Peter: We're joined by Jordan Harrell of Free Birds Photography, a member of the Next Level photography training program. Jordan has an incredible story. Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started.

Jordan: I've been really artistic most of my life, but I never thought art could become a career. I joined the Army, and I'm still in the National Guard, one weekend a month. I fell in love with law enforcement, and my department sent me to evidence tech school. When we respond to major crime scenes, one of our jobs is photographing them. So I picked up a camera, put my artistic side together with it, took a bunch of classes, and fell in love with photography.

About three years ago, I started doing family sessions, newborns, and smaller portrait sessions. I never thought I could handle a full wedding, but I knew that's where the money was. My dream was always to go full-time. I love law enforcement, but photography has more of my heart.

Peter: You joined Next Level in November 2021. What was business like then?

Jordan: I didn't even know where to start getting clients. I tried commenting on posts in Facebook groups, but nothing was biting. I had doubts about whether I could actually make this a career. I was making maybe $2K to $4K a month, mostly family and portrait sessions from friends and word of mouth. It wasn't weddings.

Peter: What made you think things could be different?

Jordan: I always knew I was meant to be an entrepreneur. I just needed coaching and guidance. I don't like people at work telling me, "This is your cap." Who are you to tell me how much I get to make? I'm in control of my own destiny. Next Level lit the fire I knew I had.

Jordan: When I first started thinking about wedding photography, I reached out to the photographer I'd contacted for my own wedding and asked what she was doing to be successful. She told me Next Level was a great thing to be part of.

When I joined, I went all in. I paid attention to the modules and let them sink in. Like you said, listen to them a couple of times. I'd play them on my way to and from work, soaking up everything like a sponge.

Peter: For people listening, when Jordan says "going to work," she means driving a patrol car 40 hours a week.

Jordan: I get up at 5 a.m., and I have to be loaded in the patrol car by 7. I take calls and write reports all day. If a call doesn't keep me late, I get home close to 6 p.m., and then I go straight to the office for consultations I set up the day before. I usually do calls until 8 or 9 p.m.

Peter: That's a grind. Why do you do it?

Jordan: Because I love it. When you deal with people in a negative atmosphere all day, coming home and talking to couples during such an exciting time in their lives is refreshing. They're excited to meet you. It's my balance. I love a challenge, and I want to keep going after it. I've been through military training and police training, so this is just another thing I wanted to chase down.

Jordan: I started Next Level on November 5th. My husband was very nervous about the decision, but I felt in my heart it was the right thing for us. In November, I made about $14,500, which tripled what I'd been bringing in. December and January were each around $16K. My goal was $20K, and in February, I brought in $100 shy of $30K. I told my husband, "Babe, I think it's time to throw in the towel at work."

Peter: That's about $75,000 in four months, with a full-time job. That's an amazing accomplishment.

Peter: How did you go from about $2,000 a month part-time to $15K to $20K a month?

Jordan: I reached out to a lot of people organically on social media and ran some Facebook ads, so leads came to me too. I'd do a discovery call over the phone, get them really excited, and let them get to know me as a person, because people need someone who genuinely cares and has empathy. Then I'd follow up with a Zoom consult and close.

Recording my calls was really important. You can see what you're doing right and wrong and tweak it.

Peter: Say a photographer listening is making a few thousand dollars a month with no consistency. What would you tell them?

Jordan: Think about where you're putting your time and energy. Taking the next step with something like Next Level is an investment, and it's scary because you don't know if it'll work, and your partner might be more nervous than you. But ask yourself, "Why don't I deserve this?" Your business deserves it. How will you ever know unless you take the step? When I get comfortable, I start to get uncomfortable. That's how I live.

Jordan: As an entrepreneur, you're on your own, with no one guiding you. You still have to put in the time and effort, but a coach gives you the tools and knowledge to make it work.

There were times in the last four months when I had a slower two weeks and started getting in my own head, wondering what I was doing wrong. I'm in my own bubble, so I can't always see it. A coach can look in from the outside and notice things like my tone of voice or demeanor on a call, which could be enough to lose a booking. Getting that feedback, and actually listening to it, is everything.

Peter: None of us are unbiased observers of ourselves. A couple of months ago, you told me the last few weeks had been slow and you didn't know if you'd be able to quit your job. This month, you did just shy of $30K.

Jordan: I plan to go part-time in law enforcement next month. I had long conversations with my husband about it. I worked very hard to get where I am, so the leap was about more than money. Law enforcement felt like huge job security, because there will always be a need for cops.

But now I feel totally secure. You've gotten it down to a science. It's literally numbers. If you track and hone in on your numbers, you know you're good. We'll probably give it one more month to save some extra money, and then we'll make the leap. Four months ago, I thought maybe I'd look at it next year. Now I'd be financially better off doing this full-time.

Peter: What's your number one piece of advice for people already in Next Level?

Jordan: Get out of your shell and put yourself out there. Follow up with people, and don't worry about being too much. Take in everything Next Level has to offer, record your calls, and review what you're doing. And let couples buy into who you are as a person. Show them your heart. They're not just buying your work. They're buying you.

On the phone, I tell them, "I could send you a bunch of packages, but I want to take the time to get to know you and your story, and I want you to feel that I'm a good fit for you." They respect that, and it sparks something that gets them onto the consult. Then on the consult, it's the same thing, amped up: "Tell me your story." People love to talk about themselves, and you both get a real feel for each other.

Mind you, I hadn't done a single wedding before Next Level. I was very transparent about that, but people really bought into me.

Peter: People make decisions based on logic and emotion. Does the package make sense? Do I like the work? But also: does this feel right? Do I trust Jordan? That's the X factor.

Peter: A lot of people fold when they get an objection at the end of the call. That's where the sale really begins. How do you handle it?

Jordan: By the end of the call, they'll usually say I'm a good fit for them. So I come back with, "I feel like we're a good fit, and you've said we're a good fit. Why don't you deserve something like this for yourselves?" Sometimes they still don't book, so I always do a follow-up call. Couples are more likely to book on the follow-up, and that's happened a couple of times since we talked about it. You also have to know what to say when they say it's out of their budget, while still sounding genuine.

Peter: There's a big difference between helping people through a decision that's ultimately good for them and forcing them into something against their will. You have to stay in it when the real conversation starts.

Peter: What has transformed your life most about Next Level?

Jordan: Next Level breaks everything down into a science: what I need to do, how to do it, and the numbers. Now my workflow feels easy, and I have a system I can always refer back to. And the community is amazing. If I need anything, someone is always there.