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***All images in this post are copyright Kate Benson***

NEXT WEEK:  Angie Monson

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KATE:

Kate, I have known you for a few years now.  You just had a baby, you now have three kids, you made the big switch from film to digital, and you have a successful business and happy life.   Every time I get to talk to you I always come away thinking, "I love that Kate Benson!" Thanks so much for being here on Women and Business.

How long have you been in business?Did you already have children when you decided to go into business?

I have always been interested in photography since I was a child but never considered it as a profession. In high school, I distinctly remember a friendwho wastaking a photography class and I thought it was so cool... I thought he was so cool for being a "photographer", ha ha. For some reason I thought photography was too elite for me... how silly is that? I finally stepped into the world of photographywhile attendingcollege in 1997. I took the three courses available at the time and was hooked. Up to that point nothing in my life felt as satisfying as taking pictures... I had found my calling.I transferred to BrighamYoung Universitywith a little scholarship they offered me for their photo program and almost got my bachelors degree in fine arts, minusa coupleleft brained math credits four months after having my first child in 2002.

I knew photography was what I was going to do for the rest of my life and had an epiphanyafterhavingElla thatphotography was the perfect fit for having the kind of profession I wantedwhile stillmaintainingmotherhood... bonus! Well actually I would have loved to have become a journalistic photographer but I knew family would always have been on the back burner so I had to choose something that would let me be creative yetgive us financial stability... WEDDING photography!... which was so taboo at the time.

Looking back, I am SO incredibly grateful I got my education in photography when digital was not yet mainstream. I HAD to know exposure, I HAD to know the relationship between ISO, shutter speed, and aperture, I HAD to know light... If you didn't nail it in camera there wasn't much you could do about it. You would taketheshot and have to wait three days to getyour results then match your notes (what you were trying to accomplish) to the photograph to be able to improve. The thinking of shoot now, fix later was NEVER in our heads, we were taught to take 10 more seconds and make it right in camera or don't take the shot at all. For what I learned from my time at UVSC and BYU, I will forever be grateful.

What was the process you went through to get things running smoothly?

Oh boy... a whole lot of trial and error, and just when I thought I knew what I was doing, I switched to digital, then switched back to film, then back to digital... I went through the crazies quite a lot. The learning curve of digital photography nearly did me in, nothing that I was used to doing in a film camera looked "right" digitally, i.e..skin tones, focus, sharpness, exposure, etc.Finallyafter a LONG period of practice, practice, practice, I finally got my jive down, but it was a good2 yearsuntil I could saymy photography was acceptable.As for the business side of it... I'm still learning. It's really unfortunate that the "business" part isn't stressed more,especially in oureducation system. I went four years being taught how to take pictures but nothowto turn a profit. It was like they were saying"create, create, create", then leaving you to fail in the end. I still struggle with this, I'm just not good with numbers, or calculations... that's when CPA's come in handy.

You have two girls and just had a new baby. How did you juggle being pregnant and running your business, taking/turning down photo shoots, and maternity leave? How did you address your clients’ expectations through this process?

I planned my last pregnancy around my slow time (winter months), andmy girls being old enough to do some things for themselves. But believe meI had many days (still do) where my girls were/are pretty much neglected... Yay for the Disney channel and forour craft cupboard. Running a legit business can be tough when you're also afull time mom. You have to learnto say "no" to things you once thought wereso important, you have to learn to prioritize, you have to learn time management, you have to learn to be efficient, etc. Luckily my husband happily helps out when it's needed, that is when he's around... he works too.

Beck was due at the end of September 2008 so I stopped taking clients for that month. I was going to give myself a full 6 week recovery before going back but that was in the middle of October and that's my busiest time for family pictures, so it was more like 2.5 weeks. If anyone knows me, I'm a work horse when I'm hired to take pictures... if clients are going to pay me, I'm going to give them 110%. I let my clients knowI was pregnant but that it was not going to slow me down... I'd still lay down on my tummy, well side, if I had too.

What do you think are the most important things you do as a mom every day?

