Wedding Atelier: Photography Podcast

230. From Burnout to Booked Out: How Jenn is Hitting Six Figures in 8 Months

Alora Rachelle

In this episode of The Wedding Atelier Podcast, host Alora sits down with alumni Jenn, who went from burnout to booked out—and hit six figures in just 8 months.

Jenn reveals how she ditched the scrappy hustle for a strategy that worked:

  • Raising her rates with confidence
  • Creating a focused marketing plan that attracted dream clients
  • Avoiding overbooking while protecting her weekends
  • Outsourcing and self-care to sustain her growth

If you’ve been grinding nonstop without seeing the payoff, Jenn’s story will show you how structure and strategy can take you from overworked to thriving faster than you think.

🏛️ Ready to double your rates and book your highest packages? Enroll in The Wedding Atelier → [link]

🤳🏽 Message me on Insta & let's chat in the DMs!

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Alora:

Oh my gosh. That was my son's alarm to get him from preschool, but he's here. It was the Muppet song. Okay,

Jennifer Kahl:

That's very on brand for me.

Alora:

Ah. Okay. I have to like breathe and not be mid laugh. Welcome back to The Wedding at podcast today's guest is another alumni and just to track, where she's been in the past few months because she joined this year and hit five figure months and was ready, set, go. And then a weird time, the tariffs. Everybody, if you know, you know, if you've been alive since 2025. It's been a weird time, but I just wanted to catch up and talk with you, Jen, about your story your business, where it's headed. We were talking a little bit off script, like how you felt like you made six figures last year, scrappy, but this year we're making six figures strategically. What do you feel like has contributed to that success?

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah, so it's been a lot of working through the workbook and everything. I just, I went through it. I was like, okay It's like the lizard on TikTok here. Lizard, lizard, lizard onto the next thing. So I just kind of info dumped all of that and started to like miscellaneous apply across the board. And then in the last like month or so, I went back, I was like, okay, like maybe like actually. Go through it with intentionality. so more intentionality with Instagram posts, making Sure. everybody's being tagged, vendors and whatnot. Getting like my work actually shared and visible has really made a difference.

Alora:

Yeah, I feel. What would you feel like was your biggest blind spot, like when you joined in the business perspective really, because you had no problem booking weddings.

Jennifer Kahl:

That's a good question. I think taking Sure I can do it a little too far, in terms of yeah, I'll figure it out. Like be fine. And just blindly booking at anything that came my way.

Alora:

Oh, wow.

Jennifer Kahl:

overbooking and then realizing oh. Maybe double headers for six weeks straight isn't the best idea you've ever had.

Alora:

It's terrible.

Jennifer Kahl:

catch me on number two of six right now. So yeah, like just over ambitious is probably my blind spot there, which sounds insane, but really where it was.

Alora:

Yeah. Do you feel like being over ambitious can be like a negative? I know it's great for the hustle era, when did you realize you had to slow down and have a plan?

Jennifer Kahl:

It was definitely around like the February timeframe where Was getting inquiries, but I was booking a three K and then went to four and then went to five and just you just can't keep blindly. Increasing until you're like, there's no strategy behind this. What am I doing? because that I just kept increasing and then like the inquiries stopped, so I had to come back and be like, okay, we need to restructure this. And that's where you with that, of restructuring

Alora:

Ah.

Jennifer Kahl:

The packages and whatnot.

Alora:

I feel like we all have done that. Raise it a couple hundred. If someone like didn't book, we'd lower it and then it just felt like you're on this. Like

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah two, oh, that didn't make sense. Drop at 400. And she's what are you doing?

Alora:

Yeah. Like booking based on how you felt that day or if you're like emotional I'm gonna, I'm gonna shut this down or lower it by a thousand'cause nobody's booking. And I feel like too, just do you feel like mindset really supported you with pricing confidence in a way of being like, okay, I can do this. I can actually see this happening.

Jennifer Kahl:

book the first one at that price that you're like, nobody's ever gonna book this. Like I'm just, why not try? And then somebody books you like, oh, okay. then somebody books it again. You're like, oh maybe she knows what she's talking about. But yeah, it's okay, no, this is like actually working this, there's actual logic behind this.

Alora:

Yeah, okay, so we were tracking like what you've made in booked weddings and you're$33 short of six figures, and you were talking about like how annoying that is and I said, oh, Jen, to be annoyed of$33, short of six figures.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah.

