-School review. Taking and implementing B-School for photographers is a step outside of our industry and a chance to learn SO many new skills, and most importantly, some mindset shifts that we don’t often see. It is a program that has changed my life for the better, and if you are considering it and want in, GO for it, don’t wait!
One final note – I am not an affiliate for B-School, although one day I hope to be! I wish I would have known about the amazing affiliates before jumping in myself, because there are seriously some amazing bonuses. Here are two awesome coaches that are both affiliates and have some REALLY great bonuses if you invest in B-School through their links:
Bottom line – if it’s time to start treating your business like a BUSINESS instead of just an expensive hobby, and you’re looking for an all-in course to start moving toward your biggest goals, B-School for photographers is a great fit. I hope this B-School review was helpful, and if you have ANY questions, feel free to ask in the Business Straight Up community!
If you’re ready to start to level up your OWN business by actually learning the business skills you need to be successful, I can help! B-School is an intensive ALL IN program, and I have a few specific courses and freebies that can help with specific needs on a smaller level.
You can see all of the free downloads and courses here.
If you have read this B-School review and you’re like WHOAH BROOKE I need some personalized help, I GOT YOU. Click here to contact me so that my team and I can help to point you in the right direction.
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