The ReWork with Allison Tyler Jones

Most photographers are obsessed with getting new clients. We pour time, money, and energy into marketing campaigns, social media, and chasing the next lead—while the best clients we’ll ever have are quietly sitting right in our database.

In this solo episode, ATJ flips the script on the “always looking for the next client” mindset and shows you what happens when you stop chasing new and start nurturing next time. 

You’ll learn how to design a portrait business that doesn’t depend on constant lead generation, but instead thrives on deep, ongoing client relationships built over years.

From the very first phone call to the final installation, Allison shares exactly how her studio creates the expectation that clients will return by having a long-term plan for them to do so. 

You’ll walk away knowing how to:

• Set the vision early so every client understands this is the beginning of a relationship, not a one-off session
• Create continuing projects—albums, wall galleries, and holiday cards that grow over time
• Design “big years” and “continuation years” to keep clients engaged without overwhelming them
• Communicate like a true expert and lead your clients with confidence instead of following their cues
• Build systems to track milestones, plan ahead, and stay top-of-mind all year long

This isn’t about hustling harder or discounting to stay busy. It’s about building a long-term, profitable, joy-filled business—one that grows through legacy, loyalty, and relationships.

Let’s do it!

ATJ & The ReWork Crew

Episode Highlights:

• Expect the return. Your business follows your expectations. If you design for one-time sessions, that’s what you’ll get.
• Set the vision early and repeat it often. Every interaction is a chance to remind clients that this is the start of a long-term collaboration.
• Serve, don’t chase. Your best clients already love you. Stay in touch, anticipate their needs, and make their lives easier.
• Create continuing projects. Every wall portrait or album is a chapter, not a one-off.
• Be the expert. Great clients want someone to lead. Take responsibility for their family legacy like a trusted advisor.
• Don’t panic when they stray. Clients who experience true excellence will always come back when it matters.

Key Takeaways:

• The crucial mindset shift from “grateful they came once” to “expecting them to return”
• How to design every touchpoint for long-term relationships
• Simple ways to re-engage past clients using genuine service, not gimmicks
• How to use consultations and sales appointments to plant seeds for “next time”
• The concept of continuing projects—albums, galleries, and holiday cards as ongoing stories
• Structuring your business around “big years” and “continuation years”
• What to do when loyal clients “cheat” with another photographer—and how to handle it with grace
• Why the best clients crave leadership, not discounts
• How to become part of the rhythm of your clients’ lives

About Allison Tyler Jones: A portrait photographer of 20 years, creating unforgettable

wall art for loyal clients who return to her studio year after year. ATJ has built a sustainable business doing what she loves for clients she loves. She has also spent the last 16 years speaking, teaching and inspiring portrait photographers around the world to create their own businesses based on their unique strengths while creating value for their clients. As the host of the ReWork podcast she aspires to help other portrait photographers transform their businesses into sustainable, profitable and enjoyable enterprises..

From one portrait session to a lifetime legacy—how to build a business clients never outgrow.

What do pest control and portrait photography have in common? More than you might imagine.

They are both service businesses, and both industries have business owners complaining that their markets are “saturated” with tons of competitors. Some practitioners are thriving and others….are not.

Sound familiar?

In this episode of The ReWork, Allison sits down with Cameron Bawden, a serial entrepreneur and co-host of The Premium Mindset Podcast, who has built, scaled, and sold multiple service-based companies, including Green Mango Pest Control, Coconut Cleaning, and Agave Auto Glass.

Cameron and his wife Alyssa recently commissioned ATJ to create their family portraits. During that process, ATJ & Cameron struck up a conversation about service businesses and the real struggles that entrepreneurs face. That led to this podcast episode. 

From one truck and a dream to a multi-million-dollar exit, Cameron shares his hard-won lessons on building a premium service brand, leading a team, and growing without burning out. This conversation is packed with mindset shifts and practical tools photographers can apply right now. Like what it takes to stand out in a saturated market, build a loyal client base, and scale without losing your mind or your magic.

You’ll learn:

• The “sacred rhythms” that fuel long-term growth
• How to stand out in a saturated market
• The formula for knowing exactly when to hire help
• The psychology behind referrals and premium pricing
• Why the “ready, fire, aim” mindset might be your next best move

It’s part business therapy, part systems masterclass, and full of ideas that will make you rethink how you serve your clients and structure your studio for growth.

Episode Highlights:

• Stick to Your Sacred Rhythms. Growth comes from consistency—don’t abandon the principles that made you stand out in the first place.
• Different Beats Bigger. Cameron turned pest control into a premium brand by obsessing over design, experience, and service quality.
• Know When to Hire. Use Cameron’s simple formula: if you’re spending more than 50% of your hourly value on a task, it’s time to delegate.
• Systemize the Magic. Document what works—scripts, workflows, brand standards—so your excellence can be replicated.
• Raise Prices Without Fear. A thoughtful price increase can improve profit and client quality; value-driven customers rarely flinch.
• Build a Team That Complements You. Visionaries need systems people; creatives need operators. Hire your opposite and multiply your impact.
• Ready, Fire, Aim. Don’t wait for perfect—act, adjust, and learn. Momentum beats hesitation every time.