Alora:

Oh, let me just cry in my money. What do you feel like was the biggest shift for you, like this year? Even just dealing with the state of the world and booking weddings, raising your prices. I feel like this would be like the weirdest time of year to join a program and be like, oh, can you raise your prices by$2,000? How are you able to level that out and be like, okay, I can keep going. I can see this happening. Like I'm curious just personally, your mentality through all this.

Jennifer Kahl:

so I was going to quit my full-time job in July, and then June was crickets. July continued to be crickets, and I was like, oh no. So I got a

Alora:

Yeah.

Jennifer Kahl:

A sense of delusion along with, just trying and if it doesn't work, try something else terms of pivoting with like marketing and stuff like that. Yeah,

Alora:

What do you feel like really contributed to you having a plan? Really seeing the trajectory of building a sustainable six figure business, because I know that you already booked 12 weddings for next year, which is crazy to me. What help? Was it like a CEO plan? Was it a marketing plan?

Jennifer Kahl:

The marketing plan? with Instagram has really made a difference. I was the kind of person that like would post every day for a month and then just fall off the face of the planet. so having like actual ideas in with what to post caption ideas? Not the generic captions that you see on Instagram that I was guilty of, strategy behind of what is, what would a future couple bride would ever want to see? Gonna be helpful to them? And then also everything I keep seeing, and I think you mentioned it in the program, is. The venues tagged site portion of Instagram is where so many couples are finding their vendors. And if you're the one, like you're the one providing all of that content. So just being really intentional with that. Yeah, and I'm really good about showing up with my work Instagram, but not necessarily like with myself. you're gonna see my work and my cats It. so really just bringing back my, face has been helpful. Just yapping at the camera.

Alora:

But like your identity and your brand, I think that's actually what we did on your strategy call was we figured out who your dream couple was.

Jennifer Kahl:

yes. And.

Alora:

Do you feel like that changed everything?

Jennifer Kahl:

it did. And then posting along with that with the oh gosh, what did you call it? Like your best stuff. and

Alora:

Oh, your best

Jennifer Kahl:

yeah, using

Alora:

stuff. Images? Yeah.

Jennifer Kahl:

when posting, I got an inquiry yesterday and in the give me more info section, she was like. I feel like I've been following you for a while and I really resonate with, this post and this post. Like she had dates and names. My type A heart like just exploded. And she's I love that your work feels down to earth. Dramatic. But also with a touch of whimsy. And I was like, the touch of whimsy. You get it. Like the fact that I was able to convey that, I was like, oh shoot, I'm doing it.

Alora:

Wow.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah.

Alora:

You're really doing it. Oh my goodness. And I feel like a portfolio shift, like for people to tell you like your own brand words, you're like, oh, this is, we gotta get on a call, like right now

Jennifer Kahl:

that came through yesterday and I was just, I sent it to my sister and I was like, I'm doing it. They get it.

Alora:

And that's an inquiry you just got while you were shooting a wedding, right? Is that the one you're talking about?

Jennifer Kahl:

Yep. Yeah.

Alora:

What is your cap for next year, Jen? Because you already had 12 booked for 2026. So what are you just gonna book until you're like, nah.

Jennifer Kahl:

I am telling myself no more than 20.

Alora:

Okay.

Jennifer Kahl:

but I'm not the

Alora:

eight more.

Jennifer Kahl:

Boun to boundaries with that. So that's something to work on. cause I think if it's too good, it I'm not gonna say no.

Alora:

I know that's hard. Yeah. But, if they're spaced out, I guess it's different. If you're not doing four a month, like I feel like that it's different than

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah.

Alora:

a month spread out over the course of a few months. Do you feel the experience of booking couples has changed since knowing your dream? Now, like you know who you are, you know who you wanna work with. Do you feel like it's like a luxury to be able to turn people away or accept them Not having to think that you need every single inquiry.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah, totally. It, but I know I have some weddings coming up this fall that just aren't necessarily aligned. Like they're super sweet and they're, it's gonna be a great wedding, but it's not the ideal couple where 2026 is just like banger after banger. That's completely aligned with What I'm trying to do moving forward. Yeah.

Alora:

What do you think contributed to that? Like marketing or the portfolio shift? Because now I'm curious, like all dream couples.

Jennifer Kahl:

I For next year. Yeah. Yeah, for sure.

Alora:

Oh my gosh.

Jennifer Kahl:

yeah. And I think it was definitely the portfolio was there but not curated. That was a big thing with like really demonstrating that. And like my website was finished in the end of April and I had used all of my best of images that I had curated with the program to just dump into that. So that's definitely helped to narrow it down. I got an inquiry at one point or May that was like, your website is my Pinterest board. I was like, yay.

