some kind of wonderful.

Last night as I laid in bed with Emma chatting about her day, she told me that she wanted to cut all of her hair off for Locks of LOVE.  I was not ready for this!  I love her long hair.  At the same time, I knew how much she loves her long hair.  She wanted me to get up right then and there, at 10pm and cut it all off.  I told her maybe she could get up in the morning, wash her hair, and then we'd see about cutting it before school...if there was time.

This morning she was the first one out of bed, showered, and waiting in the kitchen for me to cut off her long locks for love.

She has short hair now...and I love her all the more for it...

To donate click here.

fearless. LOVE.

***All images in this post are copyright Millie Holloman. ***

NEXT WEEK: Thanksgiving!  I'll be posting the NEW schedule through April 2010 of fantastic women you'll get to hear from on Women and Business.  Make sure to check in.

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

As always make sure to leave comments for the women who are featured. They like comments as much as I do I'm sure...let them know if you have questions or just to say thanks! for their insight and wisdom...

You can check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!

You have a very large studio with four associate photographers, a studio manager, and an image editor/album designer.  How do you do it all? 

It's a learning process! To think that just two years ago I was doing about 15 weddings a year and lots of family sessions on my own with a studio manager and now we have 4 photography teams doing 70+ weddings a year with 2-3 full time studio staff (depending on the time of year) still blows my mind. We grew fast so we just take it one step at a time getting through each day by trying to set systems in place that make our business scaleable. Having ShootQ helps so that we can all stay organized. Some of my photographers live in different cities so having a program like ShootQ is huge for lead management, booking, correspondence and more. I also could not do it all without an amazing team who puts their heart and soul into being the best at what we do!

You are very busy.  What do you do to make time at home with your family?

I have a 2.5 year old nephew and I really love getting to see him on the weekends. I try to keep my personal wedding booking down to about 15 weddings a year and hope to eventually get to only 5-10. This way I'll be able to spend more time with my family on the weekends. This past two years has taken a lot of my time and I know that this sacrifice of time now is going to reap huge rewards of being open to do whatever/whenever I want in the future. However, there are some things I do to set boundaries... I don't work on Sunday so that is a good day to be with my family and if I don't have a wedding on Saturday I don't schedule anything else either. I also try to stick to the office hours I have set so that my evenings are open for family and friends.

You constantly have new projects, workshops, and products that you are working on.  How do you decide what to work on next or right now?  How do you keep everything straight? 

My staff actually pick on me for this. My image editor recently stated in a blog post while I was out of town one week, 

                        "Millie isn't here to run around with too many things to do in one day, make me laugh out loud from the other room, dream too big, rush in from the latest grocery store trip and excitedly say "We're having a team lunch today!!!!", or come up with a brand-new, brilliant project to tackle in the midst of our other 2,372 projects we're currently tackling... "  

I often create new projects before one project is finished because I get so excited about it. I just try to go with the things that make the most sense for my business and drop the things that don't. Keeping a tight eye on my vision is key for this because it's easy to get distracted. 

I keep everything straight by making folders for everything (both physically and for my email program) and I try to keep the current workshops to a minimum because as you and I both know Davina, they take a LOT of work!

How do you keep things organized and running smoothly?  Do you have a system that works for you?

I do have a system that works for me and it's way too much to share in this interview. I am about as ADD as they come so I MUST have a system in place to get anything done. You'll get to find out this March when our "Get It Together" kit goes on sale at WPPI. Here we'll share out secrets of how we do it all and run the back end of the studio.

What are the three most important things you do as a business woman?

Keep scaleable systems in place and FOLLOW them! 

Put the right people in the right positions and maintain clear communication with my team

say NO, things don't always fit like a glove so I've had to learn to recognize when they don't and go with my gut.

What are the three most important things you do as a friend/daughter/sister?

Take time to be with those you love / quality time is HUGE!

Send fun little gifts/tokens to let other's know I am thinking of them and offer a nice surprise.

Verbalize your appreciation for others in your life often!

You have a nephew that you adore, what do you do to make time for him?  What’s your favorite thing to do with him?

