Why I disappeared, and what I'm building now

I recorded this last summer when I was getting ready to relaunch Elevate. No content for months. No workshops. No updates. People kept asking what happened.

This is the answer.

What was actually going on

We opened a second studio. We rebuilt every system from the ground up. Pricing, marketing, sales process, client experience, editing pipeline. The first studio was running on duct tape and personal effort, and that was the ceiling. The only way through it was to build something a team could run without me holding every piece together.

That's a lot of work to do while still shooting a full wedding and portrait calendar. So Elevate went quiet for a stretch.

What's live now

Since this video went up, a few things have shipped:

• Inner Circle is now on Skool, free, with working photographers comparing notes daily. Join here.
• Round 2 of Elevate 360 is in full swing right now.
• Round 3 applications open soon. If you want a heads-up when they do, the application page is at /apply.
• The full course library is up at /courses, including Wedding Photography University, Booking Blueprint 2.0, the Editing Masterclass, and the Ad Swipe Files for weddings, portraits, and boudoir.

Why this matters

The version of Elevate we relaunched is not the one we put on pause. The systems are tighter. The frameworks come straight out of running two studios at the same time, not from theory. The guest experts are working operators. Sherry runs IPS at the DFW studio. Brennan runs the ads. Courtney trains sales. Jen runs Marilyn Lou and brings the boudoir side.

If you've been on the fence about whether the dual model (weddings AND portraits, not one or the other) actually works, the rebuilt program is the proof. We're running it. The numbers are what they are.

Watch the video for the full story. Then if you're a working photographer ready to scale the business side, the application is open.

Mike