In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews branding photographer Heidi Hapanowicz. Heidi shares a personal story about how a series of crises—her house burning down and a breakup—occurred early in her business, framing it as the universe clearing the way for her dream venture. She offers practical visual‑branding advice, emphasizing the importance of knowing what clothing flatters you, mastering pose, and finding great light. Her broader business insight is that most entrepreneurs overestimate how much others know and are essentially winging it daily. To her younger self she would say: stop fearing mistakes and just experiment, as imperfection is irrelevant. Heidi identifies a constant state of creation—whether artistic, culinary, or entrepreneurial—as the key to happiness and a guard against depression. She recommends the book The War of Art for its honest look at internal resistance and procrastination. Her favorite quote highlights that women need financial independence and alone time to thrive, underscoring the need for personal freedom. The episode closes with promotional mentions (Authors Unite, Anchor) and directs listeners to her website, HeidiHapanowicz.com.
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Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Heidi Hapanowicz with us. She is a branding photographer, so welcome to the show, Heidi.
Thanks for having me, Tyler.
Of course, thanks for joining us. Um, we'll dive in. The first question I have for you, Heidi, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Oh, so let me start with the message. The universe always has your back. When I started this business, which is now my dream business, the first like 4 months it started, my house burned down. Like, I broke up with my boy. Like, anything that could possibly happen happened. And but it was all just kind of clearing the way for me to have this incredible life that I have now, even though at the time it was like tough to get out of bed. I thought like, why? What the hell is happening here? So just remember, the universe always has your back. So it's got to clear out the old to make room for new. Yes.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that is within your expertise or industry?
Yeah, know what looks good on you, learn how to pose and how to find great light. I think one of the biggest issues is that, especially as a photographer, everybody thinks that they don't look good in photos. And the problem is they just don't know. They're either dressed improperly and Even if you're not having a photo shoot, we're all— we all go to networking events where we meet, you know, somebody that, that we absolutely love. And then do we really want to hide the picture? No, we want to show it. So know what kind of clothes look good on you, how to stand properly, how to pose properly, and how to find great light, because light is really important as well.
And what is your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry-specific.
We overestimate how much other people know. The vast majority of people in business are just winging it every day.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Stop being afraid of doing things wrong. Just try new things. Who cares? Just try. Imperfection does not matter.
And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Constantly being in a state of creation. Even— it doesn't have to be artistic creation. I think that Depression comes when we have these ideas that we don't make manifest, and that it can be anything from cooking in the kitchen to starting a business, but constantly being in a state of creation and finding a passion that will sustain you throughout life.
And what is the best book that you've read, and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
So it sounds kind of cliché, but definitely The War of Art. Um, just that it's a pain in the ass for everybody. Like, we all have these demons every day making us procrastinate. And, you know, it can be tough. It's tough for everybody. And it's really nice to know that the, like, the most successful and the people in the world still deal with that.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
Women need two things: time alone and money of their own, neither of which they have to explain to anyone how it was spent. And I think that women in general, in order to do all the things that I mentioned previously, need to have more freedom. And historically, we really haven't. I think that women really can't thrive in the world unless they have a chance to grow and, and really be financially independent, have time alone away from their children, their spouse, their family, and just do what makes their soul happy.
Thank you so much for coming on. Very valuable episode. The last question I have for you before we let you go is, where's the best place for people to find you online? HeidiHapanowicz.com. Perfect. Thank you again for joining us. We appreciate it.
Thanks, Tyler.
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