Katie: 00:01 Hi, everybody. Thank you for tuning into the Hustlenomics Podcast. I’m your host Katie, and today I am so excited to be talking with Rika Givens. She is the owner of lavish touch photography. So Rika thank you so much for coming on the show today.
Rika: 00:13 Thank you for having me.
Katie: 00:15 So you are a photographer, and I would love it if you could tell us a little bit more about who Rica is and lavish touch photography.
Rika: 00:22 I see as well. I am originally from Detroit, Michigan. I recently moved to Florida to pursue my dream of shooting beach weddings, and I’m a summer baby. I love the sunshine. I love the water. So I was like, I have to get to Florida, I have to have an opportunity to shoot these beach weddings. But to back up a little, how I got started with photography was out of impulse. My best friend asked me to capture a baby shower. It was around Christmas time, and I’m like, I’m going to buy myself a camera. Went to best buy, spoke with one of the reps, told them I wanted to send my professional camera. He gave me a Nikon kit, and that’s really, that’s all she wrote. That’s how I got started. Two days, hands-on with the camera, captured the baby shower and fell in love with the atmosphere of the room is just so much love in the room and being able to capture those moments for, you know, the guest or the couple.
Rika: 01:20 It lit something within me that I never felt before. I could say upon finding this passion; I felt the most alive. Now I compare it to a cup of coffee, you know, you get your cup of coffee, and you get to go, and caffeine hits you, and you’re just ready to work. It was like a natural high that I got from being at the baby shower and being laughing and being able to be myself. And I would say the self that I couldn’t necessarily be within my it career cause I have to be on more clients all the time and you know, speaking a certain way and write in a certain way. And we say about facing a certain way, but being at events and capturing the moment, I can be my naturally goofy self. I can laugh and smile and make, you know, small talking jokes while we get the job done. But it was just like night and day for my personality, and I found myself upon finding this passion. What makes Rica happy.
Katie: 02:17 Yeah, I love that. So how long ago was this baby shower when you had this awakening of creative excitement?
Rika: 02:24 The baby shower was in 2014
Katie: 02:28 Okay. So before this, before photography, did you have any other like creative hobbies that you did that kind of maybe made you think you wanted to do something else creative or were you surprised by this impulse?
Rika: 02:41 I’m not surprised. My Dad was kind of like a hobbyist photographer, and he would walk around with the camera and shoot anything we were involved in, whether it was sports or science fair. So I feel like I got my photography DNA or gift from him. And the landscape is my personal favorite. So whenever I go out of town, I try to find the rooftop restaurant with a great view. Or like I did ATVs in the Mojave desert while on the Las Vegas Strip and that we went to the top of the mountain. And to be able to capture that scenery is like, wow. So it’s always been within me. I just never did it on a professional level.
Katie: 03:23 Right. Absolutely. Well, so now that you are, I would love to talk about that transition that you made from working a corporate position to being your boss, working, you know, as a full-time professional photographer. So do you mind jumping into kind of what that story was and how it all happened?
Rika: 03:41 Well, I’m going to give a special thank you to my VP back in Michigan. My role was pretty high level. I was a technical consultant, my support at the software that was deployed within North America, South America, Mexico, and Canada. And I was the only one, so it was three of us on the team, and I was the one who was doing the deployments, the consultations, client engagements, account counting, everything for this project. And I had about 22 customers, big-name people, NASA. So on paper, the job was phenomenal. I even developed five admin tools for the software that I support it. So I got to see my, my work within the tool that I was presenting. So it was, it was fulfilling from a success point what it was unfulfilling from a creative outlet. I also felt like I was unable to grow within it.
Rika: 04:40 So coming out of college and going into your dream job, you expect to like, I’m going to be a manager in three or four years. That didn’t happen. And so I was, I was hitting many going to say obstacles upon that path that I was trying to get on into management. It was a, Hey, can I do this? Can I do that? And I got no, no, no, no, no. A lot of nos. And I was told this is the job. If you want something else, you have to go somewhere else and mind you, I’m the only one in this role that’s making this software what it is from the client perspective, from the end-user perspective, they know Rica is this person over this software I had, it’s a, it was a small project, but it had high visibility all the way to the CEO.
