3 Things We are Not Doing in Business All 2022 with Tamera Darden of Darden Creative

Just be curious. Get out of your own way. Trust yourself more and make life simple. Stop, stop adding on more things because someone else is telling you to do that. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Just let it go.

Welcome to another episode of the See Life Different podcast. The See Life Different podcast is hosted by me, Zaakirah, and it's featured women by women. So we talk to other women creatives on how they've overcome adversity and how they are surviving resilient. So they all have one thing in common, the need to create and the need to serve. So the mission of this podcast is to inspire you, empower you, and educate you. So today's guest on the See Life Different podcast is Darden Creative. It's founded by Tamara Darden, so she's worked with over 60 brands. Specializing in social media content for their social media, but she has over 13 years of corporate retail experience. So she's been able to use that experience and customize and quadruple and triple her clients' revenue with product photography. So she created content for the wedding that you— the, the magazine that you read, such as Harper's Bazaar, WeddingWire, Telephora, Baked Butter. So her work has been featured in Essence as well. So she's really dedicated to merchandising and styling and everything that a creative director would do when it comes to creating product photography. She's also super passionate about mental health and Marvel and Instagram and interior design. So we're going to talk about all of that. So hi, Tamara, how are you? Welcome to the podcast.

Hi, Zaakirah, I am well. Thank you so much for having me.

Yes. And it was so ironic. I don't even know when I first came across you, but the small world of Impact Weekend, definitely that's where it first started.

Okay. Yeah, actually, I've never been to Impact Weekend, but I have friends who have attended the event.

Yeah, that's a small community. And then we're probably also in one of the either Tamia Colvin education group Yeah. Or female photographers too.

Yep. Yeah. Yeah. I'm in her face— Tamaya's Facebook group. So I'm dabbling in there from time to time, talking from time to time. Yeah.

And the power of Instagram. I think the straw for me that was like, you know what? No, she got to be a guest on this podcast. But you were doing your end of year kind of recap. You kind of like most entrepreneurs who had reached their financial goals, took 2 months off at the end of the year, just about, and you came back on Instagram banging with all the things that you were like, we are not going to do this in 2022. So, um, maybe you can just kind of start off with that. Just, just tell us, maybe just with your Instagram in mind, or even any new thoughts that you have, what are 3 things that you feel that we as creative entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, should not be doing in 2022?

Oh, I don't know if, if it's something we should not be doing, but I can share the 3 things that I'm not going to be doing for my business. Um, the first thing is I'm at a stage in my career where investing in non-specialized course content is not the best use of, of our revenue. Um, or my business revenue. That's one thing I won't be doing. The second thing is I won't be committing to or having my team commit to being stretched thin utilizing, you know, a ton of marketing techniques that just have proven not to work for our business. Um, and then the third is launching, you know, various revenue streams just because It's popular. An example is coaching. Just looking at the numbers, the effort, the dollars, it just didn't justify really the return on investment to build out a coaching revenue stream. I will be growing my business without a coaching revenue stream. That is just something that is just not something that we're going to be investing in. So those are the 3 things that that I am not doing in 2022 and beyond, actually.

Yeah, that's good. I'm glad you shared that because I think that's really what happened. Now, for me, it was a big shift October 2021. Ironically enough, I wasn't even on social media that day because I was attending Tamara Colvin's conference, and that was the day that Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp went down.

Mm-hmm.

For an hour, and people were freaking out. Now, you and I, we've both been in the digital space for more than 10 years, so as soon as I saw that, I'm like, oh, okay, nothing new, right? But it appeared to be longer than usual. And so for me, that was my shift of like, you know what, I'm no longer doing what everyone else is doing or concerned about what everyone else is doing, because that's that new rat race that people are getting caught up in, in regards to You gotta post 10 times a day. You gotta post every single day. And you gotta basically do what the— when you do find a coach that you want to work with, do exactly what he or she says.

Mm-hmm.

