Here’s what some of my clients have had to say about working with me.
By working with Carolyn, I have discovered what my value is and the importance of knowing my worth from within versus being dependent on someone else for affirmation or validation. Are those people providing you with authenticity speaking directly with your client? No, they are not and your lack of confidence emanates. When you know how good you are from within, your confidence radiates so you will be trusted to get the job done.
There never was a regret in the time or cost to work with Carolyn. Connecting with her empowered me to live deliberately and achieve goals.The best way to ensure success is to get your mind in the right place first and then work on your business.
-Kirk Francis
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When I first came to Carolyn I was a little stuck on where to take my photographic career next and mostly, how to get there. I had enjoyed a few conversations with other portfolio consultants before I had my initial call with Carolyn but 5 minutes into our conversation, I knew she was the person who was going to help me take my work to the next level.
Not only does the time you spend working with her help you career-wise, she makes you look into yourself and helps you grow as a person. Never in a million years would I have imagined that I would get so much out of working with a consultant but Carolyn is more than that. She has a way of connecting with people that allows her to reflect things back to you that didn’t even know were there. Working with Carolyn has pulled me out of my comfort zone, shown me things about myself that have helped me grow in numerous ways, we have had a few amazing AH-HA moments that literally gave me goosebumps! And, best of all, she isn’t afraid to tell you like it is. Her enthusiasm for what she is doing to help her clientele radiates through each and every meeting and empowers you to be the best and grab life by the horns.
Since we started working together 2 short months ago, I have landed my biggest B2B client to date, rebranded my B2C business (and doubled my client list) and signed a lease on my first photography studio.
Working with Carolyn has been one of the best career decisions I have ever made and I look forward to working with her for many years to come.
–Emily Teater
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Carolyn has been by far the most effective consultant I’ve worked with in the evolution of my career as a professional photographer. Her exuberance for the industry is infectious, her experience is priceless, and her thoughtful intelligence provides articulate direction and insight into the complexities & nuances of a rapidly evolving business.
When it comes to career development, every photographer lives with a unique set of circumstances that simply can’t be fully addressed with a ‘one size fits all’ marketing strategy. Rather than applying the same set of marketing principles to every photographer, Carolyn takes a completely tailored approach that plays to our individual strengths, talents, connections, potential markets and personalities. Her process seems to fly right over the daunting labyrinth of marketing options available today to provide a clear path toward your highest aspirations. Every time we speak I feel inspired and motivated and I am truly grateful for finding her.
-Todd Winslow Pierce
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“The great thing about working with Carolyn is that she has taught me the skills so that I will not be dependent on a rep for my success as a photographer. I may still choose to work with a rep but now I am confident that I can be successful without one.”
–Nathan Lindstrom
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“Since I started working with Carolyn a few years ago, (and following her advice), my billings have gone up 20% each year.”
–Karl Herber
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My experience with Carolyn has been great. I met her at portfolio review and really liked her energy and feedback. Six months later I hired her to help me launch my new website. It was an overwhelming task, and she was able to help me break it down into smaller parts and I was able to get it done in 6 months. I’m extremely happy with it. She was instrumental in helping select the images. After the website launch in December, I decided to stay with her on a monthly basis.
She won’t do the work for you, she is more like a coach to keep you on the right path. She will make you dig deep inside, but the rewards are great. I’ve been much more focused, I’m more comfortable on sales calls and she is great to bounce ideas off of. My billings are up, but more importantly, my prestige has risen in my niche and is reflected in the clients I’ve started to acquire.- Paul Turang
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“Within the first two days of us having a conversation about SEO, my page rank jumped from page 2 to page 1 on Google in the organic results.”
-Cedric Terrell
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Carolyn Potts was the catalyst that got me going again. As a seasoned photographer, it’s sometimes so hard to get motivated to go out and shoot new work for the book–even when you know you have to. She was so supportive that it gave me the faith that I needed– which is an important part of the creative process. I finally stopped putting things off that I knew I had to do. I shot some great tests– which I love–and so do the prospective clients I’ve shared them with! Bravo, and more thanks to Carolyn Potts for continuous support and being the force behind revisiting my passion for photography.
-J.A.
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I have been working with Carolyn for several months now. I have found her to offer well thought out practical advice on how to make my career work for me utilizing my strengths and unique talents. Her guidance and experience is helping me to navigate an extremely competitive and rapidly changing market. She is professional and a joy to work with. I finish each session with a ‘to-do’ checklist that keeps me on target with actually getting things done. I highly recommend her, double thumbs up.”
