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Finance Academy for Photographers

introducing

A eight week coaching program for photographers ready to transform their business from cringe to confident!

If the answer is some variation of  "I don't know" or  “I really don’t want to talk about it, thank you very much”, or you’d just straight up cringe, then you’re in the right place. 

I’d love to help you change that.

...what would you say?

Hey photographer! If I asked you to tell me about your business finances… 

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You love a good busy season, and it feels amazing every time you book a new wedding or session. But the slow seasons? There’s not a lot of love in your heart for those.




Every year you just hope that you have enough money stashed away, or that you get a booking or two to cover whatever you owe. 





Pretty constantly, and you feel ashamed that you haven’t somehow managed to figure this financial stuff out yet.




And even though you’re burnt out and overworked, you still never seem to have enough money.





No plans for starting a retirement savings account, or any understanding of how any of that works. The idea of retiring a millionaire literally sounds impossible… like a trope, or a dream for someone else but not a reality for you.





Lemme guess...

As a photographer myself I know business comes in waves.

You have no retirement savings

Saying you’re confused about your taxes would be an understatement. 

And all of this swirls around in the back of your mind

I’ll bet that you work allll the time, booking wedding after wedding

now, let's go in a different direction for a second
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Infinite battery life, no loading time, no data fees.

paper

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Wouldn't it be awesome if these were wearable?

flowers

Let me just say that I see you. And you're most definitely not alone.

bank account at all times and opening your bank account no longer gives you a self-induced anxiety attack. (And if you don’t even have a separate bank account for your business, imagine how nice that would feel? (So easy and tidy!)


because you put more than enough money away.


like new gear or workshops, and purchasing those things without going into debt because you planned for it!

and being excited about your monthly, quarterly, or yearly deposits because you’re taking the right steps to retire an actual millionaire.


experiencing less burnout and frustration because of it, and using the money to actually enjoy the slow seasons.

to your personal account and feeling confident that you’re paying yourself the right amount, not just whatever you feel like.


Imagine, instead...

Knowing what was going on inside of your business 

And even give yourself a BONUS at tax time

Actually have a retirement account set up

Having funds set aside for specific purposes

Working less but making more,

Sending money from your business bank account 

This is a safe space.

Imagine believing that you’re someone who is worthy of financial success and abundance, and knowing for certain that actually, you’re great with money.These are the kind of things that can happen when you set yourself up to have a financially successful photography business. 

That feeling doesn’t serve you, it doesn’t change anything, and it absolutely does not help you move forward towards a financially successful business.

You absolutely, 100% don’t have to feel shame about the decisions you’ve made in the past or the current state of your business finances.

So whether you’re already full-time in your photography business

about to make the leap from busy side-hustler to CEO,

or are just starting out and want to take off on the right foot

I’m ready to show you how to pave the way to the financially successful business of your dreams. 


Whether you're seasoned or just starting... I have the thing just for you!

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Brand Words

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Question 3

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Question 2

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Question 1

Frequently asked questions

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Collections and investment

introducing

An intimate group coaching program for the photographer that is finally ready to start taking their business finances seriously…

So that you can build a business that’s financially successful, pay yourself well, be prepared for emergencies, and yesss even retire a millionaire….

Without ever feeling like you’re sitting through some long, boring lecture on money that makes you want to gag.

Yes Seriously!

(it's really more doable than you think)

Finance Academy for Photographers

Feeling anxious about money talk? 

It might feel impossible, and the amount of stress that you feel surrounding finances makes you want to hide under the covers and never come out. But I promise your finances aren’t a monster under your bed, and hiding isn’t going to help you.

don't sweat it!

Hi, I'm Sarah Lotus!

I had absolutely no idea what was coming into my business every month, what was going out, what I could realistically spend on new equipment and workshops… no clue.

I was booking sessions, working my butt off, but was constantly spinning my wheels getting nowhere! 

Why didn’t I have savings? Forget about savings… why didn’t I have any money left over after paying my taxes? 

My friends would mention saving for retirement and, not only would I nope my way out of that conversation because I felt super uncomfortable, but I always just thought that I had to be making wayyyyyy more money before I even thought about stashing anything away for retirement. 

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Want to hear a secret?
I used to hide from my finances too!

Finance Academy
 for Photographers

That's why I created

So that I could help educate other photographers who find themselves in the same position as I found myself in… Burnt out, overworked, and with little to nothing to show for it. Without the feelings of shame and guilt that typically come along with finance programs. You’ll go from literally cringing when thinking about your finances, to feeling completely confident in your setup.