Rika: 05:24 Like he knew who I was. So being told that and like, wow, just gave this company four years of my life and you know, I’m, I’m making real big milestones with this software. We’re growing it. I’m adding to it. I, but I’m, why am I not feeling fulfilled? So I spoke with them, we’re going to say like a coach. And that was really when a resonated with me that I’m not doing, I’m not living with them on purpose. So she challenged me to find out what sets me free, which makes me feel the most alive. At this time, I was doing a little bit of photography but wasn’t doing it to the level that I, I felt like I could be at. So after a meeting, I resigned.
Rika: 06:07 I was like, you know what? I have enough money saved up. I have a steady clientele. I do wedding 75% of the time I’m going to resign. I’m going to find maybe a part-time it jobs something small and figures this out. And what was offered to me was exactly what I wanted part-time. I teach out, my BP asked me what could he do to keep me, and I said, well I want to do photography full time. Little did I know he’d been following me. He had been following my work. He had been following me on social media. I didn’t know that. And he was like; he was like, you took these pictures. I was like, yeah. He was like, wow. I was like, yeah, that’s me. He was like, okay. I was like, yeah. I was like, Oh crap, because I don’t want to, I didn’t really want to mix those two lives cause you know, just don’t, I didn’t want him to think I was doing stuff on company time, you know, just, I just wanted to keep those two separate. But I didn’t know he was following me and following the things that I was working on, he truly believed in me. And so he offered me the same role I was doing. He said that I could create my schedule, and he said I could base that schedule around my photography schedule. And he was like; I felt like you could use this as a buffer.
Katie: 07:17 Well, it just like, it popped into my mind. Like you said, you kept hearing no, no, no. But as soon as you said yes to yourself, it’s like life. Like, alright, let’s do it.
Rika: 07:27 I deserve this. I deserve to live to my full potential. I deserve to be at the highest level of whatever I choose to be. And once I made that choice within myself, doors start opening.
Katie: 07:40 Isn’t that funny how that works? It’s incredible. I love it. Yeah.
Rika: 07:43 Like I deserve more.
Katie: 07:44 Yes. Yes. Absolutely. So you said you were balancing during the corporate thing and doing photography at the same time, but you started getting enough work where you felt like, hey, it’s time to make the leap. So were you doing mostly weekends and weddings or what? What kind of work were you doing then compared to like when you jumped into the full time? Is it pretty similar?
Rika: 08:04 Pretty similar, but I started doing more weddings. So in Detroit, before I moved to Florida, I was easily doing two to three weddings a week.
Katie: 08:11 Okay. I have a huge question, and this is a question that I had when I first started because I started with photography. I’ve now kind of expanded a little bit, but I was working a corporate job, and I said, you know what? I want to be a photographer. And I got an inquired about doing a wedding. I’d never done a wedding before. I had done some families; I had done, you know, things like that. But I was like, can I take this on? So I would love to hear about your experience. The first time you were asked to do a wedding, what you were thinking, how you’re feeling and you know kind of how that first experience was. Cause it’s a big event, right? And it means a lot to people.
Rika: 08:49 Oh yes, my first wedding I third shot, but that was like my first experience kind of was testing waters to see what kind of type, you know, what type of photography did I really want to get into, but my first ever experience with wedding at third shop for a big company, they’re based out of Canada, but they have high profile clients within the area, which was Metro Detroit. My first experience as a wedding photographer, it was horrible. Horrible. I was ready to hang up my camera after that. It was a 17 hour day. Now mind you, I never shot weddings before. I hadn’t even gone to a wedding before. I didn’t know what to get into, and everything happened so fast. I found them off of craigslist. He interviewed me. He was like, okay, bring your camera. I had no idea how physical it was. It’s like working out for that whole time.
