Harriet focuses on success

Harriet Buckingham’s photography business had been ticking along nicely for almost 10 years when she got the chance to give it a boost with our Business Start-up course. Two months on, Orpington mum Harriet explains how we helped her give her business its best shot at success.

I’d been running my photography business alongside being at home with my children for a good few years. I was doing my own thing, specialising in newborn, family and wedding photography, and mostly getting customers through word of mouth.

That was great at the time but it’s a slow burner if your customer base is small to begin with. With my children getting a bit older, I suddenly had a bit more free time to step it up a bit, reassess my business and look at reaching out to more clients.

What I needed was a push in the right direction, so when I came across the Start-up course, it seemed the perfect way to get that and to take those six weeks to really focus on developing my business.
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I loved the feeling of making progress each week and Derryn, our tutor, gave us so much brilliant, practical advice and support. But one of the best things about the course was the group of amazing women it brought together. Watching them grow, week by week, was just inspiring.

I knew I needed a social media strategy for my business but it was something I’d really struggled with. Through the course, I connected with Niki Fisher, a Successful Mums grad who now runs her own social media marketing business. Niki had been one of our guest speakers and I’ve since been working with her to look at when I should be posting – always a major question for me – and to put an effective strategy in place.

I’ve also added business photography to my portfolio through my involvement with Successful Mums. I did a shoot at one of Jane Knight’s Taster Sessions and worked with some of the women on my course who needed photos for their business profiles and marketing. I’ve realised that it’s something I really enjoy doing and that I’m good at it, so the course has even helped me add another string to my bow!

I recently had to deliver a 45-second pitch on my business in front of 60 local business people and I can honestly say that it was Successful Mums that got me there. Without the Start-up course, I would never have been at the point where I could deliver that pitch, succinctly and with confidence. So thank you, Successful Mums!

You can find out more about Harriet Buckingham Photography here and on Facebook.

If you have a business idea you’d like to grow – or a small business that needs a boost – Successful Mums can help. Find out more about our Business Start-up Diploma and book your free* place here.

*subject to eligibility