business

WebSITE & Design

Honeybook:

Flodesk:

Hill & Usher:

Tailwind

Clickup:

Pete & Jordan:

Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card:

Quickbooks Simple Start:

The Customer Relationship Management system I literally live by! My brain would explode without Honeybook to keep me on track with client projects and having everything in one place. Get 50% off your first year using my link! + See a full blog post & video walkthrough HERE.

The email marketing system I adore! A simple, clean platform with stunning templates for creative entrepreneurs & easy-to-use workflow options! See an example of an email I created in 15 minutes HERE (turn phone sideways for viewing). Get it for $19 per month (half off) with this link!

Pinterest & Instagram scheduler and analytics tool. I love it because I can set my posts to autopost in advance and it will post my hashtags in the first comment on Instagram! Tailwind literally took my monthly Pinterest viewers from 408 to 25-30K! Use this link to get a free month of Tailwind Plus!

The task management system I use to organize my to-do lists and idea brain dumps (for both business and personal use!). While I use the task management and workflow features in Honeybook for any client-related projects like weddings & photo sessions, I use this for anything outside of that (goals, website/blog projects, a checklist for when we moved states, etc.). The best part - it's free! They'll also import everything over from Asana if you use that currently!

I did a live version of this marketing course they offer to help wedding professionals get inquiries and book clients using Facebook ads. Jordan has been my business coach ever since too and they really know their stuff! The info I learned in this course helped me not only go full-time confidently, but also STAY full-time when I moved states. I use the same strategies they teach in this wedding course to book out my family mini sessions & personal brand sessions too!! 

Let's talk INSURANCE!!! I did a TON of research on insurance for photographers, and Hill & Usher was honestly the very best/least expensive option I could find as far as what it covered.  They have an option called PackageChoice which is made specifically for photographers and covers both equipment AND liability insurance. It covers my equipment even if my husband is using it and it covers theft more than just "forced entry." This was crucial for me since my gear is more likely to be stolen sitting in a corner at a wedding than in my locked car or house, which a lot of the other insurance companies limit it to.

Earn points that are transferable to multiple different airlines & other purchases simply for buying all the things you will be buying anyway! Get triple points on business related purchases like social media advertising, cell phone plan, and more! Use this link to get 80,000 bonus points upon opening your card if you meet their requirements in 180 days.

I use QuickBooks Self-Employed to track expenses and mileage, find tax deductions, and avoid IRS penalties. You can, too—click the link here to get up to 50% off and a $50 Visa® Card to help with your business needs when you sign up. The self-employed version didn't have all the reporting options my CPA needed for tax time, so be sure to check with yours before going with that version, even though it's cheaper.

WebSITE & Design

Business

Photography

BOOKS

The Creative Law Shop:

Easy to implement, legal contract templates to protect my business for all different types of photo sessions. Use the code KIRAWHITNEY10 at checkout for 10% off! Check out her Privacy Policy template to add to your website if you are planning on running any Facebook ads (did you know you're legally required to have one?)

photography

WebSITE & Design

Pic-Time:

Crashplan:

Calendly

MagCloud:

Kiss Albums:

The image gallery system I use to deliver stunning client galleries. Since I do contracts/invoices through Honeybook now, I switched from Shootproof to Pic-Time in order to increase my print + product sales since they have a stunning SHOP section in each gallery that allows clients to really visualize the end results! They also have a great marketing system for the shop with pre-made workflows and campaigns for increased sales.  Use the code R3AE75 at checkout to get a free month!

Rest assured your images are safe by backing them up with Crashplan for Small Business! It takes a long time to set up initially as it searches through everything it needs to back up, but after that you never have to touch it again! Back up both your computer AND multiple hard drives to keep everything safe in case of technology failure.

The system I use to schedule Discovery Calls with potential clients as well as photo sessions. I also take deposits for family & brand sessions through Calendly and it's a LIFESAVER when I do mini sessions because I can just set up my time slots for the day once and then focus on selling them! It removes so many back and forth emails - and who doesn't love to save time?!

The company I use to print my wedding & engagement guides for brides! They are so inexpensive and I've been so happy with the quality! You can choose between a saddle stitch binding or just staples, depending on how many pages there are. I create these guides in InDesign before uploading them for print production.