-Eric Swanson
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I am so grateful Carolyn came into my life when she did. The reason I wanted to hire a consultant was because I was looking to grow my business but was unsure of where to take the next step. I was determined to build a business of photography with a solid foundation–after reading Carolyn’s impressive track record and communicating with her professional and genuine spirit over the phone, I knew she was a sure fit to help me achieve my goals.
Almost simultaneously when we started our consulting sessions, I had suddenly found myself inundated with photography jobs working with a commercial base of clients–this was an entire new field for me in which I had no idea how to handle.
As I started emerging into the business world of photography, not only did Carolyn help me feel more confident in getting credit for my work and protecting the rights of my images, she also was adamant I learn to get compensated appropriately & professionally for my time and creative talent. In turn, she directed me to endless resources to help with pricing, usage and licensing guidelines that I would have otherwise not known about.
If there is anyone who will take a stand for her clients, focus them into the best possible light, and knows what she’s doing when it comes to getting business for photographers, it’s Carolyn Potts! I would recommend her to anyone who wants to take their photographic career to the next level!
–Mary Carol Fitzgerald
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Within 6 months of working with Carolyn, I have seen results. My marketing, portfolio, website, and brand messaging have come together in a way that gives me confidence in what I can provide my clients, and confidence to my clients in what they can expect from me. More importantly, I feel more energized to shoot new personal work, because I have a stronger, more defined message that makes my new work stronger and more defined. I often refer to my marketing attempts in terms of “before Carolyn” and “after Carolyn.”
-John Haynes
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Damn, you’re good. Thanks for the crisp [About Page] edit I love what you did. I wouldn’t change a thing and the two or three additions really tie things together.
–James F. Bland
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I’ve known Carolyn for 20 years; she is my “go-to” person whenever I want an expert opinion about an individual photographer’s work or career. If you want an expert coach, consultant, or representative for your photography (whether commercial or fine art) you’ve come to the right place. – Mark Bryan, author of The Artist’s Way at Work and co-founder of the Artist’s Way workshops with Julia Cameron.
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“I now have a clear path of what to do now; you showed me how to see my work in a different way. Your tips on portfolio naming/categorization by using specific titles was very helpful. Being clear is more important than being ‘pretty.’ I found the session really valuable in helping me to understand the photo buyer’s viewpoint.”
-Burcu Avsar
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“When I began working with Carolyn, I had my expectations for portfolio and website review. And I got that. But what really impacted my business, were the areas I wasn’t expecting. Carolyn coached me through my procrastination. She inspired more creativity. She helped me identify my brand. She helped me relinquish some control. In fact, she had to push me into some actions I felt would be down the road. As a result, I have added staff, that not only have allowed me to delegate certain tasks, but have resulted in brand new clients! Carolyn clarified my company’s direction. Now, I am farther down the road!”
–Darryl Bernstein
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“Carolyn has a positively encyclopedic breadth and depth of knowledge and information about the photo industry.”–William Curtis Rolf
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“I can’t say enough about the internet tool that Carolyn Potts turned me onto. It was the next step and perfect solution for my small business. It is easy to navigate, has saved me huge amounts of time, and without sounding too dramatic…..has changed my life!”
–Linda J. Parks
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“Working with Carolyn over the past year as allowed me to really polish my presentation and focus on my strengths.Her advice has allowed me to let go of images that I actually wasn’t that thrilled about but had kept in my book as evidence I could shoot that subject matter.
It’s been a great confidence builder to have someone like her to bounce things off of. Having the advice of someone who’s so experienced in knowing what clients are looking for and what they’re buying is really helpful. It also helps to quell the questions I might have before putting something new out there. And finally, she’s saved me time. While I’ve been keeping up with the all digital imaging changes of the last 5 years, it’s been great to have someone who’s been able to bring me up-to-speed as far as 21st century digital marketing goes. “
-Gary Rohman
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Regarding my portfolio review session: Carolyn found the thread of connection among my strongest images and was able to confirm my hopes of a relevant and cohesive vision for Art Directors to respond to!
–Mitchell Kearney
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Before I started working with Carolyn, all of my jobs were from my small, local market probably because I’d done all my marketing myself. I was all things to all people and although I felt I had above average skills as a photographer I was stuck on the local level.
After I started working with her, I discovered that the unique combination of her market insights, skilled editing and supplementing of my portfolio, media placement, negotiating and pricing expertise, allowed me gain access to and get assignments from, numerous national consumer ad agencies-including ones from NYC, San Francisco and Boston!!
With Carolyn I reached my professional goals by going from local to national projects.
–Craig van der Lende
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Carolyn’s insights brought clarity and ah ha moments. The processes she uses, not only allowed the doors to slowly open for myself, they opened with purpose and intention.
–Kevin Anderson
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