The Everyday Entrepreneur Podcast

#9: From wedding photography to scaling online: How one photographer built a pandemic-proof business

Episode 9

Episode Summary:

On this week’s episode of the podcast I have Steven De Cuba, who is a branding expert and an amazing wedding and branding photographer. We talk all about promoting and growing your brand on social media, the power of being live on Instagram, and why you will never feel ready to start your business so why not just start today! 

You Don’t Want to Miss…

03:20 – An introduction to Steven De Cuba

11:42 – Building confidence as a new wedding photographer

17:22 – Adjusting your business to new environments

21:34 – Using social media to grow your personal brand

29:20 – Promoting your business on social media

37:52 – The formula for a successful Instagram Live and how this will set you apart from others

Grab your freebies:

• Solidify your business idea - Business Action Guide

• Automate your business - Checklist of 7 Tools For Starting a Business Checklist

Word-for-Word Episode Transcript:

Hi! I'm Holly Knoll, host of the Everyday Entrepreneur Podcast. If you've always wanted to start a business and don't know where or how to start, you've come to the right place. After leaving an unfulfilling corporate career, I decided it was time to start a business of my own.

Today, I'm a business coach and creator of The Consultant Code, where I help people start services-based businesses in 60 days or less. So grab your latte because you're about to be inspired, armed with knowledge, and given simple tools to start a business of your own from my interviews with everyday entrepreneurs.

Holly Knoll:
We are live here today on the Everyday Entrepreneur Podcast! I guess we're not really live.. this was prerecorded. BUT I'm live in this moment with Steven de Cuba, who is a branding expert, photographer extraordinaire, and I am so thrilled to have you today on the podcast. So, Steven, why don't you go ahead and introduce your amazing self and tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.

Steven de Cuba:
Oh, wow. I am just smiling from that intro. Hey, Holly. How are you? Thank you for having me. I am so excited to be here, and I'm happy to chat today. So, as you said, my name is Steven de Cuba and, no, I am not from Cuba. I am actually from Aruba, and I was born and raised in Aruba, and right now, I am based in The Netherlands. And, yes, I'm a wedding and branding photographer, and I help busy creatives build a personal brand on social media so that they can turn their passion into a profitable business. That is what I do.

Holly Knoll:
Wow. Okay. You clearly are so energetic about what it is that you do. In fact, I was on your podcast maybe a month or two ago now, and I just remember smiling the whole time because even though people can't see us today, you just exude so much energy for what you do and your passion for your work clearly comes across. I’m always so inspired when we chat because you’ve truly found a groove and you truly do love what you do, which a lot of people out there cannot say the same. It comes across so clear.

Okay. So Steven de Cuba from Aruba. Tell us a little bit about your journey. How did you arrive from a small island nation to Europe, and how and where did you find your passion for helping others with branding and photography?

Steven de Cuba:
Right, so how much time do we have? I'm going to try to make it really short and to the point. But it all started in 2012. In 2012, my dad was a photographer. I was just a student. I went to school, just like a normal kid. He bought a new camera, and something told me that I want to grab his old camera, so that is exactly what I did. I grabbed his old camera, I went on YouTube, and I started watching YouTube tutorials around photography, and I loved it. I watched this camera and it felt like it was my baby. I started to exploring and started taking pictures of everything in front of me, and I slowly started to really like it.

Fast forward to 2016, I had the opportunity to make my photography my full-time job in Aruba, and this happened because I started exploring different types of photography. I did wedding photography, I did family photo shoots, I did events, I did parties, I did everything that you could imagine. And the one thing that really stood out for me was wedding photography because I don't know what it is about weddings, but there's something so special during that day and the fact that the couple is choosing me as the one that is going to document their precious memories and their heirloom, their family heirloom that they're going to share with their kids and this is going to be forever. The fact that they choose me as their photographer, for me, that was a big thing.

I started exploring wedding photography. As you said, I was living in Aruba, but something about Aruba is that it is really small. We're a small island. We only have around 120,000 people. From one point to the other point of the island is 35 minutes driving. So you can imagine, it's a really small island. No, I'm just kidding. It's not 35. It's maybe 45. I give them 10 extra minutes. But the island is really small so the opportunities there are not big. There's not too much opportunity, especially for creatives. So I got opportunity to move to The Netherlands, and the reason for this is because Aruba was part of The Netherlands Antilles or is part of The Netherlands Antilles, which means that we are part of the Dutch kingdom, which means that our system in Aruba is the Dutch system. So the schools, the exams, all the laws, everything is from The Netherlands, which means that as students we get a lot of benefits from the government here in The Netherlands. So that is why I came here.

