“Believe you can and you are halfway there!” ~Teddy Roosevelt

This beautiful quote is very relevant to me right now. It should be to you as well!

One dream of mine that I’ve had since I was probably a little girl is to one day own a business. I had many different “businesses” growing up—lemonade stand, babysitting service, selling homemade ‘magazines.’ And as I got older, I realized more and more that owning a business is something I seriously want to do. Now about this time last year, I wanted to go into business as a wedding and event planner. I did hours of research into that career. I checked out numerous books from the library, and followed planners on Pinterest and Instagram. But when I transferred to my new school as a public relations major, event planning was one area we discussed in our pre-professional development class. A lady from an actual PR agency came to talk to us, and she told us what it’s actually like. I wasn’t really into after that. Then, I changed my major to journalism a few days later because my writing teacher helped me realize writing was my calling.

You must push out all negative thoughts and self-doubt to pursue your dreams!

But I also re-discovered another thing I’ve always loved—photography! I have loved photography since high school when I got a point-and-shoot camera and took a photography class. Fast forward to junior year, I got my first DSLR! I took up intro to photography; and this week I just finished advanced photography. I have grown SO much. I’ve gotten the hang of shooting in manual mode. And this brings me to the announcement I said I would be making yesterday…

I’m going to open up a photography and design business over the summer. Hopefully next month if I get everything together. My business will focus on:

• Photography for local families and individuals (I’m excited to do senior portraits! Those are fun!)
• Blog & small business design: logos, blog design, etc.

I’ve done a lot of research into the process of starting up and running a business, and I’m very excited! I’m very good at managing things, so I know I can handle it. I also keep impeccable records. (I have receipts and bills from like freshman year…) And I took Accounting I & II my sophomore year.

I know I won’t be making a full-time income right off the bat because I’ll be just starting out, but I won’t mind because I love photography and design. I will also still be working at my day job. Part of me wants to change my major to graphic design (or minor in it), but that’s something I wrestle with later.

Update: I did open my business over the summer! My photography business is Desire Anne Photography, and you can check out my work at desireannephotography.com. I specialize in senior portraits and family portraits in Mobile, Alabama, and surrounding areas, such as Fairhope, AL; Daphne, AL, etc. The ‘Anne’ part of my business name is inspired by my mom’s name! I also opened a graphic design shop on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DesireAnne.

You can also follow my businesses on Instagram @DesireAnnePhoto and @DesireAnneBiz.

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A post shared by Desire Luxe Photography (@desireluxephoto)

While my business is not my full-time income, I will not give up! I also work a part-time job that allows me to devote more time to my photography business.

Also, most businesses fail in the first year, but it seems I’m still hanging in! And don’t feel bad if you start your business, and it doesn’t bring in full-time income right away. Some business owners have said they feel embarrassed to tell people they still have a day job while owning a business. Do not feel that way! You do whatever you have to do to make ends meet. It’s much better to have a regular part-time or full-time job while still building your business than to go in debt because you’re financing everything with credit cards, loans, and your savings.

And that’s bring us back to the quote.

If you believe that you can do something, the next step is to go out and actually achieve it!

The only person standing between you and your dreams is you. You must push out all negative thoughts and self-doubt to pursue your dreams. One thing that was holding me back was thinking, “What if I can’t match up to other photographers/designers in my area?” Then I realized, that doesn’t matter!!! The other photographers are not me. My worth is not defined by someone else.

Your worth is not defined by someone else! Nor will it ever be!

It’s not fair to yourself to think you’re not good enough at something. If I you love it, you are already great at it. If something is your passion, pursue it!

Another tip: If you go into something strictly for money, chances are you are going to fall out of love with your biz because money will be your driving (& controlling) factor instead of passion.

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Now, here’s a homework assignment. Don’t groan—it’s easy!
Part 1- Take out a sheet of paper or open a Word doc, & make a list of some things you want to achieve this summer. It can be as simple as ‘improve my social media following’ to ‘start up a side hustle!’
Part 2- GO DO IT!

My summer goals are:

• Start my photography/design biz
• Purchase my domain name for my blog
• Increase my  blog’s email subscribers
• Continue to grow on social media

(I crossed everything out because I completed them!)

I wish you all the best with your summer plans! And if you’re just chilling and vacationing, that is perfectly fine! I could definitely use a vacation myself!

Download this quote as a cute printable for your room or office from Dropbox.

The download is a high-res 8 in x 10 in  jpg.

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Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

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