IAM589- Photographer Connects Businesses with Their Audience

Susie Hadeed is a branding photographer for small businesses in the DC Metro Area. She excels and finding the superpower in your business and showing that off through photos that make you look stunning, feel authentic, and connect with your target audience.

• CEO Hack: Time batching
• CEO Nugget: View what you do as a superpower
• CEO Defined: Being the person people want to support

Website: http://www.susiehadeed.com/

Instagram: instagram.com/susiehadeed

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Transcription:

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of.

This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I've Susie Hadeed of susiehadeed.com.

Susie, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Susie Hadeed 0:39

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.

Gresham Harkless 0:41

Yeah, I'm super excited to have you on and what I wanted to do is just read a little bit more about Susie so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing.

Susie Hadeed is a branding photographer for small businesses in the DC Metro Area. She excels and finding the superpower in your business and showing that off through photos that make you look stunning, feel authentic, and connect with your target audience.

Susie, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Susie Hadeed 1:04

I am ready.

Gresham Harkless 1:05

Awesome. Let's do it. So to kick everything off, I wanted to hear a little bit more about how you get started. Can you tell us about your CEO story? What led you to get started with a business?

Susie Hadeed 1:14

Yeah, so I actually have 12 years of photography as a wedding career, as a wedding photographer, and last year, there was just a way to upset the fruit basket cut a year for me. I needed to make some changes and I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I found that the branding photography was just, I absolutely loved telling stories of businesses. So it was just such a natural transition from the wedding scene over into the branding thing. So that's kind of how I ended up here.

Gresham Harkless 1:46

Nice. Well, I definitely appreciate that it wasn't, so you find and definitely correct me if I'm wrong do you find that there are a lot of similarities in the photography of weddings? I guess maybe that's telling the story in and of itself to also like the businesses and being able to do that as well.

Susie Hadeed 2:01

Yeah, absolutely. So with the weddings, a lot of our clients that we found, they were so they were overwhelmed when it came to planning a wedding day photography schedule. So we just walked them through that and planned everything out. So that was just everybody knew what to expect and where to show up. Then of course, DC wedding that's like, Oh, you're having a ceremony here the the reception here, you want to take pictures at the mall. So there's all these logistical components. Then you just have seven to eight major lighting scenario changes every wedding day. So you never quite know what you're getting into, it's a little bit exciting. That part of it so you telling the story, planning the session, and just being able to adapt to any scenario. Those are the components that I really found myself loving about brainy dogs.

Gresham Harkless 2:48

Yeah, that makes so much sense and I was gonna say, it sounds very exciting if you're into that, because for me, I'm getting my heart starting to beat again, like there's so many things. That is definitely not my gift and my thing, but that's why you always want to have experts at the end of the fall.

Susie Hadeed 3:05

Yes. It's not for everyone. But I absolutely love it.

Gresham Harkless 3:09

I appreciate that. So I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper. Can we hear a little bit more on like, how you work with clients, and just some of the things that I guess you shoot and some of those maybe scenarios we may not even know or can frame around branding photography?

Susie Hadeed 3:24

Yeah, so branding photography, I feel like it's this newer genre that has just hit the photography community, definitely and it's starting to go out into the world. People, a lot of times, they'll come to me and say, Well, I just need a headshot. Then I ask them more questions and what they really want is a headshot. But they also want something that they really like someone can look at and tell the story of their business right there in that one picture. I did a shoot recently for an electrical company, and they needed to update their website, there are so many you can get stock images, but everybody knows their stock images. So he's like, I really need to show what my company does, and how we do it and make that part of our web, rebranding. So I walked through like, okay, so what do you do that's different?

Do your employees put things on to protect the client's house, so they put booties on before they enter the door? So we get pictures of that? Then we walk through, like what they do that's unique and different and then how can that be brought into the story and their whole web design? So it's really like in planning down to every shot that we know we have to get before we arrive at the house because that is so critical, because you once you're in the zone, like oh, you can always add on things, but everybody needs to know where to show up, what props we need and all of that stuff. I'm finding adding in a lot of storytelling objects is really important and critical to being able to just tell that story in an image.

