#308: 27 Years of Photography Business Advice for Women in 17 Minutes
Worth Every Penny Joycast
Sarah Petty
5.0 • 3.6K Ratings
🗓️ 25 March 2026
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What if the very things you worry might hold you back as a mom are actually your biggest business superpowers? After 27 years in the photography industry, Sarah shares the hard-earned wisdom that proves women, especially mothers, are uniquely positioned to build thriving portrait businesses.
From opening her studio just weeks before 9/11 to becoming one of the most profitable photographers in the U.S., Sarah reflects on the lessons that shaped her journey. In this episode, she distills nearly three decades of experience into practical advice for women photographers who want both a profitable business and a family-first life.
• Why the multitasking and systems you use at home can become your greatest business advantage
• How resilience, connection, and calm energy create unforgettable client experiences
• The mindset shift that helps women stop "figuring it out alone" and start building real momentum
If you've ever wondered whether you can build a photography business without sacrificing your family life, this episode is for you. Press play and hear the advice Sarah wishes every woman photographer knew from the beginning.
RESOURCES:
Photography Business Tools to Get Started
INSTAGRAM – DM me "Conversation Starters" for some genuine ways to strike up a conversation about your photography business wherever you are.
www.photographybusinessinstitute.com/boutiquebreakthrough
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Over the last 27 years, I've gone from opening my first photography studio two weeks before 9-11 |
| 0:08.4 | to being named one of the most profitable photographers in the United States by the professional |
| 0:13.3 | photographers of America while raising three kids. Today I'm going to share with you the exact |
| 0:19.2 | advice that can help you do the same. |
| 0:21.3 | Hey there, my name's Sarah Petty and I went from a stressed out, overworked mama with three |
| 0:27.4 | babies to be named one of America's most profitable photographers without working my kids' |
| 0:33.7 | lives away. |
| 0:35.2 | Now I'm the founder of the Photography Business Institute where we provide |
| 0:38.6 | guided support from start to finish, whether you're a beginner photographer dipping your toes in |
| 0:44.1 | or a more advanced photographer with big income goals. Each week on this podcast, I'll show you |
| 0:50.9 | how to find and serve photography clients in a world where we can keep it free |
| 0:56.1 | thanks to everyone having a digital camera in their pocket. Take the first step to adding more joy |
| 1:02.7 | and profit to your life by downloading your free photography business tools at photography |
| 1:08.1 | business institute.com. By the way, if you're new to my channel, my name's Sarah Petty. |
| 1:14.6 | I've helped over 33,000 portrait photographers, mostly women, create a family first profitable |
| 1:21.4 | photography business. |
| 1:23.1 | Now the reason I'm making this specifically for women and especially you mamas is because it seems like all |
| 1:29.4 | the top photography channels on YouTube are run by men. And listen, there's nothing wrong with |
| 1:35.7 | learning from men. I learn from both men and women, but I know that the photographers who study |
| 1:40.8 | from me are mostly made up of women and some really cool men. But you women out |
| 1:46.4 | there deserve to have someone giving you this perspective that just isn't out there. Listen, |
| 1:52.2 | when digital photography came in around the early 2000s, this male-dominated industry created a derogatory term M-WAC, M-W-A-C, which stands for M-W-A-C with automatic cameras. |
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