Alora:

Stop it. Oh my gosh. These are this like, these are the money compliments that people want.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah. It's good.

Alora:

Your website is my Pinterest board.

Jennifer Kahl:

yeah, that one is a November 20, 26 wedding, so I'm excited. Yeah.

Alora:

Oh my gosh, Jen, that's amazing. And that's such a fast turnaround for you'cause it hasn't even been a year.

Jennifer Kahl:

Oh yeah, no, I know. It's, I have to pause sometimes and be like, this isn't exactly normal. so yeah, it's been good.

Alora:

Hey, I should probably be easier on myself'cause I did all of this in less than a year. Thank you.

Jennifer Kahl:

for sure. My husband, I was like, I made$20,000 in September. He is like, how is that it? I was like, shop I, you

Alora:

Yeah, literally. Bye

Jennifer Kahl:

Get outta here one. Have you ever made$20,000 in a month? Yeah.

Alora:

I feel like you can leave. Okay my gosh, I don't even know, I don't even know what to ask because you've, I feel like you've done so much in such a short window of time.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah.

Alora:

What, eight months? That's, so what is your plan for next year then? Like I know you wanna book 20 weddings. But also what about like your life goals? Do you have like travel goals? Like now that you know that you can work with your dream couples and book less, make the same if not more?

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah, it's still work related. But I really wanna get into destination work. so I have a contract out for a Colorado elopement next June. And just really continuing to build on that my wedding. I photographed yesterday, they were from the uk. So I had gone to London to do their engagement session. And just like really just that marketing out is probably my goal for next year to get, I'd love to do three to four destination weddings a year. Yeah.

Alora:

I love that. Okay, so we were talking about one of your favorite parts of the program, and you mentioned Nola's monthly marketing plan calls, and you said you're getting your blogging done.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yes. Oh my gosh. It's cause you hear people be like, you should blog. And you're like, yeah, totally. What does that mean? So the last marketing call that we had, Noel was going through just like a q and a essentially of what questions do you have about blogging? And through and asked my questions. She responded and she had a lot of like helpful deliverables to that. Like you could just read through and like prompts and this is a great blogging topic. This is something to consider. These are A question or post wedding to ask your clients to fill out, to help you do a portfolio blog if you wanted and or if they had these kinds of questions. Using those prompts to help you, build on a blog. Build out a blog as well. i'm not and I, it's funny because I edit this way too where I have to have an outline big picture and then I can narrow in. If I start in the weeds, I just get completely lost. So I have outlines for three done.'Cause I did a content day situation in April in the Amalfi Coast. So I have a ton of film photos and. Work that I just need to blog for that for destination work. So I have that outlined as well with there's this beautiful villa that. Sleeps like 25 people cross link back to them and then be like, here's a blog for you as well.'Cause Noah also mentions that like you can just blog and it all helps. SEO, all that jazz. so yeah, so I have the Amalfi Coast blog outlined some of the best national parks. whatnot.'cause I've national parks are one of my like special interests. And then a portfolio blog for a venue that I absolutely love in Philadelphia that I wanna shoot at the time. Then the fourth one, I'm just percolating on what I want that to be.

Alora:

Do you feel like, because we teach like a two faceted, four part marketing strategy. Do you feel like knowing all the different ways that you can just plug in your marketing

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah, it's pretty intuitive that like you need to show up places, but what does that look like? What does that mean? So having guidance on it doesn't necessarily have to be recipe, but here's how you could do it and you can modify it for your own situation. Whatever makes sense to you.

Alora:

Yeah. I feel like too, like they say you have everything has to be like A, B, C, D, E, F, G, like perfectly. And I'm like, everybody works different. There's different learning styles. We all have different strengths and I feel like for us it's just lay out the strategy. You can apply what you want, leave what you don't want, pick something up later, get support, hop on a call, get what you need. I feel like this year you slowed down, you applied things, you still made, really good, significant income, even in the midst of whatever has happened. And next year, are you pretty sure that you're gonna hit that goal and less time and then have more of, even even more of a CEO strategy to apply for the future?

Jennifer Kahl:

Oh, for sure. Cause. This year I, along with the pricing things that we had discussed, I learned that I had booked some weddings early in the year. So I've had inquiries for 20, 27, even like that shift for what next year inquiries, bookings and whatnot's gonna look like is already more strategic of my pricing's gonna increase. I need to be more aware of that.

