Black Friday is really one of the days that changed my business forever. We were poor college students and I had my eye on a new camera. I’d always wanted to be a photographer and when DSLR cameras came onto the market, I desperately wanted a nice camera, but nice cameras cost a lot of money. They were always out of my price range until Black Friday. I got up in the middle of the night and stood in line at Staples to get a new camera. That camera changed my life (dramatic, but true).
That camera led to taking better pictures of my kids and products, which lead to becoming a photographer, which lead to starting a non-profit, which lead to teaching business to photographers, which lead to teaching business, which leads me to today. So, I love Black Friday because it gives you access to things you might not always be able to buy.
I’ve searched the internet and found some Black Friday deals on the things that I use to make my business run and I’d love to share them with you.
(Disclaimer: these are affiliate links, but friend, you know I recommend only the best.)
Honeybook:
The deal:
50% off year membership $200 (down from $400)
What is Honeybook:
Honeybook is a client management software:
Manage projects, book clients, send invoices and get paid.
Click here to buy Honeybook
How I use it:
I love Honeybook. I use it to create an easy client workflow. I send contracts and questionnaires and I set up payments and payment plans. It keeps me organized and I love it and if you have a client-based business (like photographer, coach, or anything one-to-one) Honeybook is a game-changer!
Haute Stock — for stock photos
The deal:
New subscribers can join Haute Stock at a discounted rate of $199 per year, which is $100 off our current annual price ($299) and is a steal for everything that is offered in the membership.
What’s offered in the Haute Stock membership?
You’ll get instant access to the entire stock photo library, including:
- OVER 4000+ HIGH-QUALITY STOCK PHOTOS
- HUNDREDS OF PRE-MADE SOCIAL MEDIA QUOTES AND TEMPLATES
- EXCLUSIVE DESIGN ASSETS LIKE ICONS, BRUSHES, OVERLAYS AND PATTERNS
- MOCKUP LIBRARY AND STOCK PHOTOS FOR CANVA
- NEW COLLECTIONS RELEASED EVERY WEEK
Click here to buy Haute Stock
How I use Haute Stock:
Having beautiful stock photos that are always new and fresh makes creating blog posts and landing and sales pages super quick and easy. I also love having pictures that other people don’t have. I use free stock photo sites sometimes, but I like to have pictures that are different from other businesses.
Kylee Ann’s Lightroom Presets
The deal:
$35 for 30 presets
What you get:
With these affordable mobile presets you can turn everyday snapshots into masterpieces in ONE easy click and you don’t have to be a photographer to use them! Download Lightroom CC (a professional editing app) for free on your phone and start today!
30 trendy presets for every occasion for just $35. Every influencer got to pick a custom style and then I created a custom preset to match. You will have access to ALL of them. The pack also includes 10 essential presets – brighten, extra bright, snow, cozy, Sunday walk, etc.
Click here to buy Kylee Ann’s Lightroom Presets
How I use Kylee’s Presets:
I use these presets with all of my pictures. They quickly take a normal iPhone pic and turn it into a pro pic ready for me to post on Instagram. These are worth it for the time saving alone.
Legal Templates from Brittany Ratelle
The deal:
20% off everything from Black Friday to Cyber Monday
Click here to buy Legal Templates from Brittany Ratelle
Why I use Brittany Ratelle’s legal templates:
Brittany’s templates are so easy to use and they protect my business and help me show up like a pro. She offers templates for contracts, model releases, influencer agreements, independent contractor agreements, website terms of use and a bunch more. These are the contracts that I use for my one-on-one clients. I upload them to Honeybook and I’m protected and doing business like a pro.
Tailwind (Pinterest & Instagram Scheduler)
The deal:
New subscribers can join Tailwind at a discounted rate of $70 per year, which is a steal for everything that Tailwind can do.
With the Pinterest Smart Scheduler you can schedule pins in advance – say, once a month – and Tailwind will post those pins at the most optimal times. You’ll have a daily presence on Pinterest without having to tackle Pinterest Marketing strategy every single day.
Another fairly new feature from Tailwind is the ability to schedule Instagram posts as well as scheduling pins from your Instagram account. It’s a great system to help you work smarter and not harder!
Ontraport (email marketing)
The deal:
25% off you plan
Why I use Ontraport:
Ontraport does it all. I don’t just use Ontraport for my emails, I house all my courses there, build landing pages, accept payment, have a password protected part of my site, automate my emails, set up subscriptions and a lot of other things. This makes it so that I don’t have to piece together a bunch of plugins for my WordPress site and have everything housed in one place. Ontraport functions better and streamlines my website.
Bluehost Website Hosting Platform
The deal: Bluehost is offering up to 60% off for those who are ready to start a blog! There has never been a better time to take the leap and reach for those goals friends!
Now that you have all the best tools for your business, don’t forget to run your website on a great hosting platform. I use Bluehost and have loved the ease of use and their responsiveness to any questions I may have.
Cameras
Like I said at the beginning, buying a nice camera was a hinge point in my business. Because online business is so visual, getting good pictures is a must. Just pick up a camera and start learning. If you are in the market for a good camera, I love my Canon. I started out with a Canon Rebel and moved on to a bigger camera as I need it, but honestly, if you aren’t a photographer, you can live your whole life with a Rebel.
The Canon Camera Kit below is a GREAT deal at almost $350 off. If you are ready to upgrade your rebel, I recommend the Canon 6d. That is what I use and I love it.
The lens I recommend using to learn how to take better pictures is a 50 mm lens. There are three different 50 mm lens all at different price points. There’s the 50 mm 1.8 ($109), the 50 mm1.4 (on sale for $299) and then the 50 mm 1.2 (on sale for $1269). If you have the money, buy the 1.2. It is what I have on my camera 95% of the time. But, if you don’t have that much to invest, any of the 50 mm lenses are wonderful. From a photographer’s standpoint, it is better to invest in a lens than it is to spend a lot on a camera body.
And they are on sale below!
Canon Camera
THE lens everyone should have:
$125
The deal:
$299 (down from $399)
The deal:
$1,269 (down from $1,449)
Canon Camera Kit
The Deal:
$399 (Down from $749)
Canon 6d camera
The deal:
$1,199 (Down from $1,799)
There you have it! A great “gift guide” for your business… What is on your list for your business?
Michelle
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