And so for me, I think that's where I've realized that one thing that I'm not going to do is continue to, you know, not be overwhelmed. Again, putting mental health first. Not be overwhelmed by the fact that, oh no, I didn't post today. Or, oh no, I didn't send enough emails today. Uh, do what works for you. Because at least for me at this point, my community gets me. Yes, I'm going to continue to make more connections, but my community gets me that no matter what, I'm sharing value in what, what people know me as, which is, you know, mostly photography nowadays, social media marketing, and nowadays, you know, mental health. So I think you—

Mm-hmm.

I think that's something that I know for sure, that going into 2022, I'm not going to overwhelm myself with, uh, what the other coaches I'm going to do what has worked for me in my business, which for me is email marketing. You know, I neglected that for so long. Everybody was like, go to your Instagram. And I'm like, but I have email lists, and those are the people that trust me, um, you know, to really, uh, give them value and sell to them. So I love that.

Yeah. And also too, it's— it— the thing that I've learned in business, you know, I have over 13 years of business experience, but specifically I've, I've been in business for 6 years. And one of the things that you realize is all of it is trial and error. There's going to be things that may work for me that may not work for you. For example, I don't have an email marketing strategy. That's just not— I've tried it, I've invested time in it, I've had the automations and all, you know, all of those things, but that is just for the clientele that Darden Creative serves. That is not how we secure our clients. We secure our clients via Instagram. We do a lot of outreach offline, networking, you know, scheduling calls, referrals. That is how we're able to generate revenue. So again, it's all about trial and error and making sure that you're investing in strategies that are sustainable for your business, especially if you're going to be in business for the long haul. You kind of have to be open to being flexibility— flexible and then realizing, I know everyone is saying do this, or this is the popular thing to do, but my data tell me otherwise. And that's the other thing, you know, like really paying attention to your data, really paying attention to where you're— where and how your clients are finding you, because that's going to be the way you determine which marketing strategies to continue investing your time in or growing, and which ones you just edit completely because your data has shown you that it just doesn't work. And being confident in that. I find that we ask too many questions to strangers on the internet as opposed to just having that internal dialogue and looking inward for the answers as opposed to asking all of the time. It's like, have conversations with yourself.

I'm so glad you mentioned that because I think I just remembered I may have— I've been Podcasting also for, I think, going on 3 years. And, you know, there's moments, there's phases in that where it's like, okay, what should I really be doing? Should I be doing this? Should I be doing that? And I remember piggybacking off of a post in a podcast group, and I think I said that. I'm like, look at your data. That's why you're, for the most part, paying for those analytics on the podcast side that show you where your listeners are coming from, what countries.

Mm-hmm.

Which episode do they like the most? And then I think I also piggyback off of that to say that at least now all of the social media networks are doing a good job at providing in-house analytics, in-house analytics of who those people are, where they are, what content they reacted to the most. And whenever I would do like social media consultations, that's the first thing I tell people. I'm like, what do your analytics say? And of course then I have to tell them where to find it. But then once they do, that's the aha moment.

Right.

Like, that's how they get, you know, just from booking the cause. So yeah, look at that rather than, you know, oh, I asked a question on social media but nobody answered me. And don't get discouraged by that because they don't know. You should know, right?

Right. That's, that's why I tend not to— I don't really ask that many questions. And usually if I'm asking a question to my audience, I probably already made the answer. Like, you already know what the answer is. You're just looking for validation, which Validation is totally valid, but I, I tend not to ask like, oh, what more content do you want to see? You already know the type of content that you want to show more of, and you already probably have the data of things that you've tested out in the past that people responded to. So do that, you know what I mean? It's like, I don't like Reels. I know video content is hella important and I need to get over it. But I also understand where, where, um, Reels sit in terms of priority, because Reels do not generate revenue for me. Like, when someone finds me on Instagram, it's because they looked at my feed, not because they found me on an Explore page from a Reel. So my priorities in creating Reel content is going to be lower than just— is going to be lower than just having a presence, a consistent presence on the platform. You see what I'm saying? Like, so I— so yeah, so I think, you know, I, I tend to temper how often I ask questions because I, I know what I'm gonna do, and, and that really is it. And you're gonna enjoy it or, or you don't, and I'll make pivots if it, if it really is affecting the bottom line, then I'll make a pivot. But until then, you're just going to get this content and enjoy it.

