Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Ashley.
Hi Jordan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started doing business in the summer of 2020. Prior to that, my fiancé and I spent the last 3 years traveling long-term at home and abroad and working odd jobs in between to fund our adventures. During this time, I developed a passion for photography and videography as I documented all of the fun excursions we did and the beautiful locations we visited. We were backpacking in SE Asia when COVID evolved into a full-blown pandemic so we cut our trip short and flew home to KC to be safe and support our friends/family if need be. Our entire plan for the year needed to be reworked and we both needed to find jobs to afford rent on an apartment we didn’t originally plan on leasing. I viewed this crazy point in time as an opportunity to try and create a job for myself that I would be excited to get up in the morning to go to. I started the brainstorming at the point where my passion and skills met, which were photography and videography. I had studied ways to make money with photography in the past but hadn’t been able to realize this dream. Almost serendipitously I stumbled upon a webinar ad on Facebook that said something like “how I made $100k doing real estate photography”. Although I’m pretty jaded with useless webinars that end with a shameful sales pitch, I decided to watch this one. I found it pretty valuable and decided to buy the online course it was promoting. I basically binged the whole thing and learned a ton about how to start successful real estate photography. Within a couple of months I had my website up, systems developed, gear acquired, and shot my first home! As with any business I was off to a slow start but continued plugging away with marketing/networking in hopes of a future payout. Fast forward 6 months, I was starting to doubt myself, and all of a sudden, I started getting more and more bookings and new clients. I’m happy to report now, almost a year into the business, that I’ve worked with almost 75 clients, shot over 200 homes, and have a very healthy volume of business! I have an MBA and aerospace engineering degree from the University of Kansas. I enjoyed working in that industry but I’m incredibly grateful that my fiancé (then girlfriend) convinced me to quit our jobs and sell all of our stuff to go and see the world. Without that push, I may have never found my passion in photography and had the guts to pursue this entrepreneurial adventure!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I consider myself very fortunate to be in the place I am now but there were many struggles along the way. Creating a business from scratch and learning to wear all of the hats from photographer to editor to accountant to marketer was quite the challenge, especially without any real-life industry experience or mentorship. Accumulating a healthy client base was difficult as well. With zero name recognition and few connections within the industry, I had to do a lot of putting myself out there. I contacted more than 2,000 realtors on social media, did a lot of free work to prove myself, and developed a decently strong presence on Instagram to display my work and build brand awareness.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The official job title is professional real estate photographer but I do everything from standard hand-held photography to drone to video to 3D tours, floor plans, and more. I do some commercial work but my specialty is creating high-quality photo and video content for realtors to market their listings to potential buyers. I work with around 75 realtors to capture their listings in their best light so they can use these visual resources to attract potential buyers.
I hope that I’m known for exceptional photography, videography, and most importantly customer service. There are many talented photographers in KC but I believe I win my clients over with the intangibles like friendliness, reliability, trust, and respect.
Another thing I believe that sets me apart is my ability to provide a range of useful services to my clients and not a singular skill like only photography or only drone.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I’m confident in the outlook for my industry. The housing market is very hot right now but mostly on the buyers’ side, not the sellers. We only shoot homes for sale and as that side of the market recovers, I see lots of business coming our way in the future.
As for shifts and trends, we are a very technology-focused business. Cameras improve more each year increasing quality and decreasing the learning curve required to become proficient with them. These advancements can help us create even more high-quality, eye-catching content but could also increase competition with more photographers popping up and realtors taking on these tasks themselves. It is a double-edged sword but I’m confident in the fact that good realtors see value in hiring a professional to create quality content and save them time.
Contact Info:
- Email: jordan@jordanwyattashley.com
- Website: jordanwyattashley.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanwyattashley
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordanwyattashley
Image Credits:
Jordan Wyatt Ashley
