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- [00:00]
A
You don't have a business unless you can take a month out of your business, not even open a laptop to see what's going on. That unless you can do that, you don't have a true business.
- [00:10]
B
The cheat sheet, she can look at the cheat sheet and that system is in place. It's done for you. She doesn't have to rely on you to give her the answer on what to say because everything is there, documented.
- [00:21]
C
The secret is systems. We got to have systems. I do believe that time with our family, time away is very important. You have to have systems because otherwise the alternative is you either end A, you don't go anywhere and you never go on vacation and never get to have fun time, or B, you go away and your business completely comes to a grinding halt while you're gone.
- [00:40]
A
Hey, hey, hey. And welcome back to the Difference Maker Revolution podcast. And if Janine looks a bit stressed, maybe she is because Janine is heading off to Greece for two weeks vacation or holiday and the business needs to keep running. So, Janine, I'm only joking. Look at the big smile on your face. You're not stressed at all, Janine, she
- [01:04]
B
can't wait to be in that bikini lying on the sand, Ronan.
- [01:10]
C
That's the look of stress on my face. I'm hungry. I haven't eaten for a month. Gotta be bikini ready.
- [01:18]
A
But this is a serious thing, right? We see it all the time. Not just photographers who only worked themselves or there's only two of them there often husband and wife team, you know, but we see it with photographers who've got studios like you, Janine, who employ people and they feel they just can never take a holiday. So what's the secret, Janine?
- [01:36]
C
Oh, the secret is systems, Ronan. You gotta have systems. And that's. I know we're gonna talk through a lot in this podcast about how you can actually prepare your business, whether you're a solopreneur or whether you have a team to be able to go away. Because I do believe, I really believe, and this is Americans specifically don't vacation, they don't take time off. It's like this weird thing that you feel like if you're not work, like your self worth is all wrapped up in the prideness. I never take a vacation or you know, and, or the amount of time and work and effort that they put in or they only take their one week of vacation allotted, you know, and things like that. So. But I do believe that time with our family, time away is very important. Resting, recharging, spending Time together, creating those moments together that you can look back on and smile with happy memories. Right? So to me, it's a very big core value of mine to be able to travel and do things with my, my family, whether it be adult time or time with kids. Right. And I like to do both. So that being said, because it's so important to me, I've worked really hard in my business to be able to create not just systems for myself, but a team so that I can walk away and leave for a given period of time to be able to do that with my family and my friends, whatever the case may be. And this time it happens to be family. But so, yeah, you have to have systems because otherwise the alternative is you either A, you don't go anywhere and you never go on vacation and never get to have fun time, or B, you go away and your business completely comes to a grinding halt while you're gone.
- [03:04]
A
I know Steve is, is an expert in all these systems. He's going to talk to you about the systems you put in place and everything else. But do you know where that comes from, Janine, Steve's of Italian heritage. And the Italians take the whole month of August, four weeks off every single year. And here's another thing about what they do in Italy is, is they break your salary into 13 months. So they pay you monthly in Italy, but they break into 13 months so that for the month of August you get the equivalent of two months salary so that you can really celebrate your holiday, your vacation.
- [03:37]
B
Wow, I did not know that about the 13 months. That's very clever.
- [03:41]
C
It is very clever. Interesting. I don't know what most Americans would do with an entire month off
- [03:49]
B
like the rest of the world.
- [03:51]
C
I know all of the Europeans take that month of August off. I know, because they all come to Florida. I avoid all the theme parks in the month of August.
- [03:59]
B
But you were talking about Americans not taking time off. But I think, I think any person that owns a business, no matter where they are in the world, feels exactly that, that they can't take a day off, they can't take two days off in a row, or they can't take a week or two off. And it does come down to the systems and creating that. So, and we work really closely together. And even in the last week or so we've been developing out a new course and as we're developing, we're both having light bulbs of things that need to be implemented and things that can be shared with people. So what are some of those things you know, Janine, like, even, like yesterday and the day before, when we're covering off what people should be saying, what actually we did last night on handling objections and why these objections come up, how has that helped you and your team?
- [04:47]
C
So I have one of my team members, Betsy, she does the majority of the calls to our potential clients, right? So we have our ads running, we have alliances going, we have referral program with our existing clients, we have social media posts. So we have many forms of marketing out there. And people can schedule discovery calls or they fill out a lead form to come into our world, right? And then Betsy makes those calls. So guess what? All of that is still running when I'm gone. And then one of my stressors this week that if you see it on my face, is I'm trying to get all of my organic posts scheduled in our engine using KCB and some other methods to get things done. Right? So I got to get all that generated before I go, because I'm not going to be on that boat posting live social media. So that's all got to get done. And that's great. We have systems to do that now. Right. And we have kcb. That helps make it even easier to get blog posts and organic content ready to go. But to what Steve is talking about, we've been. I've been really working with Betsy on improving the scripts for her phone calls. She has the sheet, the call tracker sheet. Every day, she tracks her phone calls. I'm still gonna have her send those to me in Greece so that I know that she's making her phone calls and to see how things are going. And I can keep track of that and still be on holiday. Right?
