Abby Grace is an international wedding & anniversary photographer, based just outside Washington, DC. She’s an expert in communication and brand identity with a passion for teaching others to run businesses that enables lives they dearly love, and believes in the ruthless pursuit of leaning into your unique gifts as an entrepreneur. Abby’s background in Communication & PR paired with ten years of profitable business ownership make her an authority for creatives looking to up-level their business. She’s a Francophile and a Hufflepuff, and often speaks in movie quotes and song lyrics.

Abby Grace is a wedding and brand photographer. Today, she shares the underutilized power of saying “no” to the things that slow you down in business, so that you can say “yes” to greater possibilities.

 

Abby’s biggest mindset shift in business revolved around scarcity over abundance or fear versus possibility. Having grown up with a family who made “just enough”, Abby went into business with a ceiling on what she thought could be possible. In other words, she entered the world of entrepreneurship playing small. She came into it with a “me against them” paradigm, or thinking that taking a piece of the pie means taking that piece away from someone else. She eventually came to realize that “there are infinite pies on infinite tables in an infinite number of living rooms across the world.” By undergoing this mindset shift, Abby was empowered to make decisions from a place of freedom with a hunger for unearthing her potential.

 

Going hand-in-hand with this idea of embracing abundance is what Abby termed “the gentle no”. While it may seem counterintuitive with the idea of maximizing your potential, the word “no” can actually open up that world of freedom and possibility. Business is all about serving your client to the best of your ability, and this means setting certain parameters for yourself to be able to do just that.

 

Saying “no” to things that don’t contribute to your growth as an entrepreneur paves the way for momentum in your business.  By saying “no”, you’re saying “yes” to something better. “I look at the word ‘no’ as self-care for business owners,” says Abby. “Being able to say ‘no’ in business makes you a better version of yourself for your clients.”

 

Listen in and learn how Abby utilizes the word “no” to avoid burnout and encourage entrepreneurial proactivity in every part of your business. We would love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have can go right here in the comments! Enjoy!

 

Let’s dig into the highlights!

About Abby Grace, her story and her career [1.01]

Abby’s biggest mindset shift as an entrepreneur [2.30]

Choosing freedom over fear [5.01]

What is “the gentle no”? [7.31]

Managing your email inbox [17.16]

Making a pivot in business [24.43]

Establishing boundaries with your clients [32.46]

What motherhood taught Abby about business [34.44]

How to connect with Abby [39.14]

 

Links Mentioned:

Website: abbygracephotography.com

Brand Check-Up: abbygracephotography.com/check-up

Instagram: @abbygracephoto

Pin for later