"I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone who is thinking about becoming a photographer, is just starting out, or is already in the game but has questions about taxes, pricing yourself, paying off debt, or just growing your business. Sarah is so knowledgeable and created a course to help photographers with the scariest part of a business, finances. She will help you stay organized with monthly money meetings, and even crunch the numbers to see how much you should be charging, paying yourself, and putting money away for the more taxing things (no pun intended) like a retirement fund, an emergency fund, and paying your taxes.”
-Trisha, Trisha Bolinger Photography

"I am finally able to pay myself well."

"With the course, I was able to raised my prices & booked my most expensive package!"

 "It was truly so much fun to get to work with Sarah! She is so giving of her time and knowledge. Some of my biggest takeaways from her finance course was that I was able to change my money mindset, she gave me actionable steps to better prepare myself for tax season and helped me make a better workflow for my business. It was so empowering to be given the tools to transform my finances. I have seen some awesome changes in my business since I finished the course. So thankful for the Finance Academy."
-Emily, Honey Wild Photography

"Every aspect of each lesson was needed for my business + I learned so much!"

"She was so accessible through the whole process and gave me everything I needed to succeed! Every aspect of each lesson was needed for my business and I learned so much! I was able to raise my prices to fit my business and personal goals! I feel prepared for tax season and finally separated my personal and business finances! I can not recommend this course enough!”
-Jade, Jade Rae Photography

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Here’s what we’re going to cover to make your photography business rock-solid 

If you don’t believe that you deserve financial security, or if you don’t believe that you’re someone who can be ‘good’ with numbers, or you don’t believe that you’ll ever be able to retire, then you’re going to sabotage your finances. 

You’ll prove yourself right. 

So we start with mindset and make sure that your belief in yourself and your financial security is rock-solid then we dig into the nitty-gritty of the numbers with setting up a money system! We will even set a plan on how to pay off debt that still allows you the freedom to grow your business!

Did you just yawn? Ok, I promise it won't be as boring as it seems! I’m going to show you why budgeting can be FREEING, and not restricting, and we’ll set up a budget that works for you and your business right now. You can’t amass a significant amount of savings without sticking to a budget, and you’ll never stick to your budget if it doesn’t make sense for YOU. Chicken, meet egg 👋

When you’re paying off debt, it can sometimes feel like it’s going to take forever—in week 3, I’m going to teach you my tried and true method for paying off debt as fast as possible without living off of ramen. We’re also going to go over your cost of doing business and find out if your business is actually profitable/healthy… and discuss what needs to be done if you realize that it’s not. 

Did you know that investments in your business contribute to your cost of doing business? You do now! So we’ll also take a look at what constitutes a good investment vs one that’s not worth your money so you know which investments are actually going to push your business forward.

There are a few things that come into play when it comes to pricing. Your prices should never be based on what that other photographer charges, and whether you think you’re better or worse than them. And the solution to bringing in more money is a touch more complicated than just saying “raise your prices”.

If you’ve priced yourself too low and are overworked, chances are you don’t see the value in yourself and in your work. We’ll deep-dive into the mindset surrounding this before we look at how you can add more value to your services, and then, yes, raise your prices and set your rates based on what YOU bring to the table. 

The Lesson Plan

Uncle Sam is going to get his piece whether or not you saved enough to give it to him. I’m going to show you how to plan for tax season properly so that you’re confident you have enough stashed away (and then some!).

I will say that I’m not an accountant, so we won’t be covering tax laws, but the information in week 5 comes to you from years of experience filing 1099’s and consistently paying myself a bonus at tax time.

This is one of my FAVORITE lessons! This week we look at all of the ways you can give yourself a raise and put more money into your own pocket. If you don’t give yourself a raise every single year, or give yourself a nice bonus each quarter… you’re about to start! We will talk about scaling your business. This is all about creating a business that will grow with your dreams!

And because your business can only be as healthy as you are, we’ll look at the various ways that you can achieve business GROWTH while still keeping a work/life balance.


We’ll wrap up our time together with hot seat coaching and Q&A. On this call, we can dive deeper into anything that you feel stuck on or need extra support with. You’ll have a chance to receive personalized coaching amongst the group, and get your final questions answered before we wrap up! 

I get it - we’re young! We’ve got loads of time before we have to start thinking about retirement! Except… the steps you take now can make a HUGE difference over the span of 20, 30, or 40 years. Compound interest will soon be your best friend, even if you don’t think so quite yet. 

I’m going to show you the exact steps you need to take now that will pay off way down the road and allow you to retire a millionaire. It takes less of a financial commitment right now than you might think! 

I’ll also help you decide which insurance option is the best for you and your business, so that you’re completely covered as you move forward through business and life. 

But wait there is more!