Anyways, I'm taking too long with this story. The point I am trying to make is that when I came here, I also wanted to continue with my passion for photography. I knew that I found something that I want to grow. I want to make it something big. I wanted to do something with my passion, but I didn't know how. I didn't know what to do. I didn't have the coach. I didn't have someone that could take me by the hand and give me exactly what I need to do in order to make it happen. But, as I told you, I was passionate, I was excited to do this, so nothing could stop me at that moment. So I came here to The Netherlands in 2016 to start my business degree, to pursue my business degree. I gave myself one year to actually start my business. So in 2017, I started my own business here in The Netherlands as a photographer.

I completely am focused on wedding photography, and by 2018, one year in business, I was named as one of the best wedding photographers in the Hague. My work has been published in The Knot, in La Champanera, in Focus Magazine, in The Perfect Wedding, so different magazines have started to recognize my work and publish it and my name was everywhere and they started interviewing me. I was like, "Okay, what is happening over here?" In short, I took my passion for photography, which I didn't know what I wanted to do back then in 2012, and with experience, with the passion that I have and the commitment and just showing from a place of integrity gave me what I have today.

And that is, I think, one of the biggest lesson.

If you want to take something out of this story it’s that it's not a matter of if you know everything that you need in order to make it happen. It's about how you show up. It's about who you are, who you choose to be, and how you choose to think about life, about the business. Because what I believe in is how you think about business, that is exactly what is possible for you.

Holly Knoll:
Oh, alright! Well, we can end the podcast now. You just tied everything up-

Steven de Cuba:
Dropped the mic, yeah.

Holly Knoll:
... into a neat little bow and we're good, people, we are good to go.

Steven de Cuba:
So I will see you guys next week. Thank you.

Holly Knoll:
Yeah, yeah. You're invited to come back any time now. You get a repeat customer, repeat podcast guest kind of badge right now.

When I do podcasts, I usually take notes on things that people say as they're speaking that really stand out that I want to circle back on. You said a couple of things that really stood out to me, is, first, you dove right into ... You saw that camera and it was kind of like, "Pick me up, pick me up," and you did. You picked it up and you figured it out, and, boom, you jumped into shooting people's weddings.

So I want to just unpack a little bit there because I think we hear these photographers' success stories out there and I'm always curious. What really happened? How did you get confident to shoot a wedding, and, to your point, the most important day of someone's life, a high-stakes, high-pressure event, as somebody that was just starting out? How did you build that confidence to be like, "yep, I am the person to do this and I'm going to do it better than anyone else I know?" How did you get to that point?

Steven de Cuba:
Well, I wish it was exactly that at the moment that I started, but it wasn't because when I started, it was like, "Oh my goodness, what I'm going to do?" But I do have to say that I didn't immediately go to photograph a wedding because, as you said, this is something really big and it's something special. If you mess it up, there's no repeating. It's not like, oh, we're going to do the photo shoot again. No, it's one-time thing, so it's a big thing. So I didn't go immediately as the main photographer. I started connecting with different other photographers in my area and wedding photographers that I used to look at as one of the best wedding photographers in Aruba. I approached them and I said, "You know what? I'm a photographer. This is what I do as a hobby, but I'd like to grow. I would like to grow from there."

Steven de Cuba:
Of course, I positioned myself as a help for these people, for these photographers. I told them, "Hey, you know what? Next time you have a wedding, I want to go and I want to assist you. I want to help you at a wedding." The reason why I did this is because I knew I wanted to work in this industry but I didn't know how to do it, so I knew that I just want to hang around with people that are doing this. And by doing that, I can look at what all those people are doing and how they are implementing all these things and how I can make it my own.

