306 - Vincent Pugliese on getting out of debt, freedom, and choosing not settle

Today’s guest is Vincent Pugliese. Vincent is a dad, husband, photographer, coach, and author. He runs The Freelance Tribe and helps others on their journey to finding success as a freelancer.

In 2007, just before the economic collapse of 2008, Vincent left his job to start his own photography business. In spite of the timing, he was able to get his family out of debt and create a thriving business - eventually reaching the point where he could be selective about his clients and wasn’t living project to project.

Though he barely finished high school, Vincent clawed his way back by going to college and then getting a job with a newspaper as a photographer. At one particular low point, his father told him something that changed his life forever - that he was settling.

That, along with the realization that no matter how hard he worked he would always be held back by traditional employment, led him to jump ship and start his own business.

Vincent focused on building a network rather that focusing solely on money, which gave him long-term stability. He chose to focus on his strengths, and this too helped him attract the ideal clientele.

Today, Vincent and his wife are running the Business of Photography Academy as well as a mastermind community for freelancers. When he’s not shooting weddings and other events, he can be found spending time with his family and homeschooling his three boys.

In this episode Vincent talks about:

• His journey from getting in trouble with the law to becoming an award-winning photographer to running a thriving freelance business.
• How even after winning awards and reaching a pinnacle in his newspaper photography career, he still found himself struggling to support his family.
• Finding your niche and finding the right clients to be your target audience.
• How he paid off his debt and raised his prices when other businesses were struggling.

Main Takeaways

• Winning awards for your talent does not always equate to making money - especially when done within the constraints of a traditional career path.
• The sooner you can become a giver and think about somebody else first and your business second, the sooner your business is actually going to thrive.
• When you have little to lose you should be seeking out opportunities to improve your situation.
• Freelancing is all about creating and maintaining relationships and connections and helping others.
• Success doesn’t happen overnight. It’s about building a strong business over time.

Important Mentions in this Episode

• Freelance to Freedom
• Business of Photography Academy