The system I use to order heirloom wedding albums for my wedding clients. They have an incredibly user-friendly system to design the albums and share with clients so they can review and make comments on each page for revision before you place your order! Get $50 off an order of $100+ using this link

WebSITE & Design

Business

Photography

BOOKS

Moo:

Where I order the best-ever business cards!! Such high quality and you can order square cards to stand out. I like to include an image of myself on the back so I'm recognizable since my personality is so integral to my brand. I mostly share business cards with other vendors at weddings and include a couple in my welcome packet for my brides.

website & design

WebSITE & Design

Showit + Advanced Wordpress Blog:

Davey & Krista Website Templates:

Adobe Creative Suite:

BlogStomp

Canva:

Showit is the website host and design system I use. I used Squarespace for 8 years before transitioning to Showit and while that worked great for awhile, I could never quite get it to look the way I wanted. With Showit, you can start from templates but you can design whatever you want, wherever you want it on the page. You can also design your mobile site separately from the desktop version, which was a big factor for me in switching over.  I also love how interactive it is since it's easy to make lots of things to click through, including "canvas views" like I'm using on this page for the different categories! I use the advanced Wordpress blog option since I blog consistently and it's so amazing how it integrates right into Showit. Their support team does all of that set up for you too and are always super responsive! CLICK HERE for a free month.

If you like the design of my website - look no further than Davey & Krista! They design stunning Showit templates specifically for photographers that can be so easily tweaked to bring out the best in your brand and personality. I wasn't happy with my website for years and the flexibility of Showit + Davey & Krista's designs brought my new vision to life! Take 10% off anything in their shop by using this link and the code KiraWhitney10 :)

I finally feel like my site portrays who I am and my heart for my clients and I've honestly had so much more engagement since it's much more in-depth and interactive, which is exactly what I was hoping for! They even have "add-on" pages that you can purchase separately.

I cull & edit my images mainly in Lightroom, pulling them over to Photoshop if they need extra attention (ex. something large removed from the background). I use InDesign to design any printed collateral, including the Wedding & Engagement Style guides that I give each of my brides upon booking. I typically design any Pinterest templates in Photoshop.

The desktop application I use to place images side-by-side for my blog and create collages of images for Pinterest. Quickly drag your images into the sidebar, select the ones you want to combine, choose your layout, and click "Stomp It". It's that easy! For a $49 one-time fee, it's a no-brainer.

A free design program that is super easy to use if you aren't comfortable with or don't have access to Photoshop! Create stunning Pinterest graphics, announcements, and more with a few clicks of your mouse!

WebSITE & Design

Business

Photography

BOOKS

books

WebSITE & Design

Profit First:

Building a Storybrand:

The Road Back to You:

Fiction:

This is the book I'm always raving about because it completely changed how I do my business budgeting... taking me from not really knowing where my income was going and what I was working towards, to having a plan for every dollar as it came in. It simplifies budgeting for non-number loving people and because of this system, I'm now able to pay myself consistently, despite the slow & busy seasons of entrepreneurship!

I'm also able to consistently put money into my retirement fund, have an allotted amount for operating expenses and actually Profit in my business, above and beyond what I pay myself! I have a whole blog post on this book too, just head to the Blog and type Profit First in the search bar!

A book that helped me learn the value of story when creating my brand, as well as how to connect to my ideal clients on a deeper level. Authentic and effective marketing is what this is all about and I couldn't recommend it more!

This book is about the 9 different Enneagram types. If you don't know by now, I'm obsessed with the Enneagram because it's given me words for the way I am that I couldn't have ever come up with on my own. I'm now so much more aware of why I do the things I do or react certain ways in different circumstances and it's 100% made me a better person.

I even think knowing and understanding your Enneagram number can be an incredible asset for you as a business owner because you'll learn how to structure your days and work in a life-giving manner instead of burning out. It also helps to understand your clients and have more empathy towards all people who are different than you as you get to know the other types as well.

Basically anything by Ted Dekker, Dee Henderson or Francine Rivers!

Need an audio book? Check out Seriously I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres for some good laughs!

WebSITE & Design

Business

Photography

BOOKS

Business

Photography

BOOKS

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