Steven de Cuba:
I wish I could've started immediately with photographing wedding and being confident doing this, but it is a process, and I believe everything in our life is a process. I am so happy that I went through all this process, even though sometimes it feels like, "Oh my goodness, is this ever going to work? Am I ever going to make this work?" Then you look back, as now sitting back here, I look back, I can say, "You know what? I had to go through all the things that I went through in order to get to this point," right? And in order for me to get to the other points of the things that I want to achieve, I need to go through other things, new experiences, explore new areas in my business, too. To your point, to answer your question, I didn't start immediately on my own because that was a scary thing to do. But I start approaching other peers in my industry and see how can we work together. How can I be value to you but at the same time get value from them as well?

Holly Knoll:
Yes. You were providing value to them. Were you a second shooter then or-

Steven de Cuba:
Yeah.

Steven de Cuba:
I started first just as his assistant, so holding lights, holding stands, making sure they're getting the right lens. So let's say, for example, the photographer's working with two different cameras and he needs to change the lens, I go and change the lens and all of that. And from there, we upgraded my position, and then I went as the second photographer, I worked directly together, and then after that they trust me enough to, "Okay, you can go to this one, I go to this one," and then from there you start really building slowly and slowly from there. Then I got to the point that I was completely booked, that I didn't needed to work for someone else, right?

Holly Knoll:
Right, right. You were able to build up your own credibility and your own platform-

Steven de Cuba:
Exactly.

Holly Knoll:
... in terms of being independent. But it sounds like the key there is, regardless of what industry somebody wants to start in, and I've learned this myself as well, is it's key to surround yourself with people that are doing what you want to do and who are a few steps ahead of you so that you can learn from them. That sounds like that's what you did when you were first starting out. You were like, "Okay, I want to be there. Who are people that are there and how can I surround myself by them so I can learn everything there is to learn, so then I can eventually grow and be there." Now, you've surpassed that growth and you've developed and started to do other things, which we'll get to.

I think that's such a key thing, is surrounding yourself with the people that are doing what you eventually want to do-

Steven de Cuba:
Yeah, I could not agree more.

Holly Knoll:
... and reaching out to collaborate. Not only were they benefiting from your skills and your extra helping hands, but you were also highly benefiting from their expertise, so it was a win-win.

Steven de Cuba:
Exactly. And, also, what happened is that sometimes when that photographer wasn't available to shoot a wedding, he would just send it to me. He's like, "Hey, I might not be available, but this guy, I've worked with him different time, here it is." And, boom, I got an extra client. So that is exactly what our listeners right now can take away from this episode as well, is that even if you don't have clients, my friend, all you have to do is take action. Go out there, reach out to people, connect to people, and do the work. Because you can stay there and say, "I don't have portfolio, I don't have testimonials," or you can choose to go out there and work and do the work and actually get what you need in order to go there, in order to get there.

Holly Knoll:
Yes. Yes. Yes. The opportunities are out there. I think we have to put ourselves in that situation and put ourselves out there. No matter how scary or no matter how many people might say no, if we never put ourselves out there ... And this is cliché and may come across as common knowledge, but it is so important as business owners to get comfortable with asking and putting your ask out there and saying, "This is what I have to offer. Does anyone need help with this?" To your point, you did that and you started getting referrals sent your way. Your business started to explode and grow until finally you were kind of tapped out in Aruba and you're like, "Okay, I did this, I need a new challenge."

Holly Knoll:
So off to The Netherlands you went. What keeps going through my head is, wow, that had to be quite a different landscape and backdrop in terms of photography and culture and people, the way they do business. So tell me about how that transition was, literally going from a beautiful island nation to a Northern European country. How did you transition, and how did you still make your business relevant there?

Steven de Cuba:
Ooh, yeah. So, so good.

Steven de Cuba:
Well, here's the thing. When I first moved to The Netherlands, I came here and I didn't know anyone. I do have a brother that lives here, but he lives three hours away by train or by car. Basically, he doesn't live here. He lives pretty far away. So, yes, I am here on my own, and when I came here, it was my first moving out from my parents' house, it was my first time living alone, it was my first time being in The Netherlands. So, for me, it was like, "Ooh, what do I do now?" That moment, I had to think back as when I first started. When I first started, what I did is just reach out to more people, and that is exactly what I did. Because as I just told you, when I didn't have a portfolio, I just reach out to people to get more portfolio, so that's exactly what I did here.

