In collaboration with Savoir Collab, we introduce you to:
Jacqueline Patton
Jacqueline Patton Photography
IG – weddings & personal: @jacquelinepattonphoto
IG – portraits: @jacqueline_patton_headshots
FB: /jacquelinepattonphoto
Email: jacqpatton@gmail.com
What is the name of your business and what type of business is it? How long have you been in business and who is your ideal client?
Jacqueline Patton Photography. I officially started my photography business in 2012 – I mainly shoot weddings and portraiture/lifestyle. My ideal client is someone who is fashion-forward and doesn’t take themselves too seriously…someone who would rather meet me out for happy hour than in an office. My ideal client is someone I’d be real friends with in actual life – and many times, it ends up that way.
So you’re a mompreneur, eh? How old are your children and what are their names?
I have a 5 year old boy and a 7 year old girl.
Speaking of momming and being an entrepreneur, what would you say is the most challenging thing about being a working mama? What is the most rewarding?
Guilt. I feel guilty all the time. That is the biggest challenge. When I’m not out shooting, I’m working from home, and it often feels like I always have one foot in the pool (the pool being my computer). Setting boundaries can be hard when it feels like you have to be everything for everyone at all times. It’s something I’m working on. I shoot bi-coastally and have to often travel between LA and NYC – I don’t mind traveling, but I hate leaving my family. On the flip side, the most rewarding thing about being a momprenuer is that I can arrange most days around my kids’ schedule, and sneak work in when they are at school or asleep. I can still drop them off and pick them up and be with them day-to-day when I’m not traveling. Also – my husband reminds me that it’s so valuable for the kids to see their mother create something for herself – and to see that you don’t have to stop having personal ambitions when you enter motherhood.
A #SAVOIRMompreneur is seasoned, refined, confident, graceful and intuitive. What does this look like in your everyday life?
Well, I don’t ever leave the house without at least tinted moisturizer on. And lip gloss! I feel naked without them. 😉 I tend to be good at juggling a lot of things at once, but I sometimes take on more than is good for me, so I’ve been meditating for the past year or two and it has actually made such a difference in the way I react to things. And it reminds me that it’s ok to take care of myself, too. The hustle is a necessary part of being a momprenuer, but sometimes you have to allow yourself to shut it off for a bit. I also try to make time at the end of the day to have a glass of wine and have me time.
What’s your best advice to female business owners looking to start and/or grow a family?
If you want a family, go for it. You can never replace that desire with anything else. The business will work itself out. You’ll find a way. I did the opposite of most people I know – I actually launched my photography business right after my daughter was born. I had previously worked in Marketing, and then in bridal fashion for a designer in New York. But when my daughter was born, my husband asked me, “what do you REALLY want to do?” He said that if I wanted to stay home with the baby, that was totally fine. But, on the contrary, I was determined to have something outside of motherhood that also fueled me. My business started as a side-gig in the beginning, and by my 2nd year I was at 6-figures, with a baby in tow…we then quickly went on to have another baby, moved cross-country 3 times in 4 years, and my business stayed consistent. Was it hard? YES. Very. But, the fact that I absolutely loved what I did, and made real connections with my clients – it made it worth it. There will always be obstacles to starting a family…while it’s not the easiest path to do that and have a thriving business- if you want it, you can do it.
If readers want to find you after reading this interview, where is the best place to do that?
I’d love to connect!
Website: www.jacquelinepattonphoto.com
Instagram – weddings & personal: @jacquelinepattonphoto
Instagram – portraits: @jacqueline_patton_headshots
Facebook: /jacquelinepattonphoto