Gresham Harkless 4:55

Yeah, that makes so much sense. I really appreciate you breaking that down. Maybe because I do some web design I enjoy hearing that part of the planning and all that stuff, that's definitely not my forte of event, but it kind of sounds like, you have to be able to forge two different things together because you have to be able to see kind of like, what the story what the business is, and what they're doing. Then have the somewhat, I don't know if I want to say constraints, but just have an idea of what they're trying to do from their website and probably another branding that they're doing as well, and bring those two things together and kind of play the image.

Susie Hadeed 5:28

Oh, yeah, absolutely and that's where I, when I get on the phone with them, I'm asking, Why are you doing this? What is it that you're really trying to do for clients? I've talked to people and I said, I don't think you're ready for a branding shoot yet, you need to be a little clearer on what you want to do because nobody can go into it kind of confused because then you're not going to get the images that you really want out of it. So it's really about it's really almost a brand strategy session initially. Then you walk through, okay, what would make money for your business right now and how can we get those pictures so that you can make more money?

Gresham Harkless 6:00

Yeah, then I appreciate you breaking that down. Because I think so many different times and I run into this as well as where you have a vision or something that you need, you need branding, photography, you need the headshot you need whatever that is. But a lot of times for it to really accelerate for it to be to its best potential and to be exactly what you want. You have to do that work in the beginning and you have to understand your story understand what makes you unique and all of those things. Then it manifests itself and the pictures themselves sound like.

Susie Hadeed 6:30

Oh, yeah, absolutely, absolutely. You need if you don't know where you are and what you're trying to do, it's really hard to tell that in the pictures.

Gresham Harkless 6:40

Absolutely. I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce, as we were speaking about what makes you different, what sets you apart. But I wanted to ask you, for you and your business, what do you feel kind of sets you apart and what is your secret sauce?

Susie Hadeed 6:55

Well, I would say definitely the planning that I do the intensive planning that I do beforehand so that when I walk into a shoot, I know we have to absolutely get these 10 images. Then the other secret sauce that I think I bring to the table is I'm always thinking about money. So I'm thinking how can I help this business owner make more money with the photos that I'm taking? Would this be a photo that could help you in your business? So when I'm thinking about that, as I'm planning a shoot, it just really makes a difference. You can do a silly picture and if that's your brand, that you're silly, that's gonna make you money.

If you're silly, you're just a silly picture and that is not the brand that is going to not make you money. So when I'm even helping the clients choose their photos afterward, I'm thinking I'm asking them, how would you use this in your business and will this help you? So I really think that part of it and just bringing that full circle, even with choosing the images, is really something that a lot of people appreciate. But they don't know they need it until it's done. Then they're like, Oh, my goodness, this was amazing.

Gresham Harkless 7:59

Yes. I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app or book or a habit that you have. But what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Susie Hadeed 8:11

Well, we were actually talking a little bit about this before we started, but just batching, time batching has been the most transformative thing for me. I especially because I work from home, most of the time, I have two little kids. So I have to be super productive and I'm finding that if I schedule all my meetings on one day, then I just knock them out that I can get that get in that mode, get things done. If I do a lot of donations to charity auctions I have to fill out all the paperwork. If I just do that all in one day, it's just super effective.

Gresham Harkless 8:42

Now, I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget and that could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It could be around branding photography, or it could be just something you might tell a younger business self.

Susie Hadeed 8:53

I was thinking about this a lot. Because I think I mean, there's so many directions that you can go with this. But I really tend to the idea that you have to view what you do as a superpower. Instead of just looking at it, it's like, oh, I run a business. Because if you think about a superhero, they have all different powers, right? They are someone to have the elastic girl and all these other things, right? But they always lean into that and they are there to rescue the world and they're not doing it halfway. So when you can view what you're doing as like, I've got something awesome to give to the world, then it just transforms your way of thinking like you don't say, Oh, well, I think I kind of do this then I kind of do this and I kind of do this.