Steven de Cuba:
But I did it more a different way. I did a giveaway photo shoot, so just gave a couple of couples engagement photo shoot, and from there, I built my portfolio. Then I told them, "Tell your friends or if you're having a friend that is engaged, tell them, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." Like that, it started to go. Again, it started by referral. But what I realized is that I cannot sustain. That is not scalable. I cannot grow my business only by referral. I have to find something different, something more powerful. And that is the power of social media. That is where social media came into this whole business that I tried to make.

Holly Knoll:
Let me pause you there for one second because some photographers are just fine taking photos and being referral-only basis. I think you might underestimate your desire to do something bigger and to reach more people. So what was it inside you that was like, "I love photography, this is great, but I want more and I want a bigger impact?" Why did you want that, and what was driving you to take on a new aspect of your business?

Steven de Cuba:
Yeah, so what I realized is that the clients that I was getting, I am so thankful for them, of course, and I appreciate that they took the time to trust me and they invested in my business, but at the same time, they weren't really the client that I wanted to work with. They really weren't the client that would take my portfolio to the level that I want to take my portfolio. What I realized is that everyone could be a photographer. Everyone could get a camera, they could go to a course, and they'd know, and, boom, you're a photographer. You have a degree in photography. But not everyone can make their photography passion a business, and that is something that I believe that sets me apart from my competition. Because I am not only a photographer, I am a business owner that offers wedding photography or branding photography services, and that is two different things right there.

Steven de Cuba:
Because what I realized is that before I was just counting or just depending on word of mouth, but those weren't really the people that had the budget that I wanted to work with, right? They weren't really the people that were investing so much money in their wedding to really have a high-end wedding because I wanted to serve those high-end weddings. But in order for me to get there, I needed to start do different things in my business, and I needed to start positioning myself in that high-end market. How did I do it? I used social media to grow me as a personal brand, as a representation of my business, and from there, I grew, I kept on marketing my photography business. But the key here is that people are not buying me because I shoot with Canon or because I shoot with Nikon or because I shoot with Sony. They are investing in my business because they want Steven de Cuba as their photographer, and that is just branding. That is just personal branding.

Holly Knoll:
Okay. I love, love this topic because I think this goes for anyone that offers a service. For product-based businesses, it's a little bit different because that is a different approach to finding an ideal customer. But you're right, when you offer a service like photography, coaching, online classes, or any sort of done-for-you service or anything where you're teaching people or your face is behind what you're delivering, it's so important to stand out. You're right, it's not about the camera you use, it's about you. And so how does somebody who offers a services-based business ... So I work with people who want to start freelancing businesses. How does a freelancer stand out from other freelancers, and what are some easy ways to do that that you think maybe a lot of people don't take enough advantage of when it comes to offering yourself and differentiating yourself from your competition?

Steven de Cuba:
Yeah, beautiful. I think that the first thing that came into my mind was that it is not about you. As a business owner, it's not about you. That is something that sometimes it is really a hard pill to swallow for some people because they say, "Oh, but Steven, it is. I'm building a personal brand. I'm supposed to talk about me. I'm supposed to show my face. It's supposed to be about me, right?" Well, yes, in that sense that you are using yourself as a representation of your brand, yes, it is about you. But at the end, the only reason why people would buy from your brand is because of them, the results you give to them, the transformation you give to them.

Steven de Cuba:
So, going back to your question, how can someone that is trying to be a freelancer to use social media to grow their freelance business, it's understanding that you are going to use social media as a medium to help your audience, to help your ideal customer, to serve them as much as you can, to position yourself as the authority. It is not about, "Oh, look, I have this Lamborghini or I have this big house or I have I don't know how many millions you have in your bank account." That is beautiful. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing because I will love to have all these things, too. But the problem here is that a lot of people think that those are the factors that determine if you are successful or if you are not a success. But I'm here to tell you that you are the one that determine what is success for you. I don't even know if I answered your question, but I think-

Holly Knoll:
Yes, you did. You differentiate yourself by showing up for your ideal client and making your business ... Yes, it's about you because you're running the business, but outwardly facing, it is about our customers and our clients, always, always, because without them, there is no business, right?

Steven de Cuba:
Yeah.

Holly Knoll:
Let's go back to your journey just a little bit more. You wanted to reach more people, and you wanted to stand out from your competition and really grow a scalable business that went beyond referrals in the photography industry. So tell us, how did you get into the social media piece and teaching people about how to use it to grow their business?

