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

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

 

Andrew Hellmich: Today's guest was born in Japan, raised in Hawaii, and moved to Las Vegas while earning her degree in psychology. Today, though, she's a pet photographer with a different business model to most. In addition to offering painted pet portraits, she sets off on an annual pet photography road trip for around three months every single year. She's accompanied by her bloodhound, Gracie, and they set off on a route dictated by the photography bookings in a fully decked-out camper van. Her working photography road trip from last year took her literally from one side of the country and back again, and after nine successful years as Las Vegas' top pet photography and employing staff. She left all that behind to start doing these road trips. I'm talking about Arica Dorff, and I'm rapt to have her with me now. Erica, welcome.

Arica Dorff: Andrew, how are you? Thank you so much for having me. That's such a fun intro. I'm like, I want to live that life. Oh, wait, that is my life. Yay.

Andrew Hellmich: Does it still feel like that to you? Like, wow, like, this is my life.

Arica Dorff: Well, you know, I think it's like anything. It's like, you know, people see like, when they think about my life, they think about, like, the Instagram side of it, right? Like the beautiful sunsets and the places you're going hiking and like, no one's there, like when your van breaks down and when you get a flat tire and you're stuck in a ditch and there's like, a creepy person parked next to you, right? Like, that's like, they're not there for that. That's not what they think van life is. So it's just normal. It's like anything, right? If you live in a house, if you have a storefront, if you have a business in your home, like, you're gonna have all the ups and downs of everything, right? So, but it's fun to hear your introduction, because it's all like the highlights of like, "Oh, that's a cool life!", you know.

Andrew Hellmich: That's the Instagram intro.

Arica Dorff: Totally, it is. I love it, yeah.

Andrew Hellmich: But really, I mean, when I left my full time job and became a full time photographer, I mean, I still, I still had trouble believing that I was a photographer. You know, 6-12, months down the track, even five years later, I thought, I can't believe I'm making a living as a photographer and paying off my mortgage and supporting a family. Like you must feel the same a little about your van life.

Arica Dorff: No, I do, and it's been so empowering because I've, like, really gotten into the business side of things and understanding my numbers ever since I sold my studio, because when I had my studio, and I loved it, and it was beautiful, and it was, you know, 2500 square feet, and we had, you know, chandeliers and just the whole thing. But I was bleeding money in that place, you know, like I paid my employees. I paid myself a very small salary. I had a 10% salary off the gross, is what I paid myself. So it was just like, so different now, like, I'm so into my numbers and wanting to be profitable, and encouraging other people to be profitable, and understanding your numbers, I just think that's so important. You know? I think so many people just go through their businesses blindly, going like, well, I have to pay my rent, my rent that much like, I have to play my employees. I have to pay these things, and then I get what's left over, and I'm like, no, there's another way to do it, you know.

Andrew Hellmich: Well, let's get into that. But before we get into the actual numbers, before I hit record, and I wasn't aware of this, but in the intro, I said, you travel for three months. But is that right, that you have the rest of the year off?

Arica Dorff: I do, yeah, so I do my pet photography road trip in the fall, so September, October, November, and I wrap things up a little bit in December. But yeah, I take the other eight, nine months off, and I do some pet paintings, you know, here and there, but that's just remotely and it's at my convenience. I'm not meeting up with people for that. I'm just doing it by email, then drop shipping it to them. But yeah, I just travel for the nine months and I'm off. I'm off, off. I'm doing some speaking gigs here and there, but I don't take photography sessions in my time off.

Andrew Hellmich: Right, but you're more profitable now than when you had a full time studio and staff.

Arica Dorff: Big time. Yeah. So my gross isn't as high because I was grossing more. I was shooting 250 sessions at the studio, but the percentage that I'm keeping in my pocket and the percentage and just the overall number that I pay myself, my salary has over doubled doing this lifestyle. Yeah.

Andrew Hellmich: That's incredible. So back when you were doing 250 sessions in the studio in Las Vegas, what was your revenue then?

Arica Dorff: I was grossing about 250,000 so, yeah, it was about $1,000 per client. $1,200 around there.

Andrew Hellmich: Okay, so you're grossing 250 and you're paying yourself 25.

Arica Dorff: Yeah, that literally is what I was taking home back then. It was insane.

Andrew Hellmich: Wow

Arica Dorff: Yeah, I know.

Andrew Hellmich: Isn't that funny? So from the outside, looking in, like you said, you know, you see these chandeliers, these high ceilings, the staff, the whole thing, people would think you would be a millionaire.

Arica Dorff: Right and it's just because my rent was $4,000 a month at the studio, I had three employees, and I felt like I needed it all, because I was like, "Well, I have to have a sales person, I have to have an editing person, I have to have a front desk person." And I did to keep myself sane, but it wasn't the most profitable. I mean, you know, I paid off my loan. I did pay my employees. We were never, like, in debt, but it was like, at the end of the day, like, I have nothing to show in retirement for this, and I'm literally, like, making $25,000 a year, you know.