Rika: 09:38 It started at 8:00 AM and we finished it around 2:00 AM heavy bags. Yeah, the lead photographer. She was like, get the bag, hurry up. I guess I was moving too slow. I never carry two bags with me and on my shoulders. She was like, I’m like, I’m hungry. She like grab a sandwich, come on. I couldn’t even eat. It was, it was horrible. I was like, I don’t know if I want to do this. Like, you know, I underestimated all of the work that to being a wedding photographer and then while you’re going through this long day you have to create magic. You have to, you know, be artistic. That was my first ever experience. But when I booked my own, the couple was a blessing. They had already been together Chaney years, so it was more so of a celebration, kind of like less pressure. Everybody there supported the union. So it was a lot of love. But it was huge. 20 Count Bridal Party, 300 guests, and they were the sweetest couples ever. One of my favorites. Very easy going. Not hard to please. They were great.
Katie: 10:45 That’s good. So it’s so crazy like how each experience can be completely different. So what have you learned? What are like one to two things that you or three if you have it, that you’ve learned since that first wedding and that crazy, intense, horrible experience to name yourself first wedding by yourself and feeling like, all right, I got this. What are some things that you say you learned in that time period?
Rika: 11:08, I would say plan ahead, plan, and ask more questions that every I and cross every t I realized with the two different worlds, we see things differently. So from a photographer’s perspective, we can expect the client knows this, but in reality, there they’re very clueless, very lost, and they’re looking at us for direction, direction, and to, to repeat it multiple times because they have that wedding stress. There are some things my fly over their head. Communication is big, and preparation is just as big.
Katie: 11:44 Yes. I always would bring, I would get together with a bride and like do a second by second timeline of the day. Not only does that help, but every time I did that with a bride, I could see, oh, you know, they just took a deep breath. They’re like, I feel so much better. I know what’s happening every second. You know, and then you got it all planned out. So that’s one of my tricks that I’ve always used, and it’s, it hasn’t failed me yet, but who knows? Their weddings can always be crazy.
Rika: 12:10 They can’t. And then I also like to give my expertise. They’re coming to you because they feel like they can trust you and they feel like you have the knowhow. So like you said, over-communicate. I like to overdeliver. Even if they choose not to book with me, I still want to give them something extra that they might not have known. Like one bright, she was going back and forth about whether having a wedding party or not. Her grandmother wanted her to have her sisters and bridesmaids, but she didn’t want it. And I was like, look, is one day on a big day one big expensive day. Make it about you. Make it about you to, you know, like if you don’t want the bridal party, don’t do it. You know and be true to you about that day and make it everything you want it to be.
Katie: 12:52 Yeah. That’s great advice. I found that sometimes brides treat the photographers or even the wedding planner was kind of like people treat bartenders, they’ll like to spill their guts to them.
Rika: 13:03 I have stories
Katie: 13:05 I’d love to hear one or two if that’s okay.
Rika: 13:08 Thought about. I’ve thought about starting a wedding chronicles podcast cause I know as a therapist,
Katie: 13:15 Do you mind sharing one or two of them?
Rika: 13:17 They asked me everything. I’m like your best friend for the time you got me. I’m giving; I’m giving dressing vice, I’m getting given flower advice like venue advise. I even had a bright ass me should she get married and I was just like, well I can’t give you that advice. You know I just said go with your heart and no hard feelings if you cancel.
Katie: 13:39 Wow, that is crazy. Well, you seem to be good at handling crisis, which is what a photographer, especially a wedding photographer needs to be able to do. Have you always been able to kind of work on the fly and handle a crisis pretty well?
Rika: 13:53 Yes, with my field and it, I started in the web infrastructure, so I dealt with servers, and it’s like every morning I would come in, and something was down, and I didn’t have time to panic. You have to find a solution. Especially you’re working with the enterprise of 56 K folks, and they can’t get online. Then you got complaints coming in, and you kind of, you kind of have to be level headed, so I would not discredit my, my corporate job or my corporate career because I feel like it prepared me for owning my own business.
