Plan Like A Boss | Planning, Productivity, and Strategy for Entrepreneurs
Plan Like a Boss is your go-to podcast for mastering planning, productivity, and strategy as a solo or small business entrepreneur. Each week, you'll get practical tips and real-life insights to help you set smart goals, manage your time, and grow a business that actually fits your life.
Plan Like A Boss | Planning, Productivity, and Strategy for Entrepreneurs
How A Third-Generation Photographer Built A Gig-Economy Team
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In this episode of Plan Like a Boss, Tonya Lawson sits down with Lesle Lane, CEO of Studio 13, to talk about what it really takes to scale a creative business without burning out.
Lesle is a third-generation photographer who stepped into her family business at a young age and quickly found herself navigating major industry disruption, including the transition from film to digital photography. She shares the story behind investing $200,000 in her first digital camera, modernizing a generational business, and eventually moving from an exhausting solopreneur model to a more flexible team of independent contractors.
You’ll hear how Lesle built systems and standard operating procedures, delegated administrative work, and created more space to think strategically about the future of her company. She also explains why 1099 contractors helped her business scale more efficiently, how asking for feedback strengthened her sales process, and why relationships and warm introductions can be more powerful than cold outreach.
Lesle also shares lessons from her years as a competitive ice skater, including discipline, resilience, handling rejection, and learning to seek constructive criticism instead of avoiding it.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
• How to scale a creative business without doing everything yourself
• Why systems and delegation can reduce burnout
• How independent contractors can create more flexibility
• Why feedback is essential for improving your sales process
• How mentors and allies outside your industry can help you make better decisions
• Why relationships matter more than transactions
• How stepping away from technology can create space for better strategic thinking
Lesle’s challenge for small business owners is simple: take 30 minutes without technological input. Go for a walk, meditate, practice yoga, or simply give yourself quiet space to think. When you create room for original thought, you create room to lead your business instead of only reacting to it.
Connect with Lesle Lane and Studio 13:
https://www.studio13online.com/contact/
Subscribe to Plan Like a Boss wherever you listen to podcasts, and share this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who needs more space, better systems, and a smarter way to grow.
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Welcome And Leslie’s Background
SPEAKER_01But the thing about ice skating, especially back then, is that the best skater doesn't always win. And I feel like that that is a life lesson that many, many people don't know how to deal with. And in business, at this point in time in my career, I'm one of the best photographers around the region. I've got so much experience at what I do. But I don't always get the job. I don't always get the contract. I don't always get that big global job that I really wanted, not because I'm not good enough. And skating taught me that. It taught me that, you know, sometimes it's just not your day.
SPEAKER_00Welcome back to Plan Like a Boss. I'm your host, Tanya Lawson. And today I'm so excited to be here with Leslie Lane. Leslie is not your average creative. She's a visionary entrepreneur, a third-generation photographer, and a former professional ice skater who knows what it takes to perform under pressure. As the CEO of Studio 13, Leslie transformed her family's traditional photography business into a modern, agile brand built for the gig economy. She leads a team of independent photographers across the Midwest, delivering stunning visual content for clients ranging from small businesses to major commercial projects, all while maintaining operational excellence and creative integrity. Leslie, welcome to the show. I'm so excited to have you. Tanya, thank you so much for having me.
SPEAKER_01What an amazing introduction. I appreciate that.
SPEAKER_00My pleasure. I always like to start out these interviews by asking my guest to share their story. And it sounds like you have quite a story to share. So tell us how did things evolve to get you to where you are right now?
