How Dubsado helps me run my family photography business!

The average mama has, oh I don’t know, 50+ things on her plate/mind at any given point in time. We are professional jugglers. The average mama has, oh, I don’t know, 50+ things on her plate/mind at any given point in time. We are professional jugglers. (Dads can be, too; however, this post is written from my perspective, so if you’re a dad crushing a work-from-home photography business with tiny humans in the house… kudos! This post is for you, too, but I’ll continue speaking to the mamas!)

Fun Fact: I started my family photography business (with a week of maternity leave left) not because I felt overly ready to quit my 9-5 and go out on my own, but because I didn’t have childcare lined up. I was the queen of all the good waitlists!

So, not too many weeks into my postpartum fog, I started a business from scratch with a tiny human on my chest and a Macbook in my lap… no doubt in leggings and an oversized sweater because some things never change. As a new business owner (and a new mom), I made mistakes after mistakes. Counted among those initial mistakes was me thinking I could manage my new family life and a growing client database, session information, contracts, invoices, etc… WITHOUT A SYSTEM>>>>>?!?!?! What an incredibly bad idea.

I took a referral from a trusted pro, jumping on board with ShootQ, and for a while, that was okay, but I found myself constantly stumbling over the same roadblocks in their system. I needed more features and increased flexibility. And my goodness… I needed the client-facing look and feel to be beautiful and uncomplicated. (This was not the case with my first CRM, but I won’t dive too deep into where I thought that system fell short. Instead, I will stay positive and expand on what is 1,000% working for this mama of two.)

DUBSADO!!! Hello, lover.

Officially in my 10th year as a family photographer, I have grown to love/rely on 5 partner systems that have me and my business in a really healthy place, set up to grow and respect those important work-life boundaries.

1. Dubsado – Client management
2. Notion – Task/Project management (I use this on the personal side too! Think budgeting, recipes, etc…)
3. Pic-Time – Client galleries
4. Flodesk – Mailing list management
5. Aftershoot – AI Culling and Editing

Smart business moves allow me to be with my family when wearing that wife/mama/friend hat – not half there. Over the years, that has become increasingly important to me. We all deserve that!

Dubsado has become my business foundation. And it’s solid! I’m big on lists, so here are my top 5 favorite things about Dubsado:

1. “Mom brain/pregnancy brain-friendly,” AKA client ease of use – in year-end surveys, one common theme is people saying that working with me is “so easy – start to finish,” and that all starts with the way Dubsado keeps everyone on the same page and organized. Client portals that are user-friendly are key. Nobody needs another complicated process – especially all of the mamas I work for!
2. Stay on brand clean look/feel – from inquiry > booking > onboarding > pre and post-session… It’s all about me/my brand throughout, and that is important. The process never feels like I’m not involved, but the system allows me to be hands off! Practically magical.
3. Mind-blowing customizable forms – I have a form for everything, and I love it. Price sharing proposals for hands off booking, pre-session questionnaires for each session type, contracts, print releases, style guides, location forms, etc… options are endless here, and having all of that info under one roof is amazing.
4. Kick butt customer service – This should probably be my #1. Unmatched in every way, this team has my back, and I love ’em. I’ve called on the workflow guru, Cameron, more times than I can count and even worked with him one-on-one to streamline workflows and my whole process.
5. Slick online scheduler and calendar – This one was a game changer for me when they rolled it out in BETA mode. Gone are the days where I go back and forth via email to find session dates and start times that work for a family. My availability is listed in calendar form, and clients pick/choose what works for them. I love it and do my clients!!
6. I know, I know I said top 5 but I couldn’t skip over WORKFLOWS…. so this is a bonus feature that I love, love, love! All of the perks and power that 1-5 holds are tied up into customized workflows that allow my business to RUN SMOOTH without me hovering over it 24 hours a day. It’s glorious!

I’m sharing love for a company that gives me more time with my family, without sacrificing business growth or client experience, because it would be rude of me to keep that a secret!

AFFILLIATE CODE: luccidubsado

Cheers to working smarter, not harder, with the Dub family in your corner!

PS – If you’re a photographer looking for custom 1-1 help to get your systems in order so you can grow and scale your business, be sure to jump on my mailing list and spend some time on my Photographers Page. I’m here to help others learn from my early mistakes!