Author: Odette Fernandez

Adaeze Opara, from Adaeze Opara Photography, shares her story of entrepreneurship for our Spotlight. A portrait photographer from Phoenix, Arizona, she creates stunning images and an incredible experience for everyday women and the people who love them.

Let’s read her story.

What can you tell us about yourself?

My name is pronounced (ah-day-zay). I’m a portrait photographer, avid storyteller, and “tryer” of new things.
I find joy in creating a beautiful experience for every person I photograph. At that moment, I want them to know that they are the most important thing to me.

What were the origins of your business?

I pretty much stumbled into this.
I’d always been a photography enthusiast – most of us start like this.
I’m a trained IT Business Analyst and have worked as a product manager/business analyst hybrid in corporate America since I finished grad school in 2014.
But I always dreamed of having my own business. It never occurred to me, not even once, that portrait photography could be it. Until I accidentally found a network of portrait photographers who had not only created stunning work but also built a sustainable business out of it, complete with raving clients.
And I instantly knew I wanted that for myself.

What aspects of your background have helped you the most?

I’d say growing up in Nigeria has given me a healthy mix of tenacity and risk awareness, something every entrepreneur will find helpful.
I was also surrounded by beauty and pure talent. I think that had something to do with helping me hone my skills when it comes to “knowing what beautiful looks like.”
Being an organizer and problem solver at my day job means I get to apply those same skills to find and solve problems for my clients, who are trusting me to create an image of them they will absolutely love.

What were the main challenges you encountered at the beginning?

Many entrepreneurs, especially artists, struggle daily with being able to create something, put a price on it, and own it.
Thankfully, I have tools I use to work through this daily, starting with mastery.
When you master what you do, you trust your ability to deliver on what your clients have come to you for. Feeling confident in what you can do is worth its weight in gold.

Who was the most supportive of your idea?

I’m not sure. I didn’t quite look to anyone for support. Maybe because I didn’t feel like I needed it. Getting clients and delivering stellar service to them was (and still is) the only thing on my mind. Most of my family didn’t even know about this until it was already in motion.

Have there been any changes in your business approach after Covid-19?

Yes.
First, I started to get my photography business going maybe two months before COVID hit. So it’s almost like everything had to change before I could hit the ground running.

Where I had planned to get out and meet people in person, I couldn’t do much of that anymore, and I had to resort to online spaces (not my first choice, to be honest) to network and share my business.

As a portrait photographer, interacting with clients up close and personal, playing with the kids during family portraits, in-person consultations with my family portrait or branding clients, etc., are a huge part of how I operate. Unfortunately, I’ve had to limit physical interactions as much as possible.

But hey, as entrepreneurs, we are in the business of adapting to change, so here we are.

What makes your offer unique?

That’s an interesting question.

Many photographers offer the same result (i.e., Portraits for their clients) and maybe even go to the same or similar lengths as I do when it comes to the client experience.

So ultimately, I know that what makes my offer unique is ME.

No other photographer will see the world or capture it the way I do.
No other photographer will make my clients feel how I make them feel because there’s only one of me.

This is why, in addition to creating a beautiful and fun experience for every person I photograph, I will always strive to infuse parts of myself into my business. That’s the ONE thing that makes my offer to the world unique.

Do you have any other passions?

Yes. I love roller skating (I’m currently recovering from a fractured wrist thanks to this, but that hasn’t stopped me from dreaming about skating when I’m all healed up, LOL).

I love running outdoors.

I recently took up candle making, and I’m enjoying experimenting with different fragrances and filling my home with lovely scents every day. I also know how to play about four chords on the guitar.

Okay, that’s about it.

If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?

I’m not sure. Maybe not break my wrist LOL. But I’m pretty happy with my journey in life so far.

What challenges do you see ahead?

Not let photography take over my whole life, LOL

What future projects does your business have?

I have two in mind.
1. It’s Just Acne – a portrait campaign where I’ll photograph women who live/deal with adult hormonal acne.
2. I’m also looking at finally getting my own dedicated studio space. I daydream about this a lot. I already know exactly what it looks like, and I am excited to see everything start to come together.

What message would you send to your followers?

Thank you for coming with me on this incredible journey. Imagine what it’ll be like ten years from now.

If you were to define your business in one sentence, how would you do it?

A beautiful portrait experience for everyday women and the people who love them.