Katie: 14:24 Yeah. I always believed that you could find something in. Even any job that you’ve worked that has helped you down the road, even if it’s the worst job in the world. Did you learn anything? Right?
Rika: 14:36 Like what’s your takeaway? What did you, will you learn what you didn’t want to do?
Katie: 14:39 Exactly, exactly. There’s always something, always something. So I’m sure it’s been a transition to a, from working for somebody else to being your boss. So what’s that been like? Has it been easy, has it been rocky? How’s it been for you?
Rika: 14:53 I like to be honest, and I feel like sometimes when we do this, I’m a business owner, host, and means and all that. We don’t give the truth on the real side of it. They don’t see us up at 3:00 AM crying because something didn’t happen. Or for me editing to 5:00 AM in the morning because I want to meet my deadlines, it has been a beautiful nightmare. Can I say that? Yup.
Katie: 15:19 That’s the perfect way to describe it.
Rika: 15:21 That it is Kinda like up, down, up, down, up, up, up and down. Here we go. Here we go with doing the BS. Okay, we’re back up. I’m happy. Maybe I do want to go back to corporate cluster of emotions, really a back and forth thing. But the most fulfilling thing for me, my potential was uncapped. And my favorite quote, effort creates opportunity. And I notice when I take a step back and don’t do as much, nothing comes. But when I sit up here and set these goals and say this is going to happen, that I’m going to do this, I’m going to follow up on this and when the doors open. So it’s based on you and your effort and if you aren’t ambitious, if you’re not determined, if you’re not goal-oriented, I don’t think to be a business owner for that type of person, you have to be a go-getter.
Katie: 16:07 100% agree and kind of on that same topic like you, you have to hustle pretty hard. Like no matter what business you’re at or what level you’re in, but you know, of course, you’ve got to still set boundaries for yourself, so you don’t work yourself together. Burnout. So I am the same type of person where I will work until the wee hours of the night to get something done, and I will not sleep. And that’s not exactly healthy. But I’ve tried to start setting boundaries for myself and say, all right, it’s five o’clock, six o’clock, it’s time to close the computer, turn my ringer off.
Rika: 16:41 Have you done that? Oh, I have to. I have to take my eyes off the screen. Otherwise, they’re going to cross. My favorite thing to do is to go to the beach and kind of like a release. So the beach brings me joy, the breaks, the beach brings me balance. I go out there, and I walk around, and I say my prayers, and I take it all in, and then I find a family they take, they asked me to take a picture. I’m like, okay, can’t get away from this, but it’s still joyful. So I was like, okay. You know, click, click, smile. Everybody says you know Florida. Yep. And on walking. But yeah, you, you have to take that time away from work so you won’t get burnt out.
Katie: 17:27 Yeah. So I’m curious, what did your family and friends say when you told them I’m quitting my corporate job and I’m going to become a full-time photographer?
Rika: 17:37 What didn’t they say? I didn’t get any support. None. I got you’re crazy. You’re leaving it like what’s wrong with you? No support whatsoever. I took a marketing and branding course back in 2015, and I dropped out of Grad school to do this. I have five more classes to finish. My Grad school degree is information resource management is supposed to teach me how to manage folks within its world. The class was 1500, my accelerated marketing branding courses 800 that was an easy choice. Let that pay for that. And my business coach, Fab Yollie, Gord, Donnie, she got me together, and she told me too. She was like, you know your biggest supporters won’t be people you know. And once that resonated, I stopped looking, looking at my friends and family for support and started looking for people that just believed in me, that I connected with that we were kind of like like-minded and on the same path.
Katie: 18:38 So how did you end up finding those people?