Andrew Hellmich: Yeah, crazy.

Arica Dorff: Yeah.

Andrew Hellmich: And you don't have the lifestyle that you have now either, like, you would have been working your butt off.

Arica Dorff: Exactly. Oh yeah, I was tied to it. I was married to the studio for sure. Yeah.

Andrew Hellmich: So can you just touch on how you got to that point in regards to the money? So, I mean, I'm guessing, and I don't know if this is right, that you know, you would have been profitable when you first opened the studio, and then you start adding things like staff, costs go up. Or was it always, you know, chasing things?

Arica Dorff: Yeah. So it was pretty much the same for the nine years that I had the studio. We always grossed over $200,000, so it was always in that 200 to $250,000 right out of the gate. And my expenses are pretty much the same the whole time. I mean, I did add employees, so that's a little bit of an expense. Like, in the beginning, I had a partner. That was I had a business partner, and then I had a spouse who was helping as well. But over time, I hired employees, so that was the only other expense. But all the other expenses were the same. My rent was 4000 from the time I started until the time that I ended. And just all the expenses that come with a studio storefront, you know, like your air conditioning breaks and it's $5,000 and just all the things. So, no, it wasn't like I started out profitable, and it was kind of the same the whole time.

Andrew Hellmich: And then I'm guessing you have an accountant, and you know, you would have been looking at your figures at least once or twice a year. Did you envision, you know, turning over $500,000 you know, and making it profitable that way. How did you think it was going to get profitable?

Arica Dorff: I don't know, besides raising my prices, because, you know, now I look back, and the answer would have been like, if I was coaching myself back then, right? If I was a business coach for myself, I would have said, "You need to cut your expenses. Your expenses are too high, because the percentage of money that's going to operate your business, you know, shouldn't be more..", like, right now, my operating expenses are 10% of my gross. You know.

Andrew Hellmich: Right, okay.

Arica Dorff: Yeah, that's taking care of everything, my marketing, my gas for my road trips, email, you know, all the things. It's my Adobe Photoshop subscriptions. It's like taking care of all of those bills and expenses. But yeah, before, I think my operating expenses were like 40% or 50% or something, and that's like, you know, not even counting taxes and payroll and all the other things you know. So I don't think there was a big plan back then. I think it was just blindly, kind of living the dream. You had this beautiful studio, and you aren't in the red right? You are, like, making money. You're just not making as much money as you should, but you're making money. You're paying your employees, your clients are super happy so, and I think as far as my accountant, to answer that question, like, I think that's one of the issues, I think, with traditional accounting that, and I appreciated my accountant so much, but he always wanted me to not have a profit because then I would have to pay more income tax on that.

Andrew Hellmich: That seems ridiculous.

Arica Dorff: Right. And it's like, I see companies who are like, "Well, where can we spend money? Or how can we sponsor this softball team to spend more money at the end of the year, so we're not paying so much in income tax?" And like, yeah, it does seem ridiculous to me, because I look at that now and I'm like, if I have to pay a ton in income tax, it means that I'm running a profitable business.

Andrew Hellmich: Yes

Arica Dorff: That's my goal. I'm okay paying income tax, you know I'm saying so like, yeah, back then he was like, "Okay, good job. You only have this much." Where, if I would have like, "Oh, I'm paying myself 70,000." and he would have been like, like, "It's a lot of income tax. You need to spend more money."

Andrew Hellmich: Wow.

Arica Dorff: You know what I mean?

Andrew Hellmich: So backwards for the way that I think, and by the way you think, too, by the sound of it.

Arica Dorff: Right. Yeah, I think so too. I know.

Andrew Hellmich: I'm going to move on, I promise. But did you feel successful when you had that studio, because it would have looked amazing from the outside.

Arica Dorff: It did. I mean, it was successful in its own way, right? How do you define success, right?

Andrew Hellmich: Did you walk out at a home every morning thinking, I'm excited to go to work?

Arica Dorff: Yeah

Andrew Hellmich: Or was it, "Holy crap, I'm scared", like this is

Arica Dorff: No, I loved it. I loved it, and it was my little sanctuary. And even, like, the FedEx person would come and deliver packages and be like, "I just want to hang out in here all day. It's so peaceful", you know. Like, and clients would like, spend money, you know, one or $2,000 on portraits, and then be like, thanking us. Like, "Oh my gosh, thank you so much. Like, thank you for doing this. This was amazing", you know. "Or you did portraits for me last month, my dog passed away. Like, this is my greatest treasure." So it was very fulfilling in those ways. So I think that as far as defining success, I think the only big thing that I wish I would have had during that time was like saving money towards retirement. Like, could my paycheck have been higher, sure, but would it have been nice to have that extra money to, like, put into retirement, to have something to kind of show for all of that at the end of it, of course, you know, but, but my clients were thrilled, and the community was thrilled, and I was doing adoption portraits for the rescues and shelters, complimentary. And that's actually how I met Gracie. I did her adoption portrait.

