I'm Being Sold on EBay

It's quite an unusual thing to see yourself as an item for bid on EBay. I'm sure that's not what my parents had in mind for me when I was growing up. Thankfully it's for Thirst Relief, which provides water filters in areas where water-borne illness has a dramatic impact on the population. It's such a simple and effective solution that improves the quality of life every single day for people in developing countries, and every donation to Thirst Relief has a lasting positive impact around the world. If you're interested in making a donation and finding a great mentor for your small business, here are some mentors (other than myself, of course) that I highly recommend because they are awesome people with big hearts, and because they have a lot of wisdom and experience to offer their winning bidder!!

Jason Domingues: Weddings, Portraits, Bands based in Kansas City, MO - runs his business from his home, along with his wife, while caring for two young children. They've gone through the process of buying a studio space and ultimately deciding that working from home was the best thing for them and turning their home into a haven for both family, clients, and office work. Jason just went through the process of completely overhauling his blog for a new branding look, so he's in a great spot to help you work through your branding and website.

Angela Anderson: Weddings, Boudoir, Fashion, Commercial based in Louisville, KY - has created an amazing studio and an awesome team of people to help her be the photographer SHE wants to be. She is fearless, inventive, and risky but has found a way to make it all come together to create a thriving business with a dream team of support. If you're afraid of taking risks, let her share the stories of how she's risked almost everything to make her dream come true and how taking risks have kept her business always moving forward and progressing to become one of her area's biggest luxury photography studios.

Joy & Garrett Nudd: Weddings, Portraits, Fashion based in Chattanooga, TN; Atlanta, GA; Orlando, FL - husband and wife team who started out focused on weddings and have recently launched an entirely new brand and studio for portrait photography. No matter what they're shooting, they always do it with an eye for high fashion and excellence in customer service. They also have a young daughter Graycen who is always at the forefront of their lives as parents and has been a great introduction for them to connect with children's clothing designers around their hometown! If you love fashion and are looking to grow your business with local partnerships, they are an ideal couple to talk to about where you need to go next.

David Murray: Weddings, Photojournalism based in Kennebunkport, ME; Atlanta, GA - is one of the few wedding photographers who can also wear the badge of being a Pulitzer Prize finalist. He has seen and experienced things in his job as a former photojournalist that most of us will never even come close to viewing on a television screen. While he's never one to toot his own horn, he's photographed some VERY famous people and can share stories about how he's made important connections in high places. While he is in a different generation than most working wedding photographers out there, he continues to stay on top of the trends with an eye for high fashion and international flair while having a life of experiences as rare as any precious stone. David travels back and forth between a studio in Maine & Atlanta and can share some of the advantages and disadvantages of working from multiple locations. He's also really great at lifting you up when you find yourself in a rut.

Emilie Sommer: Weddings, Photojournalism, Charity, based in Portland, ME - has a big heart for charitable giving and a mind for building a strong business and brand. Her background in photojournalism has made her an excellent editor and taken her into high places like... the oval office (no exaggeration). Her nose for news and eye for passion have helped her firmly establish herself in the Portland, ME market and establish great relationships with many of the major wedding bloggers and magazine editors. She can help you figure out where your branding or business need to go next as well as what relationships you could be pursuing and how to pursue them.

Shawn Reeder: Royalty Free Music, Outdoor Nature & People Photographer based in Bishop, CA - a man with boundless energy, Shawn has successfully turned several of his passions (outdoors, photography, music) into full time careers and continues to enjoy uninhibited success to pursue all that he loves in life. Shawn has been able to form successful partnerships with companies like Pictage.com to help provide a regular stream of support for his Royalty Free Music brand, and could be a great resource for helping you identify what potential partnerships you might want to explore in your business as well. He's a solutions person with great technical expertise and could help you create a streamlined workflow so that you can enjoy more of what you love as well.

David Beckstead - Workshops, Fashion, Destination Weddings based in Kettle Falls, WA - known for his relentless pursuit of artistic imagery through composition, framing, posing, and light - he has been a judge for several different international photography contests and continually offers artistic exploration workshops around the world. David would be an awesome person to talk to if you're looking to bring your photographic work to a new level of artistry. He can evaluate your work and/or website to help you narrow it down to the best imagery and give you an idea of what you could pursue more of in order to elevate your work to the next level. He can also give you excellent tips on how to win photo competitions, if you're looking to gain more awards for your work.

LaCour: Weddings, Photojournalism, ShootQ, based in Atlanta, GA - is the dream team of serial entrepreneurship. It's actually solid hard work, but you'd think that it's pure luck because it seems like everything this couple touches turns into gold. Photojournalists turned wedding photographers who created a luxury brand of wedding photography, an associate company of wedding photojournalists, an inquiry + workflow + billing management system, and a wedding meeting space. I almost feel like there's got to be another company I'm forgetting! They are excellent at establishing a brand identity and finding a target market for probably any business you can imagine. They could share a lot about what it takes to get a business off the ground and the many different ways of making it sustainable.

I wish I could spend even more time telling you about ALL of my favorites because there are so many other awesome people in the Thirst Relief Auction that I could go on and on without end!! I chose these mentors specifically because I felt like their initial bids were really low for the amount of value that they could provide someone- so head over to the Thirst Relief Auction and snag them up before someone else does!! For additional tips and tricks on bidding and making the most of your mentor, head over to www.PhotoLovecat.com!!