Taking Her Shot: How Amber Garrett Built Her Photography Business

Self-employment can be infinitely rewarding, but it comes with a host of challenges, especially near the end of the year. Not to mention the additional hurdles of the past few years: a global pandemic, rising costs and inflation, and rumblings of a recession.

Despite these challenges, Found customers across the country are growing, thriving and looking forward to a busy holiday season. Just ask photographer Amber Garrett, a self-proclaimed “serial entrepreneur,” who launched two new businesses in the past few years.

Taking the leap into self-employment

Amber picked up her first camera in high school for her yearbook class. Once in college, she planned to pursue pre-med and music but found herself changing her major to photojournalism a few months in. 

After graduation, Amber began working as an assistant and second shooter for a local photographer. Thanks to referrals from former clients, Amber began getting regular requests to photograph weddings, so she founded her wedding photography business. She soon realized she could support her family with her income and took the leap to full-time photography. 

The transformative moment in her business, Amber says, happened in 2019 when she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. With the pandemic putting a halt on weddings across the country, many couples started looking to elope and set their eyes on Las Vegas as a destination. Amber’s been hard at work growing Amber Garrett Photography and building her two newer businesses: As You Are Boudoir Photography and The Dark Room, a creative and event studio. In the past year alone, Amber’s revenue has grown by 25%. “The end of the year tends to be slower for my industry, but the opposite is true in Las Vegas. I’m working more these next few months than the rest of the year.”

Being self-employed can feel isolating when you wear a lot of different hats, but Amber says it’s important not to operate in a vacuum. Amber says her current and former clients rallying around her is instrumental to her success.

Track expenses without lifting a finger.

As a small business owner, Amber encourages everyone starting a freelance business to build a solid foundation when it comes to finances and contracts. “The weeks leading up to tax time used to be miserable. I would spend an entire week categorizing a year’s worth of expenses before taxes were due.” 

Now, Found’s built-in bookkeeping tools make it easier for Amber to keep her finances organized.  Her colleagues also benefit: When one of her business partners downloaded Found, tracking their shared studio expenses was a breeze.

Whether you’re an established small business owner, or simply looking to take the leap into self-employment, Found offers powerful banking and accounting tools to help streamline your operations and run a more efficient, more profitable business. Download Found for free today. 

Want another behind-the-scenes look into how our customers are building thriving businesses? Check out Garrett and Sadie's stories.

This material has been prepared for informational purposes only.