You’ll also receive… 

Spreadsheets; easy to use
Roadmap to scale your money system as you grow
Pricing Calculators
Starting point numbers checklist
Monthly money meeting checklist
Plan to pay off debt
Access to me between zoom calls

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Access to our private Facebook group to connect with other members, ask questions, and receive personalized feedback

Working with Sarah was nothing short of amazing!

I have really been focusing on my education lately and I am so glad this was the first class I took. All the info was very informative and I can confidently say I’m going into 2022 even more prepared.

One of my biggest transformations for my business was figuring out how much I should be putting away for taxes and how to pay myself. I always dreaded that part of my business.

I felt extremely comfortable the whole time with Sarah considering we were talking about money. She made it a safe place and I didn’t mind opening up with what I was charging and receiving.

I would absolutely recommend this course. You can be the most successful photographer but until you have this part of your business figured out it doesn’t do you any good.”  
- Kendra, Kendra Ko Photography

In order to maintain intimacy in this group 

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Because talking about finances can get a bit uncomfy, there will be a maximum of 15 participants in The Finance Academy for Photographers. I want everyone to feel heard + supported throughout our entire journey together, so spots are limited.

Are you ready?

We start on march 8th.

save your spot

Finance Academy for Photographers

∙ 8x live group coaching calls w/ Q&A -- $2000
∙ Access to our private Facebook group -- $97 
∙ Lifetime access to all recordings + class materials -- $297 
∙ Services pricing calculator -- $197 
∙ All homework sheets and checklists -- $297 



∙ 2x 60-minute 1:1 coaching calls - $800 value
∙ Voxer access Monday-Friday - $500 value
∙ 8x live group coaching calls w/ Q&A -- $2000
∙ Access to our private Facebook group -- $97 
∙ Lifetime access to all recordings + class materials -- $297 
∙ Services pricing calculator -- $197 
∙ All homework sheets and checklists -- $297 

Finance Academy 

1:1+Finance Academy

Total value: $2988

Total value: $4288

Payment Options

Payment Options

membership 

Options

pay in full

four payments

four payments

pay in full

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45% of small business fail in the first five years + 65% fail in the first 10 years

It is not because of a lack of talent, it is largely due to money management problems. Whether your business brings in $10,000 a year or $100,000 a year, If you aren't managing it right you won't have a successful business!

(U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics 2020)

Can you really afford not to invest?

If you’re still wondering whether or not The Finance Academy for Photographers is right for you… 

still not sure?

The easiest way to know is whether or not you have a robust ‘oh shit’ fund set up to cover emergencies.

I was able to continue to pay myself throughout the entirety of Covid despite having to cancel all of my bookings because I had enough money saved away in my ‘oh shit’ fund…

And I didn’t even go through all of it. 

I mention this because I know that the majority of photographers can’t say the same thing for themselves. 

Most photographers that I talked to throughout Covid were super stressed, went into debt, and some of them even closed down their businesses for good. 



hey photographer!

This is the difference that a financially successful business can make. 

 Click here to take the first step towards  A financially successful business! 

"The Finance Academy
was exactly what I needed"

“Sarah’s finance academy was exactly what I need to make sure my business was on the right track and I was doing everything correctly! My business finances always frustrated and scared me but Sarah doesn’t just walk through practical money steps, she walks through how you think about money!"

-Jade, Jade Rae Photography

No! You’re not required to share any information that you’re not comfortable sharing. We’ll dive deeper into the specifics of your finances in our 1:1 call, but even at that point, I won’t make you share anything you’re not comfortable with.

YES! Absolutely. At the end of each lesson, there’s a period for Q&A where you can get your questions answered. You can also post in the Facebook group and receive feedback there. Lastly, our final day together is hot seat coaching + Q&A — a full session for you to bring your questions and have them answered! You won’t be left on your own any step of the way here.

However, if you’re someone who thrives with individualized attention and immediate feedback, I would recommend choosing the 1:1 support option. 

Will I have to share intimate details of my financial situation with you or the group? 

Do I still get personalized support if I don’t choose the 1:1 option? 

Yes there will be replays! I would love it if you attend as many live classes as possible so that you can ask any questions that come up for you along the way. But I will also be available for direct questions through voxer! (free audio messaging app)

Voxer is a messaging app used to send voice messages and text messages back and forth. If you choose the 1:1 option, you will be able to get a hold of me outside of the Facebook group and the calls, and have more personalized discussions in private. 

If I can’t make the live classes, will I have access to the replays? 

What’s Voxer? 

You
might be wondering...

Ask me all the questions.

I understand that, as a creative, you love making art. 

But a financially successful business is what’s going to give you the freedom to live your life, explore new art forms, and have the peace of mind you deserve.

Oh - and allow you to retire as a millionaire. 

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You don't so much love the business part

(I am really not joking about that)

Images and content by Sarah Lotus + Design by The Buffalo Collective