☕️ The 3 O’Clock Coffee Focus
You will receive The 3 O’Clock Coffee Focus email series... One short story, one practical idea, and one focused action delivered to your inbox every day at 3:00 PM.
I brought a $200 camera to The White House
Hey Reader - The White House. Not exactly the place you expect someone to be using a $200 camera as a photographer at The White House. But that’s exactly what I brought to the Easter Egg Roll in 2016 and 2017. People always ask me what gear I used for events like that. They expect some crazy setup. Something expensive. The truth is… it was the opposite. Because when you’re working an event like that, nothing can fail. You’ve got Secret Service. Security everywhere. Signals getting blocked....
[FREE Course] Bookkeeping For Photographers
Hey Reader - A few years ago, my photography business exploded. I went from barely scraping by… to generating seven figures. Sounds amazing, right? It was. But it was also chaos. Then came the email I never expected… 👉 I got audited by the IRS. And honestly? It wasn’t random. When you go from making a few hundred dollars… to seven figures in a short time, it raises flags. That’s just how the system works. But here’s the real problem: I wasn’t ready. No real bookkeeping system. No financial...
30,000 Views Later… Here’s The Real Secret
Hey Reader - What does it take to get 30,000 views on a post? I used to wonder that all the time. After years of watching people post online, I kept asking myself the same question: What makes certain videos take off while others get ignored? Is it luck? A secret formula? Something only a few people know? Then one of my videos recently hit 30,000 views. And after seeing it happen firsthand, I can tell you this: It all comes down to the content. People want substance. They want to learn...
The night I met the lead singer of Boston
Hey Reader - I was walking through the Hard Rock resort in the Dominican Republic the night before a big HBO event. I was there for a photography project. We were still setting up for the next day, so I took a walk around the property. While walking, I struck up a conversation with a guy nearby. Just two people talking. At some point I mentioned I was from Boston. He turned and said, “Wait… where did you say you're from?” He smiled and introduced himself. “I’m Tommy.” Then he added, “I’m the...
I told an NHL legend I play this...
Hey Reader - Let me share a quick airport moment that made me laugh. I bumped into NHL Hall of Famer Ray Bourque at the airport. We chatted for a minute while waiting to board. At one point he asked me, “Where are you headed?” I said, “Toronto.” He nodded. Then I added, “I’m going to meet my coach.” That’s when he turned and hit me with the most hockey-player question ever. “What do you play?” And I said, “Business.” We both cracked up. Because in his world, “coach” automatically means...
The Word No Photographer Says...
Hey Reader - I’ve spoken to 223 photographers over the past nine months.Yes, I counted. Want to know how many of them brought up profit?Brace yourself.... Almost none.Like… basically zero. Now revenue?Oh, we talked about that all day. Big bookings.Big launches. Six-figure months.Five-figure weddings. New gear.New logos. New Instagram strategies.New stress levels. But profit?Crickets. Not one said, “I really want to increase my profit.”And that should concern us. Because revenue is loud.Profit...
The Mistake Almost Every Photographer Makes
Hey Reader - If I could go back and start my business over… I wouldn’t change my logo. (Although… wow. It was rough.) I wouldn’t change my pricing. Okay maybe a little. I wouldn’t even change my camera. I’d do one simple thing. I’d save every single contact I ever met. Every. Single. One. Right now I’m staring at four boxes of business cards I’ve collected over the years. Four boxes. Not a cute little stack. Not a tidy spreadsheet. Four slightly dusty, mildly chaotic boxes. Apparently I’ve...
Stop Treating Growth Like A Bet!
Hey Reader - Nobody wants to talk about this. I had 20 conversations with photographers this week. Twenty. Every single one of them needed help. usiness changed almost overnight. What used to work… just isn’t working anymore. Leads slowed down. Bookings dropped. Confidence took a hit. And here’s the interesting part.It’s not saturation. There are 7.5 billion people in the world. If you run a small photography business, how many clients do you actually need? 20? 30? The problem isn’t that...
The Blizzard Isn’t the Problem...
Hi Reader - I saw an old post from Facebook back in time post... My yellow Lab, Jackson. Tennis ball in his mouth. Snow everywhere. Perfect timing, because Boston is about to get hit with a blizzard. But it wasn’t the snow that caught me. It was the ball. There’s a story about the founder of Box. When he was building the company, he’d throw a tennis ball for his dog. Throw it. Chase it. Bring it back. Again. The dog didn’t care about noise. Didn’t care about chaos. Just the ball. Most small...
This Morning We Woke Up to the News
Hi Reader - I didn’t realize something until I started writing this. ometimes reflection shows you things you didn’t see in the moment. Years ago, I was working for Fox News Corp in Chicago. Chicago was home to legends. Reverend Jesse Jackson. And Michael Jackson. At events, whenever Michael arrived, there was always an entourage surrounding him. Security. Advisors. People creating space around a global icon. And often, right there with him, was Reverend Jesse Jackson. Not separate. Not...
You will receive The 3 O’Clock Coffee Focus email series... One short story, one practical idea, and one focused action delivered to your inbox every day at 3:00 PM.