One of the most common questions we receive, after we’ve told people what we do, and where we’re from, is a puzzled “How did you meet?”
Because when one of you lives in Texas, and one of you lives in Alberta, it can be a little puzzling how you came to be BFF Biz Partners.
Christine, Vivid & Brave Alumni Charisse Rhodes, Jeff and Stephanie in Denver, CO, July 2012. Photo by Katrina Meyer
Though we knew of each other when we were both working as Fast Track Photographer local group leaders, our official introduction came while we were in Vegas in 2011, at a big photography conference there, after a class with Me Ra Koh. A friend and I walked up to the front of the room, where Christine happened to be standing with Jeff Jochum (the big player in this story, really), who knew the friend I was with. Introductions were exchanged, and we carried on with our day.
A few weeks later, I emailed Christine to ask her for some advice on how to spend an influx of cash that was coming into my photography business. I was either going to have my website redone, or hire a business coach. Christine suggested I hire Jeff. I started working with him in April of 2011. Over time, we became mentors, and then coaches in Team X, Jeff’s awesome crew of coaches working with creative personal service providers to bring specialism into their business. You’ll often hear us talking about how important it is to build a business around who you are, instead of what you do, and the man who taught us that was Jeff.
I mention this because all of that also resulted in our stories of transformation using specialism in our businesses being featured in Jeff’s book, Work Happily Ever-After: Photographer Edition. And for this week only, you can get a free digital copy of the book. Go here to download your free copy!
We also are giving away an autographed copy of the first edition of the book, which is no longer available for purchase in paper format. Want one? Leave a comment here with how you met your best friend! We’ll draw names on Saturday morning and contact the winner directly.
Things You Should Know Thursdays was inspired by a Vivid & Brave journaling prompt that our Business coaching clients do – “Things you should know if we’re going to be BFFs”. If you share a thing I should know about you, be sure to come back here and leave a comment so I can link to you too! The hashtag for social media is #TYSKT.
Stephanie Ostermann
I’m a communicator. That’s a PC way of saying I like to talk, but I also spend a lot of my time listening, and over the years, I’ve developed a sense for subtext – how one or two words can change your entire message, what people are really trying to say and how to weave the varied layers of your story into one cohesive brand message that your clients fall in love with.
When I'm not acting as editor in chief for Vivid & Brave, you can find me geeking out over words here.
Latest posts by Stephanie Ostermann (see all)
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- You Don’t Have to Be Friends With Your Ex (Or His New Wife) - November 23, 2016
- Grief & Landlines - September 20, 2016