Andrew Hellmich: Wow

Arica Dorff: For one of the rescues and adopted her. So there was a lot of things that were, quote, successful about it, right? From a financial standpoint, it's like, but, but, no, I was happy. I was super happy at the studio. I was just burnt out. By the end of it, I was just burnt out.

Andrew Hellmich: Alright, last question before we move on, talking about you being your own business coach and saying to yourself, you know you need to cut costs. Where would you have cut those costs?

Arica Dorff: So right now, I do profit first. That's like, that book changed my life. That's what I'm doing now to understand my numbers. And I don't know if you're familiar with Profit First, but just having all the separate bank accounts, instead of having all of your money in one big account. So the idea with Profit First is just you take your income, right, all the money that you bring in, and then you split it into these different accounts. So you put x amount of percent into your payroll, and X amount into your operating expenses and cost of goods and everything, right? So if there's not enough money in your expense account, let's say to pay your rent. It's a super simple concept. It's like the envelope system. It's just saying you literally can't afford those expenses if there's not enough money there, right?

Andrew Hellmich: Right.

Arica Dorff: So that would have just been such a simple eye opener for me to go, "Okay, you don't have to pay this rent. You don't have to pay the employees these things that you've taken on, and your business can't afford it based on your income. You can't afford $4,000 a month in rent. You need to be grossing like a million dollars a year if you're going to pay."

Andrew Hellmich: But I understand what you're saying, but you were affording all those things. The only envelope that was a little bit empty, was yours.

Arica Dorff: Was mine, right.

Andrew Hellmich: So that's the one you would fill first.

Arica Dorff: A 100%, yeah. I mean, at the end of the day, like, for a couple years, is it fun? Yeah, I own a business, and I help the community cool, but, like, as a career, like, let's pay ourselves, you know, put some money in our pocket. So, yeah, the idea is pay yourself first, and then the money that's left over, that's what you use to pay for your business. And if there's not enough money in those envelopes, you can't afford those things, you know. So it just would have been like, "I literally can't afford to be in this storefront. Maybe I can afford a studio, but I can't afford this one."

Andrew Hellmich: Got it.

Arica Dorff: Yeah.

Andrew Hellmich: Love it. Love it. So, okay, so you hit a point where you think, "Okay, it's time to get out of this." Is that, you know, do you get sick? Do you just get, do you feel burnt out? Like, what happens? What's the changeover?

Arica Dorff: Yeah, I was burnt out to where, you know, people would come in for their portrait session, and my studio manager would greet them and take them back to the, you know, camera room area and serve them hot tea, and their dogs would get some water, and they would hang out, and I would just go in my office for a minute and, like, do a deep breath, and be like, "Okay, you can do this. Okay." And then I would go in, and that's when I knew, like, that's not okay, if I'm feeling that way with these people who are so excited to be there and, you know, and I loved it once I got into it, and I'm with their dogs, and it's great, but, yeah, just that initial like, "Oh, I have to shoot sessions today.", you know? Like, that's how I was feeling every day. And I was like, this isn't okay. So I actually didn't think I was going to do photography anymore. When I sold my studio, I thought I was done forever. I never thought I was going to pick up a camera again, and it's not because I hated it, but I just like, I was like, "Nope, that's done. Check. Next thing." Yeah.

Andrew Hellmich: And so you sold the studio.

Arica Dorff: I did.

Andrew Hellmich: Is it still running?

Arica Dorff: It's not. No, the gal didn't keep it open for too long after I left. That was in Vegas and I moved away to the Pacific Northwest.

Andrew Hellmich: Got it. So how long after you close down, do you get this idea for the van life and running a business from the van?

Arica Dorff: Yeah. So I actually didn't buy the van right away. I actually sold the studio, and I was doing photography road trips out of my SUV. I just had a bed in the back of my SUV, and I was, you know, traveling, not around the whole country, but on the west, you know. And I was still, it was a three month road trip, still, and it was just me and Gracie, and I was just living in a house, you know, and doing that in the SUV for the three months. So when I moved out of that house, you know, life things changed. I was like, I still want a travel vehicle, and I'm not gonna, like, if I move out of a house and move into my SUV, I'm homeless. Like, that's like, legit. You're homeless, you know. But I was like, but if I move out of a house and I move into like, a beautiful camper van that has a shower and a sink and a stove and hot water and a refrigerator. I was like, that's like, luxury, you know? So, yeah, so I decided to build the van. But I at that point, I had been doing the road trip business model, three months on, nine months off. I was doing that for like, four years already.

Andrew Hellmich: Oh, wow. So you knew that it was working. Like, it was going to be successful.