Adaeze Opara’s Contact Info

https://www.adaezeopara.com
www.facebook.com/adaezeoparaphotography
www.instagram.com/adaeze.opara
ada@adaezeopara.com

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Utility Avenue’s Spotlight focuses on promoting inspiring businesses every week. For a chance to be interviewed, contact us at support@utilityavenue.com with the subject Spotlight.

Entrepreneurs are inspiring. They run on passion, motivation, ideals, and optimism. Gandhi was right. You have to be the change you want to see in the world. The truth is there is no easy path to entrepreneurial success when trying to get out of the rat race and the nine-to-five. It is absolutely worthwhile, but it is a lot of hard work.

On the journey to become your own boss, there are many myths about life as an entrepreneur and business owner.

Let’s check some of those myths and misconceptions, according to Entrepreneur.

Myth No. 1: “I’ll have more time to do what I want.”

A new business demands so much more than a nine-to-five mentality. Yes, you may get to take your kids to the orthodontist and after-school activities, but to be successful, you have to embrace the concept that being an entrepreneur is a lifestyle, not a job. Every new (and not so new) business owner has had the same experience. So prepare yourself for the long haul for immense demands on your time.

Myth No. 2: “If I create a website, I’ll get traffic.”

Web traffic is based on several factors, all of which must be in place for the various search engines to find your site and attract the kind of customers you want to reach. It’s not about what you think will work. It’s about what your customers are looking for.

The best course of action? Work with professionals, people who are informed about the latest developments in web design, web copywriting, and SEO (search engine optimization). You’ll also need to research the right keywords and put good, meaningful content on each page. The search engines like accurate and distinctive copy that articulates what your business offers in a way that makes sense to the people you want to do business with.

Myth No. 3: “I don’t need a marketing plan or marketing materials. This product/service sells itself.”

Stephanie Chandler, a Sacramento, California-based entrepreneur and the author of The Business Startup Check List & Planning Guide, agrees. “Marketing is an investment in your business,” says Chandler. “If you’re doing it right, it pays itself back and then some.” To get the process started for her own business, Chandler says she hired a professional to design her logo. Taking cues from Nike and other well-established brands, she then developed a basic branding strategy and campaign to get her company’s name out to the public over and over again to build recognition of her firm.

Myth #4: Starting a Business will Allow for More Free Time  

Many startups have the theory that, because founders are their own managers, they will be able to control their schedule and work at their convenience. In fact, the complete opposite is true. All the efforts of owning and operating a business, particularly a startup, are ultra-time-consuming. When successful entrepreneurs look back on a successful business they created, they will all tell you that they worked harder for themselves than they ever did for anyone else. 

Myth #5: Being Unique is the Name of the Game

This myth is particularly frustrating to individuals who have seen this misconception ruin a small business. Everyone wants to come up with the “next big thing” or have the “next great idea.” Ironically, successful startups are not all about being unique; most successful small businesses piggyback on the ideas of others. Sometimes, success comes from being a follower and not a leader, especially if it’s your first time around the block as an entrepreneur. If you are a small business owner, realize that the small business success equation for an untested idea, service, or product may have too many moving pieces for a small team to manage. Many startups look at what has worked well for predecessors and subsequently looked at those predecessors’ failures and successes. With this knowledge, a startup or small business learns from those failures and mistakes and makes sure their respective business doesn’t fail in the same ways and excels where success was achieved. 

Myth #6: If you build it, they will Come

Life is not always fair. So, even if you have a fantastic idea, work hard, do your best and offer your product or service at a reasonable price, you might not make it a business. Sometimes, in a small number of cases, hard work does pay off, but that is rare. While counterintuitive, your small business should focus far more on marketing itself. Marketing is absolute, and we cannot emphasize that enough. 

Myth #7: If you’re an entrepreneur, you’re a Lone Wolf

It’s the “American land of opportunity,” thinking that entrepreneurs are here to disrupt the status quo with magnificent ideas. This is not a truism- it is far more accurate that entrepreneurs are not revolutionary solo acts but rather incredible team players and team builders. Let’s look at one solid example just for clarification: Steve Jobs and Apple.  Jobs was a visionary, but he did not build Apple by himself- he had the assistance of many other talented individuals. 

As you can see, many myths surround the life of entrepreneurs and small business owners. As I work on this blog post at 2 am, I see you, my fellow entrepreneur. 

I see you, and I admire you.

Keep hustling.