- [06:04]
B
But Janine, do you know what. And this is what I used to do. I would make them send it to me, but often I didn't even look at them. The fact that she has to send it to you, she thinks you're looking at it.
- [06:18]
C
So she gets the read receipt.
- [06:20]
B
You can be Italian and forget about. Forget about work for a month.
- [06:25]
C
Forget about it. I can be Italian from New York and forget about it. Uh, so anyways. But when you work with your team and go through objections and work through scripts and understand how to make phone calls and understand how to listen to clients and practice those core skills. Then when I'm gone for two weeks, guess what? Those phone calls still happen every day, like when I am here, you know, and so she can still be booking even when I'm gone. She can be following up with clients even when I'M gone. She's mailing welcome packets even when I'm gone. She is preparing all those clients for sessions even when I'm gone, you know, and, hello, I also have another photographer, so we're booking her while I'm gone too. Right. So the studio can fully run when I'm not here. It's the overall visioning and marketing and things like that that I do that can't be done in real time when I'm gone. But guess what? I'm prepping it all for the time that I'm gone. And. And then also, you know, when your brain is relaxed is when ideas flow. Right. So that part of our brains, I don't think ever shuts off. And I actually, I actually get loads of ideas when I'm on vacation that I can bring back and implement when I return.
- [07:31]
A
So you don't have to ring Elon and say, elon, can you turn on Starlink over Greece for me so I can connect to the Internet from my boat?
- [07:39]
C
I do not.
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B
Yeah.
- [07:40]
C
Elon and I were best buds. Yeah.
- [07:42]
B
But the. The beautiful thing is, like, and let's just take one example, the. The cheat sheet that we did where every objection we've worked, we've given the reason why it happens and what you can do to avoid that particular objection happening. But Betsy's got a cheat sheet where she can look at that, make the modifications, but she's also got the band aid answer that if it does come up, she has that resource. Right. And so if she's starting to feel, oh, I'm not booking as many, let me have a look. She can look at the cheat sheet and. And that system's in place. It's done for you. She doesn't have to rely on you to give her the answer on what to say, because everything is there, documented, and it's something that's there for our members to access. It's been tried and tested in your studio, and this is just stuff that works. And so you can go on your holiday and not stress, because there are resources there for her through the difference maker that she can access at any time. And still, I think my team used to, like, every time I went on holidays, they made it a mission to prove that they didn't need me, which I loved. I loved. It's amazing how suddenly they find the systems and they stick to the systems because they wanted to prove that they didn't need me. And often they did way better while I was away because they wanted to prove a point. So I'm Hoping, Janine. Right. That they're going to double the bookings and double the income while you're away just to prove you're not needed.
- [09:13]
C
That would be fantastic.
- [09:17]
B
And it's doable.
- [09:18]
A
It's interesting, Janine, because you and I compared a book by Mike Michalowicz many years ago. Was it the clockwork one where. Which one was where you said that you don't have a business unless you can take a month out of your business, not even open a laptop to see what's going on. That unless you can do that, you don't have a true business. Was a clockwork.
- [09:38]
C
I'm pretty sure it was clockwork, yeah. Because it was. You don't have a business, you just have a job.
- [09:42]
A
Yes, yes. So. But it was an interesting concept because he talked about everything you just talked about. You know, that when you take time out of the daily. I was going to say chores, the daily challenges of a business. Right? Because there are challenges when you're running a business. Right. As well as successes and joy and all that good thing that comes when you make a difference to a client. But he talked about the fact that when you take that time out, that that's when he's most creative in coming up with new ideas or new vision for the business or new direction for the business, which is what you. You did. You talk about, too, Janine. So tell us about that. Like, so even when you're on holiday, you're not working, but the business is still there and you're getting creative ideas about what you could do next with it or where you go next. Talk to us about that, because is that not work? Jeanine?
- [10:28]
C
I don't feel that it's work. That is my brain creating and thinking. And so, uh, I mean, I'm sure anybody listening to this podcast probably listens to other podcasts. And you know that a busy brain can't create, right? And this is like, especially if you're a parent, and there's been so many studies on this. This is why screen time can be so bad for our kids, because they are never bored. And when you're bored is when your brain actually starts to really think and really create and fill to fill that space. And when we're constantly throwing inputs into it, we can't think and we can't create. When we're constantly working in our business or on our business, we're constantly putting inputs into our brain and we can't vision. There's no visions coming from that. So when you are able to get away and relax on a sailboat and that isn't happening. You're not being inundated with constant inputs. Your brain can relax and that's when you start being able to actually think and create and have ideas and you're not under the stress of the everyday. I got to get this done for this client or this done for that client, or have this call or have that, or work on this or work on that and your brain opens up.