Arica Dorff: Yeah, yeah. And when I started it, I didn't think it was going to turn into what it is. You know, when I started it, I just thought, like. Like, "Oh, well, I'd like to travel. That'd be fun. I'll just shoot some sessions along the way. That'll kind of like, pay for my gas." Like, cool, you know? And then it like, became this thing where I was, like, this is, like, a legit business model, and I only have to do it for like, a quarter of the year. You know?

Andrew Hellmich: It's, am I being presumptuous in saying that you went through a divorce as well?

Arica Dorff: I did. Yeah, so I was married for 15 years, and we sold the studio and moved to Washington State together, and then we were there for four or five years, and then we ended up separating, and then that's when I built the van, when I moved out of that house, because I was like, "I don't know where I want to live", which was amazing, like, a blessing and a curse at the same time, right? You're like, I don't have kids keeping me somewhere. I don't have family that I have to be by, right now, you know, I don't have a job that's keeping me I was like, "I can go anywhere." And then I was like, "Wait, I can go anywhere." You know? It was like..

Andrew Hellmich: It's too big. Too big.

Arica Dorff: Yeah, yeah. So that's when I was like, I like, it felt weird to buy a house or, you know, sign a lease on an apartment in like a random city somewhere, when I didn't have to be anywhere and there was nothing pulling me like I didn't want to go back to Vegas, that's where my studio was before. I grew up in Hawaii. And I was like, "Why don't want to go back to Hawaii?" Because my clients are all on the mainland. So I said, "I'm just going to build the van, and then I'll have a travel vehicle for my road trips." And then it turned into like, "Well, why don't I just live in the van for a while and figure out where I want to settle?" And now I'm like, "I don't want to settle. I just want to live in the van." So I like, love it.

Andrew Hellmich: That's so good. So you got the van built. You already know that the business model can work because you've been doing it for a few years.

Arica Dorff: Yeah.

Andrew Hellmich: So what happens from there? Like, how do you get clients?

Arica Dorff: Yeah. So I think that was the cool thing in the beginning, that most people who want to do van life are like, "Okay, I'm going to do van life and let me quit my job and figure out how I can make money from the road." And mine was the opposite. I already had the business. And then I was like, "Oh, I'm going to go do van life now, and I have this, like, perfect mobile business that works for it", you know. But, yeah, my clients are, it's kind of, honestly, all stemming from my studio at Vegas. So Vegas is one of those places that people are always moving in and out of and getting transfer places for work. Like, I think if my business originally wasn't like a really small town, I don't think I would have as many clients around the country as I have right now.

Andrew Hellmich: So am I right to assume that a lot of your clients are repeat clients, and they're from a mailing list that you built while you're in Vegas?

Arica Dorff: Yeah. So I couldn't keep the mailing list because that was part of the, you know, non-compete and selling..

Andrew Hellmich: As an asset.

Arica Dorff: But social media was huge for me. So I'm friends, and I always have been friends with almost all of my clients on social media. So there's people even now, when I do portrait sessions, like do my road trips, who the last time I saw them was 10 years ago, and they're booking a session with me now, 10 years later, I haven't seen them since then, because they've been following me on social media all this time.

Andrew Hellmich: Right. So hang on. So Arica, if that means you actually became Facebook friends with your, by your personal account, and also, did you have a personal Instagram account as well as the business one?

Arica Dorff: Yes. So I had both. And when I sold the studio, the business one, obviously went with that business, but I've always and it wasn't a plan, it's just how it worked out. I've just always been friends with all of my clients on my personal account on social media, and they just knew what I was up to and what I was doing. And it's just so interesting. Like, people are kind of like, like, 10 years ago, people would have been like, "You're living in a van, you're homeless and you're a bum." Where now it's like "You're living the dream", you know? So it's like people are like, vicariously living through me, so like, it's kind of part of my marketing, honestly, like just not talking about photography at all on my personal page. It's all just my travels and my dog and paddle boarding and swimming and going to these places, and those are all people who are booking sessions with me who are like, "Oh my gosh, I love following your adventures. And, oh, I saw you did this, and I saw you did that", you know. So I think people just want to support people they like, and people tend to like what I'm doing. So it's kind of cool.

Andrew Hellmich: So does it still feel organic to like you talked about paddle boarding, and I don't know, yeah, rock climbing and doing all the things you're doing. Do you feel like you have to do that stuff to produce content?

Arica Dorff: No, not like, not at all. And if you look at my social media, I'm a super open, honest person about what's going on. So like, my posted on, you know, Instagram the other day, like, I was at the beach and it was my birthday, and I just needed to get away, you know? I went by myself and just had, like, the most beautiful day, and I was like, dancing on the beach, and I was taking videos of being like, "I'm so happy." And on the way home, I was crying the whole time. And I posted that, and I posted it, just going like, "Yep, so highs and lows, I'm sharing it all", you know? And so I just, I think that's important for people, not just to see that, like typical Instagram side of anything, of humans, of business, of van life, of whatever. So I just try to be really honest about that kind of stuff. You know, I posted on social media that at the end of my last road trip, I had a nervous breakdown or a panic attack, and I just kind of talked through that. And it's so interesting how people kind of gravitate towards like, "Thank you for being so honest." And then they open up about what they're going through. And yeah, so no, I don't feel like I ever need to create content that's just and my business page goes very, very quiet in the nine months. I'm not posting regularly there. I'm just posting what's happening in my life on my personal pages.

