Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Kaiser.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My daughter was born in 2013, and I had “sticker shock” when I inquired about newborn photos for her. I knew that I wanted to continue documenting her childhood with beautiful imagery, but I also knew I couldn’t afford to have pay a photographer for every single milestone. And more than that, I wanted to capture those in-between everyday moments of life as well. That led me to purchasing a DSLR camera and learning photography. Naturally, I had a bit of “sticker shock” around the photography equipment prices as well, and eventually started a business in 2015.
I was working night shift as a bedside nurse at the time and loved the idea of having control over my schedule and being home more with my family. After two years of business as a photographer, I eventually pivoted into Photo Editing. I loved that it was 100% remote, and I was really intrigued by the business side of things. I eventually went full-time as a Photo Editor for Wedding Photographers in 2017 and quit my nursing job.
I loved that I was able to be at home every day, control my own schedule, and support fellow entrepreneurs. I really enjoyed the content creation side of running an online business as well.
Things naturally shifted with the Covid Pandemic, and I went back to bedside nursing casual part-time (about 1 day a week) to help support my income. It was a really great decision and allowed me to pivot in my business once again.
While Photo Editing opened my eyes to the opportunities of running an online business, I knew it wasn’t a permanent solution. It’s a difficult business model to scale or create long-term sustainability with. Meanwhile, I’ve had a lot of learned skills over the years that I decided to stack in order to pivot to website design and branding.
Which leads me to today; I currently have three income streams with casual part-time nursing, website design and branding, and affiliate income. I love what I do, and am excited to continue to grow my business, blog, brand, and support other entrepreneurs by helping them to do the same with a strategic website design and brand.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Learning when to say no to opportunities and identifying if they’re actually a good fit for my future or if they’re just an opportunity I’m afraid of missing out on has been difficult. As well as managing my time wisely and sharpening my ability to mentally cope with the peaks and valleys of running a business.
I’m a dreamer and an achiever, and I’ve learned a lot over the years about slow and sustainable growth versus trying to find immediate success. The years are short, and having the opportunity to grow a business will always be around. But it’s important to prioritize life and memories in the process.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a Showit and Squarespace Website Designer for Small Businesses and brands.
With a strong focus on both the art and the strategy, my goal is to help my clients stand out, increase profits, and have a little fun in the process. I specifically work with business owners in the creative, wellness, and lifestyle niches.
I love that my appreciation for whitespace and wellness and my professional background in healthcare allows me to bring a different perspective to the table for each of my wellness and lifestyle clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jennifer-kaiser.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/jen.kaiser
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenkaiserdesign/
