123: Faye Cornhill – The 4 Business Pillars Of Success & How To Plan For Growth

June 30th, 2024

“Mindset is so important. If you do not believe in yourself, then it’s impossible that anyone else would believe in you.”

FAYE CORNHILL

Hey everyone! It’s Sally here, from Studio Ninja. Today’s episode is all about Faye Cornhill

Faye Cornhill is a business coach to the wedding industry. With her signature mix of positivity, motivation and common sense, she specialises in helping aspirational business owners follow their dreams of making it in the world of weddings. Faye’s career as a business coach follows a decade of hands-on experience as one of the UK’s leading fine art wedding photographers. Today, as well as working one-to-one with many of the wedding industry’s movers and shakers, Faye also runs The Wedding Business Club. This private members club has become a thriving community of wedding professionals from all across the globe. Faye firmly believes that mindset is the foundation for any successful business. Her followers praise her ability to inspire and energise and she is commended by prominent figures in the industry for leading by example. Find out more at www.fayecornhillcoaching.co.uk and www.theweddingbusinessclub.com or on Instagram www.instagram.com/fayecornhill

Check out some of the biggest points from Faye’s interview below:

  • Faye’s career shift into photography
  • Getting into coaching photographers

  • What are the advantages to both the photographer & client?

  • Faye’s book about building a business

  • Faye’s 4 pillars of business

  • Importance of mindset

  • How Faye builds a brand
  • How marketing goes beyond social media

  • Business strategy for converting potential clients

  • Balancing a personal and professional life

Can you talk about what the “Four Pillars” are and why they’re so important to wedding business owners?

Absolutely. So, my four pillars, which I always talk about, are mindset, brand, marketing, and business. I believe that if all four of these pillars are working hard for you, you will have a successful business. That’s a bold statement, but I’ve seen it proven in hundreds of wedding businesses. Some people have two pillars working well and two not, but that doesn’t equal 50% success; it means you’re going to struggle.

Mindset is crucial. I used to be skeptical when I heard online coaches emphasize the importance of mindset. I thought being a good photographer would be enough. But I learned the hard way that mindset is foundational. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. Limiting beliefs can hold you back, making it difficult to take risks or make big decisions. Mindset isn’t something you master once; it’s an ongoing journey. It’s absolutely fundamental.

Branding is key. Looking back at my first brand is almost embarrassing—it was just a font choice, and a bad one at that. Brand is more critical now than ever. It’s not just about logos or colors; it’s about making consumers feel they’re in the right place. This includes the language you use on social media and your website, and how you present yourself. Your brand should align with your ideal client’s expectations. A good brand elevates you quickly and sets you apart in a competitive industry.

Marketing is essential. If I had a pound for every time someone asked how to market their wedding business… Key components include social media, your website, networking, and reputation building. Peer-to-peer recommendations are a significant part of my strategy. Effective marketing taps into what works best for you.

Finally, business strategy encompasses the biggest box of all. It includes everything from selling to clients to contracts and payment terms. You might have a sharp mindset, a perfect brand, and great marketing, but if your business systems are weak, it will let people down. Business strategy might seem dull, but it’s often the most critical.

These four pillars are like my children; I love them equally, though I may have favorites on different days. If something isn’t working in your business, it’s likely one of these areas needs attention. For a balanced and successful business, you need to distribute weight evenly across all four pillars.

Do you have any tips for a good mindset?

When you have the weight of running a business, the responsibility of making money, and people judging you, it feels like so much is on your shoulders. Other people’s thoughts and beliefs start to become your problems. One game changer for me has been to confront limiting thoughts, like “Who am I to do that?” or “I can’t approach that person,” or “That photographer down the road is getting all the bookings, my business is doomed.”

I allow myself a moment to fret, then I ask, “Is that truly what I believe?” It’s a simple question, but reflecting on it helps strengthen my defenses against unhelpful thoughts. This mindset work is about becoming stronger against destructive thoughts. For instance, is it true that the woman down the road will get all the clients? No. She’s a photographer and a mum, so she can realistically do only a certain number of weddings. There are hundreds, thousands of couples getting married, and I only need twenty of them. So, it’s not true that she’s taking all the business.

I work in my office at the bottom of my garden and use the walk between my office and my house to rationalize with myself. By the time I reach the back door, I’m not necessarily worry-free, but I’ve rationalized my concerns. This habit helps me transition back into being a mum and keeps my mindset healthy.

How do you plan for growth?

I think you have to make mistakes quickly. Failing fast is one of the most valuable things you can do in business. Otherwise, you end up just trying and exploring without making real progress. It’s like a rule of physics: if you’re moving at one mile an hour and someone else is moving at ten, they’re going to outpace you. If someone else is going a hundred miles an hour, they’ll outpace everyone.

Not being afraid to get things wrong is crucial. I see people moving cautiously and, three years later, they’re still in the same place. If that suits their journey, great. But for scaling a business, you need to be bold and decisive. Scaling effectively means either growing an asset into a sellable commodity or making more money in less time. For wedding photographers, my goal was to make more money each year while working less.

You need to know your numbers. There’s a lot of vague talk about wanting to make more money and work less, but you have to be specific. How much money do you want to earn? It’s hard to achieve a goal when you don’t know what it is. If you want to make more money next year, define “more.” If you make five pounds more, that’s likely disappointing. So, be clear about what “more” looks like. How many clients do you need? How many days do you want to work? Where will you find these clients? Set a budget and have a good, better, best scenario in mind. For example, what if you aimed to make 30 grand but ended up smashing that goal? Let yourself get excited about the potential.

The people who make good money from wedding photography aren’t always the most talented photographers. They’re often the ones who went for it, made mistakes, and kept going. They weren’t afraid to ask for feedback and accepted criticism. This method of growing a business is my preferred route. It can be messy and sometimes you feel like a flop, but it helps you scale much faster.

Thank you!

Thanks again to you all for joining us and a huge thanks to Faye for joining us on the show!

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!

That’s it for me this week, I hope you all enjoyed this episode.

See you soon,

Sally

About Faye Cornhill

Faye Cornhill is a business coach to the wedding industry. With her signature mix of positivity, motivation and common sense, she specialises in helping aspirational business owners follow their dreams of making it in the world of weddings. Faye’s career as a business coach follows a decade of hands-on experience as one of the UK’s leading fine art wedding photographers. Today, as well as working one-to-one with many of the wedding industry’s movers and shakers, Faye also runs The Wedding Business Club. This private members club has become a thriving community of wedding professionals from all across the globe. Faye firmly believes that mindset is the foundation for any successful business. Her followers praise her ability to inspire and energise and she is commended by prominent figures in the industry for leading by example.