Andrew Hellmich: And that really is my question there, because I see, say, YouTube or Instagram or Tiktok content creators, they feel the pressure to produce content continuously so you don't feel that pressure.

Arica Dorff: No, because if I'm not doing anything, I'm not posting, or if I like, if something's going on, like, I'll be, like, "Had a rough day today. I feel like there's a cloud hanging over my head, like, but I know it'll be better tomorrow." Like, I'm just posting the real stuff that's happening. But no, I'm not. I'm not creating content by any means intentionally. Yeah.

Andrew Hellmich: Why were you crying on the way home from the beach after that amazing day?

Arica Dorff: You know? I wonder. Because, okay, I have a few theories. My theory that day was that it's like, sugar that, like, I've been like, so sugar gives you, like, a high, and then you crash. So I was like, "I had a ton of sugar today, and now I feel like I'm crashing, but metaphorically, because I don't eat sugar." But I honestly, I think what's happening is a couple things. I think one thing is that I've always been a very consistent person, and it served me very, it has, and it still does serve me very well in my life. Like, I've never had major highs and lows. People know what to expect from me. It's never going to be a guessing game of, like, "What's Arica going to be like today?" It's just like, you know what you're going to get from me. You know. So that has served me well in my business, but I also think that, that made me a little bit numb to life, a little bit, because there was really nothing that got me super excited and nothing that got me super sad. It was just kind of like I'm just even, you know. So I think since I've been in the van, and I know this is the kind of getting off topic, because it's not so much like business related.

Andrew Hellmich: It's all good.

Arica Dorff: But, yeah, just human related, right?

Andrew Hellmich: Yeah

Arica Dorff: It's and I just think that I've been more in touch with myself and with my soul and who I am, and getting to know myself and letting myself feel those highs and lows, you know? So when I had that like, panic attack at the end of last road trip, I was kind of like patting myself on the back, being like, "Good for you, for, like, letting yourself feel that deeply that you had a panic attack", like, that's kind of cool as a human, to be able to experience something you've never experienced, you know. So I think that's part of it. But I think the other thing is that, like, living in the van, I spend a lot of time by myself, and I'm not immersed in society the way that most people are. So I'm already, like, kind of a sensitive person to noises and auditory and visual and those things. Like, I can't listen to music loud if we're watching a movie and it's too loud, like, it's just gives me anxiety, because I'm like, "Can we please turn the volume down?", you know? But I think, like, living in the van has, like, made me go inward so much more that, like, it's easy for me to get overwhelmed, right?

Andrew Hellmich: Right.

Arica Dorff: So like, if I hang out with people, or, like, go visit my best friend who has three kids, and they're running all over the place, and then one is crying, and then one spilled something, I'm like, "I need to go to the van, take a break", you know? Because, like, and I think if you're always working or around co-workers and dealing with stress, like you build up a tolerance for it. So I think my tolerance for that is very low. So on one hand, it's like, beautiful and great, because I live this like, quiet, peaceful life. But then on other hand, it's like, I can't handle a lot. If that makes any sense.

Andrew Hellmich: It does. So do you feel like you have to? Because I guess there's a risk of going too far, you know, to being that quiet person where society almost scares you, like, do you have to force yourself to go into town, you know, and go shopping and, you know, mix with people at a coffee shop?

Arica Dorff: Yeah, I don't, I don't think I need to force myself to. Because I think naturally, just as being human, like, you need that and crave that. So you just go and find it when you need it, you know. So it's like, I do van meetups a lot, where a bunch of van lifers get together and, you know, just hanging out or meeting up with friends or doing whatever. So I think it's a good balance between, like, when we need that, we do it, and when we want our alone time, we take our alone time. But like, yeah, I'm definitely not like, the person who's, like, living out in the forest for six months and haven't seen other humans. Like, that's definitely not my life, you know, okay, I kind of, I get a good balance.

Andrew Hellmich: Cool

Arica Dorff: Yeah

Andrew Hellmich: When you had the studio in Vegas and you said the email list was an asset that you had to let go, was that a big part of the business, or big part of that business, the email list?

Arica Dorff: No, because I would say at that point, at the end of it, maybe in the very beginning. Because I opened my studio in 2006, so probably in the beginning, it was because social media wasn't really a thing then. And I would say at the end of it, I sold in 2015 and I still have an email list now, because there still are a handful of people who aren't on social media and who, like, message me and they're like, "Oh, it's so fun to get your like, annual updates", because I send like, maybe four emails a year, and that would be a lot. I mean, I would say, like, "I'm at the point right now where I'm sending like, two emails a year", you know, but these people are like, "Oh, it's so great to see your annual update", because they don't know what's happening because they're not on social media. But I think at that time, when I sold, I was friends already with so many people on social media that I don't think it made that big of a difference.