Rika: 18:40 They just came to me like I do like a lot of networking events, meet people, introduce myself to people, let them know what I do. I am also aggressive, so aggressive. Are we going to say aggressive, assertive? When it comes to networking, I’ll reach out via email. I’m not shy, you know, my name is Rika owner. Blab. Such photos are what I do. Do you know? Maybe we can work together in some collaborative way, and building relationships and network within my photography circle have been the most beneficial for my support system. People I don’t know. They just like, oh yeah, come on. Like, really? Yeah, come on. Oh, okay. But my friends and family, my mom, I think she’s onboard now. Barely. Maybe, but now I’ll give her a token, and I’m like, here you go. She was just like, how are you able to do this? And I’m like, photography. And she was just like, okay, well take that picture.
Katie: 19:36 Yeah, I’ve heard that a bunch that you know, like your family, you expect them and your friends too, you expect them to be like, yeah, go for it. We’ll support you. But you know, usually, the people who are closest to you, it’s hard for them to see your dreams. Like you’re dealing.
Rika: 19:51 Yeah, they, they don’t, they don’t even my best friend now. I was like, so what’s your goal with this? I said this to capture weddings internationally. She’s like, okay. I say, watch me get down. I have to master it at the national level before I get to international. But Watch. So when it comes, say, I told you already.
Katie: 20:10 The naysayers are the biggest motivation you can have.
Rika: 20:13 Yeah. And then they’re the same people to ask for a job. I laugh. I was like, you have to be kidding me. Do you need an assistant? No. And it wouldn’t be you.
Katie: 20:24 I’ve heard that quote. I’ve seen it on Instagram that says keep working hard until the haters ask if you’re hiring.
Rika: 20:29 Yeah, they do. Yeah. This same person told me I was dumb for leaving photography. Just told me she’s proud of me. I mean, maybe it just told me she was proud of me, and I said proud of me for what?
Katie: 20:43 No, that’s wonderful. And you do have to go outside of, you know, your immediate sometimes to find those people who will support you. But also, you know, I’m, I’m curious how when you’re dealing with all those people telling you, you can’t do this, why are you doing this? How have you kept your confidence up and kept your drive going when you’ve hit some of those obstacles?
Rika: 21:01 Coming from the corporate world and my field, even in school, I was the only female, and I was the only African American in my class. Some used to define the arts. But what keeps me going is exceeding expectations. So it’s like you expect me to feel, I’m going to show you why I want, you expect me to be on this lower level. I’m going to show you why I can’t just be at that level. So it’s kind of like proving the disbelievers wrong in satisfying my own personal, you know, goals keeps me going is just that wow factor. Like wow, I couldn’t even sell a $50 $50 mini session, but now I can pretty much charge what I want.
Katie: 21:41, Yep. Well, you just almost answered the next question I was going to ask. I was going to ask, what is one of the things that you’re most proud about? About how far you’ve come?
Rika: 21:49 See probably the publications being published course for any photographers to go cause you want people to, you know, promote your work. But essence reached out to me via Instagram or Hashtag, and she sent me an email, and it was for there, it was like they’re 29 forehead kisses section of their website and she reached out to me, and she ended up using two of my photos.
Katie: 22:15 Oh, that’s wonderful. Congratulations.
Rika: 22:17 Thank you. And that was big for me cause I was starting and they found me. So I was like okay. I called my God universe. Okay, world. I hear you. I’m working. I got you. You got me, you know, I got you. Because that came, everybody was like, how did you get that? And I was like, I pray, I don’t know like I don’t know. And then even we had a the not, are you familiar with the not, yeah, so it was one of their big, big events when I was in Detroit and I got picked to capture it. Now mind you, I, things just took off left and right. And the vendors, same vendors I reached out to work with, that pretty much ignored me. They were in the building, and they were coming up to me as if I was a celebrity and I’m very humble, and I was like, hi.
Rika: 23:05 She’s like, Hey, we, and I was like, Hey, can I, can I get a picture of you? Why? Like why do you want to do that? So, you know, proving the disbelievers wrong and you know, I’m going to make something out of this photography. It’s not just by backyard photos. I believe in this. I believe in my craft. I feel like I’m an artist with a camera. You know, that, that keeps me going, getting that shot. You like, yeah, so I can be a little, little extra low dramatic. So when I get the shot that I like, I’ll be like, yes, yes, yes, yes. I work it.