SPEAKER_01Well, it wasn't pretty, Tanya. I'm just going to tell you straight up. Um, I'm a straight shooter, and I would love to tell you that it is all sparkles and unicorns, but it is not. So uh, yes, I am a third-generation photographer, my grandparents, my parents, and now me. But I came into this industry at probably one of the most tumultuous uh times for photography. So you think about my grandparents,
Inheriting A Business During Upheaval
SPEAKER_01they transitioned from black and white film to color film. And then my parents actually had a pretty stable career. Nothing really changed a lot in the technology during my parents' lifetime. And then, right as my parents were getting ready to transition out of the business, we changed from film to digital. And so that all happened within my first five years of coming into the business. Uh, my stepfather was taken out of the business completely unexpectedly, and he was the number one producer for the business. I was only 22 years old when he was taken out of the business. And my mother basically came to me and said, you either step up or we're going to close the business down. And so luckily I was young and stupid, and I thought, well, heck, it can't be that hard. If my parents can do it, certainly I can do it. And so I did. And uh there were many, many bumps in the road in those early days since I had very little experience in photography. And then uh in 1997, I bought my first digital camera. It was $200,000, Tanya. It was more than my first house. And so working through that transition of getting the business stabilized, continuing to service the clients we had while transitioning them to digital photography, we knew it was gonna stick because we did not do portraits or families or weddings. So we knew that this digital technology, it had to happen because we were already scanning our film into digital assets. So we knew it was gonna stick. And then the bumps in the road with 9-11, the bumps in the road uh due to the big housing crisis in the late uh 2009s and tens. And now we're transitioning into how do we integrate AI into the technology. So as an industry goes, I'm not sure you could find another industry that's been through this many transitions in my in a 30-year career.
SPEAKER_00Wow, that's insane. And you said $200,000 for your first digital.
SPEAKER_01Yes, I did not misspeak because in that time, first of all, it was huge.
Surviving Digital Shifts And Crises
SPEAKER_01I mean, it was a huge piece of equipment. And none of the lenses worked on it, none of the lighting would work with it. And of course, we didn't have a computer for a computer that was powerful enough to run it. So everything from soup to nuts had to be changed in order to, you know, purchase and start using this digital camera. And thank goodness I didn't know any better. I just signed the loan documents and just went on my way because I was only, I was, I was so young. I was in my late 20s, and I thought, what's the big deal?
SPEAKER_00Sometimes I think that naivety of youth, I s I started working for myself. Um, I was 19 and I was in college and it was it was 97. And there's something about not knowing that, you know, it's it's not hard. Just do it.
SPEAKER_01And I think now at my age, if I had to invest that kind of money right now, I would think twice before I'd do it.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. But you know, you bring up a good point. I remember in college getting my first flash drive, and it was it was half a megabyte and it was $35.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00So so yeah, technology, technology definitely has changed. I mean, just even in the video world and audio. So yeah, I totally get that. That's crazy. Now I'm guessing that if you inherited a family business and you're moving into the modern world, I'm I'm guessing that it might have been a little all over the place and needed some streamlining. Am I right? It did, yes.
SPEAKER_01And I will tell you that this was one of my most difficult things as a generational business, because you take over a successful business and your parents obviously did it right, your grandparents obviously did it right. So why change? And so, even though the the changing of digital, it was fast, but
Process Fixes For Creative Owners
SPEAKER_01dealing with how you run the business, because I think creative people, that's their weakness anyway. And I feel very fortunate that business management from a financial standpoint is a strength of mine. I love the accounting, I love the bookkeeping, but how to have processes and how to structure your business, that actually took me a long time and to make to get where I am today. That was a very, very difficult transition to stop trying to run it like my parents did.
SPEAKER_00Totally get that too. And and as a creative myself, all my degrees are in music. And when I first started my business, you know, I was teaching music lessons for a living. I was making money. I was like, yeah, it was time to do taxes. And all of a sudden I got this tax bill. And they were like, Well, how much did you pay in quarterly? And my my response was like, What are you talking about? And luckily that tax bill was like $800 at the time I was in college. It would be much more now. Um but yeah, yeah, you you gotta learn, and and that's part of it. So um now you were running all this by yourself, right?
SPEAKER_01Uh as employees quit my parents' business, I did not rehire because I realized that I was really bad at managing people. I was in my 20s. How was I supposed to know how to run people? And so uh I had one long-term assistant. She stayed with me uh until she passed away unexpectedly, which was another huge we call black swan moment in my career. And that actually was the final kick over the edge
From Solopreneur To Contractor Model
SPEAKER_01to get me to where the business is today. But I only had one employee and she only did editing and client services. So everything else from selling and quoting and shooting, and I did all the rest all by myself. I was a solopreneur and it was really difficult.