Andrew Hellmich: Okay, so really, in all your bookings, your whole road to your three months is all around social, it's booked up via social media.

Arica Dorff: Yeah, so, and for me specifically, it's Facebook. So I don't know if I've ever gotten a single client. I mean, I have some clients who follow me on Instagram, but my clientele is on Facebook.

Andrew Hellmich: Okay, so what do you do? Do you say, "Hey guys, it's coming up to fall. I'm planning my road trip."

Arica Dorff: Yeah. So in the summer, I send out an email just saying, you know, "Gearing up for my pet photography road trip, starting in September, starting to, you know, collect the list of, you know, an 'I'm interested list'. So let me know if you want to be added to my 'I'm interested list' ", so I'm not booking at that time. I'm just getting people responding, saying, "Hey, I'm interested." And then in the middle of August, so I'm teaching a pet photography retreat this coming week. And then after that, that's when I sit down and I'm like, "Okay, let me look at my I'm interested list. Let me make a map of all those people." And that's my tentative route, even though they might not book. But that's my tentative route for what my road trip is going to look like, at least. So I have a starting point, because what I found when I first started doing road trips was like, if you just tell people, "I'm going to do a cross country road trip and I can go anywhere." It's kind of like being a photographer who's like, "I can do anything. I can do Soccer, portraits, weddings. I can do babies like, let me know", and like we're, it's not niche enough, right? Or niche enough so. But if we say, like, "I'm a pet photographer", or I'm, you know, this specific wedding photographer, or whatever, it's like, "Oh, then I want to hire you for my wedding." And it's like, but wait, I told you I could have done that, but when you do everything, it's too much, right? So that's what I found with my road trips. If I, you know, in the very first year I did it, you know, "Hey, gonna go cross country, let me know if you're interested." Like, very few people across the country, on the other side of the country, were telling me they were interested. But once I created a tentative route, people like, "Oh my gosh, you're only going to be an hour from me. Can you come to my place?" And it's like..

Andrew Hellmich: Right

Arica Dorff: Sure, but yeah, so I'm creating that tentative route with the I'm interested list. And then, of course, I edit it, you know, alter it based on who's booking session.

Andrew Hellmich: Because you're posting this tentative map as you go, so people start seeing where you might be.

Arica Dorff: Yeah. And I, actually, I book everything in September so or in August. So when I hit the road, September 1, even if your portrait session isn't, like, November 30, you're booked in in August. So I'm not really adding sessions as I go.

Andrew Hellmich: Oh, okay.

Arica Dorff: It's kind of more just, I'm just booking it all. I collect everyone's creation fee, and then I hit the road. And of course, there's always, like, a few people here and there who are like, "Oh, like, I forgot to reach out to you. When are you going to be here?", you know, but the majority, like 95% of the sessions, are book solid by the time I hit the road in September.

Andrew Hellmich: Okay, so how many sessions do you look to book for three months?

Arica Dorff: Yeah, 50.

Andrew Hellmich: 50 in three months. Okay, so let's say 16-17, per month.

Arica Dorff: Yeah.

Andrew Hellmich: So let's say that you're in my area, Linda, and I get you in to photograph us and our pet, our dog, and we say, "You know what, we've got a friend who would love this. Could you do it?" What do you say?

Arica Dorff: Um, it's never worked out when I'm actually there, but it's one of those things that, that would be a better referral, because it's you guys, right, doing a session with me, and then you're telling your friend about it. Because you understand the process, you understand the pricing, you understand, you know, whatever. But usually people need to kind of follow me, at least for a year before they book a session. So I'll do it. If I'm in the city and I don't have to be somewhere the very next day, I'll reach out to that person, and I'll just, "Oh, hey, I'm doing Andrew's portraits, and I heard you might be interested. Here's my product menu." You know, if the day and time works for them, that's great, but generally, it's too big of an investment for people when they hear just pet photography and they don't know who you are, because it's part of what people pay for with us, right? They're paying for us. They're not just paying for our photography. It's like they're paying for the experience of working with us and all of that. So sometimes it's too big of an investment for someone who doesn't know me. It's like, so when I go to a city, like, some people are like, "Oh, cool. You must just like, go to dog parks and hand out your business cards." And like, you know, like, that's not, that's not my clientele. You know, not saying my clients aren't going to dog parks, but just like, that's not the people who are just like, I'm not doing $100 session, you know, it's like my sales average right now on my road trips is 2400, so it's like someone at a, you know, dog park is not thinking that, "Oh, you do pet photography. Cool. I'm going to drop $2,400 on portraits", right? So usually, it's kind of like the, you know, back in the day, they used to say the rule of seven, like, clients need to see or hear about your business seven times before they act on it or before they use the services themselves. So that's why, back in the day, I used to like have art displays at you know, when I had my studio, like vets and groomers, and I used to go to outdoor events, and I used to show up at events and donate to silent auctions, and then people would see my work all over and then they would book a session. But sometimes it was, like, years, sometimes it was two or three years, and then they would book a session, and I'm okay with that. I'm okay with that length of time, because I want lifetime clients. Like, I'm not looking for people who are just, like, at a dog park and like, "Oh, cool. 10 minutes, meet me in the parking lot. Like, let's do portraits." Like, you know, I mean, like, I'm okay if they follow me on social media for a couple years and then really think about it and really want to do it and then commit.