Steven de Cuba:
Awesome. Yeah, sure. So what happened is that I ... Honestly, it started really before I moved to The Netherlands that I started using social media for business. But back then, I didn't know I was actually using it for business. By that time, Facebook pages were really popular, so I said, "Okay, I'm going to start my Facebook page." So I started my Facebook page and in there is where I was putting all of my photos that were taken, my portfolio, my job, and people started to like it and they're starting to share with their family and they started sharing with their friends and they started talking about it. Slowly, people started to get to know more about me. So I was like, "Huh, this platform is for free. I am using it for free, and I'm getting paid because I'm using it to market my business." So I'm like, "Okay, I need to figure this out more."

Steven de Cuba:
So I just kept on doing it. I just kept on posting with no strategy, just for the fun of posting. But as you grow, as you're still in the business, you're exploring, you realize that, "Yeah, we should actually make a strategy from this," because I was running in circles at a certain point, right? At a certain point, if you don't have a strategy, if you don't know what you're doing and why you are doing it, it's like, "Okay, let me just do it for the sake of doing." But the moment change when I realized is that I needed to make a change, I needed to create a strategy, I needed to have a structure. So I started to work on that structure and slowly with the help of ... Of course, I invested in education, I invested in different coaches, and from there I have broadened my knowledge as well.

Steven de Cuba:
So right now, as I previously said, is that I have used social media in different ways that has helped me grow my brand. Now, I have completely created a strategy that I use and that has proven that has worked, and now I have converted this strategy into an online program that I serve other people to do exactly what I do as well. So I'm not trying to pitch here because my doors are closed, but my program does that. My program helps creative entrepreneurs take their passion and turn this passion into a profitable business, and we do this on social media by using different social media channels. I have a strategy how you can be more consistent, how you can spend less time on social media, but at the end you get real and tangible results. Those are the most important things that I focus on.

Holly Knoll:
Along those lines, one thing people might be thinking as you're talking about just building your brand and building your business presence using social media online ... And this is something I've thought as well because some of the teachers I've learned from ... We have a common person that we both learned from, Jasmine Star, she's a photographer. It feels like photographers definitely with Instagram being so visually, they definitely have been at an advantage. Professional photos, for a time, were doing really well on Instagram. People were going crazy over them. I think that some of that's bounced back where people are now appreciating more real photos and people being real versus the heavily filtered stuff.

Holly Knoll:
But what would you say to somebody that's not a photographer, that isn't necessarily in a visual type of business? What is one simple branding strategy or tip that you would give them to help them start moving in the right direction of representing their business online? What's just one simple way to make them more confident if they're not a photographer?

Steven de Cuba:
Well, I would start by saying that it is beautiful to have a beautiful curated feed, but I don't think that is the only reason or that is the main reason why someone would buy. I think it is important to have a beautiful feed because most of the time, the people that will see this feed are a cold audience, the one that will stumble upon your account for the first time, and it's beautiful to have that in order to serve them. However, I believe that you can have the most beautiful feed out there, but if you're not communicating your message, if you're not serving your audience, and if you're not creating content that actually attracts your ideal customer, then what's the point of having a beautiful feed, right?

Steven de Cuba:
So what I would say is just show up. Show up and do the work because a lot of people don't show up because they tell themselves these type of stories. "I'm not ready yet. I am not an authority. I don't think I have enough followers, or I don't have too much time for this." Honestly, all I hear is excuses. And I'm sorry that sometimes I can be really rough around the edges, but that is exactly what I hear. All I hear is excuses. You don't have to have a lot of followers to grow a brand online because how many people do we know that have 10k, 20k followers and they are still not profitable? And on the other hand, some people say, "I don't have enough authority to do it," or, "I don't have enough permission." Well, my question to you is how do you know when you have enough authority? How do you-

Holly Knoll:
Who are you waiting for to give you the permission.

Steven de Cuba:
Exactly.

Holly Knoll:
Anyone but yourself, right?

Steven de Cuba:
Exactly. Exactly. No one is going to knock on your door and tell you, "Hey, right now is the right time. Now you have enough permission. Now you have enough authority." No one is going to do that. So going back to the photography part of do you have to have a really nice feed, no, but it adds to your brand. Now, how can you show up in a different way on social media if you're not a photographer? Well, I would say start doing the uncomfortable thing, and this might rub again, people, really rough around the edges, because doing the uncomfortable things is scary and not a lot of people do it. But these are the things that are going to bring real and tangible results.

