In this episode, Tom interviews Yaneck Wasiek. Tom, who is also a client of Yaneck’s, talks with the award-winning photographer about his passion, mindset, and self-growth.
3 Must-Hear Takeaways from this episode
At some point you have to let things go and let other people help you with the business.
Listening versus selling can be the difference between success and failure.
Setting aside time for self growth and professional development is highly important.
Show Notes:
Yaneck Wasiek is a polish-born, award-winning photographer who offers workshops and classes in addition to working with various companies and individuals.
He first discovered photography at the age of 8 after he was inspired by his parents. He started his future career 12 years ago while he was still making his way up the ladder at a major tech company. Yaneck sustained dual careers for roughly 8 years, working 40-60 hours per week and then adding another 20-30 hours into his photography business.
He had to ask himself if he was willing to make the financial sacrifice to follow that passion. His first threshold was to make a sustainable living. Once he crossed that line, he had to set goals that would act as guides to carry him through the journey of starting his business.
“I never thought I would be a professional photographer. There was always the passion,” Yaneck revealed. “My previous career was stressful but it paid well. I had to be willing to sacrifice the money I was making for a number of years.”
He also had to conquer his self-doubt to start following his passion. However, it is a recurring struggle as Yaneck said his self-doubt continues, but he has to move past it and continue to do the job.
The determination to keep working on his dream came from a place of knowing that his work doing as a photographer has a lot of meaning to his subjects. Yaneck’s passion to provide the best value to his clients pushed him to step above and deliver more.
One of his biggest lessons along his career path was that at some point, you have to let things go and let other people help you with the business. He warns that you can’t do everything, so he advises to outsource various processes and focus on what’s really important to still deliver a high quality final product.
Yaneck also reveals the difference between someone who makes it and someone who gives up is listening versus selling. He advises to listen to what other professionals and your clients have to tell you.
He uses an example in his career, saying, “A good partner for me has to make my ideas easier, and I want people to have an experience of saving memories through photos and that happens by listening and learning about each client.”
Lastly, Yaneck notes that honing your skills and self-growth is vital. For him, it’s a never-ending learning process. And, that doesn’t mean just photography — it means learning how to connect with people and running a business. Yaneck says for him, he goes as far as to log that time in his calendar as a time to learn, and nothing can move that self-development time.
Favorite book:
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
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