Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendra Swalls.
Kendra, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 2012 my best friend and I had the idea to start a photography business. We were both teachers at the time and we’re looking for something fun to do during our summers off. The company grew slowly since we were only working in our downtime from teaching, but we realized pretty quickly that we had a very different interest in what we liked to photograph. We decided to separate the business and each run our own thing. I started Paisley Layne Photography officially in 2014 and made the decision that I wanted to grow this business into something that would allow me to leave my teaching job and work from home full time. During this time, I dove head first into learning as much as I could about how to create a successful business and got interested in the marketing aspect. In 2017 my dream became a reality when I left my teaching career behind to run my photography business full-time. I was ecstatic, but I also realized pretty quickly that I missed teaching.
Through a few local small business groups, I started gaining a reputation for the go-to source for all things business and marketing. I began mentoring other business owners and teaching small workshops around the DFW area. In 2018 I had the idea to start a podcast.
I had no idea what I was doing at the time, but I bought a microphone on Amazon and just started talking. The Girl Means Business podcast and website were born. Over the last year, the podcast has taken off and opened up opportunities for me that I never expected. It has been such a blessing and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.
While I still run my photography business, my focus has shifted to helping other women grow their businesses. I offer in-person and online mentoring sessions, headshot and branding photoshoots and have a membership site launching soon. It’s amazing where your journey can end up when you allow yourself to try new things.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Anyone who tells you that their business journey has been without struggles is lying. I have dealt with failures, opposition, overly-opinionated people and balancing my time. I run my business from home with two young children. This means that I have to find time to work in between playtime and house chores. It isn’t as glamorous as it might look on social media and it has been a really big struggle for me and the growth of my business. I also had to deal with starting completely over again. Girl Means business is still a new business. When I started it, I was five years into my successful photography business. I had this idea that I could quickly find the same success that took me years to achieve in my photography business. So starting over from the ground up has been a humbling experience.
Please tell us about your business.
Girl Means business is an education website/resource for female entrepreneurs. There is a weekly podcast that publishes new episodes each Wednesday. It includes honest conversations around what it means to build and run a business. I interview other business owners and have them share their advice as well as their struggles. I think what sets me apart if how real I am about everything. I don’t overly edit my episodes because I want my listeners to feel like they are there for the conversation. Like having coffee (or wine) with a friend. I don’t sugar-coat how hard running a business and being a mom is. I tell it like it is. I think that has been a factor in the growth of the podcast.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could go back and do it all again, I would have started sooner. I let my fear of what others would think to keep me from starting something earlier. I didn’t feel like I was far enough along in my business or that I had enough to say. But the reality is that there is always someone 1 or 2 steps behind you that can learn from you. So I wish I had listened to myself instead of listening to what others thought I should do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.girlmeansbusiness.com
- Email: girlmeansbusinesspod@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/girlmeansbusiness
- Facebook: facebook.com/girlmeansbusiness
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/girl-means-business/id1457458458
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