I will drop by their house, call them up and say I need some "Gavin time" and he comes over to my parents a lot so I see him there as well, I also babysit him once in a while. Our last BIG outing was Chick-fil-A and a trip to the theater for a 3D showing of Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs. My favorite thing to do with him is to take him places for new experiences. This year I took him to the circus for the first time and I learned just how hard it is to deal with a little one and try to take photos solo in a public place. I also love to just sit with him on the couch and read a book or when he pulls my arm for me to come play with him on the floor. He really warms my heart!

It seems like you travel quite a bit.  How does this fit into your extremely busy schedule locally?

The more I travel, the less I like it. Don't get me wrong I enjoy exploring new places and shooting in new cities but I also really LOVE to be home. The bigger my business gets, the harder it gets to manage from the road but because of my amazing staff I'm still able to do it. As far as my schedule locally, I try to make travel plans months in advance so that I can still book sessions, appointments and commercial shoots locally. Somehow it all just comes together!

How do you know that you need to take a break from business?  What do you do when you need a break?

When I need a break, I usually get really unmotivated, become blocked and get irritated easily. Some breaks are small like me coming in late, scheduling a massage, treating myself to lunch with a friend, etc. Other breaks need to be more extensive so I book a trip to visit a friend, take several days away from the studio or tackle a new creative project that pulls me away from my computer. 

What do you do to stay inspired?

I flip through a lot of magazines; try to find beauty in the small everyday things life has to offer and most of all I talk with all of my amazing friends. The people I have surrounded myself with bring me so much passion and vision and I always get fired up after a good phone call with them!

What made you decide to have have a large photography studio instead of a small boutique studio?

I was turning down a LOT of weddings because I was booked and I knew I had the potential to grow. I am an entrepreneur at heart and I love to dream and create so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. It's more like it chose me! But honestly, I love the hustle and bustle of a BIG studio and would not trade it for anything.

What are you most proud of as a business woman?

I'm proud of how far we have come. When I look back at MHP from the beginnings as me just out taking photos for friends and families I can't help but smile and thank God for his provision and guidance. It just feels good!

How do you post on your blog so often?  Do you have a system for quick blogging?

Yes! We do have a system! Our fastest thing we do for blogging is use a custom created action by Brent Holloman Design (www.brentholloman.com). This helps us resize the images for blogging in seconds and it's the best blogging investment I’ve ever made!

What do you do to keep from feeling overwhelmed?

I don't. I often feel overwhelmed but I just keep making lists, delegating responsibilities and trusting my team to make things happen!

What three products or things help you stay organized

ShootQ 

Our Flow Boards in the office (which we'll share more about soon)

Our Flow Stand (something else you'll hear more about soon)

You give quite a few workshops that I imagine are largely attended by women.  After having the chance to see up close and personal the that struggles that women have in our industry,  I have two questions…

1.  What is something that you think women in the industry should not do?

Try to do it all. You can't be all things to all people. You just have to define what it is you want in life and try your best to stick to doing JUST that!

2.  What is something that you think women in the industry should do?

Take more time for themselves to pamper themselves and take a moment to inspire themselves by really dwelling on their accomplishments.

To see more of Millie's work: 

website

blog

***All images in this post are copyright Millie Holloman. ***

*I can't help it...I love this girl.*

attitude and your health.

"Does your attitude affect your health? Does a positive, happy one keep you healthier? Or a negative, unhappy, even angry, one hurt you? The answer to all these questions is yes. The mind and body are snugly interwoven, and this connection affects you in more ways than you might be aware of.

It used to be thought that the mind and the immune system existed independently of each other. But research now shows that they may act as a single unit. Feeling stressed, for example, can make you more susceptible to whatever virus is going around. On the other hand, when you feel joyous and lighthearted, your immune system has a better chance of protecting you from it"...see more here....

Thomas R Blakeslee, author of The Attitude Factor, believes that attitude can change how long a person lives.  He has two tests that he asks visitors to his website to take to determine what type of attitude they are carrying around in their life.  His theory is that people can change their attitude with attitude training spread out over a year...and that the training will prolong their lives.