SPEAKER_00I'm sure a lot of my listeners can relate to that because we do have a lot of solopreneurs here or entrepreneurs with very small teams. Now, you started, it's my understanding, you started hiring 1099 contractors, right? I did. So freelancers and taking advantage of the gig economy here. I don't mean taking advantage in a bad way, I mean in a good way. Um utilizing the gig economy. So how what made you think to do that instead of hiring people like just that you know or doing interviews? What made you reach out to the freelance model and do contractors?
SPEAKER_01Well, a couple of things happen. And for all of you women out there, we are standing on the shoulders of women before us. And so uh, you know, my grandmother in the 40s and 50s and 60s was a full-time employee. She was working in the family business. My mother, you know, 60s, 70s, 80s. And the concept of having a community of photographers was actually my mother's brainchild. But she was limited by the technology and the times that she was in. And so um, you know, sometimes tragedy is a huge instigator in a business. And my assistant of 33 years, uh, she came down with breast cancer and told no one that she had any problem at all, never would have a mammogram, never would go to the doctor. And so by the time we found out she had a problem, she was gone within 26 days. So, first of all, can I tell everybody every woman out there, please get your mammograms. It saves lives. Um, and my daughter came into the business and she said, Mom, you can't keep going like this. You're gonna have a heart attack, you have no work-life balance whatsoever, you are stressed, and you're not even enjoying what you're doing anymore. And she said, I will give you two years of my life to
Building SOPs And Delegating Admin
SPEAKER_01help get this business transitioned out of the solopreneur situation. So, luckily, my mother is still with us. I consult with my mom on a daily basis, and we started talking about this idea of having a community of photographers. There's many types of photography I don't do. And so we started there. I was always just giving away the work that was more than I could handle, or it was something I didn't do. I just referred it out. So I started pulling that back in. And since I've been in the community for so long, I knew people that did all different kinds of photography. So I brought them on. We did some training, making sure we were all on the same page. We signed non-competes, non-solicits to make sure. And then my daughter would write out a standard operating procedure for event photography or for drone photography, whatever it was, she would take care of that for me. She became my very first administrator. So now all of a sudden, I wasn't doing all the quoting, I wasn't doing all the client emailing. We also then hired a blogger and then we hired a social media person. She took care of all of those things to get that off my plate. And the difference that that made in my ability to start thinking strategically about my business instead of producing for my business. It was a game changer. And it started to bring back my passion for what I do and not just grinding every day to actually enjoy it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, pulling you back from that edge of burnout. No, I get that. And first of all, I'm so sorry to hear about your assistant. I and and I I preach to the choir. Get your mammograms. I finished chemotherapy for breast cancer 11 months ago. So yeah, I'm I'm growing the hair back. A little bit. But but yeah, it's it's so important. Do that now. What advice do you have for solopreneurs who are out there and they're ready to make their first hire and they're just not sure what to do?
SPEAKER_01Well, the great thing about subcontractors is you can hire and fire at will. And it's uncomfortable. And especially if you're a creative, I think confronting somebody is no fun. But it is necessary. And
First Hire Advice With 1099s
SPEAKER_01as a 1099 employee, Indiana is an at-will state anyway. So even if you brought somebody on as a W-2 employee, you could still uh fire at will. But for a W 2 and a W9 employee, sorry, excuse me, a 1099 employee, just being able to hire them on a contractual basis. So here is a project for you to do. I'm not promising you anything else. I'm just promising you this contract. And then if it doesn't work, it's not as hard to say, you know, that wasn't the greatest experience. You know, I'll consider you for something else. So I think that, you know, first of all, I would tell people it is a whole lot easier when you can have that conversation after a contract is complete that didn't go the way you want it to do. The other thing is it allows you to scale. So you have a lot of work, you've got a lot of people. You don't have a lot of work, you don't have to pay anybody. So that is just an amazing freeing experience after having a W-2 employee where I was responsible for that person every day, making their mortgage payment, making sure that all of you know everything they needed. Guess where the money came from, first of all, when I couldn't pay my W-2 employee. I always pay the W-2 employee. I pulled it from myself. And so that pressure that it takes off of you not to have to have that. And my profit margins have soared by having 1099 work so that as I go through the cycles of business, I don't have to pay them when the cycle is down. It's changed my whole profit margin. Um, that that's probably the the two the greatest things that I could say right now regarding that. And and people want to work on you can, it's easy to find people because people want to work on that contractual basis. They want to set their own schedule.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's I I hadn't thought about it from that perspective of them setting their own their own schedule and then also that overhead when the times are low. Because yeah, that is it's terrifying because you feel responsible when when you have that W2 employee. Now you are a former national-level ice skater. I am guessing, just as someone as a musician, I always say that if you can survive music school, you can do anything. I'm guessing that's similar in the ice skating world. So, how has that helped you as a businesswoman?
