Meet the Tribe - Abby Murphy
Each week we bring you the story of one incredible entrepreneur who can be found inside the Hatch Tribe Members Circle. Today we're excited to introduce you to Abby Murphy from Abby Murphy Photo.
Are you an Early Bird or a Night Owl? Early bird
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? Eat a huge breakfast. I can't live without one!
What are you reading now? The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte
What's your favorite podcast or YouTube channel? The Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher
Favorite place to getaway from it all? Sullivan's Island
If you could get an extra hour today, how would you use it? I'd take a walk on the beach!
Do you consider yourself more of an Introvert or extrovert? Introvert
What's your favorite food? Strawberries!
I'm on a mission to...
give women beautiful, modern photos of themselves and their businesses!
How did your awesome business come to be?
I've always taken photos since I was a kid, and I ended up going to college at Rhode Island School of Design to study photography. I took one business class for photographers, and I created a business plan and branding identity before I graduated. During school I interned at Charleston Magazine, and I loved it so much that I moved back after I graduated. I spent some time assisting local photographers, and eventually began booking jobs of my own. I kept building my network and defining my services!
Who inspired you to pursue entrepreneurship?
My photography teacher Thad Russell was a huge influence on me. He always made me so excited about the medium of photography and he taught the business for photographers course. He taught the class based on what he had learned by doing it himself, and he gave us the real talk about being a photographer in today's world.
Have you ever had a mentor? And how did they help you?
I've had many mentors over the years! One of my first was Charleston photographer Chris Shane, who has sadly since passed away. I assisted Chris on several editorial shoots for magazines like Southern Living and HGTV Magazine. I hope to do jobs like this in the future, and I think about Chris's advice daily. I've had many other mentors like Charleston wedding photographers Gayle Brooker and Lucy Cuneo. And of course Hatch Tribe founder Hilary Johnson! I was a part of Hilary's Goal Crushers program, which helped me set up my business in the beginning.
Success to me is...
when I lead my decision making based on how I want to feel in life & business.
How do you define success for yourself?
I feel successful when I'm super excited about the work I'm doing paired with a feeling of freedom and fun in my personal life. When I lead my decision making based on how I want to feel in life & business, that feels like success to me!
We all love failure & flop stories! Tell us about something you tried in business that didn't work, and how you moved beyond it.
Designing my current website was a massive undertaking that I didn't expect. I am SO happy with the end result, but it took months for me to finish it myself. I wish I had outsourced the design from the beginning! I realized that asking for help is so important. Sometimes it's worth paying someone to help save you time!
What is a recent success that you're super proud of accomplishing?
This month was by far my most profitable! I booked a few bigger commercial clients (something I have been working towards), so that felt great!
What is your superpower?
Organization! I can organize things all day every day.
What is the least sexy part of your job?
Editing photos can be sexy in small quantities, but when I have to edit a huge batch of photos or multiple shoots in a row, my eyes start hurting!
What do you hope to learn from this community of your peers (ie. Hatch Tribe Members Circle)?
I always so appreciate that there are women with so many different types of businesses in the tribe. There are plenty of things I need help on that aren't my expertise (like accounting, marketing, tech things), and I know I can always rely on them!
To connect with Abby directly join us INSIDE THE TRIBE! Become a member today at www.hatchtribe.com/memberscircle.
She can also be found at the Abby Murphy Photo website & on Instagram!