That's what I'm finding when I'm talking to people about branding photography, is you have to know what you're doing. You gotta you have to lean into that and so really kind of just reframing that in your mind of like, Oh, I'm a photographer and I have got a superpower of telling business stories. I can do it in a way that but someone else can't do it and I, I'm gonna rock this and so just having that attitude, instead of like, well, I kind of like taking pictures of people, it's a whole different way of looking at your business.

Gresham Harkless 10:14

Exactly, exactly. So now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO and we're hoping to have different quote and quote CEOs on this show.

So Susie, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Susie Hadeed 10:27

I think being a CEO is being the type of person that people want to support. So whether you have people that are working with you, or clients, or just someone that you know who doesn't make maybe doesn't need your services right now. But they're like, this person is really cool and I want to help support that person. The people that I think of like business owners and CEOs that are really like, in my mind powerhouses, they're ones that I just want to send people to them, even if I'm not, I don't need them right now. Because they're just awesome people. That I would say, kind of breaks down, like, what I feel like being a CEO means.

Gresham Harkless 11:06

Yeah, no, I absolutely love that. It's like, I think so many times I have used the word and I've heard the phrase raving fans, but that can be in so many different ways. Sometimes when you are really into somebody, as far as like, their why and what it is that you're doing, you can see that they love what they're doing, they're passionate, they're good at it, you can't help but want to support them want to get around to send people to them, to follow them to do so many different things to kind of support them in so many different ways. I think that it is a good sign when we are trying to figure out our path, try to figure out our superpowers, if we can turn around and see that there are people who are supporting us as well.

Susie Hadeed 11:42

Oh, yeah. I mean, and when you're when you're in your business, and you find those people who are like sending clients your way, or just sending people, you, it's really exciting to see that and it just validates a lot of what you're doing. I'm like, Man, this person respects me enough to like, send their friend to me to get their pictures on. It adds a whole different layer of validation and just encouragement because then you know you're doing something really cool and you're helping people's lives be better.

Gresham Harkless 12:13

Yeah, absolutely. A lot of times when you put into the quote-unquote, blood, sweat, and tears, to be able to get in and become an expert, and continue to work on your craft that does that isn't necessarily taken for granted. Because not only are you impacting that person, you're impacting so many more.

Susie Hadeed 12:28

Right, and you never know how many people that you're impacting. It's exciting and it's also a big responsibility to think about that too. Because you want to be helpful, and you want to be genuine. When you find those people, they're going to want to they're going to want to be your friend, and they're going to want to be supportive of you. So it's a really neat thing to be able to be that business owner and a CEO in this world right now.

Gresham Harkless 12:56

Yeah, absolutely, super exciting time. So definitely appreciate all the awesome things you're doing appreciate your time and of course, that definition. What I wanted to do is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional, you want to let our readers and listeners know and then of course, how best they can get a hold of you and find out about everything awesome you're working on.

Susie Hadeed 13:14

Oh, I would. As far as what else we've covered a lot right now in the thing. The thing that I love to tell people is that everybody is really awesome. Business ownership and being a CEO, like that is not for the faint of heart. So we can get discouraged sometimes, but you have something, you have something to give, and you have something remarkable to give.

When you can keep that in, this is part of me, and this is what I have to give the world it just can help you get through some of those hard times that come up, but I truly believe that is that everyone has something amazing to give the world and so that would be my last little bit. People can find me on my website is susiehadeed.com and my Instagram is just Susie Hadeed and those are pretty much my two main places that I think yeah.

Gresham Harkless 14:18

Okay, perfect. Well, we'll definitely have the links and information in the show notes. But definitely thank you so much for of course capturing those people who are stepping into their superpowers. But again, reminding us to do that because I do think we all have something special to give the world. I think as business owners, CEOs, and entrepreneurs when we step into that, and we are called to do that, and we do that to our best selves, then I think that we really make the world a better place and remind people to do the same.

So thank you for that reminder and thank you for doing that in your life as well too.

Susie Hadeed 14:49

Oh, thank you. It's been wonderful being on the show. Thank you so much for having me. I've really enjoyed it.

Gresham Harkless 14:53

Me too and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Outro 15:00

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community.

Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless.

Thank you for listening.

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