SPEAKER_01Tanya, I think that ice skating was a life-changing
Ice Skating Lessons For Business Losses
SPEAKER_01experience for me. I was never going to be an Olympian, no matter how much I wanted to be, no matter how much passion I had for the sport. Because as my coach used to tell me, I'll trade passion for talent any day. And uh I think that it taught me grit, it taught me discipline. And when you love something, you will give it everything that you had. But the thing about ice skating, especially back then, is that the best skater doesn't always win. And I feel like that that is a life lesson that many, many people don't know how to deal with. Um, and in business, at this point in time in my career, I'm one of the best photographers around the region. Uh, I've got so much experience at what I do, but I don't always get the job. I don't always get the contract. I don't always get that big global job that I really wanted, not because I'm not good enough. And skating taught me that. It taught me that, you know, sometimes it's just not your day. And I I it's been amazing. Also, you know how hard that ice is when you fall down? It hurts. It hurts. And there's no crying in ice skating. Uh, when I was really young, I can tell a quick story. I didn't do well at something, and I started to cry in the rink. And my coach took me aside and she said, get out. She said, Walk outside this rink, cry your tears, do not let anyone see you. And then you come back into this rink and you go talk to that judge that scored you poorly, and you find out why. And I was knee high. I mean, I probably was no more than 10 years old. I went outside, I cried my tears, I came back, I spoke to the judge, took the constructive criticism, and went on with my day. And I I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.
SPEAKER_00I love that. I love that. And I can relate so much to that. The tears always happen backstage, and then you put on your smile and you came out and you bowed. But but yeah, and I think I think a lot of people don't realize that you can ask for feedback. And you can do that in business as well.
SPEAKER_01You should ask for feedback.
SPEAKER_00You should. Absolutely. Because even if it's negative, it's gonna help you improve your business.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, when I don't get a job, I ask. I ask why. You know, I want to know, was it a style problem? Was it a pricing problem? You know, exactly what is it? Because most businesses, if you're like me, where I do contract work, somebody's got a job, they don't want to know why they didn't get it. Or, you know, and I don't see how we can improve, but I keep track of what my ratio of of sales are. You know, we put out this many bids this month and we got this many contracts. Well, if that number drops, this month it was 77%. Well, if it goes down to 20%, I need to know what happened. And you can't find that out if you don't get feedback.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Absolutely. Now, you talked about after you lost your assistant, you you leaned on your mom to talk to talk about this to to formulate this new system you've done. Um have there been any other mentors in your life? Have you relied on mentorship as you built your business?
SPEAKER_01Well, when you live in a family business, guess what? You have got plenty of people that want to give you their opinion about what you're doing and how you're doing it. So, you know, certainly I've had plenty of people in my family that have come alongside me. My assistant Tina that passed away, she was older than I was. And
Mentors Outside Your Industry
SPEAKER_01so she had 15 years of experience in the industry before I ever came along. But I think that the best thing that's happened to me over the last 10 years was having mentors outside of my industry. People that when something goes wrong, like COVID, you know, I many people that are my age, we're traumatized by all the stuff that has happened in our career. All, you know, we've all got a bingo card, and anything that could have gone wrong did. I did not have COVID on my bingo card. And so, you know, I had a handful of people that I could reach out to immediately after the shutdown and say, what are you seeing in your industry that's happening because of this? So, yes, mentorship in my field, but then allyship of people that are not in my field that I rely on, like people in human resources, because I shoot, I photograph, excuse me, I photograph people that are new hires. So, what are you seeing as far as the labor market goes? Because that's gonna affect me. I photograph architecture. Are you seeing a down, a downward turn in billable hours in architecture? Because that's gonna affect me. So that's really mentorship and allyship have been a great asset in my career.
