Peter: We're joined by Zack Arp of Doddy Morris. Zack runs a wedding filmmaking business based in Nashville and shoots all over the world at this point. Give us a quick intro.

Zack: I started about 10 or 11 years ago with my dad's film camera in college. My first photoshoot was a $20 headshot. I went to a conservative Christian college where all my friends were getting engaged, so I shot about 30 weddings my first year, in 2014, while working three jobs. Then I moved to LA, got into travel photography, and traveled to about 20 countries for travel magazines. After that, I moved to New York and shot Fashion Week for about five years. I moved to Nashville about two years ago.

Zack: When COVID hit, New York was a ghost town, and all the weddings were gone. I moved back near my family and worked at the post office and a construction job that summer. My mom kept telling me to get a real job, but I knew I was really good at this. My uncle told me, "In the meantime, get a job, but get your stuff together." So I started taking courses. That pressure pushed me to finally take myself seriously and act like I was running a business, instead of second shooting for other people and asking if I could tag along.

Zack: I stacked education: courses, workshops, SEO training. I went to three workshops with the same person in one year. You have to spend money to make money. When a company first starts, it puts everything into research and development and might not even be profitable for a while. So I treated my little photo business like a big company and put all my time, energy, and money back into it. Who's the best in the industry? Who can I learn from? What new software can I learn?

Peter: You're the greatest asset in your company. Most people don't want to reinvest like that, but that's why your business keeps growing.

Zack: One workshop challenged us to set an extremely specific goal: exactly what you want and when you want it by. Mine was to make six figures and then double it every year until I hit seven figures. The first year, I hit six figures. Last year, I doubled it. This year, we're on track to double it again.

Peter: You're treating it as a business, a vehicle to create value and wealth, instead of having a freelancer mindset. You're working on the business, not just in it.

Zack: The business had been doing well mostly from my website. My SEO was number one in New York. A friend told me, "If you're going to do something, be really, really good at at least one thing." SEO was my one thing, but my goal was to double revenue every year, so I needed something new. Our friend Morgan introduced us and said, "Zack, you really need to meet Peter. This has been life-changing for my business." Her numbers were better than mine, so I wanted to learn whatever she was doing.

Zack: The more niche you are, the easier it is. I target Super 8 wedding videos in New York, not wedding photography in New York, which is almost impossible to rank for. Something like "Hamptons wedding photographer" is more niche than "New York wedding photographer."

But it has to be authentic. Kodak sponsored a music documentary I shot on Super 8 back in college, and when I brought Super 8 into weddings, it turned out everyone loves it. If someone just tells you to pick a niche, it won't work. It needs to be your idea.

Peter: You created your own category. And because you're genuinely on fire about it, you can sell packages from $8K to $15K.

Zack: I'm getting about 70 to 100 new followers and leads a month, and they're real people, engaged couples in my area. Before, I was getting about 20 leads a month from Google. Those were very hot leads, and I'd close maybe 50% of them. Now it's about 100 leads a month. For the first six months, it blew my mind so much that I was almost frozen. Once you get used to it, you figure out how to find the best-fit couples and make the best deal with them.

Peter: Think of paid ads this way: if you can put in $500 and get $10,000 out, you put in $1,000 and get $20,000 out. It becomes an engine where more money in brings more money out.

Zack: In simple terms, it's like giving a speech. If you give two speeches to more people, more people know who you are. Ad spend just gets the attention of a lot of people at once.

Peter: You got overwhelmed with leads, which is a good problem to have, so we got you to hire Amy as your setter.

Zack: Amy helped me when I first started my business 10 years ago, but back then I didn't trust anyone with it. I was holding all the cards. Handing over the passwords was nerve-wracking. The first month, we booked three right away. The second month, we booked zero. I'd thought I could be hands-off, but it's like growing a tomato. You can't just plant the seed. You have to tend it every day. If you hire someone, set a weekly call, track your KPIs, and work on how you sound to clients. Give it at least six months.

I also learned leadership the hard way. When bookings dipped, I stressed Amy out, and she thought she might lose her job. That's not good leadership. You need to be calm and encouraging.

Peter: You're becoming more of a CEO as well as a creative, and that's a skill you have to learn.

Zack: You had me log every activity for a week. Once I saw how I was spending my time, I asked, "Is it worth paying someone to upload footage, when I could spend 10 minutes on a phone call and book a $10,000 client?"

Zack: My goal for next year is eight clients at $10K, or 10 clients at $8K, every month. The best advice I got recently was to make a very clear, concise offer. I used to send a pricing guide with all these options and add-ons, and it was too much. Now on the phone, I say, "This is what it is. How does that sound?" And they say, "Yes, that sounds good." It's one offer, sometimes with a second option that's even better. I also make it irresistible. For example: "If I'm already going to be in Vermont, your rehearsal dinner coverage is my wedding gift to you."

Peter: I've been saying that for years. When photographers don't even know their own starting price because they have 16 packages, imagine how confused their prospects feel. This year you're on track for $400K. Now it's about spending more on ads, having Amy set more calls, and giving them one offer.

Zack: It feels locked in now. Growth is just a choice at this point, but it took a lot of hard work to get here. Routines matter most. My Mondays are for file deliveries, charging batteries, and clearing cards. When your business habits are routine, like brushing your teeth, the growth just happens.

Peter: What's been the most transformative thing we've worked on?

Zack: Learning to be a leader. You once said, "If you're watching movies in the middle of your day, you've got a problem." Bringing discipline into the business and learning how to bring on my first employee has been the best thing for me.

Peter: Your speed of implementation is almost instant. When someone tells you to do something, you don't question it. You just do it, and you get the results.

Zack: My advice has two parts. First, focus on yourself. If you don't know how to use a program, figure it out. If you don't know your camera settings, figure it out. Take a workshop, watch YouTube, get the education. Then really get after it: shoot, share, rinse, repeat, and let it run for six months to a year.

Peter: And that's where momentum comes in. At this point, hundreds of thousands of people in your market have seen your business name. That compounding effect is where you really start to see growth.