Steven de Cuba:
For example, going live, going live on Instagram or going live on Facebook. These things make a lot of people uncomfortable, but let me tell you, going live on social media, going live on Instagram or on Facebook, is the most effective way to create relationship and to grow your know, like, and trust factor online. It is so easy for your audience to grow so much trust in you when you show up live because then you are real, you're authentic, and you're showing up from your real self, from that position. I think that is the most powerful thing that someone can do today on social media, especially on Instagram and Facebook. Hands down, Instagram live ... If you even don't want to post anything, you don't want to go on Stories, whatever, go live. If you want to do one thing, go live. You will see a lot of results from there.

Holly Knoll:
Well, I will be going live more. Full disclosure, I am somebody that ... I'm not necessarily nervous about going on video because I can do multiple edits and retakes. But you're right, live is live. I had this idea like, "I want to go live weekly in the morning drinking coffee." I know somebody else who does that. Jasmine does a great job doing that. It's still something that I have had in the back of my mind to offer. Go in with a plan, this is what I'm going to talk about today.

Holly Knoll:
And I think having a plan, for anybody that feels nervous about doing anything on social media, and you've talked about being prepared and having a strategy, that helps ease the nerves and makes things feel less awkward and uncomfortable. It doesn't have to be a fancy plan. Okay, so I'm going to be accountable here, and I'm going to sign up right now to start my weekly Instagram lives. Everybody, you heard it here, and why not start it ...

Steven de Cuba:
Yes. Yes.

Holly Knoll:
All right. Why not start tomorrow? It's Friday. That's a nice, easy day where people want to be distracted anyway. So, okay, Steven, you-

Steven de Cuba:
Yep, I love it.

Holly Knoll:
You can hold me accountable.

Steven de Cuba:
Tomorrow, I'll be on your Instagram.

Holly Knoll:
Please. Please do. That's a fear that I think so many people have, is what if no one shows up? Do I just hang up and pretend it never happened? No, you keep going and you keep showing up.

Steven de Cuba:
Yeah, you keep going.

Holly Knoll:
Because next week, maybe two people will come. Next week, maybe 10. Maybe next week 20. But I think what always has helped me just when I'm feeling nervous is coming in with a plan and being prepared. So tomorrow I'm going to have three points that I want to talk about in a casual way, but that will just help me feel like I'm not just grasping for anything that comes to mind and being all over the place because I think people-

Steven de Cuba:
The beauty of this is that going live and talking one specific topic, is that it gives you the opportunity to talk about your business without having to sell your business, right? And people see. I've done live for a long time, and people reach out and they'll tell me, "I don't know what it is about your energy, but I just love tuning into you." And you have said it when we first started this episode, right? So I get it, and let me tell you, it works, it works. You can take one really cold audience that has no idea who you are, they see one live video, and, boom, they feel like they know you, they feel like they trust you, and they want to know more about you. When you get these people on your feed, these are the easiest one to turn into a paying customers.

Holly Knoll:
I love it, Steven. So go live, go live, go live.

Steven de Cuba:
Yeah.

Holly Knoll:
Simple trick. Easy? Maybe not. But simple, yes. And platforms like Instagram and Facebook make it easy, but I think coming in with a plan and just having some kind of framework as something to fall back on could help somebody that's more of a beginner. And you're right, your energy, while you do post gorgeous photos of your work ... Everybody, go to Steven's Instagram. Because I've already told Steven, when COVID ends and I feel comfortable flying overseas again, I'm coming to The Netherlands, which I've never been to before, and we're going to meet in person, and we're going to do photos.

Steven de Cuba:
Yes, I am ready for it.

Holly Knoll:
Yes. It's your energy that I think sets you apart and that makes me want to be in a photo shoot with you because I know you could make me feel comfortable. I know I would feel comfortable. Also, your words with captions, anyone can write words and captions that say the right thing, but when you're live and you say the words with feeling and give anecdotes or background stories, that just gives so much more to the bottom line, which is the know, like, and trust factor, which is ultimately what's going to, to your point, convert people into customers. So go live, everyone.

Steven de Cuba:
Yes, yes. And here's a structure.

