088 - That Won’t Work in My Town with Rudi Marten

<p dir="ltr">If you’ve ever found yourself in a group of photographers talking shop, it won’t take long for you to hear the common “That might work for you, but it won’t work in my town.” Sometimes we find ourselves in the company of those kinds of people and, honestly, sometimes we are those people; believing that success can happen for everyone but us.</p> <p dir="ltr">Today’s guest proves that success is within reach. Even if you live in a less populated area of the country. If portrait success can happen in Billings, Montana, then it can happen anywhere. Rudi Marten is the second-generation owner of Clark Marten Photography in the sparsely populated city of Billings and in today’s episode, he shares how he was able to take his parent’s small, home-based business to a stunning high-end studio and industry powerhouse.</p> <p dir="ltr">This is the inspirational story of the Marten family’s portrait business and what Rudi is doing as he takes the next generation of Clark Marten in a completely new direction. </p> <p dir="ltr">In this episode, you’ll learn:</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Core values that have shaped Clark Marten Photography</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">The influence portrait photographers can have on their clients</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">How to shift to high end and high volume (you don’t have to choose!)</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">What marketing looks like in a small community</p> </li> </ul> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Here’s a glance at this episode:</strong></p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">[02:45] - Rudi’s parents are now fully retired and he purchased the family business from them. Rudi shares the beginning of the studio.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">[04:26] - The studio space is designed to be something completely