Alora:

Because I feel like you were booking two years in advance, like early. You also just booked. You're just like, yeah, sure, yeah, I'll do it. I'll shoot your wedding.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah. So yeah, just being more of what flippant decisions mean financially. Is really the CEO side of it that I'm starting to really hone in on and what's boring, but i'm pretty analytical as it is. But at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, I was in a very like if I send a gallery and I don't get positive feedback immediately, they must hate the gallery and they must hate me. And that was just like, are you doing? So it's been very much no, like other, like they have lives, they have things they have to do. It's okay. Like not every single thing that you photograph is a direct representation of who you are as a person. And you have to be able to like, some business decisions knowing that it might not be, everybody might not like you, but that's for the best. I'm pretty active about certain things on my Instagram. Not everybody's gonna like it, but okay. Repel, what is it the saying if you repel the right people?

Alora:

and repel.

Jennifer Kahl:

like a repel.

Alora:

Propel the rest. Yes. Yeah. And do you feel like you have a really good understanding of, I don't know, being able to decipher between the two? Yeah.'cause you are analytical, so you can probably catch yourself half the time. Like Uhoh, this is because

Jennifer Kahl:

in

Alora:

Yeah.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah.

Alora:

You're an engineer, right?

Jennifer Kahl:

Chemist.

Alora:

Heist. Yes. Yes. I love it. And I still think it's so cool that you can tap into like your creativity, create beautiful art, show up on stories. I was cracking up laughing about the one where you like ran all the way across the golf course for a shot. I could still remember it in my head. I was like, go Jen. Go.

Jennifer Kahl:

she's a.

Alora:

She's a runner. She's a track star. If someone's thinking about joining Wedding Atelier or just being, even just trying to get that one-on-one call for that pricing review. I mean for you all we did actually was the pricing review, the dream client, kind of awareness. And then you took off from there.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah, I wasn't expecting how much information there was to learn which sounds silly, but again you know that you have to show up and you have to do these things, but I didn't realize how deep it could go and how it's not just here's some prompts to figure out, like your brand identity. It's, here's some prompts to figure out your brand identity, but also we're gonna go through it and I'm gonna ask some questions. Or you're gonna ask some questions and help really solidify that. Or you can run it through roo and like you can brain dump into Roo and get something cohesive out of it versus like just buying a prompt or whatever online. Getting that like feedback, either real time if you want it, or marinating on it for a little bit and then submitting it. Yeah, I just really didn't how much you could really dig into of these different topics. You had made the CEO cashflow thing,'cause I think a couple of us were like, does one pay themself as a CEO? you're like, here's a resource. You're like, oh. Okay. That makes sense. Just a lot of things that you're like. And when you go online, it's it's 50% of your profit. It's okay, but what does that mean? So Actual calculator of like what your expenses are, what you need to live, to pay your bills, to have savings, to have a retirement, that's how you should price yourself. And then once you've priced yourself, like this is how, like when she should have in your checking and then your savings and then your reserve and all these things. So that's just. A very minuscule part of what the program can provide, and that's been huge.

Alora:

I feel like it's just the tip of the iceberg. Like you say, oh, I wanna have, I wanna make this much money and I wanna be successful. And you're like, it's actually very convoluted. But once you get it, it changes your life. You can't even go back to thinking how you were before.

Jennifer Kahl:

for sure.

Alora:

I think even if you wanted to be scrappy, I don't even think you could, you'd be like pause.

Jennifer Kahl:

there must be a better way to do this. Yeah. Yeah, and like going on TikTok and being like, okay, what does this person think? Or Googling, like, how do I do this? And you can use chat

Alora:

Mm-hmm.

Jennifer Kahl:

But it's not, AI has its own problems, but like being able to connect with somebody who has. The background on it is just what's really helpful along with the community.

Alora:

I feel like for photographers, as a creative, we know the art, we can figure it out. We can scrappily put stuff together, we can throw up a website. But then when it comes to running the business, managing the business, and making sure, oh, I don't know, this can sustain me for the next decade. That's where people end up quitting or burning out and they're like, I'm burning this to the ground. I've had so many friends being like, this is not what I signed up for. Like I never wanted, I just wanted to take pretty pictures. But being able to balance both, I feel like could, it could change your life. It could change your business. It could change so many things.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yes. And I think

Alora:

Yeah.

Jennifer Kahl:

podcast episode about outsourcing things and I started outsourcing, like my bookkeeping and I was looking into Instagram management, but decided against that. Yeah. like figuring out, like again, as a CEO, you can't possibly do every job in your company. That's, that doesn't make sense. So firing yourself what you're not good at.