Holly Knoll:
You will see me live tomorrow. Yes.

Steven de Cuba:
Yes, I'm ready for it.

Holly Knoll:
Oh yeah, give us-

Steven de Cuba:
Let's do a structure. Let's say, for example, they can start with the intro, and in the intro, when we create content, I like to think about, "Okay, so what is the big takeaway of this content," right? Let's say, for example, tomorrow Holly is going on live, you're going to do 10 minutes. Let's say for 10 minutes, it could be 15, it could be 30, whatever. But how you can do it is intro, you highlight the pain point of your audience and then you present the problem. And the body of the live session is solution number one, solution number two, solution number three. You end it up with a call to action, it could be like this video or share this live session with your friends or text someone that needs to hear this or share it on your story, whatever it is. Simple, intro with your pain point, three points that helps give a solution to that pain point, and a call to action. Easy than that.

Holly Knoll:
Love it. Okay. That is the formula. Okay, go live, first of all, decide about how long you want to be on live. Come up with the big takeaway that you want your audience to take away and learn. Come up with three solutions or ideas that contribute to alleviating the pain point. And a call to action. I think call to actions are so important because this is the chance to promote your lead magnet, anything free that you want to give away, have people go visit your website, have people sign up for something and build your email list. So this is a structure for anyone ... Well, this will air after I go live, but I'm going to comment to doing Friday lives, and this is the structure I'll be following. So you guys can take notes and continue the-

Steven de Cuba:
And hold you accountable.

Holly Knoll:
Yeah, and hold me accountable. But then what I love most about social media platforms is just the conversations that happen in the DMs, all of the people that will ping you on the side like, "Hey," whatever it is. I love having the DM conversations so much because I think that's where I learn a lot more about people who are following me, what people want, what they like, what they don't like, and that is such a valuable tool for learning. I don't know. Yeah.

Steven de Cuba:
Yeah. DM are so, so, so powerful. I can actually share an experience that I had really recently that I launch my program and my DM strategy worked. It was just, as you said, reaching out via DM to your potential customers. Here's what I've noticed that really caught my attention, is that a lot of people were ready to join into my program but just that personal attention that I gave them one-on-one via DM, that's what they needed. In one day, in just me spending one to two hours online, I converted five people via DM. So this shows, this is proof that we can use Instagram DM, Instagram strategy as a way to convert our followers into paying customers, right?

Steven de Cuba:
This is so powerful. As you said, sometimes you might show up on Instagram live and there might be no one there. There might no one tuning in. But they might look at the replay, and someone may be touched by it. Maybe they didn't engage, but next time you show up, maybe they get a notification, "Hey, Steven or Holly is live, go watch it," and they go watch it. That is how slowly you build consistency, you build momentum, and people know, "Oh, Holly is going live again on Friday. Oh, Friday, tea with Holly, coffee with Holly, whatever, cocktail with Holly."

Holly Knoll:
Cocktail. It could be a happy hour, too, come to think about it.

Steven de Cuba:
Hey, it's Friday.

Holly Knoll:
Yeah, exactly. Oh, that's an idea. It could be happy hour. I will test out a couple different strategies. And with happy hour, I probably will be much more direct or much more ... Could be more chatty.

Steven de Cuba:
And when you go live, it's probably after 5:00 PM where I'm at, so I'll join you with my cocktail in hand.

Holly Knoll:
True.

Steven de Cuba:
So we'll do it.

Holly Knoll:
Yes, yes. It'll be midnight for you. Well, Steven, this has been brilliant. You have given so much value in this short amount of time. I can't thank you enough. I hope you at least help a significant amount of people who listen to this podcast at least feel comfortable going live, trying something new to promote their business, especially if they're just starting out. Or I've been in business five years, and I'm still awkward when it comes to lives. So I am taking a personal pledge to continue growing myself.

Holly Knoll:
But just to highlight a few things that I love that you said, to wrap us all up, is I love what you said about surround yourself with people who are doing what you want to do. So back in your early days as a photographer, you jumped right in and you took initiative and learned, and that shortened your learning curve as well, right? That helped you get up to speed and ready to go for prime time with your own weddings much faster than trying to bumble around and figure it out all alone.

Steven de Cuba:
Yep.