Andrew Hellmich: Oh, yeah, for sure. So this is a luxury product they're getting from you. It's not just a down and dirty digital file shoot for 10 minutes.

Arica Dorff: Right, yeah.

Andrew Hellmich: So you mentioned creation fee. What's that?

Arica Dorff: So that's just my session fee. I've always called it a creation fee. It's 250 and so that just covers, it doesn't include a portrait credit or anything. It's just my time to shoot the portraits and do an online gallery for them. I used to do in person sales at the studio, but I can't do that now as a mobile business, because by the time their images are ready to view, I'm in a different state, so I can't do that now. So it's an online gallery, but it's a view only gallery. They cannot order online, so I disabled the cart, then they have to do an ordering session over the phone with me,

Andrew Hellmich: Phone or Zoom?

Arica Dorff: So kind of both. So I'm doing, I actually I pay for a screen sharing app called Screenleap. Is what I've been using.

Andrew Hellmich: Sorry, Screen leak or leap?

Arica Dorff: Leap, L-E-A-P.

Andrew Hellmich: Right.

Arica Dorff: And I'm sure Zoom could do the same thing. But the only reason I pay for that is because I want somebody to just be able to click on a link and see my screen right away and not have to download software.

Andrew Hellmich: Right

Arica Dorff: And, you know, and mostly everyone, because of the pandemic has zoom and knows how to use it, but, you know, a lot of times you're being prompted to, like, download this and download that, and people are like, "I don't want that. I don't want the confusion and the stress at the beginning of an ordering session." So I always just pay for software where it's a web link, where it just I send in an email. You know, a few minutes before their ordering session, they click on it, and then instantly they're like, "Oh, cool. I can see your screen", you know. And so to answer your question, if it's phone or zoom, so it's that Screenleap, but I'm always talking on the phone. I never talk through the computer, because I'm never in Wi Fi, because I don't live in a house. I live in the van. So in case there's a delay, which a lot of times there is based on your reception, because I'm just hot spotting from my phone when I do ordering sessions. I always want to talk on the phone, so if there is a delay on the computer, there's not a delay in our conversation.

Andrew Hellmich: Right. So you've got your data connection from your phone to use Screenleap, but you're actually talking on the phone, so there's no delay.

Arica Dorff: Correct.

Andrew Hellmich: Got it. Arica, let me take you back a bit, because I still want to fill in a couple of blanks here. I love this life that you're living and listening to, I think this could work for any portrait photographer. Couldn't it? You wouldn't have to be a pet photographer to do what you're doing.

Arica Dorff: Oh, for sure. Yeah.

Andrew Hellmich: I love it. So you're looking to take 50 creation fees before you set off on your road trip.

Arica Dorff: Yeah.

Andrew Hellmich: Okay, so you've got your 50 creation fees, you've got your map done. How long do you leave between each session, taking into account whether travel time, whether you want to spend time in a certain place, like that, must all play a factor.

Arica Dorff: Yeah, and it's an interesting jigsaw puzzle to put together, for sure, because there's times where it just doesn't work out seamlessly. And like, so like, last year….

 
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Andrew Hellmich: I don't want to finish with a creepy question, but have you had any like, creepy situations or things like, where you're actually worried or fearful?

Arica Dorff: You know. So I guess the couple things with that one is that my bloodhound, Gracie, is the sweetest dog in the whole world, if you meet her properly, and if you don't, she's very protective, like, she'll actually bite someone.

Andrew Hellmich: Right.

Arica Dorff: So I have to be kind of careful with so, and a lot of people are like, "That's amazing." I'm like, "It is, but I always have to kind of be on guard, like, knowing what situation she's good in." So in that sense, she's very protective of us and the van, so I always feel safe with her. And I guess the other thing to that is, I was married to a cop for 15 years, so I've always just kind of like, my brain has been trained to kind of like, as much as you can, don't put yourself in a situation where you know, it could be unsafe for you.

Andrew Hellmich: Right.

Arica Dorff: So I'm not really oblivious to what's happening. Maybe that's just being a female in general, I don't know. But, you know, it's just always like, be aware of your surroundings. Know your exits, and that's why people say van life is so exhausting. You know it's like you just, you always know what's happening. You know who's camped around you. You know if you have reception, or where the last spot was that you had reception. And if I ever get a weird vibe, I just leave, you know. If there's anyone I've ever camped next to or just, like, a vehicle that, like, doesn't really look like it belongs, I just leave.

