Q&A: Running a Small Business

Before she became one of the most famous journalists in the world, Nellie Bly was a young woman who refused to accept the limitations society placed on her. She was a pioneering journalist who exposed abuse, challenged powerful institutions, traveled around the world alone, and repeatedly proved that women can do anything they set their minds to–whether society likes it or not.More than a just a story about journalism, her legacy is about curiosity, persistence, and challenging assumptions, and is surprisingly relevant more than a century later.What to expect when you listen:- As a young woman, Nellie reads an article arguing that women belong at home, that working women in breeches are a "monstrosity," and instead of quietly disagreeing, she writes such a fierce rebuttal that the newspaper hires her. (3:07)- Her biggest story about the conditions inside Blackwell’s Island Lunatic Asylum weren’t just about bad food and medical abuse, but moreso about the vulnerable women inside, and who society listens to and who gets dismissed and ignored. (9:13)- At the height of her career, she was still told that she couldn’t do something because she was a woman–and she continued to prove them wrong as she traveled the world solo without a chaperone and with remarkably little luggage. (12:28)Before you go!Leave a 5 star review wherever you're listening and send this episode to a friend if you enjoyed it! Any friend of yours is obviously a friend of mine.Connect with me:@EleanorElainePhoto on InstagramEleanorElainePhoto.com/episodes for shownotes and sourcesThanks for listening! Love you byeeee!

I’m so excited to be back with this first episode of the rebranded Not So Ladylike podcast where I really dive into what it means to live honestly and take up space. In between my musings about the expectations placed on us, my mom and I look back at our shared history of being outspoken and independent, tracing those not so ladylike traits through a lineage of strong women in our family. I also share how these themes of authenticity over agreeableness shape my work as a boudoir photographer and how I encourage women to stop performing and just show up as their real selvesWe jump in the deep end straightaway by talking about toeing the line between too-much and not-enough, and the never-ending expectations, and how traits like confidence and assertiveness are praised in boys but labeled negatively with words like intimidating or bossy in girls (2:08)Mom shared a story about being 14 and wanting to be an altar girl… but was told no just because she wasn't a boy (9:25) and we talked about how much has changed since my mom was growing up in the late 60s, a time when women often couldn't even have their own credit cards or bank accounts. It really puts into perspective how the "outdated traditions" she fought against, like the altar boy rule, were part of a much larger system.We talked about the women who came before us, like my great-grandmother Mom Carter who was a real life Rosie the Riveter, and my Aunt Carol, who taught us that being called "opinionated" is actually a compliment (12:19)I reflected on how being not so ladylike isn't about rejecting gender roles just to be contrarian, but about celebrating the choice to be whoever you want to be (20:01)Before you go, leave a 5 star review wherever you're listening and send this episode to a friend who would enjoy it! And if you want to connect, you can find me on Instagram @eleanorelainephoto, and you can find the shownotes for this episode at eleanorelainephoto.com/episodes.Thanks for listening! Loveyoubyeeee!

Not So Ladylike is a rebellious podcast about rewriting the rules we never agreed to in the first place hosted by boudoir photographer Eleanor Elaine.When you tune in, you'll hear stories about what happens when we stop trying to make ourselves smaller–from personal storytelling to research-based episodes about trailblazing women to intimate guest conversations.If you've ever felt like "too much" for the spaces you were in, you belong here. Thanks for listening!

Taxes are filed and paid, and I’m feeling good! I put up a question box on my Instagram story asking if you had any questions for me about the behind-the-scenes of running a small business because a lot of the time what we share on social media is the very pretty finished product or the polished parts of processes and we don't show the not-so-pretty stuff that's not very fun. So today I’m gonna answer all your questions about the behind-the-scenes parts of running a small business.-When to make your side hustle official (00:57)-The best way to gain traction and get your business out there (05:06)-How to invest in yourself (07:07) and how to know what to invest in, plus what I invested in up until now and what’s on my list!-What I had to teach myself about running a small business (16:17) spoiler alert: the biggest thing was BOUNDARIES-My favorite apps to stay organized (23:04) – links down below!-What I do to keep clients coming back (25:46)Thanks for listening to Not So Ladylike! You can find the shownotes for all episodes here. If we aren’t already, I’d love to be friends on Instagram – you can find me @EleanorElaineBoudoir. And before you go, I’d be so appreciative if you’d leave a five star review wherever you listen to podcasts and tell a friend about today’s episode! Any friend of yours is a friend of mine.LINKS:Kalli June Photo – my branding imagesLoudmouth Co – project copyShelby Moring – brand designMY brand design!!Katie Kurtz – CultivateCarrie Anne KellyKarsen Murray – Email Marketing 101 courseDesigned by ShyneHoneybook – 35% off your first yearRevenue/Expenses/Spending Tracker Spreadsheets – coming soon!

Welcome back to Not So Ladylike! Things have changed a bit around here since you last listened, so I have an update for you before getting into the episode today. Katie and I started Not So Ladylike in the beginning of 2022, and had so much fun together creating for it! We decided to pause for a while, and then since feeling more freedom in our schedules and less stress on us, have decided to pivot the podcast. So since Not So Ladylike is now part of my brand, I thought it would be fun for you to get to know me a little bit better, starting with my background and how I got into boudoir.- I’ve always had an interest in art, and in high school was the president of the art club and the drama club (3:47)- I went to school for art education, and loved being in the classroom (4:21) until I realized I was burnt out on my coursework - I started taking portraits and did boudoir mini sessions with my friends in 2018 and LOVED it (10:05)- I started my business in 2019, just a couple weeks after graduating college (15:22) and pulled spreadsheets from the first year of my business so you can get a sense for what the beginning was like – spoiler alert, it was hard AF Thanks for listening to Not So Ladylike! You can find the shownotes for all episodes here. If we aren’t already, I’d love to be friends on Instagram – you can find me @EleanorElaineBoudoir. And before you go, I’d be so appreciative if you’d leave a five star review wherever you listen to podcasts and tell a friend about today’s episode! Any friend of yours is a friend of mine.