In this episode of The Portrait System Podcast, host Nikki Closser speaks with Andre Brown of Atlanta, Georgia, about how he established a successful portrait and wedding photography business in the last seven years by setting clear, obtainable goals.

When Brown left his music industry career in L.A. to live in Atlanta, he picked up photography to bring in income. Having a background in SEO and social media marketing, he was able to get his name on the map by these means alone before he had even secured his first gigs. He even ranked number one on Google search for weddings before he had even shot his first wedding!

Over the last seven years, Brown has perfected his craft alongside his luxury client experience. He has won numerous awards in wedding and portraiture—including being named a Rangefinder 30 Rising Star of Wedding Photography in 2020—and regularly teaches at photography conferences like WPPI. He also has his own educational platform, Boca Academy, both online and in-person and teaches course such as Winning with Workflows, and the Embrace Workshop, which brings photographers to exotic locations to learn how to have successful destination shoots.

[Read: Tips for Boudoir Photography Success from Shawn Black]

The core of Brown’s success is in setting goals. By setting a goal for his yearly income, his number of shoots, and the minimum income from each shoot, Brown is able to stay on track with achieving those goals, and he also teaches other photographers to do the same. Another part of Brown’s equation for success is maximizing leads.

Brown says, “Booking new clients requires you to spend more time shooting, but you can take that $5,000 or $6,000 wedding and turn it into an $8,000 to $12,000 wedding just with simple automations giving customers an option to add on more. I continuously tell the students in my classes to never give people the option to pay you less money. . .but always give them the option to pay you more.”

[Read: Increase Your Sales Average By Transforming Your Mindset]

Through workflow automation, Brown increases his earning opportunities by always offering his clients the option to add in genres, such as boudoir, as well as additional products and services.

You can learn more about Andre Brown’s photography and educational offerings at Andre Brown Photography, and you can view some of his award-winning photography in the Weddings, Maternity, and Movement categories in The Portrait Masters Awards Gallery.

The Portrait System Podcast helps portrait photographers navigate the world of photography, business, money, and much more. Hosted by Nikki Closser, the podcast is powered by The Portrait System, a comprehensive, online educational platform that teaches all aspects of running a successful portrait photography studio.