Key Takeaways:

• Different is the point, don’t dilute your vision to blend in, double down on what makes you stand out.
• Codify success, once something works, document it and repeat it.
• Buy back your time, use the 50% rule to know when to delegate.
• Client referrals are gold, they outperform ads two-to-one when your client experience is exceptional.
• Premium brands don’t apologize, price for the value you provide and let go of those who don’t see it.

About Cameron Bawden: a dynamic entrepreneur and co-host of the podcast The Premium Mindset. He founded and scaled service-based companies including Green Mango Pest Control and Coconut Cleaning, transforming them into high-growth, premium-branded businesses. Through relentless focus on operational systems, culture design and customer experience, he built brands that disrupted traditional service industries. Today he mentors other business-owners on pricing, scaling, hiring and building lasting value through a premium mindset. 

An inspiring reminder that premium brands aren’t born, they’re built, one intentional decision at a time. Stop cutting corners. Start standing out.

What if one product could define your entire brand?

Greg and Lesa Daniel know something about that. They built their long-term success around a single, unmistakable piece of artwork, their embellished mixed media wall portrait. It’s the product that their clients talk about, recognize instantly, and come back for again and again.

In this episode of the ReWork, Lesa and Greg break down how finding your flagship product can simplify your business, sharpen your marketing, and elevate your value in the minds of your potential clients. In addition, creating a flagship product creates clarity, confidence, and fewer options that sell themselves. In this conversation, we’ll spend time learning:

• How to identify and develop your own flagship product
• Why niching down frees your creativity instead of limiting it
• How to merchandise and sell a single hero product with ease
• And why being known for one exceptional product can unlock both creative freedom and higher profitability.

As creatives we are often attracted by “more” and “different” and “new.” This episode isn’t about adding more products to your menu; it’s about getting clear on what you want to be known for and building your brand around THAT thing. Can you sell other things? Sure. But getting clear on what you want to be known for might change your business forever (in a good way).

You’ll hear how Greg and Lesa found their flagship product, why simplifying actually unleashed their creativity, and how focusing on one hero offering can make marketing, sales, and client communication radically easier.

Episode Highlights:

• “Flagship Product Singular”. Greg and Lesa reveal how one recognizable product can anchor an entire business model.
• From Commodity to Designer. How their mixed-media wall portraits elevated them from “just another studio” to a highly sought-after brand.
• The Dream Exercise. Why finding your flagship starts with permission to dream big.
• Merchandising Matters. How their studio layout sells for them by showcasing one product in multiple variations.
• Control the Sale. Lesa explains how to keep sales efficient, elegant, and client-centered with minimal overwhelm.
• Signature = Status. Why flagship products build brand equity, trust, and desire.
• More Creativity, Not Less. How narrowing your product line gives you more room to play creatively within a structure.

Key Takeaways:

• A flagship product isn’t only about limiting what you offer; it’s about making it easy for clients to say “yes.”
• Fewer options lead to smoother sales, more consistent branding, and higher perceived value.
• When you’re known for one exceptional thing, you can charge exceptional prices.
• Merchandising and environment matter; people need to see, touch, and feel what they’re buying.
• Creating a recognizable product gives you freedom to design your life, not just your work.

About Greg and Lesa Daniel: celebrated fine art portrait photographers, educators, and studio owners based in Florida, best known for their signature embellished mixed media environmental portraits. Over decades, they’ve built a thriving studio and loyal collector base around a single, instantly recognizable heirloom wall piece. Greg holds Master of Photography and ASP Fellow titles and is a founding member of the International Society of Portrait Artists, while Lesa leads the client experience and sales strategy behind their success. Together, they’ve inspired photographers nationwide through workshops and mentoring to elevate their craft, simplify their offerings, and build sustainable, art-driven businesses.

One product. Endless possibilities. The power of your flagship starts here.

In a world where everyone has a camera and AI is generating jaw-dropping visuals on demand, is there still room for professional portrait photographers, especially in the senior niche? 

Nate Peterson says yes, but only if you're willing to evolve. In this inspiring, energizing, and at times vulnerable conversation, Allison and Nate discuss what it takes to not just survive but thrive as a high school senior photographer in a shifting economic landscape and cultural moment.

Nate brings a refreshingly honest take on how the business of senior photography has changed over the past two decades, from his early days of hockey team photos to his current hybrid model that combines high-volume sports with high-touch, luxury senior sessions. 

