We don't cover business topics much on Unleashed Education, since we're focused on helping you improve your craft in shooting and editing. But we know many of you are professional pet photographers, or at least working towards becoming one in the future.

And when it comes to making decisions about education, you'll probably find yourself asking "how will this investment pay off?"

That's a great question, it shows you have a business mindset!

And this is exactly the reason that we know you're going to love this post. 

Embark is our interactive challenge-based dog photography course, and if you've checked it out, you'll know it can:

✨ Help you get your photo-mojo back when you feel stuck in a rut with your dog photography.

🎓 Teach you some valuable new skills to help you create variety in your work.

💜 Introduce you to an amazing, supportive worldwide community of pet photographers.

📸 Motivate you to get out there and shoot regularly!

But did you also know....

Embark can be much more than just another online course.

In fact, it can be many things...

A personal project.

A networking exercise.

A marketing opportunity for your business.

Yep - Embark can help you make money!

You could very easily make your money back on the enrolment fee (many times over) if you use Embark to help you market your services, get clients, make sales and create hype around your business!

🤔 Intrigued?

Here's just a few ideas we brainstormed:

1: Share that you're involved in Embark with your followers, then run model calls for Embark challenge shoots.

Models calls for very specific subjects, locations, or themes often get tonnes of interaction and engagement on social media and give you plenty of options to choose from. Offer one complimentary session per challenge, but use it as an opportunity to give your dog owners an amazing, unforgettable experience including the crucial component - an in-person sales session.

The markup on just one medium sized canvas, from just one challenge shoot, would easily cover your Embark enrolment fee!

Bonus tip: Create a simple application form and use this to build your mailing list, then offer a "second chance" reduced-priced session to the applicants you didn't select for the free session. 

2: Create a calendar from your Embark images.

Twelve challenges. Twelve months in the year. Perfect! 👌

Partner up with a pet rescue organisation and turn your Embark calendar project into a fundraiser, while doing in-person sales sessions for all the challenge shoots you did.

Or just go solo and create and sell the calendars yourself!

You'd only need to sell 15 or so calendars to make your Embark enrolment fee back, or again, just one medium sized canvas upsell.

Bonus tip: Set up an afternoon of themed mini sessions for each challenge/month and photograph multiple dogs. Choose your best image to submit to the Embark challenge, then get the owners and their friends to vote on the other images for inclusion in the calendar! Gear yourself up for 6 months worth of social media boosts and hype surrounding the voting.

3: Build your portfolio and get content for your website. 

Websites are fantastic marketing tools when done correctly, and the cherry on top of a photographer's website is their portfolio. Having a killer portfolio, curated to show your best work, directly helps you to connect with potential clients. And what better way to feed your portfolio with new and exciting images, than being forced to get out and shoot often, and regularly!

Especially if you're first starting out, doing portfolio-building model call shoots is a great way to get a variety of dogs in your portfolio, while getting lots of practice in working with other people's dogs.

Just one new client enticed into booking with you because of your awesome portfolio can easily make you enough in sales to cover your Embark enrolment, and then some!

Bonus tip: Use your portfolio-building sessions to create content for your blog, boosting SEO and resulting in your website ranking higher in search engines. Increased visibility gets you in front of more eyes which may also turn into new clients! It's a win-win.

Plus there's plenty more ways you can make money with Embark.

We just shared three quick ideas to get you thinking - but if you do some brainstorming with your business cap on, we know you'll come up with more! 

Many of our "challengers" who completed the last Embark used the experience to expand their portfolios, connect with new clients, and fill their social media with sparkly fresh new content.

And you can too!

Best of all, you can use the Embark private popup Facebook group to brainstorm with other challengers - they're all on the same journey as you - that's what makes Embark such a great community experience.

It all boils down to the fact that education is not a frivolous, self-indulgent expense, it's a real investment in your business... and yourself.

We'd love to see you join us in Embark and make the commitment not only to improving your pet photography skills, but also to be a little bit clever and use Embark to boost your business, too! 😉

Are you ready to invest in yourself, and your business?

Embark opens for enrolment every April, for a May start.

Find out more and enrol here.

- Charlotte & Craig 📸 🐶 ✨

Need some more inspiration?

Here's what some of our last Embark challengers had to say about their experience (with a bit of eye candy thrown in for good measure). 🍭