And I'm sure that some people are probably thinking, like, how do you gain this confidence? Like, how do you know? And I think aside from equating it to, you know, it's been business and digital experience for years, like, that's where You know, the years experience will come in, but how would you really gain that confidence and, and maybe not lose it when imposter syndrome possibly comes in?

Yeah, that's a really good question. I don't ask people that many questions. This is my life. This is my life. You know, when I first started this business, I didn't really ask for permission to do it. You know, I, I saw there was a need. I had interest. And I combined the two. And it does require a tough skin, and it does require taking rejection like, like Teflon. You're not always going to get it right. You're, you know, not every person that you share your services with are going to say yes. Um, you will be rejected a lot. And the more you do, the more clarity you receive, the more confidence that you build. But it takes time. I think a lot of people, when— or people who are finding me now, you know, they're like, oh my God, this girl is like a boss and she's so confident. I mean, this is years of work. This is years and years of work. I didn't just wake up And say, I'm going to have a successful 6-figure business and I'm going to be sharing all this business gems and advice because I know that it works or whatever. No, it was years and years of having to build myself up and not always seeking or needing that outward validation to justify moving through life. You know, removing the noise. You know, I unfollow people, I mute people from time to time when I know I'm like, I've been looking too much for like seeking outward. I will kind of bring it all back in. You know, this may be a really great opportunity to talk about therapy a little bit because I've been doing or investing in this practice of therapy since Since I was about 28, so almost about 7 years. And it's been really great with going back to myself and really trusting my intuition. I do seek out counsel, but I'm not 100% reliant on it because it's my life at the end of the day. I have to make the decision. I have to be proud of the decisions for better or for worse. Really just trusting your intuition and listening to it. Um, and if, if you have trouble trusting your intuition, then I do recommend, you know, investing in practices like therapy to get back to trusting yourself, because that's what you see. The confidence is me trusting myself. That's it.

Now, what therapy platforms do you recommend?

Honey chile, I wouldn't be able to tell you because I found my therapist through Open Path Collective several years ago. And then prior to that, I lived in New York, and so you were able to go to like mental health clinics and be partnered with a social worker who had like clinical therapy experience. On Instagram, you know, there's Open Path, there's Is it Black Girl Therapists?

I believe Therapy for Black Girls.

Therapy for Black Girls. Excuse me, see, butchering it. Um, but yeah, I would definitely start there. They both have, um, resources of where you can find, you know, potentially a therapist that works for you. So Psychology Today is another place where you can look for, look for a therapist as well.

I second that. Um, Open Path Collective was first for me. I think I first found out about it from Nicole Walters. I was using Open Paths Collective, and even no matter what state I go to, that they have one. And especially now, who— some are doing teletherapy, you know, online.

Yep, yep, yep.

All right, now my next question is, um, kind of to talk about The importance also of having in your, in your business, probably in a personal life too, clear objectives, clear framework, and clear goals. Why is that important and how did that play a role also in maintaining, you know, that confidence with knowing who you are and who you serve?

So the importance of having clear goals, clear objectives, and a clear framework, you said?

Yes.

