Sprout Studio and the People Behind the Revolution

I initially started this blog as a review of the amazing photography tool that is Sprout Studio. But recently, the founder and CEO, Bryan Caporicci, has been sharing a new series – nay movement – called Redefine Busy, and it made me realize how much, particularly in photography, the people behind these products make as much difference (sometimes more) than the product itself.

Then Bryan shared his reason for not attending WPPI this year, even though he was scheduled as a speaker.  I highly recommend that you check out the original blog post for the full story, but the short recap is that his family needs him. His wife will be giving birth during the time he was scheduled to be away, and he refuses to miss that. He also shares the struggles that they have shared together as a couple this past year.

This post knocked me off my feet with its honesty and resilience—but beyond that, the fact that it was written by a male. As entrepreneurs, especially in the startup phase, we are expected to give up a lot for our business. And usually, we do that happily, because of the passion and the belief in our chosen products or businesses.

Photography, in particular, has gotten a reputation of being a “mommy-business.” A business that a mother can run in her spare hours in between raising her children. And while many photographers may be mothers, that should not lessen the commitment they have to give their businesses and clients.

I was a photographer before I was a mother. I probably didn’t appreciate the extra time I had without children, but I did try to learn as much as I could. At the moment my business started to grow, and my client base was created, that is when I became pregnant. Then at 17 weeks, I was put on bedrest. In all of my best-laid plans, I could not have anticipated that scenario.

Fast forward to life with an infant, and wow, what a change that was. But as much as I love my family, I am an entrepreneur, and I couldn’t stop seeing problems that I could fix. Fotoskribe was born out of the desire to help my friends. The photographers in my close circle that I still kept in touch with. These wonderful people who still treated me as an equal, even though I was a mom and was building a new base of photography clients.

Through all of this, I would watch men, including my husband, not have their work life change in the day to day after they became parents. Yes, their lives have changed. Coming home to a screaming infant and a distraught wife was not easy. And my husband is a very caring person and wanted to solve it all, I consider myself very lucky to have him in my life.

But Bryan’s blog post was the first male voice that I have seen in the entrepreneur community to say; “I believe in my product, but in this moment, my family must come first.”

In reading that message, it made ME believe in his product more. I think many people view honesty and vulnerability as a way for people to discredit you, but I think we are all slowly coming around to the concept that maybe it’s the opposite. That sharing how you feel, the things that truly matter to you, you can build a STRONGER client base.

Now, I believe in Sprout Studio. If you are a photographer, I think you should check it out and invest in it for your business. It truly is an all-in-one solution that will help make your business life (and therefore, your personal life) more efficient. I could list the features that I love about it (and that was my original plan for this blog!), but I think it’s more important to showcase the people behind it instead.

Because, as you can see, I believe in Bryan. I believe in his vision. I believe in the team he has hired to build out Sprout Studio and to translate the feedback they receive into making it an even better product. And I believe that BECAUSE he knows when it is ok to step back and focus on your family first and your business second, he makes Sprout Studio better.

Bryan—I can’t wait to meet your new addition. I will be thinking of your growing family in the coming months, and, at the same time, I will be telling everyone I know about how Sprout Studio is the best business solution for photographers.