SPEAKER_00I love that. Yeah, I think everybody should have a network of of allies, like you said. And I try to think of it as like my Rolodex. Uh, if you remember the old Rolodex that would turn with the little cards. Um I know some of you out there listening won't know. Google it. I'm sure you'll find a picture. But a Rolodex, and and I I've got a list going of do I have everybody I need? Like, do I have a do I have a lawyer? Do I have a tax person? Do I have an accountant? Do I have somebody in the photography business? Do I have and not just, you know, to to call on on a regular basis, but just kind of, do I know these people? Do I have them kind of in my back pocket so that I if I have questions, I can reach out.
SPEAKER_01Well, and then I also find, Tanya, do you also find that for my clients, they want to be referred to a network of people? So like that puts me in a level of relationship that simply taking a photograph is not or doing a video, that's not going to build that relationship where I have a friend that says, man, I really need a good attorney. If I can give
Referrals And Relationship-Based Sales
SPEAKER_01them that referral, I all of a sudden am elevated beyond myself. Do you find that that's the case in your industry as well?
SPEAKER_00100%. 100%. Because it makes people remember you. And it makes them feel special. Oh, she gave me this recommendation. It was a good experience. Yes, I'm gonna, I'm gonna definitely reach back out or think back out. I think any opportunity you have to stand out amongst your competitors is a good thing, but also as Business in general is not transactions. It's relationships. And if you start viewing business as transactions, you're not going to have a business very long. But if you start building true relationships, people may not be able to work with you now, but they sure can work with you later.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. And I think that what I've really learned, and it's so hard. And I say this to your listeners: if you're in the weeds and you're trying to grow your business and you're going out and you're selling and you're not getting as many sales as you want, because that's where I was. And every time I would lose a sale, I would be devastated because I was hungry and I needed the work. There is desperation in that. Where if you have relationships with these other industries and you're being referred and you're giving warm introductions, it is so much easier to convert the sale than if you're just out there pounding the pavement yourself. Sales is one of I have so much respect for people in sales. It is just, it is a hard, hard business to be in. But the warm introductions, especially in the creative field, they make all the difference in the world.
SPEAKER_00I 100% agree. And, you know, when you're looking for a photographer, for example, you're not just looking for a photographer with the cheapest package or a photographer with the aesthetic that you want. You're looking for a photographer who's going to make you feel good, who makes you look good. I was, I had a photo session once with a good friend of mine. She's a photographer in the Boston area. And it was hilarious. You know, she's like, oh, you look, I was like, does that they teach you that in photography school? Oh, you look great. You look beautiful. Oh, yes, yeah. You know, but yeah. But at the same time, it you've got to make if you're photographering, photographer, if you're photographing a person, you've got to make them feel comfortable in that space. 100%. Yeah. If you're doing architecture, you need to capture it from that unique angle or viewpoint. And it goes so much beyond that transaction.
SPEAKER_01It does. It does. And I'm so grateful. We did a video series at the end of last year where I had three clients come in and give their testimonials as to why they utilize my company. And they all three, they worked together, they didn't see each other. They all three said it was the relationship. And I was just so humbled that I had actually made a difference in my customers' lives because most of these corporations, because I'm not working with the individual person, I'm working with a company. These corporations are squeezing their employees so tight right now. They're expecting more for less. So if I can come in and maybe I'm handling the scheduling for all of their employees to get their new headshots done and I take that off the plate of my client. Maybe I'm going in and they don't have to go on that shoot, that I can handle it by myself without them. Whatever I can do to take a load off of my customers, that's what I'm going to do. And I was just so grateful that they, you know, that they all agreed that I had made a difference in their life. And it's just heartwarming.