Remember that being a mom isthe most important job Ihave, especially right now since my kiddies are so young and I try everyday to have one on one time with each of my girls... unfortunatelyit sometimes doesn't happen though. With Claire it's through out day while Ella is at school... little snippets of time when she calls for me or when I can break away for 15 minutes or so. With Ella it's right when she comes home, I'll make her a snack and we'll chat about what she did at school, how she feels, if she's happy or sad, then we'll do homework together. I try to get the bulk of my work done during the day like e-mails, ordering, errands, etc. so I can spend quality time with my family in the evening. My house is NEVER picked up until I start around 4:00 p.m., nor am Ishowered before that time. Then you throw a breast feeding infant in the mix and let's just saythe baby get's lots of quality time with mom. It's also very important for me to prepare a healthy meal so that we may sit down as a family for dinner and bond at least 5 days a week. I also bathe and put my girls to bed every night with a song.Another thing I do every night and think is imperative for my relationship with my husband is put him to bed.We'll snuggle and chat until he falls asleep then I'll get back up to edit or design albums until about 2:00 a.m.,but not every night thank goodness... Mountain Dew to the rescue.

What do you think are the top three things you must do as a business woman every day?

1. Keep up on e-mails and voicemails.

2. Make a list for the day and STICK TO IT. It's SO hard for me to stay focused on one task, I get distracted way too easy.

3.Review my goals that I've made for myself and my business to see if I'm in check and if I need to make adjustments.

What three products or things help you stay organized?

1. My blackberry with unlimited data.

2. An 8x10physical calendar that has tabs for every month. It's fast, convenient and accessible.I can't schedule my appointments on my phone or computer, I'll forget to look.

3.Lists, lists, and more lists.

With so many things on your plate, what do you do to market your business? How does that fit into your busy schedule?

In the past Idumped a lot of money into advertising locally; phone books, magazines,local online wedding services, etc. I found that it didn't pull in the clientele like I thought it would, so I stopped. I am currently linked with a couple of clever, brilliant and sophisticated national wedding service websites like Style Me Pretty, Southern Weddings and The Wedding Chicks.

It's definitely tuff to market your business when you're raising a young family. Sometimes I would LOVE to hire a nanny and take my business by the horns and go full time, but I have to remind myself that I chose to be a mother first and that I would be my kids mom. I have to tell you though, sometimes it's really hard to stick by that choice. I always think to myself "what would it be like to have 8 hours of uninterrupted work 5 days a week?"

What 5 tips do you have for women to help them maintain a balance in their lives between everything they have to do?

1.Gain perspective. In the long run, isit going to matter? If not,don't worry aboutit (like the dirty dishes).

2. Make room for yourself everyday.

3. RELAX and laugh... a lot.

4. Have a "go to" friend.

5. Don't have a competitive mind, there is enough for everyone.

Is there anything you wish you would have done differently over the years as a mom/business woman? If so, what? And what did you learn through those experiences?

Yes of course! Unfortunately it's all in hindsight, HA! For the business side it wasspending more than I was bringing in. I thought I needed the newest computer program, or the latest gadget. Money lost on advertising. Spending too much time trying to figure things out on my own. Not asking for help.Spending too much time on theinternet and checking my e-mails every ten minutes.Not being able to confront. Finishing what I started...how much time do you have?

I've learned that I have to stick to my gut and not let my head get carried away by the latest fad. There's a fine line in knowing what works and sticking toit,butat the same timebeing open and willing to try new things with in reason. I'm still learning.

Are there times that you feel overwhelmed? What do you do?

Are you kidding? Davina, what kind of question is this?Haha, no really, overwhelmed is my middle name, didn't you know? Yes, yes, yes I feel overwhelmed 90% if the time. I think mostly it's because the wheels in my head never slow down. I'm on "go mode" the moment I open my eyes until I fall asleep. I go through the day trying to consolidate as much as possible, but like I said before, I get sidetracked much too easy because there is ALWAYS something to do, or something I want to do.

I try to prioritize as much as possible, but gosh dang it, sometimes I have to stop what I'm doing and clean the dirty finger prints off the doors and walls, clean up the shredded, soggy toilet paper plastering the bathroom floors, sweep up the never ending dust bunnies collecting in the corners, fold a batch of laundry before my husband divorces me (kidding), finish my various projects laying around the house, pay the bills, dye my graying hair, think about planting a garden, and so on...

We live in an age where time is now more convenient than ever, we are so fortunate to have the world at our finger tips, literally. The problem is, I take advantage ofthese "time savers" and it consumes me. I have stopped my daily blog hopping and limit myself tosocial sites like facebook, twitter, and certain forums that used to take up so much of my valuable time. LIMITATION is the key for me.

To see more of Kate's work:

WEBSITE

BLOG

***All images in this post are copyright Kate Benson***