From $50 Shoots to $30K Months with Photographer Kristin Sweeting (SOLOPRENEUR LIFE)

Marriage Kids and Money: Personal Finance for Families

Andy Hill

Investing, Business, Kids & Family, Parenting

4.9 • 604 Ratings

🗓️ 23 October 2025

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Award-winning photographer Kristin Sweeting turned her love of creativity into a thriving solopreneur business that now earns between $300K and $400K per year, all while working about 20 hours a week and homeschooling her son. In this episode of Solopreneur Life, Kristin shares how she went from a $30K church salary to $30K months, what pushed her to finally raise her rates, and the mindset shifts that helped her design a business and a life on her own terms. You will learn how photographers can build profitable, flexible careers through clear vision, intentional pricing, and smart outsourcing. Kristin also opens up about single parenting, work life balance, and how she uses creativity and travel to inspire both her art and her business coaching. If you have ever dreamed of turning your artistic passion into a full time business, this episode will show you what is possible. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro – Why more people are choosing solopreneurship 01:10 Kristin’s origin story: from youth director to photographer 04:20 Hitting a $30K month after being told she had hit her career cap 07:45 How photographers actually make money 10:20 Breaking down her income and salary today 14:10 Working 20 hours a week and homeschooling her son 17:20 Raising rates from $5K to $25K weddings 20:40 What new photographers can realistically earn 22:45 Why photography can be ideal for parents 24:40 Solopreneur High Five: tools, outsourcing, AI, and freedom 36:45 Her advice for new photographers – start before you are ready 38:40 Where to connect with Kristin Sweeting 💡 RESOURCES AND NOTES Connect with Kristin Sweeting 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinsweeting 🎧 Podcast: Dangerous Creatives – https://dangerschool.com/podcast Solopreneur Tools I Love 💼 Gusto – Payroll and benefits made easy: https://marriagekidsandmoney.com/gusto 🏦 Live Oak Bank – Small business banking built for entrepreneurs: https://marriagekidsandmoney.com/liveoakbank 🎙️ Riverside – Professional quality podcast and video recording: https://marriagekidsandmoney.com/riverside 💰 Monarch Money – Best budgeting app for solopreneurs and families: https://marriagekidsandmoney.com/monarchmoney Recommended Resources 📘 Own Your Time by Andy Hill – 10 Financial Steps to Put Your Family First and Escape the Corporate Grind: https://marriagekidsandmoney.com/book 🎧 More episodes on solopreneur success: https://marriagekidsandmoney.com/epcats/create-a-solopreneur-life/ Credits 🎬 Editor: Johnny Sohl 🎨 Podcast Artwork: Kayli Johnson ⚠️ Disclaimer and Disclosure Information shared on this podcast may come from financial, business, or creative professionals, but it should not be considered professional advice specific to you or your situation. Always consult with your own professional before making decisions related to your finances or business. Some of the resources mentioned may contain affiliate links, which means if you choose to make a purchase through those links, Marriage Kids and Money, Andy Hill and Solopreneur Life may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. These partnerships help support the show and allow us to continue creating valuable content for solopreneurs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	My salary at the church was $30,000 a year.
0:04.4	And so when I had my first $30,000 month, I was like, ha ha, you know?
0:10.3	Like, it took a while, but I remember when it happened because I was like,
0:14.8	they told me this was my cap.
0:16.5	And now I'm doing this.
0:24.6	Yeah. And now I'm doing this. More and more people want the flexibility to work outside of a traditional office setting.
0:30.6	If you're interested in owning more of your time,
0:33.0	solopreneurship could be the right path for you.
0:35.9	On our real solopreneur segment today, we're going to interview
0:39.3	Kristen Sweeting. Kristen is an award-winning international photographer with over 16 years of experience.
0:45.3	Her photography work has taken her to over 20 different countries as she dives in deep with her clients to capture them with authenticity and show
0:55.8	their connection with each other, their friends, and their family. Today we're going to discuss
1:00.2	how she developed her profitable solopreneur business and the steps others can take to grow
1:06.2	theirs as well. Welcome to the show, Kristen. Hi, thanks so much. I'm excited to be here. I'm glad to have
1:12.6	you. I had the opportunity to be on your show recently, so I'm glad we can do this again today.
1:17.9	Let's talk about your origin story a little bit, Kristen. What was your original motivation for
1:23.1	getting started with your photography business? I feel like it's probably similar to a lot of people who
1:28.7	start something in the arts or a solopreneur. I was working at a full-time job, and I've always
1:36.0	been a creative person. I have a degree in music. I've started little business. I tried to make
1:42.0	wedding cakes for a while. It was kind of a disaster, but it was fun, you know?
1:46.4	So I've always loved making things that were creative, but I was working this full-time job,
1:51.9	wasn't making enough money, and got to use a camera for the first time.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Andy Hill, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Andy Hill and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.