Featured Entrepreneur
Jennifer Lindberg
Jennifer Lindberg Weddings
www.jenniferlindbergweddings.com
BeauBaby Childhood Photography
What does your business do?
With Beaubaby, we help moms and dads to push the "pause" button on their busy and scheduled lives to capture those real, unscripted moments that make up their family. We love being able to artfully document someone's son in his "all things Spiderman" phase, or the twins dancing in their matching purple boas. At, Jennifer Lindberg Weddings, we deliver a collection of photographs that tell the story of each wedding day. One of my favorite compliments to hear is: "These don't look like wedding pictures, they look like art you want to hang on your walls!"
What do you like best about being an entrepreneur?
Not waking up to an alarm clock! Seriously, although I work in conjunction with an amazing team of photographers and people, on a very deep level, each day I wake up and feel it's up to me. It makes me keenly aware of the power of being the author of my own life. I also get to make a living doing what I most love and that is an incredible privilege.
What was your biggest fear in starting a business?
When I launched the wedding photography business in 2001, I left a coveted staff newspaper photography position in Boston with colleagues I loved, and a salary and health benefits--but starting my own business was something I was compelled to do. My biggest fear was not knowing how all the separate things you are responsible for when you first start (ie buying equipment, accounting, managing people, making portfolios and albums, building our reputation-so many different areas!) would work and come together, but I knew I had to move forward one step at a time.
What has been your proudest moment in starting your business?
Whenever I bring joy to people's lives with our images, I'm proud.
JLW gives 5% of our net profit to Partners in Health, (PIH.org) a non-profit that provides free and excellent health care to the poorest of the poor around the world. Paul Farmer, the founder, is one of my personal heroes. When I was a freelance photojournalist, I went to Mozambique and photographed at an orphanage for kids whose parents had either died in the civil war or by AIDS. I wanted to raise awareness with my images and support social change. One of my photos won a national award and was published in a "best of photojournalism" book, next to a haunting image from the Columbine shootings. I was never comfortable that the image was making me more successful considering that the change the kids really needed--more funding--wasn't happening. So, from the beginning of JLW, I committed to giving 5% to PIH, and it makes me incredibly proud to be able to do that.
What is different about you since becoming an entrepreneur?
Acknowledging that I am an entrepreneur (and not solely an artist/photographer) has been phenomenally liberating and energizing. For me, it blew away the old limiting stereotype of the 'starving artist.' I'm an artist and an entrepreneur; my world is bigger!
What is different about being a woman entrepreneur?
My ability to really listen, to pay attention. As a woman, I feel I also have a certain instinct about the market and trends.
What message would you give to other women entrepreneurs?
Trust your instincts, trust your instincts, trust your instincts, and network by being yourself--not selling yourself.
What is the biggest obstacle to growth in your business?
I see 2 big challenges. We work with a very high-end clientele in both businesses and we love keeping our experience and products highly customized. That presents its own unique challenges when it comes to scaling a business.
The second challenge is that we are now seeking Angel investment funding and looking for an investor or group of investors who are both a good fit and who can help us get to the next level.
Which female entrepreneur has inspired you most?
Suzi Sosa, Oprah Winfrey, and Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart published photography that was against the norm. Her innovation paved the way and created demand for the products that both of my companies offer.
What do you like best about Austin Women Entrepreneurs?
It's an unusual and refined forum for learning about the things that will really help to grow your business.