- [11:36]
A
So Steve, what was your process like when you went on holiday or vacation? Like, I know my experience is when I go on vacation and I know I'm gone for a week or two weeks or whatever that time time is that the first 36 hours, I nearly sleep, I crash. Like the minute I land and get to where we're staying that afternoon, I'm in bed like, and I'll sleep for a number of hours, wake up, get something to eat, go back to bed and have another 12 or 14 hours sleep, like, I just crash.
- [12:09]
B
Well, factoring in the fact that I live in Australia and to get anywhere, I think it's like a seven hour flight just to get out of our country. I'm the same, I just, I crash. But it takes me probably three days to actually begin to relax and start to turn the brain off because so wound up with all these ideas and everything. It's the same with Janine. You know, when I'm away, like, I'm constantly looking at, at how other people do things, how the hotels greet, greet you, what is their process for greeting you, what happens after that when you put your luggage in, what is that process like and how did that make me feel? What are people doing that I really love and how can I adapt that into a system that's going to make my clients feel the way I felt when, you know, they gave me a certain experience. It's amazing how much you can learn when you do get their downtime from other businesses. And sometimes, you know, sometimes you see things that reaffirm to you why you do it a completely different way. Because you can learn just as much from a not so great experience because sometimes it reaffirms to you. We used to do that and it remind you of the urgency of not going back to old habits or letting that, that slip by. But I think when I went away, when I went away on holidays, that break, I think you're right. It's almost like you crash because you've just been so in it all the time. And then it's the systems that, you know, the Habits that you build. And I think this is the, this is one thing that a lot of people lack. Because somebody asked me the other day and they sent me a schedule, you know, this is my schedule for the next week. And it was broken up into every hour of the day. And they had personal time, you know, they had to get the kids to school, they've got to pick up the kids and you know, is this the best use of my time? And I think it's building those habits of knowing that my team knows that everybody's gotta be there 10 minutes before opening. Everybody knows that there's gotta be a stand up meeting in the morning. And it happens every day. And the structure of that meeting is, is set. It's that repetition and that. What would you call it? Repetition and system, I suppose. What else would you call it?
- [14:24]
A
Continuous learning, isn't it?
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B
Yeah, continuous learning. Never ending. Continuous learning. That builds comfort, I think, and security in your team, but it also builds comfort and security in consistent results. And sometimes you hear, you know, people that are asking for help, they struggle with that consistency. And often it's because they don't have that like in the morning, it was like a mandatory thing that has to happen. Those mandatory pieces of their routine that you just have to do every single day and it becomes part of your DNA that you just. That's the way you do things. Builds a system.
- [15:01]
C
So I'm going to laugh here because the two dads on the podcast, oh, we get there and we sleep. I'm going to guess Susan never slept on your vacation when there was kids. I don't get that luxury. I've never got to sleep. Oh my gosh. We travel with the kids. Guess who's handling the kids the whole vacation meet. There is no sleep for mom. So I'm on from day one. Mom, what are we doing now? So I'm just, I was sitting here chuckling at the two of you. I sleep for a full day on my vacation. Oh yeah.
- [15:31]
B
It is different when there's kids there. It is different.
- [15:35]
C
It is totally different when there's kids there. Well, not for. No, not for, not for dad, but anyways. But even on my. I don't. I am so usually excited for wherever I go. And I can sleep on planes, right? So I'll be ready to go. And so. But it does still take. And so I, while I am awake and doing things, it does take me a good three days to totally get into. Because you have travel day, you have the next day and then it's that Third day, where I'm kind of like in my Zen, finally, and I am here, I am ready to relax and I am ready to have a good time. And then that euphoria lasts until about two days before it's about you go home. And then all of a sudden your brain kicks back in on having to get all ready to go travel again. What's going to be waiting for me back at work? So it's like that middle part of the trip is that euphoric time. That's why I like to go away for those two weeks, because if you only do a week, you really only get like two days of that, because it takes you the time to settle in and then your brain clicks in before you gotta go back. So if you can do two weeks or if you can do 10 days, you get a nice chunk of that euphoric middle there. You're not thinking about work on the arrival and thinking about getting back to work on the back end. So that. That's where the magic happens.
- [16:54]
A
So, Janine, if I worked for you and I was one of your team members, okay, is there any sort of set process or rules where I should contact you?
