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Lessons from a Quitter

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Why you don’t need passion to scale a successful creative business with Pye Jirsa

Jul 23, 2019

Since we've recently gained so many new listeners, we wanted to throw it back to one of our favorite episodes! I love this conversation with Pye! It was such a raw and in-depth conversation about the illusion of stability, the origin of most people’s fears, and the importance of developing a learning mindset. What is so fascinating about Pye’s journey is not just that he jumped from being a CPA to becoming a founder of an award-winning, multi-million dollar photography studio, it’s that he did that without having a passion for or knowing the first thing about photography. Like most of us, Pye started going down the traditional path. He became a CPA and worked for Ernst & Young before realizing that he did not like what he was doing. He quit, along with his two best friends Justin and Chris, in order to start a tech startup. When the funding for their startup fell through, the friends took on web development clients. One of their clients needed photographs taken and Pye assured them that they had a photography department that could take care of it! What I love about his story is that most people would not only shirk at taking on a task that they don’t know how to do but also avoid a “creative” profession that they are not skilled in. Pye, realizing that photography was a skill that could be acquired, looked at entering the wedding photography industry as a business and not a passion. That eye towards business has led Pye, and his partners, to create Lin and Jirsa Photography, a boutique Southern California wedding and portrait photography studio composed of an incredible creative team of 50 people that shoots over 300 weddings each year, with nearly 1,000 yearly client commissions. He is also a founder and partner in SLR Lounge, a premium educational community geared towards providing photographers with real-world shoot education with nearly a million monthly readers.

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

  • My experience with launching this podcast! Specifically, how taking a risk in my own life led me to realize the opportunity in doing so.
  • The breaking point that led Pye to quit his job and take a risk on himself
  • How failed attempts at funding projects and business ventures became opportunities for exploration, self-discovery, and ultimately, success
  • How he created a multi-million dollar business in photography with a positive “learning mindset”
  • Why Pye has a “passionate dislike” of the word “stable” and the illusion it creates
  • Where Pye believes most fear comes from and why it limits your opportunities and potential
  • How developing a “Learning Mindset” allowed Pye to turn quitting and “failing” into growth, opportunity, and success

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If you were inspired by this episode of  “Lessons from a Quitter” with Pye Jirsa, I know you will find inspiration in other lessons from quitters on my website.  Enjoy listening!