They talk about AI, athlete hype videos, LED studio walls, lifestyle creep, and the mindset shifts required to stay profitable in a rapidly changing world.

If you're wondering where the senior portrait market is headed (and whether you want to follow), this episode will challenge your assumptions, validate your experience, and re-ignite your creative spark.

Episode Highlights:

• The Grand Experience. How Nate crafts immersive senior sessions that span hours, locations, and stories, designed to last for generations.
• Volume + Luxury = Sustainability. Why a hybrid model might be the key to surviving market shifts.
• LED Walls & AI Backdrops. Nate’s tech-forward approach to creating wow-factor imagery that Gen Z (and their parents) can’t DIY.
• The Middle is Gone. What the disappearance of the mid-tier client means for your business model.
• Experience ≠ Product. How to create a stellar experience without forgetting about the main goal = selling finished products.
• Lifestyle Creep & Scaling Back. A refreshingly honest convo about redefining success and doing less on purpose.

Key Takeaways:

• The value of your work is not just in the experience, it’s in the finished product you deliver.
• Client education isn’t optional, it’s your secret weapon in a world that thinks digital = done.
• Senior photography isn't dead, but it is evolving—rapidly. Innovate or be left behind.
• High-touch service requires high-end pricing. Don’t sell luxury at volume prices—separate the two niches and reap the rewards.
• Downtime isn’t the enemy, it’s an opportunity to reevaluate, reimagine, and ReWork your business.

About Nate Peterson: Owner of NP Design & Photography, a full-time portrait and volume studio based in New Richmond, Wisconsin, serving the Twin Cities area. With over 20 years in the industry, Nate is a Master Photographer and CPP who has earned titles like Wisconsin Senior Photographer of the Year and Twin Cities Senior Photographer of the Year. He specializes in high school senior portraits, volume sports photography, and commercial branding, blending cutting-edge tech like LED walls and AI backdrops with deeply personal client experiences. Known for his immersive “Grand Experience” sessions and commitment to in-person sales, Nate is passionate about delivering meaningful, finished artwork that tells a story and stands the test of time.

More than hype videos and Instagram reels, here’s how to future-proof your studio.

If you’re walking into your sales appointments hoping they’ll buy and walking out with a “We’ll think about it,” it’s time to stop crossing your fingers and start designing the sale.

In this episode, Allison sits down with ProStudio Software owner and former portrait photographer, Ron Nichols to break down how to stop winging it and start leading your clients through a clear, confident buying experience.

This isn’t about software; it’s about owning the sales process, guiding your clients visually and emotionally, and building trust that leads to the best results for your clients and a sustainable business for you.

You’ll learn how to:

• Collapse indecision by showing artwork to scale, on your client’s walls
• Use real-time pricing to close confidently (and eliminate the awkward math)
• Pre-sell before you even pick up your camera, with mockups that wow
• Keep Dad on board (and emotionally invested) in the buying process
• Shift from “order taker” to trusted advisor, and watch your average sale soar

This conversation will help you lead with intention, sell without pressure, and turn your view & order sessions into the most profitable hour of your week.

Ready to trade, “I need to go home and measure,”  for, “This is amazing, here’s my card?”

Then listen up and let’s do this!

Episode Highlights:

• Stop Wingin’ It  Lead the sale, don’t just hope they’ll buy.
• Visuals That Close Show artwork to scale and eliminate indecision.
• Sales System, Not Just Software Use ProSelect to guide the sale, not just display images.
• Mock It Up Before You Shoot Pre-sell with wall mockups before you even pick up the camera.
• Instant Pricing Confidence Real-time pricing removes confusion and speeds up the sale.
• Handling “The Dad Factor”  Learn how to engage him without the drama.
• Why It’s Not About Being “Salesy” Confidence and transparency, not sales tricks, close the deal.

Key Takeaways:

• Visualization closes the sale. Showing artwork to scale, especially in your client’s actual home, allows your client to see what they’re actually getting and puts their mind at ease.
• Sales success is about clarity, not pressure. Clients want guidance. They crave your confidence, NOT your discounts.
• Design the sale before you ever shoot. Mockups at the consultation set the tone for investment and eliminate surprises later.
• Don’t compete on price, compete on experience. The most profitable studios focus on installed wall art, expert service, and powerful emotional connection.
• You don’t need to be a “salesperson.” You just need a process.

About Ron Nichols: a veteran portrait photographer, educator, and the CEO of Pro Studio Software, the company behind ProSelect, the industry’s leading sales presentation tool for photographers. A past president of PPA and a member of XXV, Ron has spent decades helping photographers elevate their craft and their businesses. Through software innovation, global teaching, and leadership in the photographic community, he’s become a trusted voice in the art of in-person sales.

Lead the Sale, Don’t Chase It. Turn “We’ll think about it” into “Where do we sign?”