- [17:06]
C
Do you want to keep your job? Do you want to keep your job running? I'm just kidding. If something is cat. Like, if there is. And yes. And I always let them know if there is something, like on a catastrophic level. So let's give a couple examples. None of these happened while I was gone. But, you know, we did have a car drive through the front of the studio once. Right now, I was here. But if that happened when I was gone, I would certainly want them to call and tell me, hey, a car just drove through the front of the studio. What do we do? We had. And this happened actually the week. The day before I left, where we had the flood. Right. If the studio floods when I'm gone, please, please call me so that we can take care of this in a timely manner. Things that are catastrophic. Please. I don't want to. I don't want to wait two weeks to get back and find the studio has been destroyed. So they definitely can call me on anything like that. Anything else. Look, we're photographers. Let's be honest here. We're not heart surgeons. You know, no one's life really depends on what we do. Although our clients might like to think that it does. And any of our VIP clients already know I'm going to be going and out of town and. Or anybody who has things in the works right now. But unless no if it's client related, they're empowered to take care of those situations as they arrive on their own. I am, I am meant for catastrophic. We cannot handle this. The studio will not survive until you come back if we don't reach out and ask you about this. But we have kept everything very simple. We have simple pricing, we have simple scripts, we have simple processes to follow. Everything we have, really. And they do it every day. You know, Betsy has been doing this now for over two years. Elizabeth's been here for over two years. They do, like Steve said, it's their routine. They do it every day. They open the studio every day. They have their meeting every day. And they have to do it without me because guess where I am every morning. I'm with the two of you. So they have to mostly do that stand up meeting. I might poke my. You guys know, I'm like, I gotta go talk to them for five minutes and then I come back. Right. So they're already used to doing that on their own. So it is part of their routine. They know how to handle a session, they know how to handle a design consultation. They know how to get everything to rock. They know how to do it all. So unless it's catastrophic, they don't really need to contact me.
- [19:19]
B
I think that's a lot of people's fear when they are training their staff that their fear is that when they know it all, they're going to take it all with them. And I think, you know, you can't live in that fear of empowering somebody believing that they're going to leave, because you've got to have that faith and empower them and believe in them because otherwise they will leave. If you're going to treat them like they're going to leave and hold back on all of that, they will. It's great that you do that.
- [19:45]
A
So, Janine, as you bask in the Med, out on your boat in your new outfit that you got, what do you expect to learn from that experience that you can bring back to your business?
- [19:57]
C
Well, we are doing a chartered sailboat, so, and it's staffed with a full crew. So I'm really excited to see how a crew of four treats the passengers. Right. I mean, I've seen the TV show Below Deck, but I'm just really curious in real life, like, how that actually works and, and how we're made to feel and how we eat and how we are treated. And like, you know, I think from a luxury client service, customer service standpoint, it'll be very Interesting. I'm very curious about how this is all gonna go so from that. But mainly I just wanna relax and let my brain kind of think on giving it the time and space it needs to have ideas for the future for the studio.
- [20:36]
B
Has there been any pre. You know, when you talk about Disney and how they got you excited before and sent you stuff before, has there been any of that before the trip?
- [20:48]
C
My brother would have gotten it because he's the one who's organized the trip. So I do know he's gotten communications from the captain and we have had our itinerary and what to expect on each of the islands and things like that. But to the extent of what he's received, I don't know. But I will find out when we're gone. I am very curious to know what he's gotten from them.
- [21:07]
B
Exciting.
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C
Yeah.
- [21:09]
B
And you know, that all makes it tax deductible.
- [21:11]
C
I'm sure do know it's a whole lot of. Well, it's going to take care of everything. Right. Like they're even organizing our day tour in Athens. Right. We didn't have to organize that on our own. So the captain has a guy and that's who's doing our tour of Athens the day that we're there. So I am, I will ask those questions out Ronan and Steve because I am very curious as to what did he get ahead of time, what did his confirmation package look like, what communication has he gotten since January, since he booked this, you know, to get us excited and prepared. I mean you have to really prepare to be on a sailboat for 10 days. So, you know, aside from what Claude and Chatgpt tell me.
- [21:48]
A
So it's interesting, I think that Katy and if he speaks English, he should listen to this podcast because he could learn that he should have done a discovery call with all of you to understand what you uniquely want from this experience.
- [22:01]
C
Janine, you know, it's funny when you were, when you were asking that, I was thinking in the back of my head how interesting that would have been had the captain called each of us, you know, because that would have been pretty cool. I would have told him what I want for sure as opposed to relaying it through my brother.
- [22:15]
A
So everybody, we're not all going with Janine to Greece to lie in the med to discover how a luxury crews treat their clients. What we do know is that she didn't receive a discovery call. So that's a really important thing that every difference maker photographer learns in the difference maker inner circle. Because as Janine just told you. Nobody can describe to you as to how they want to feel or how they want their experience to be that can never be relayed through somebody else. So click on the link below and learn how you can deliver not a five star but a six star experience to your clients every single time and create meaningful photography for them. We'll see you on the inside.
- [22:58]
B
Bye for now. Click the link. Can't wait to see you all.
- [23:00]
C
Can't wait to see you guys.