Holly Knoll:
Right? Connect, reach out to people, collaborate, and do the work and not expect people to come knock on your door and say, "Hey, want to work together?" Get out there. Reach out. You really talked a lot about investing in education and learning from other people online who are doing what you want to do. I know that you've done a lot of that work, and I wholeheartedly agree. That's where I've learned so much of what I know when it comes to running a business, is by just learning from others online as well, signing up for their programs. While a feed can be beautiful on Instagram, that is not the only way and isn't the only way to show up and stand out. But, rather, come on live, and we've talked about lives now a lot, but how just adding personal touch and being on video can just really get people to know who you are and can get them to really want to convert and work with you because they love your style and personality.

Holly Knoll:
Is there anything else that we didn't cover today that you would love to share or talk about?

Steven de Cuba:
I think as we are wrapping this episode, I just wanted to end up with this, which is that right now we have given you some ways that you can do. You can use Instagram live. We're giving you structure and everything. You can go right now and run with what you have and make it happen. However, a lot of people would still say that, "You know what, Steven? Yeah, I have these things, but I still feel like that I am not ready." And to that, I would have to say, I will love to say that, my friends, being ready is a choice.

Steven de Cuba:
Today you have the opportunity to choose that you are ready to show up for your biggest goal or you have the opportunity to choose to highlight all the excuses why right now is not the time. You have that opportunity right now in your hand, and you are the only person that can make that happen. All I'm asking you today is to make a choice. What is it going to be for you? What are you going to choose to do today? How are you going to choose to show up today in your life to make the things that you want to achieve happen? What is it going to be for you? What is your choice?

Steven de Cuba:
With that, I want to end.

Holly Knoll:
Love it. And I would just say to that, yes, that is what I would say and I hope anybody that is sitting in their cube at work wanting to get out, feeling stuck, not knowing where they want to go in life but knowing they are meant for more, to make that choice and decide that you're ready to take your life by the horns and do something that you love because it's too short. And I agree, start before you're ready and make the choice to be ready. I couldn't agree more. That's something I hear all the time, "But I'm not ready to start a business." I agree. Start before you're ready. Make the choice. And where can people find you online and experience you showing up on social?

Steven de Cuba:
Well, I like to make things really easy, so you can find me everywhere on social media or on my website by searching for Steven de Cuba. So it is stevendecuba.com, Steven de Cuba on Instagram, Steven de Cuba on Facebook. What else do I have? Steven de Cuba on LinkedIn, Steven de Cuba everywhere. So really easy, Steven de Cuba, and there's where you will find me.

Holly Knoll:
Thank you, Steven, for being here today. Thank you everyone for tuning in. Thank you for listening. I am so excited to see where your business goes, Steven, and I can't wait for our photo shoot in The Netherlands someday soon. So thank you so much for being here.

Steven de Cuba:
All thanks to you.

Holly Knoll:
And there you have it. Steven, thank you so much for being on The Everyday Entrepreneur Podcast. We so appreciate your nuggets of wisdom and for sharing this special solution on what to do and how to approach Facebook lives, which can be terrifying. So, friend, if you are thinking of starting a business and you don't feel quite ready, I get it, but ready, like Steven said, is a choice. Either you're ready, you choose to be ready, or you choose not to be ready. And so I am going to urge you today to choose ready.

Holly Knoll:
I have a free download, like I mentioned in the beginning of the podcast, that can help you feel even just a little bit more ready to start your business. So head on over to hollyknoll.com/free and grab your free Business Action Guide, and in six easy steps, you will have solidified your business idea. So thank you again for being here on the Everyday Entrepreneur Podcast, and I look forward to seeing and hearing from you. Let me know what you thought of this podcast. Let's connect on social and keep in touch. Until the next time, we'll see you soon.

Holly Knoll:
I'm truly grateful to you. Make sure to stop by my website, and you can subscribe there to the show in iTunes, Stitcher, or via RSS so you'll never miss an episode. And while you're at it, if you found value in this show, I'd love your rating on iTunes. Or if you'd simply tell a friend about the show, that would mean the world. Finally, check out my free guides to starting a business at hollyknoll.com/free, and be sure to tune in two weeks from today for my next episode. Until next time, keep taking action to build your business.

Find Steven At…

Website – https://www.stevendecuba.com/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/stevendecuba/

Facebook –  https://www.facebook.com/StevendeCubaPage/

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