Life & Work with Jenny Midgley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Midgley.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hello! I’m Jenny ‒ a content marketing strategist, headshot band photographer for businesses, professionals, and entrepreneurs.

I spent over 15 years as a social worker helping others develop new skills to adapt to changes brought on by illness or injury. I learned a lot about people, people’s needs, and people’s stories in that role.

Fast forward to about 10 years ago, I realized I needed to make a change, so I focused on turning my photography hobby into my profession. I took on building my business like I take on everything else: With passion, fervor, and a little sass.

Since that time, I’ve been growing my business, my brand, and my family. I get a ton of support from my two kiddos, my husband, and my tribe who are all part of my story.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh, goodness… is anything ever really a smooth road?

Building a business is challenging, but it’s also fun and scary and humbling and exhilarating. When you’re an employee, there’s an orientation and things you learn about the organization and your role along the way. When you’re an entrepreneur, especially a solo business owner, it’s YOU making all the policies and procedures and creating the organization and the roles along the way. It’s YOU making all the decisions!

I had to unlearn how to be an employee and learn how to be a business owner. I had to unlearn how to be just a player on the team and learn how to lead. I had the skills to be a photographer AND I had to learn how to be a successful business owner. I built the skills to market my own business and help my clients learn to market theirs.

Full transparency, there are still things that trip me up and make me wonder if doing this is the best decision for me and my family – the difference between now and when I started is now, those wonderings are fleeting. I recognize them as part of the life of a business owner and when they come I just brush them off and move ahead.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I wake up each day and enjoy what I do and the people I get to do it with. I help people tell their stories. I help people build their confidence to realize their greatness.

I work with clients in a few different ways to meet the same purpose: To elevate their brand. I’m a photographer, so I help clients build their brand through visual storytelling. Each experience is customized to include elements of the business, the why, and the story.

I’m a storyteller, so I listen respectfully to others to determine how to best share their story. Each story is unique, so I work closely with clients to share their stories in a way that is professional, authentic, engaging, dynamic, and compelling. I’m a content marketing strategist, so I learn about clients and their businesses to develop a marketing strategy that is stress-free, comfortable, and collaborative. Each client and business align differently, so I work closely with clients to make sure their ideas come to fruition.

I run a full-service Content Marketing Collective, where we take the guesswork out of launching a strategic marketing plan, helping our clients elevate their brand through content creation and scheduling, branded photos and video, websites, email marketing, and much more.

I’m a podcast co-host, so I get to work with my friend Sarah Madras on Girls Who Do Stuff. Each story we share comes from someone who is freaking amazing, which makes it a blast to share.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Look, I do a lot of stuff. I know that. I have a few parts to my business, I co-host a podcast, I’m a wife and a mom, and a friend… I’m a woman in the sandwich generation checking in on my parents while trying to figure out this parenting thing myself.

Despite the impression I may give off of having it all together, I’m here to say there’s really no such thing! Most days I’m a hot mess express and I feel lucky if I remember which day it is. The truth is, I can’t do it alone – I have my stellar assistant, my fabulous business coach, my mentor, my digital marketing manager/friend/collaborator, my podcast co-host, my studio partner – along with a network of family, friends, and professionals who lift me up and empower me and support me and are there for me on the hot mess express days AND the days we’re celebrating our wins.

So while my website is pretty, and I know how to use a camera, and strategic thinking is my superpower (seriously, it’s like nine items out of the top 15 on my CliftonStrengths), I’m still figuring things out about this life as an entrepreneur and some days I may ask for some extra grace and compassion.

Contact Info:

• Email: jenny@jennymidgley.com
• Website: https://jennymidgley.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jenny.m.midgley
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/jennymidgleyphotographer
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/LVXUm6J5q3M
• Other: https://girlswhodostuff.com

Image Credits
Jenny Midgley