Podcast Summary

Podcast: Book More Photography Clients Podcast
Host: Brooke Jefferson
Episode: Planning Your Most Profitable Photography Year in 2026
Date: November 27, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Brooke Jefferson shares a comprehensive, actionable framework for photographers to plan their most profitable and purposeful year in 2026. She guides listeners through a structured, three-part process: reflecting on 2025, intentional goal setting for 2026, and developing a concrete action plan. Along the way, Brooke balances practical business advice with honest, personal anecdotes about her evolving career—and reminds photographers that success is deeply personal and unique to each season of life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reflecting on 2025: Honest Business Review

[02:12-14:28]

• Brooke urges listeners to start with a full review of the previous year before goal-setting.
  “Before we can set meaningful goals for 2026, we need to look back at 2025 and see what it actually looked like.” (02:12)

• Self-assessment questions for review:

  • Financial: total revenue, number of sessions/clients, average booking value (“what was the average amount a client spent with you?” 04:08), total expenses, actual profit.
  • Time: hours worked per week, breakdown of shooting vs editing vs marketing/admin, did your business control your schedule?

    “Man, this one is going to sting for some of you, but you've got to get honest..." (05:35)

  • Clients: favorite clients/sessions, draining clients or session types, main sources of clients (referrals, Instagram, Google, etc.).
  • Marketing: Which marketing efforts worked and which flopped? Consistency on social media or email? When did leads dry up—and why? When did leads come in hot—and what was happening then?
  • Packages & Pricing: What packages sold? Price changes—did they help? Why/not?
  • Personal life: Did your business support your life or cause it to suffer? Boundaries, time off, screen time, and presence with family.

    “Did you take time off and did you have boundaries?...Don’t judge yourself. Don’t lean into the emotions. Just be honest.” (13:06)

• Takeaway: The answers provide “pure gold” for planning, highlighting what to continue and what to change.

2. Dreaming & Goal-Setting for 2026

[14:30-21:17]

• Visioning with Intention:
  “Let’s dream about your business and set some goals with intention and purpose.” (14:58)

• Guided questions for intentional goal-setting

  • Financial: Increase revenue, raise prices to work less, number of sessions at higher price point, add new revenue streams (e.g., prints, albums, mentoring).
  • Lifestyle: Work fewer hours, more days off, vacation, after-school family time.
  • Business Structure: Implement systems, hire help, streamline workflow, simplify packages.
  • Creative: Attract dream clients, shoot what excites, upskill.
  • Marketing: Be consistent without burnout, start or leverage an email list, build referrals, be fully booked in advance.

• Brooke’s goal-setting advice:
  “Pick three to five goals that actually matter to you...Your goals need to be very specific, and they need to be something that you can measure.” (20:38)

• Example: “I want to make more money" is vague. "I want to earn $75,000 by booking 50 sessions" is specific and measurable. (21:15)

3. Action Planning: Turning Goals into Reality

[21:18-39:45]

• Brooke’s mantra:
  “A goal without a plan is just a wish. I love that saying. It is so, so true.” (21:56)

• Step-by-step breakdown:

  1. Break Down Goals into Quarters:
     Example: $75,000 goal = $18,750 per quarter / $6,000+ a month.
     “Now we’re not super overwhelmed looking at that $75,000 goal. We’re just looking at roughly a little over $6,000 per month...” (24:30)

  2. Reverse-Engineer the Numbers:

     • If average session = $1,500: need 4 sessions/month.
     • If $500 session: need 12 sessions/month. “Now...I need to book one client per week, or I need to book three clients per week. That is an actionable goal.” (26:36)

  3. Tie Back to Marketing:

     • If you need one booking/week, generate 3-5 leads/week.
     • Pick 1-2 effective marketing channels from 2025 and double-down in 2026.

  4. Set Up Supporting Systems:
     “You cannot hit goals if you are literally drowning in chaos.” (30:22)

     • CRM, email templates, efficient workflows, booking systems, batching admin time.

  5. Schedule Tasks in Your Calendar:
     “What you don’t schedule, it will not get done.” (32:49)

     • Plan out and block time for tasks; otherwise, you’ll forget and lose momentum.

  6. Build in Accountability:

     • Set reminders, find an accountability partner or coach, join a community for support.

4. Candid Personal Update: Navigating Change & Boundaries

[39:46-45:22]

• Brooke shares her own major upcoming shift:

  • Starting full-time marketing job at the local chamber of commerce in 2026 while continuing her photography business.
  • Honest context: Income goals changed, family life shifted, the education side of her business declined post-pandemic.

  • “In full transparency, I do plan to cut back a little bit on my photography sessions just because I will be four and a half days actually in office and then managing sessions in the evenings on top of that. So, so with all of that being said, it's going to look very different for me. So that means I have to be even more intentional with my time, my systems and my boundaries. And you know what? That’s okay.” (42:50)

• Key reassurance for listeners:

  “Your season might look different too… Can I just tell you that you are not alone. A huge percentage of photographers… ended up for a variety of reasons… going back to work or finding supplemental income…That doesn’t mean you failed anything. Do not let anybody make you feel like you are not a legitimate photographer if this isn’t your only source of income.” (43:59)

• Brooke’s takeaway:
  “Your photography business, it doesn’t have to look like anybody else’s. It just needs to work for your life. That is the whole point of being a business owner.” (44:56)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On honest business reflection:
  “Don’t judge yourself. Don’t lean into the emotions. Just be honest. This data and what you’re finding is pure gold for planning 2026…” (13:00)
• On goal-setting specificity:
  “I want to make more money is not a good goal. I want to earn $75,000 by booking 50 sessions. That is a goal, right? That would be a goal. So look at the difference.” (21:14)
• On action:
  “A goal without a plan is just a wish. I love that saying. It is so, so true.” (21:56)
• On navigating life changes:
  “That doesn’t mean you failed anything. Do not let anybody make you feel like you are not a legitimate photographer if this isn’t your only source of income.” (44:08)
• On individuality in business:
  “Your photography business…just needs to work for your life. That is the whole point of being a business owner.” (44:56)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Reflection on 2025: [02:12–14:28]
• Goal Setting for 2026: [14:30–21:17]
• Action Planning Framework: [21:18–39:45]
• Personal Transparency & Encouragement: [39:46–45:22]

Final Encouragement & Call to Action

Brooke invites listeners to connect on Instagram (@brookejanaephoto) and share their goals and takeaways. She closes with a reminder to build a business serving your life, not demanding you sacrifice for it, and offers encouragement for every photographer—regardless of their current path.