Here are some tips to help develop a more positive attitude: (these are from here)
 

postive. LIFE.

***All images in this post are copyright Melanie Nashan. ***

Above image:  Melanie and her husband taken by James Emerson

NEXT WEEK: Me Ra Koh

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

As always make sure to leave comments for the women who are featured. They like comments as much as I do I'm sure...let them know if you have questions or just to say thanks! for their insight and wisdom...

You can check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!

You’ve been in business for 16 years.  What process have you gone through to get to this point?  

There have been a lot of trial and errors over the years.  The most important things for my business have been perseverance and knowing what my weaknesses and strengths are.  I think being able to realize your weaknesses and then hire people who are good at those tasks is imperative to running a successful business.
 
From all of your experience, what are 5 things you recommend to women NOT to do?
Don’t try to do everything.
Don’t forget your priorities.
Don’t take yourself or what you do too seriously.
Don’t do things that you are ashamed of.
Don’t be too hard on yourself.
 
And on the other side of things…what are 5 things that you’ve learned that women must do to succeed as a business woman?
Do what you LOVE.  And LOVE the people you are around.

Surround yourself with people who do their job better than you can.

Exceed your clients expectations.

Try to live a balanced life, take care of yourself and have fun.

Diversify.  I love wedding photography, portrait photography, working on assignment for magazines and hosting workshops for groups and for individual photographers.

Dream big and do your best to make them come true.
    
 
You are very busy.  What do you do to keep things normal at home with your family?
I work as little as I possible can so I can stay home with my kids and husband.  My husband also owns his own business, the Montana Watch Co., and while that is sometimes difficult it also offers us the opportunity to be very flexible.  I am involved in my kids school and try to coach at least one sport for Colem our youngest child.  (I did the same for Keegan when she was younger.)  We live out in the woods, about 20 minutes from town, which is time consuming to commute, but it provides a place that is quiet and away from distraction.  I also cook as many meals at home as possible so that we can eat together.  We also travel a lot as a family.  We have always taken our children with us on trips and LOVE to travel together.
 
What are your top 3 tips for bringing in the clients that you want and love?
Know what your market is and focus on those clients.
Exceed every clients expectations so they talk about you to their friends.
Take the time to make a personal connection with everyone I work with.
 
You have a huge studio with 7 photographers in addition to you.  How did that change the dynamic of your business and family?  Are you glad you did it?
In one regard I am glad that I have a lot of photographers working with me.  I really enjoy each and every one of them.  One is my daughter, the other my sister, another a friend from middle school and the rest people that I have met along the way whom I really respect and enjoy.  I am actually trying to focus more on my work in the future rather than gathering associates who work with me. The people who work with me now know their job well and do it to the best of their abilities.  They are lovely to work with and take little of my time to manage.  Over the years having associates has taken a lot of my time and energy and I now think I could have spent some of my time a little more efficiently.  
http://nashan.com/artists.htm
 
What are some of the most important things you learned in taking on additional photographers/team members?
I try to treat everyone with the respect that I would want if I were them.  In return I think for the most part my associates have done the same thing to me.  All relationships take time and I am happy I spent that time with the people who work for me.  There was one incident of an associate who took some liberties that I believe were not fair in our relationship.  So in hindsight I would be very careful choosing the people who you work with.  If you don’t know them very well I would have them sign a contract spelling details out.  Some of the details include ownership of images, expectations on both sides of the relationship, payment schedules, etc.
 
What are the three most important things you do as a mom?
I am present with my children when I am with them.  They know that I love them unconditionally.  I give them the tools to be independent thinkers, self motivators, and encourage them to take responsibility for their actions.
 