Katie: 23:38 I love that. Yeah, I remember that feeling, and it’s the best feeling in the world when you look at your camera, and you’re like, I got it.
Rika: 23:46 Those goosebumps. Like Ooh, wait till you see this gallery.
Katie: 23:50 Right, exactly. Exactly. Since you talked about some of your future goals, you talked about shooting destination weddings, and I’d love to hear about everything that you’re hoping for the future and all your big goals for your business.
Rika: 24:03 Let’s see. Bit Goes, yes. Being an international wedding photographer, it’s like a dream to shoot in virally or Paris just exploring mountains. Like I follow some of these adventure photographers on Instagram, and I was like, I need photos like that. Like landscape, like I told you, four is my personal favorite. So anything with water is healing and mountains and sunsets. I love it. And to put a couple with that and like an envelope mint. Oh, that’d be great. Outside of that,
Katie: 24:37 They’re looking for a perfect place to shoot. I’m out in Utah, and it’s pretty out here.
Rika: 24:41 Yeah, I got to get it. I went out there one time. Salt Lake City. Yeah, I’m right outside of Salt Lake. Yeah. Yeah. And it was for it though, but the mountains out there, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful masses of rock. Just beautiful. I fell in love with it. Outside of that, I think I’m going to Branch off. I thought about doing workshops. I get a lot of people coming to me asking for advice, and I was like, hm. Maybe I’ll start the workshops. Maybe make it a, you know, short term, short term ago. But something that I am currently working on is a marketing and branding book for photographers. Wow. Is this your first book? Yes. Yep. Cool.
Katie: 25:23 That’s so exciting. That’s so exciting. Yeah.
Rika: 25:25 Playing with the title. When I’m thinking something around something catchy, I have to get something catchy. Yeah,
Katie: 25:32. Definitely. But that’s super exciting, and it sounds like you’ve got tons of great ideas that are just bound to happen and so that’s very, very cool. Do you have any books or podcasts or courses or TV shows or anything that you have found to be helpful as a photographer, as a business owner, entrepreneur, anything that you would recommend to the listeners that I can put up in our show notes?
Rika: 25:54 So one of my favorite books is thinking to grow rich. I also like, I believe it’s called how to influence people in wind friends. Oh yeah, that’s a classic for sure. And let’s see, the other one is rich Dad, poor dad.
Katie: 26:08 Yeah, I love that.
Rika: 26:10 Yeah, so most times, the books I feel like helped realign my mind. My mindset being a business owner, being a photographer, is two different things. Business is 80% business at 20% Talent. So it’s like if you don’t have the mind frame to deal with the day to day things and you know customer service and interface with people, you won’t be successful. And I feel like the books helped put my mind frame together to be a business owner.
Katie: 26:37. Totally. I love that. Anything out there that you love, that you love watching or listening to that doesn’t have to with business, that kind of helps you take your mind off it.
Rika: 26:45 I love please no judgment. I love adult cartoons, like family guy., Slapstick comedy is my favorite genre. So if I, I laugh is just number one thing to do.
Katie: 26:59 That’s awesome. Yeah, I love this too. I’m a big T. I got my masters degree in like media studies, so I’m a TV junkie and movie junkie, so I love those as well. I know everyone is going to want to follow all the amazing things that you’re doing and everything that you have in store for the future. So can you tell the listeners how they can find you?
Rika: 27:17 You can find me online at www, lavish touch photos.com I am on Instagram mostly at lavish touch photos and then my personal account is, I am Rica. Lavish touch on ig.
Katie: 27:32 Awesome. Well Rican, thank you so much for doing this. It’s been so fun to talk to you, and I appreciate you taking the time to come on the show today.
Rika: 27:40 Thank you. Thank you for having me.