Andrew Hellmich: Cool, like a weird question from an Aussie, do you carry a gun?

Arica Dorff: I don't. No, I don't. Yeah, I just, you know, and it's funny because I did on my very first road trip, because I was married to, you know, a cop at the time, he's like, "You're taking a gun." I'm like, "Okay", so I was like, "Yes, I feel safer with a gun." And I know I went out and shot it with him and, like, so I was comfortable handling it, but I was like, "Yes, I need to have a gun." And then it's like, after a few weeks, you're like, you kind of start rearranging stuff and moving it, and then after like, a month, you're like, "I don't even know where that is, under my keys?. Like, where did I put that?" And then, like, you know, after the end of the road trip, I'm like, "I really, I'm not, no, I'm not going to use this thing." So no, and I'm not against them or anything. I'm just, yeah, I don't, I have bear spray and I have wasp spray.

Andrew Hellmich: Right.

Arica Dorff: So those are the things that I carry with me. I carry bear spray with me when I go hiking, even if I'm in an area without bears, just because that's my deterrent. But I've never felt like, I don't want people to think that, like we live on the edge and we're like, scared all the time. I think it's like when you do something, then you realize it's not as scary, but when you're not doing it, you're just an outsider looking and it sounds scary.

Andrew Hellmich: Sure. Okay.

Arica Dorff: Right? It's like, yeah. So I have a lot of, even clients, and like my clients moms who follow me online, who are just like, "Please be careful, honey", you know. But it's like, that would be scary to them, because they've never done anything like that. But if they were to get out there and do it, you know, because there's times like in the beginning, I was like, yeah, the sun goes down. You close your door, like, that's it. You don't get out again until the sun comes out. And now I'm like, but the stars are amazing, and I want to be outside on a full moon. And you know, so now it's, I think it's just your comfort level. What you get comfortable with.

Andrew Hellmich: Absolutely, Arica, absolutely the last question for someone thinking about doing this, what would you say to them?

Arica Dorff: What do they think, you know, living in a van full time or doing a photography, road trip.

Andrew Hellmich: Photography road trip. Listen, they got a home, they've got a good business, but they want to do what you're doing for three months or a month.

Arica Dorff: Okay, my advice would be, you just have to do it, regardless of how many sessions you book. So if you say you're going to go cross country, go and do a cross country road trip, even if you don't book sessions. Because the thing is, people don't want to support businesses who they don't think are doing well. And people like I was saying with the map earlier, right? Like, even though I said I could go cross country, someone didn't reach out to me in Florida until I said I was going through Florida and showed up the map, right? So if you just tell people like, "Hey, like, I'm going to go cross country and do a road trip" and then nobody books on the other side of the country. You still need to go, because you need to prove to those people, I'm going and I'm doing it. So even if they don't book this year, they might next year. That makes sense.

Andrew Hellmich: It does.

Arica Dorff: So, yeah, they don't need to know that you're not booking sessions. Just go do the road trip and photograph other things, or volunteer your time at a shelter, or do model calls or whatever, you know, but do other things, post portraits of what you're doing, and then people are like, "Oh my gosh, she goes across the country. It's so cool. I'm going to do a session with her."

Andrew Hellmich: I love that.

Arica Dorff: Does it makes sense?

Andrew Hellmich: It does.

Arica Dorff: You just have to do it.

Andrew Hellmich: So I thought your answer was going to be, rent a van, don't buy one to start. But I love your answer.

Arica Dorff: Oh, that's funny, yeah, and that's an investment too, right? So like, for me, it's my home. So for me, I was okay making the investment. If I was still living in a house, I don't think I would have pulled the trigger, because I think it would have been too big of a business expense.

Andrew Hellmich: Got it.

Arica Dorff: To buy a van.

Andrew Hellmich: Yeah, it makes sense. Arica, I've taken so much of your time. You've been an incredible guest. I've had so much fun talking to you. I've had like, a thousand questions running through my head every time you gave an answer. So thank you so much. Thank you so much.

Arica Dorff: Thank you. And I feel like I have all these questions because, like, I want to know so many things about you. It's like you do all these interviews, and like we're talking the whole time and you're listening. But do you ever do like podcasts where it's just you talking and you don't have a guest on?

Andrew Hellmich: I don't, and I've been I've been told I should.

Arica Dorff: You need to do that, yes, because people want to learn about you too, right?

Andrew Hellmich: Well, yeah, I give a little snippets through every interview, but I love talking to people like you and hearing about your lives.

Arica Dorff: Yeah, very well. Thank you for doing this. It's so appreciated in the photography community. Yeah, thank you for connecting all of us.

Andrew Hellmich: Thanks, Arica, you've been an amazing guest, and I can't wait to get this out to listeners, so again, thank you so much.

Arica Dorff: Awesome. All right, Andrew, talk to you soon.