With so many people working under one roof, I imagine that you have a pretty tight workflow set up that works every time.  What are some of the things that you believe work best to have a simplified and efficient workflow?
My father once told me that every job should be done so that another person can come in and pick up where the last person left off. We try to make sure we have processes and procedures written down and follow the same order of tasks each time.  Unfortunately as we get bigger it is harder and harder to do because there are so many details to manage.  I am NOT good at doing repetitive tasks. I think I am good at taking photographs, establishing relationships with people, thinking of ideas that are interesting for my business and treating the people who work with me with respect.  I am not good at managing details and being consistent with tasks for each job afterwards. So Chieko, Cindy and Angela do those tasks and they do them really well.  We have a checklist for every job that we do so we know who did it. Each client has their own folder and has their booking form, contract, backup cd’s, and the checklist in it. We also back every job up in three different locations on hard rives and DVD's.
 
Your 16 year old daughter is one of you seven photographers and she shoots her own weddings.  How did this come about?
Keegan started photographing weddings with me when she was 7 years old, as did my son who is now 8. She has a natural aptitude for seeing beautiful things in a way that is very unique.  I LOVE shooting with her for several reasons primarily because we can communicate by just looking at each other.  She knows when I need something covered and vice versa.  We also have a healthy competition with each other at weddings trying to always photograph something in a way that the other doesn’t see.  I have tried to make it fun for her and she enjoys photography.  She has photographed some of her friend's senior portraits and is shooting weddings independently.  I have encouraged her to photograph weddings because it is easy work for her and is a wonderful way to earn a living wherever she goes in life.
 
What are your three favorite creative tools and how do they help you to be inspired?
I love looking at other people’s work in magazines and on the web.  When an image inspires me I try to make it my own.  

People’s personalities inspire me to create images that reflect who they are and the connection they have with each other and the people they love.  

The feeling that I get when in a certain place inspires me to document that visually.
 
What do you do that your clients rave about most?  

I think people enjoy the moments  that I capture that reflect their relationships with the people they love.  I think they also enjoy the fact that I fit into weddings as though I was a guest instead of being the obtrusive photographer.
 
What is the best thing you’ve done to make your business successful?  

Getting my first wedding published and all of the subsequent weddings into a variety of magazines.

What do you do to keep from feeling overwhelmed? 

I wake up early, like right now, and get things done when nobody needs me.  I had read Madeline Albright balanced her family life by doing that and I started doing the same thing eleven years ago when I started working on my Masters Degree.  I also spend time with my girlfriends hiking, skiing, running, and playing tennis instead of working solo in the gym.
 
What three products or things help you stay organized?  

Omni Focus has been a great tool, my calendar in my office and on Google, and the women who work with me.
 
What made you want have to have such a large studio?

It evolved into what it is today.  I hadn’t planned on it being this large.
 

 
 
To see more of Melanie's Work:

Website

Blog

Melanie and her team taking a break from a day of work to hike a mountain together...

good candy.

So...I say finally because Halloween really did not pass my kids up...although from their perspective I think they were sure it would because it took all day to get around to being here.

We finally got out of the driveway and...went door to door asking for candy. 

We kept calling Emmett, who was out with his friends, and asking him if he'd been to Machete Man's house.  Machete Man is the neighborhood legend.  Last year their house was decked out in cannibal style, complete with a cannibal man and his machete, ready to eat any kid who came too close.  His wife stood by him and in cannibal language ('ughs' and 'ummphs') bid kids come and brave getting close enough for candy to Machete Man.  He had a table with king size candy bars on it and those plastic bloody fingers.  He would scoop up the king size candy bar with his machete and give it to kids.  The whole house had lights and music.  These neighbors really get into a theme for trick-or-treating.  So...naturally, we wanted an update as soon as Emmett had gone to the legendary house.  I mean...really....what kid doesn't want to brave the Machete Man and his cannibal tribe for a king size candy bar.

About 3/4 of the way through trick-or-treating the clouds broke and it rained cats and dogs.  We were soaked to the bone in less than a minute.  Crazy.  Gracie was done.  She wanted to go home.  Mike raced back to the house a mile away, ran through the woods, scraped up his legs, got the car, and rescued sweet Grace. 

The kids and I stayed out for a little while longer and then lights started turning off.  We came home, took warm baths, and did what all kids do...Counted the loot.

happy. HALLOWEEN. LIFE.