SPEAKER_00Oh, that is fabulous. I love that, especially if you're working with big corporations like that, like you said. Awesome. Now, how do you balance it? How do you balance business and family and, you know, your own mental health? How do you how do you balance everything?
SPEAKER_01Well, I'm getting better. So uh ever since that I've gone to this 1099 type situation, it has changed how I've spent my time. So I went back to ice skating. I started coaching again, even though
Work-Life Balance And A Different Marriage
SPEAKER_01I'm not doing it for the money. I'm doing it for the pleasure. And just those hours that I get out on the ice with no technology, I don't have to answer my emails. I'm not doing anything but feeling the ice beneath my feet. It is mentally freeing. And that is all because I've been able to hand over some of these minutiae, you know, that's the only thing I know how to call it, minutiae things that every business owner gets bogged down in. And so, you know, that has been a great asset to me. Um, having a good marriage, um, that has been something that has changed my life. I got married three years ago, and having a cheerleader as a spouse instead of somebody that wants to know why I'm working so hard. Um, why are you spending so many hours doing that? Because even with the change and structure for the business, I'm still running my business. And there are periods of time. Sometimes I travel for weeks at a time. You know, I'm only home one or two days out of the week. And so to have a husband who's like, you go, you you do what you need to do, I'll still be here, and we'll spend time together when you slow down, that's been amazing. And you're gonna laugh, Tanya, but my husband and I don't live together. So we have never lived, we have never lived together. Um, and having my own space that gives me that freedom. I don't recommend it for people that are already married. That sends a bad vibe. But um uh because my husband and I met late in life, I have children, he doesn't. Um, you know, he smokes, I don't. We set up our lives in two separate homes. I run my business from my home and he has his own space. And that also is freedom and it's balance. And it's when somebody's in a bad mood, we basically just send a text that says, You really don't want to see me tonight. And, you know, we don't see each other that night. But most nights we're meeting, we're having cocktail hour, we're having dinner, we're decompressing after our day. And then, you know, we either stay together or we don't. So, you know, just a little bit different lifestyle that I've been able to implement at this age to give me freedom.
SPEAKER_00I love that. And I think each individual relationship has to has to work out the way they work out. And if that works best for you guys, that's wonderful. And I love that you have that support system there. That is also important because the majority of people who've worked in corporate, they just do not understand what it's like to run a business. Yes, yes, you are correct. Now, I like to always wrap up my my episodes with my guest giving some sort of actionable task or actionable advice, something that my audience can take action on today and start implementing today. So, you as a business mentor, really, for them, what one piece of
Unplugging For Strategy And Closing
SPEAKER_00advice would you give them?
SPEAKER_01Boy, that is a very difficult question. Especially not knowing where they're at in their business. So I am gonna make an assumption that we are speaking to small business owners. And so, to my fellow small business owners, even if you're in the weeds, I am gonna encourage you today to take 30 minutes without technology input. Whether that is a meditation session, whether that is a yoga uh session, or whether that is a 30-minute walk without music. Do something without technological input to free your mind so that you can actually have creative and original thoughts come into your head. That has been a game changer for me. Again, many of us are so deep into running the business, we have no time for strategy. And so, in order for those ideas about your business to come into your mind, you have to leave space for it. So that's going to be my actionable item.
SPEAKER_00I love that.
SPEAKER_01Now, where can people find you if they want to reach out? Sure. My website is uh studio13online.com. That has our complete portfolio, but it also has educational pages, both about marketing and branding as well as photography and how to prepare maybe for your shoots, the different kinds of shoots that we do. So you can reach me there. I'm also on LinkedIn, both as a company and as an individual, and then I'm on Instagram as well.
SPEAKER_00Awesome. Thank you so much. I know people are gonna get you dropped a lot of gems. People are gonna get a lot out of this. So if you're out there stuck in the weeds, do what Lizzie said, take a second, unplug, go for a walk in nature, and then when you get back, keep planning like a boss.