I mean, it's a priority. I think clarity breeds confidence. You know, if you don't have clarity as to who you serve, how you serve them, with what services, what that process looks like, how you deliver on, on that process, then it's going to be very difficult to run a business, let alone grow a sustainable business or scale a business. You need to have clarity. I mean, there really is no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Um, and also, you know, give yourself grace to unders— to, to know that your goals are going to change. Right? Your goals are going to change. The process is going to tweak over time. Your framework may change based off of how you deliver your services, but you need clarity. You know, I've recently shared a blog post on the 7 behaviors and best practices that I had to exhibit going from charging, you know, $1,500 to $13,000 for my product photography services. And You know, one of them, actually the first one that I mentioned, was I started only offering one thing. You know, a lot of business owners, service-based businesses specifically, and I guess if I had to drill down even further, photographers, when we first start, we're shooting a lot of different things because we're trying to figure out what we like, what we don't like. But eventually It comes to a point where, okay, I can't always talk about all this all of the time. So which one or 2 specialties am I really going to hone in and focus on, which is going to allow me to, one, focus my attention when it comes to marketing so you're not overwhelmed all of the time, and 2, for prospects or potential clients to know if I hire this person, what am I hiring them for? Just like with any other business, photography is still a business. It can still be a successful business, but you have to treat it as such. You can't just be like, oh, I love this so much, I would do it for free. No, you won't. You know what I mean? Let's be honest here. A lot of photographers that I talk to, they have aspirations, of being able to live off of photography or being able to have their creative endeavors sustain them personally and professionally? Well, there's some things that you're going to have to do, and one of those things is trimming down the fat and really cutting down which genre or which specialties of photography you're going to focus on. Maybe it's not products. Maybe it's boudoir, maybe it's portrait photography, maybe it's food and beverage, but you have to stick to one thing, and then you have to be willing to invest time, energy, and money to grow in that genre for at least 3 years. 3 years minimum. And so if you're saying to yourself, okay, I'm not willing to do that, then pick something else. You know what I mean? I knew that I was onto something because year over year, once I alleviated a lot of the services that I was offering when I first started my business, once I did that, I noticed 2 things. One, my revenue started to double year over year. Well, 3 things. The second was it was easier for me to show up online because I didn't have to talk about 4 different services. I can always just talk about product photography and my experience growing in that genre and showing BTS. And then the third, it made it easier for people to find me and they were able to answer the question of, okay, this is what Tamara does. She offers product photography and this is her genre. So it made it easier for me to be booked because I said I'm not going to be talking about all of the things. I'm only going to be talking about one thing.

All right, we're going to take a quick break. This episode is sponsored by Focus Media Group. Focus Media Group is a creative marketing agency founded by Zaakirah. We focus on helping entrepreneurs with their social media goals, their business strategy, and their branding services. If you are a side hustler and a woman entrepreneur or a creative in 2022, We are helping 200 creative women of color who want to build their brand, become more knowledgeable in the digital space, and build their business the right way. Visit PhocusEd Media Group with a PH to learn more. That's phocusedmediagroup.com. phocusedmediagroup.com. I'm so glad you mentioned that because basically you need to be able to— the power of social media, you know, your network is your net worth, right?

Mm-hmm.

The power of social media of when people are asking on Facebook, hey, I need a product photographer, who do you recommend? Hey, I need a portrait photographer, who do you recommend? I think your goal really as a part of your purpose and your legacy should be that's the one that people, you know, contact. They tag you in that, you know, because your papers and your brand is what do people say about you when you're not there. So that's a super important, um, point. So I'm so glad that you found it. I'm so glad that you're living it. And, uh, thank you. Yeah, that's it. To— we're coming to the end of it. Okay. And I would love to ask 3 questions that I love to ask every single guest. You ready?

I'm ready.

Okay, so the first question is a fun question. The first question is When this is all over, where do you want to travel to next?

When this is all over? I'm not waiting until this is all over, but I am traveling to Mexico City shortly. Yeah, I'm traveling to Mexico City shortly. I would love to, to hit up Asia at some point, uh, but the panini and, um, the continent— I have not touched the continent You mean the motherland? The motherland. I have not touched the motherland yet, so it's on my list. Hopefully, God willing, 2023 I can start taking trips to, to Africa, one of the first trips being actually, uh, Morocco and Egypt. So that's—

You heard of the Blue City in Morocco?

No.

Everything blue. They once said—

See what I'm saying?

Yeah, yeah.

So, so yeah, that would be one of my first trips. And then in Africa, South Africa, of course Ghana. Like, I, I just have to hit up the whole—

yeah, everything.

Yeah.

I love that. So I've been blessed to go to 4 of them, and my very first African country was Ghana. Uh, the second one was Gambia. The third one was Senegal. In the world was South Africa. South Africa was my favorite, um, because it's truly creative heaven over there. I went—

I hear, I hear.