Alora:

Yeah.

Jennifer Kahl:

the right person for that was something that I also learned of there are things you need to outsource. You can't do it all. That doesn't make sense. You can for a little bit, but not long term. It's not sustainable.

Alora:

Yeah. And like looking for weaknesses in your business, like the thing that you don't do or you put off for weeks and weeks. Like I, for me, it was editing. I would put it off because it was so big, it was so many images. And finally it's let me just call and send it out. And my couples were getting their galleries and a couple of days, so it was like, that benefited them. Me just being like, Hey, a Laura. You're not obviously gonna be good at this. You do. You don't plan on it, so let's just end it out.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah. And

Alora:

yeah.

Jennifer Kahl:

Using the bookkeeping as an example, I was good at it, but I was obsessive about it and like tracking every Multiple times a day. And I was just like, you need to just lessen release and give this to a professional.

Alora:

Yeah.

Jennifer Kahl:

and I was occupying so much of my mental space and I was like, oh, I'm like four months into it now of having outsourced it. I'm like, oh, okay. Like a spot check that's much more healthy or that's much healthier from a. A mental health perspective and like a business perspective of I know what's going on, but it's not occupying every like moment of my brain. So whatever that is in your business.

Alora:

I love.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah.

Alora:

Yeah. No, just realizing Hey I'm obsessed in a way that's, it's not okay. Like I need to do other things. I need to think about other things than like the recent transaction is huh?

Jennifer Kahl:

Oh, this. HoneyBook cleared this two business days, but I still haven't received it. And then you get it two hours later and you're like, okay, it's fine. No, That's insane. Let it go.

Alora:

Logs into email from phone.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah.

Alora:

Do you have any self-care goals at all now that we're talking about this, like ways that you can take up space now that you're freeing up space from other things?

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah, I need to start moving my body.

Alora:

I.

Jennifer Kahl:

'cause it's a physical job. We all know that. And it's starting very to feel very like Tin Man ish in my body. I'll make squeaky and Self care in terms of actually. Moving in a way that's good for me. But also like I was gonna get to the point of splurging once a week on a massage on a Monday, make that my Monday, like my Monday appointment. So yeah, that's the goal for self-care. Yeah.

Alora:

Yes. I had a membership and after a wedding I was like, get me in, coach

Jennifer Kahl:

yeah, I was calling a wedding and my second took a photo of me, like signing their guest book, I looked at the photo, I was like, oh my God, I am quasimoto in that photo. Oh my God, I am like a true the angle of the photo and the way my shoulder was, whatever, but I was just like, I have a genuine hope, dear Lord. so yeah some posture. Exercises and some massages.

Alora:

You need the chiropractic, you need realignment. We're getting our body back together next year.

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah. So yeah, not doing doubleheaders for six weeks straight so that I don't have to

Alora:

Oh my gosh.

Jennifer Kahl:

crucify my body.

Alora:

Six weeks. Jen, how did you do that?

Jennifer Kahl:

Oh. I haven't done it yet. We are

Alora:

Just, oh,

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah.

Alora:

No.

Jennifer Kahl:

Si I have of my 12, none of them are double headers. Next. Next year.

Alora:

Oh, thank God. That's our business boundary.

Jennifer Kahl:

business boundary.

Alora:

Like

Jennifer Kahl:

Yeah.

Alora:

we're learning baby steps. Oh my gosh.

Jennifer Kahl:

is the

Alora:

For me, I'm hardheaded. I have to feel the pain, be like, Nope, not doing that again.

Jennifer Kahl:

Literally, I was crawling out of my bed This morning. I was like, Ooh, my feet hurt.

Alora:

This was not good. What would you have to say to somebody that's thinking about joining the program? Like last words. Summarize in the past seven, eight months that you've been in the program.

Jennifer Kahl:

Just do it the likelihood of you making back your investment if you put in even a percentage of the effort into the program. is wicked high. And you're gonna learn something even if you think you know everything. There's just such a deep dive of something to learn. So just do it and come hang out. The

Alora:

I love that. I love how you think. Yay. We actually have a challenge coming up pretty quick to make sure you guys reach your goals before the end of the year. So those$33 will be banked. Jen, oh, thank you so much for coming on. This was great. And everyone else, the doors are closing to wedding until October 3rd at midnight. So if you wanna join, the link is in the show notes and I'll see you guys later. Bye.

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