Owner Spotlight Series: Tashara Milligan & Open Peek Media

The Spiro Podcast: Managing your Real Estate Photography & Videography Business

We're starting a new series on the Spiro Podcast. It's the Owner Spotlight Series! Each episode in this series we will spotlight a Real Estate Photography Business owner and their business, both large and small businesses. There are some incredible stories out there of how these business owners started their businesses, and they have valuable insight and wisdom to share with you!

In this first Owner Spotlight Series episode, we'd like to introduce you to Tashara Milligan, owner of Open Peek Media in North Carolina!

Show Summary Notes:

0:00-0:31 Preview

0:32-2:53 Intro

2:54-6:42 Introduction of Tashara Milligan - Owner of Open Peek Media

• How Spiro & Open Peek Media connected - Beta Testing Software
• Tashara worked in the Healtchare Industry during COVID-19. Needed to do something different
• Found a Real Estate Photography Class online and signed up
• Finished class, bought equipment, did practice shoots
• Opened Open Peek Media in July 2020

6:43-8:12 Current Business Situation for Open Peek Media

• Solo photographer, shooting around 250 listings per year
• Considers herself a Boutique Real Estate Photographer, likes relationships she’s been able to build and manage with her clients by staying smaller
• Has 3 kids, so to allow time for family they pace themselves. Her husband has joined her to help with Admin work and some of their commercial work

8:12-15:18 What role do strategic relationships play in Open Peek Media’s business? What is a strategic relationship?

• At start of business, she was hyperfocused on just real estate agents to build customer base
• Discovered that the more business owners she met and built relationships with and served, the less work she had to do in marketing
• Joined Women’s Business Networking Group - focus was on strategic network referrals
• She didn’t consider herself a networker, but tried
• She connected with other business people that were connected to Realtors
• Because of these relationships, her business name was mentioned in rooms she wasn’t present in
• Web Design and SEO companies have been a very valuable relationships
• By connecting with related industry businesses, you brand yourself as an industry expert

15:19-18:36 If you’re hesitant to reach out to other business owners in related businesses, what should you say or do to make those connections?

• Find events you can attend where you can just meet people. Repeat this, and you’ll start seeing the same people
• Do a follow up call/contact after you’ve met people in person, makes phone call easier once you’ve met someone
• Use your photography/media to get out in the community and serve at events/meetings to get to know people
• Do work in community and non-profit organizations - those in that field will get to know you and refer

18:37-21:48 What advice do you give to a business owner that may be more introverted?

• Think about the outcome of where you want to be, and what you want to get out of every interaction
• Think about what environments are serving you
• Know that the effort to connect with others will be worth it
• There are times you don’t want to go to an event as an introvert, but it’s always with it due to identifying where you want to end up in life

21:49-24:46 Selling versus Serving

• Serving others well will build your business more effectively than selling someone.
• Serving takes you farther - go beyond even just a little bit what’s expected
• Serving results in appreciation
• Staying small has allowed her to serve which fulfills her

24:47-25:42 What plans do you have for 2023?

• Working on doing more virtual tours

25:43- Closing

• Set goals and enjoy what you’re doing
• Contact Tashara/Open Peek Media at: http://openpeekmedia.com, [e-mail], and Instagram: @OpenPeekMedia

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You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.