I went for the Essence Music Festival. They had one, I don't know, the pandemic happened, so it was supposed to be like a 5-year partnership, but I only heard about it for 2 years. So I went for the inaugural one and it was amazing.

I can only imagine.

That was like—

I can only imagine.

You know AfriChella? Right? That was— I feel like that was the start of it. I don't know how long Afrochella had been going on, but I feel like Essence Festival did it first. So yeah, it was amazing. It was amazing. So you'll love just the culture and especially, um, the products. Like, I've always grown up with, um, African, you know, artifacts around. You have some on your wall, so.

Yes, I just need to be there.

You will, you will. All right, and then the second, uh, question that I want to ask is, what is your legacy? What do you want your legacy to be?

I feel like I'm still living it, so it wouldn't be fair to say. I would say right now in my life, I would want to be able to inspire people to build a life that they want, whatever that looks like, having the freedom to just be. I think for a long time prior to the pandemic started, my entire identity was wrapped around my work and what I did. And when the pandemic happened, I had to really readjust some things and kind of get back to myself of what actually brings me joy. things that I actually love doing. I love traveling. I love collecting art. I love resting. And so I think—

Say that again for the people in the back.

Yeah, I love traveling. I love collecting art. And I love a good nap. So I think for me, if anything, I just want to inspire people to just really live their life. whatever that looks like for you, out of— without the constructs of being bogged down by capitalism all the time. Yeah, but I feel like my legacy is still being written. I feel like I'm nowhere near even defining what that is in its entirety. Maybe it's not even up to me to even do that, but that is something that I hope people are inspired to do based off of where I am in my journey, you know, today.

Perfect. Yeah. Okay, and the third question, um, I'm gonna try to tweak this a little bit without being biased, but—

Okay.

Are you excited for the next Black Panther movie?

I don't know, girl. I am, I am, but we gotta get— we gotta get homegirl. She gotta get it together.

I don't know what we gonna do with her, actually.

With or without her. So I know she's a huge— Leticia, right?

Yeah, yeah.

I think I'm saying her name right. I, I, I know that she is an integral part of the franchise.

We'll see then, huh?

To be determined.

Yeah, yeah.

I know she's like dealing with injuries and things of that nature, so it's Yeah, that's— I'm excited, but I'm also— I'm like that Monique meme where it's like, I'd like to see it.

Yeah.

Let me see, let me see a preview.

Right. Yeah. Let me see the trailer and then—

Let me get a trailer, then I get back to you.

Perfect. All right. Now, for those of you who are watching the video version on YouTube or Facebook, you'll see that it's scrolling at the bottom. But where else can we find you, Tamara, on social media?

Yeah, so I'm always on Instagram, y'all. You can find me on Instagram actually at tamara.darden. That's where you'll catch me hanging out. To learn more about Darden Creative on Instagram, you're going to go to Darden Creative or follow us on Pinterest. We're on there too at Darden Creative as well. But I'm always on Instagram sending people DMs and voice memos, so that's where you can catch me.

And then for those who are listening and, um, you know, they're business owners and they want— you know, they've been DIYing, um, you know, their product photography and say they want to work with you, how can they work with you?

Yeah, so what you're going to do is go to dartingcreative.com. That's where you're going to find all the information on how to work with us. And also schedule a free discovery call. Everything is in one place to make it easy for someone to start their journey with us.

Perfect. Well, this has been fun. Is there anything— if no one got anything from this conversation, is there anything that you want to share for people to round things out?

Just be curious. I think just be curious. Get out of your own way. Trust yourself more and make life simple. Stop, stop adding on more things because someone else is telling you to do that. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Just let it go.

Thank you, Tamara, for being a guest on the See Life Different podcast.

Thank you.

Thank you for listening to the podcast. Be sure to subscribe, follow, and download so you don't miss the next episode. If you want to learn more, you can visit zaakirahmohammed.com. That's zaakirahnayyar.com.