officially realized that CONTESTS and COMPETITIONS are NOT my thing….even when they’re not on the softball field. Nope. There is a reason this girl doesn’t host contests on her blog very often!! I can BARELY TAKE THE PRESSURE!! I sat on the couch, staring at my computer screen and biting my nails for HOURS last night. No joke. Michael and I were up at 1:30am still reading. Post after post after post. I would read one and then shut my laptop and say “WHY DID I DO THIS TO MYSELF?!!!”. I even had some of our youth group gals reading them to give me some opinions because gosh, this was just so HARD. You are all AMAZING. Seriously amazing.
I’m not just saying that because I feel like I need to….. I was BLOWN AWAY at your stories, your hearts and your willingness to share not only your victories, but also your struggles.
Some of you may have realized that this wasn’t just a contest to win a workshop, it was a PUSH to make you share about YOU! Some of you started your stories off with “Ok, I’m going to be really honest right now” and I think that’s AWESOME! So often we sugarcoat things and never let anyone really get to know WHO WE ARE. Any traditional businessman would tell you that sharing your personal and emotional stories on your business’s website is NOT ACCEPTABLE. Businesses are supposed to be professional and sharing your struggles isn’t professional AT ALL in some people’s opinion. Well, I happen to disagree. Contrary to popular belief, people that are buying our services and following our work WANT to connect with something… everyone wants to connect to something! It’s just the way we were designed!! That’s why I flew a photographer from across the COUNTRY to shoot MY wedding!! I connected with her! Of course we still have to be professional in our work, but allowing ourselves to share our LIVES through our businesses is an important piece of the marketing puzzle.
So I just want to say THANK YOU…. thank you to EVERY single person who put themselves out there. Thank you to the amazing photographers from ALL over the COUNTRY (and AUSTRALIA!!) who sent entries! I’m so honored. And I’m also so proud. We have some incredible people in this industry. If you wrote an entry, shared your story and published it for the world to see, CONGRATULATIONS!! Because you just completed the HARDEST part of the “Invisible Marketing” process. Putting yourself out there is a HUGE step and I hope that all 50+ of you who entered will not see this as a waste of time… but as your first step in a BRAND NEW direction. Continue to share YOUR STORIES. Michael and I just went to a conference that was all about “OUR STORIES” and how powerful they are when we take time to actually SHARE them. So keep sharing my friends!!! It’s powerful and it has the potential to transform your business!!!!
So unfortunately, even though I HATED this part…. I had to choose a winner. The reason this blog post is SO LATE (and I apologize) is because I really struggled with this (ask my husband!). After so much thought and consideration, I have decided to have a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. 1st place receives a FREE seat at The Workshop Experience, 2nd place receives 75% off a workshop seat and 3rd place will receive 50% off a workshop seat. If second and third place winners cannot participate, I will contact new winners privately. Thank you ALL for allowing me to get to know you and see a glimpse into your lives!! So without further adieu:
1st PLACE: RACHEL HAROD PHOTOGRAPHY
2nd PLACE: ANNA K. PHOTOGRPAHY
3rd PLACE: KATIE NESBITT PHOTOGRAPHY
Thanks for reading!
— Katelyn
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