476: Arica Dorff – How to have your own photography supported road tripping adventure

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area.

Arica Dorf of www.aricadorff.com was born in Japan, raised in Hawaii, and moved to Las Vegas while earning her Degree in Psychology. Today, she's a pet photographer with a different business model than most.

She sets off on annual pet photography road trips for around three months every year! And YES, she takes the following nine months off to live the van-life! 

Accompanied by her bloodhound, Gracie, they set off on a route dictated by the photography bookings in a fully decked-out camper-van.

Last year, her working photography road trip took her literally from one side of the country and back again!

All this after nine successful years as Las Vegas' top pet photographer and employing staff. 

Interestingly, you'll hear that Arica is financially better off working three months of the year compared to working full time in her Las Vegas studio. 

In this interview, Arica shares everything you need to start and run your own photography-supported, road-tripping adventure. 

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:

• Setting up a successful pet photography business to work only 3 months each year
• Why a pet photography road trip business is more profitable than having a full-time studio setup
• Average sales from a pet photography studio
• The importance of keeping your expenses to a minimum to create huge profits
• Is having a photography studio a sign of success
• Arica's definition of success
• The need for photographers to save for retirement
• Where to cut costs in your business
• Arica's roadtrip business model
• How Arica finds her clients with her vanlife lifestyle
• Who are Arica's photography clients
• Ignore the pressure to produce content for social media
• Sending an email blast about future roadtrips
• How to strategically map out your road trip to accommodate client sessions
• Arica's sales averages
• Charging a creation fee
• Arica's booking and ordering session processes
• Handling conflicts when scheduling bookings
• The importance of using sneak peeks to sell product
• Why Arica prefers remote ordering sessions
• How to sell large wall portraits without projecting
• Arica's order fulfilment process
• The importance of test runs with print labs you're not familiar with
• How to deal with weak network signals on working roadtrips
• How to handle creepy situations when living the van life
• Safety measures to consider for photography roadtrips
• Arica's advice for photographers who want to book sessions while on a roadtrip

What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re a premium member, you should have received an email with links to your version of this interview – the full-length and more revealing version where you hear the absolute best tips and advice from every guest.

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, get access to an amazing back catalogue of interviews and ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus special member-only interviews.

If I was a business coach for myself back, I would have said, ‘You need to cut your expenses. Your expenses are too high.' – Arica Dorff

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. There are also FB live video tutorials, role-play interviews and special live interviews happening in the group. You will not find more friendly, more motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

Seriously, that's not all.

In addition to everything above, you'll get access and instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable and build friendships with other pro photographers with similar motives to you – to build a more successful photography business.

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything away from what Arica shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below; let me know what your takeaways were and what you plan to implement in your business as a result of what you heard in today's episode.

Pay yourself first and then the money that's left over, that's what you use to pay for your business. – Arica Dorff

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Arica or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.

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iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

Each week I check for any new iTunes or Google reviews, and it's always a buzz to receive these… for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they really are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!

Secondly, iTunes and Google are the biggest search engine when it comes to podcasts, and it's your reviews and ratings that help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners mean more interviews and, ultimately a better show.

If you have left a review in the past, thank you! If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes or https://photobizx.com/google, and you can leave some honest feedback and a rating which will help both me and the show, and I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL of your website and your name.

Alternatively, if you've left a review for PhotoBizX and are looking for more backlinks to help your SEO, leave a review for the new Photography Xperiment Podcast and email me your keywords or keyword phrase and where you'd like me to link to.

Another great way to get a backlink to your site is to send a video testimonial. It doesn't need to be fancy, and your phone will be perfect. Click record and tell me how PhotoBizX has made a difference to you and your photography business.​

Here is the latest review…

★★★★★ So many tips for using in my photography business!

Via Google Reviews by Wellington newborn photographer Laura Ridley in New Zealand on August 5th, 2022.

I have been a loyal PhotoBizX listener for years. Andrew has such a great way of knowing exactly what to ask to get all the best info out for the listeners.

I've been able to take so many great tips from so many inspiring photographers and use them in my own business.

I now have 2 studios in different cities and plan to expand further.

Thanks again, Andrew for the ever-amazing content!

People just want to support people they like. – Arica Dorff

★★★★★ So many tips for using in my photography business!

Via Apple iTunes by Edinburgh headshot photographer, Donna Green from Scotland on August 6th, 2022.

I'm a bit of a podcast junkie, I have to say, but this is by far my favourite of all of them. Andrew is highly engaging, funny and personable to listen to, which is always great of course. More importantly than that, he asks absolutely the BEST questions of his guests.

For a start, all guests he has on the show have a huge wealth of information that is literally business-changing. But not only that, he digs deeply into the details that most podcast hosts just don't. Particularly, the financial ones – nothing is held back, and the result is that we the listeners, have a phenomenal bank of material to learn from.

There's a vast range of photographers on the show, and I would urge other listeners never to skip an episode thinking, ah, that guy photographs something completely different to me – there are ALWAYS heaps of learning points, regardless of the genre. I mean, I'm a brand photographer in Edinburgh, Scotland, but I'm just as likely to learn loads from one of Andrew's guests who's a dog photographer in Melbourne, or a wedding photographer in Arkansas. I've never yet listened to one episode which hasn't had many points highly relevant to MY business too. 

There is one drawback, though. It's tricky to listen to these podcasts when you're out walking the dog as you have to keep stopping to take notes on your phone of all the brilliant ideas you hear. I swear, the other day I heard my dog shouting, “WILL you switch that blooming Aussie OFF, stop standing around fiddling on your phone, and hurry up with our walk – I'm bored!” in a very huffy voice …