In this episode, I’ll talk about starting an online business. It has been ten years since I started my own business, and I would love to share about my journey with you!

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

Black Friday 2024

By the way, Black Friday at Stephanie Kase started today! It runs November 25th – 29th. I’m offering deals on the Online Course Starter Kit, Inbox to Income, the Reels Mini Course, Plug & Play Reels Ideas and YouTube for Business. You can expect huge discounts and brand new bonuses! Each deal only lasts 24 hours – so grab them while they are available! Click here to shop the entire SK Black Friday Catalog! 

Episode 100

It’s the 100th episode of the SK podcast! As we roll into 2025, I’ve got some big plans to bring in new guests and change up the podcast format. I cannot wait to serve you all in a fun, new way!

I started my business in 2014, which means I’ve been doing this for ten years now! Often, we see business owners who are crushing it and assume things are always going their way. In reality, there are tons of highs and lows in starting an online business. Today, I’ll talk more about the journey that led me here!

2014: Getting Started

I first started out assisting a photographer in San Antonio, where I was staying at the time. It was not long before I fell in love with wedding photography. I then moved to Columbus, Ohio as I began my senior year of high school. I started a website and a blog and continued assisting photographers. At this time, I began shooting weddings on my own!

2015: College & Wedding Photography

I started college at Ohio State University where I earned my degree in marketing. For the duration of my time in college, I worked as a wedding photographer. I earned roughly $5,000 per wedding. About halfway through my time at college, my husband, Michael, and I got married.

In 2018, while still in college, I launched my YouTube channel. At that time, I had a vision of eventually educating photographers. 

2019: Graduating & Changing Direction

In 2019, after graduating, I launched my first digital product – presets for editing photos. I made $10,000 that year from my presets alone.

This fueled my passion for educating and providing resources for other business owners. I had a huge heart to serve others who were chasing dreams like my own. 

Pursuing an Online Business

My goal was to create an online business. At the time, there were not a lot of easily accessible resources on this topic. A photographer that I followed started a mastermind program, and with encouragement from a friend, I applied.

I knew nothing about online marketing at the start, and this membership taught me SO much about freebies, funnels, and marketing strategies.

Being finished with college, I could pour all of my time and attention into my business. To be transparent, I was working a LOT of hours (which is why I’m passionate about avoiding that type of lifestyle as a business owner now). 

2020: Launching Digital Products

I was still working with photography clients, but during the wedding “off-season,” I worked hard to get my digital products going. In 2020, I launched my first photography course. The launch earned about $5,000, and I was hooked. I soon stopped taking photography clients. My plan was to be finished photographing weddings by the end of 2020. Then, Covid happened. Several of the weddings that I was hired to shoot (and had already paid me in full), were rescheduled to 2021. I continued photography work for longer than I planned, and because I had been paid in 2019 or 2020, I was not seeing income from those bookings.

After launching that first course, I launched some shop products. Also, I spoke at my first big photography conference. Most importantly, I got serious about my YouTube channel and started posting more often and with a better strategy.

2021: Photography to Business Education

At the end of 2020, I launched another course that profited about $18,000. As I wrapped up work with photography clients, I realized that photography was no longer my passion. On YouTube, I leaned into business education and social media marketing in my videos. My audience was really growing! However, I was seeing some lower income months in my endeavors with digital products.

I launched my mobile presets. Later, I joined another mastermind. In this group, I was encouraged to create a course around reels. I hesitated because I did not want to be “stuck” talking about Instagram. I launched a few digital products, and later, launched the Reels Mini Course. That launch generated more than $40,000.

2022: Growing My Team

In 2022, I hired an HR manager to assist me in hiring my first team member, Maggie. Sadly, we soon lost my Mother-in-Law to her fight with cancer. I’m thankful we got to be close to her at the end of her life and that she at least got to know about our twins during my pregnancy. Only weeks later, I gave birth early to my twin girls. During this year, I coasted. Having kids (let alone twins) was a huge life change. At the same time, I was creating a lot of lifestyle content. We created the Reels Trends Membership, which today, looks more like the Online Marketing Club. At the end of the year, Michael quit his 9-5 job and our family relocated to Greenville, South Carolina.

Thankfully, during that year, YouTube and other social media platforms continued to bring in new leads and create income for my business. Once Michael left his job, I had a way higher capacity to be present in my business.

2023: Growing as a Business Educator

2023 was such a fun year at Stephanie Kase. I was thriving as a mom, at last, and was so inspired to do bigger things at SK. In one year, we launched Instagram Growth and Inbox to Income. I joined my third group coaching program where I created a defined vision of what my business would offer and how students would be best served by our products. Soon after, I hosted my first minimind. At the end of the year, we brought on an amazing Intergrator to our team – we love Caroline! She helped us run my second minimind and an incredible Black Friday sale.

2024: Shaping My Vision of the Business

In 2024, we launched YouTube for Business to kick off the year. We had our first team retreat which we nicknamed SK-Con. I ran a group coaching program called Visibility. Additionally, we launched Plug & Play Reels Ideas and the Online Course Starter Kit. In July, I gave birth to my third baby girl. Based on the amazing feedback we got from Visibility, I decided to open enrollment for my brand new membership: The Online Marketing Club!

That brings us to today! I began in photography, moved into photography education, and for the last three years, I have been in business education. Hopefully, this highlights that overnight success is not a thing. There are so many factors that lead to momentum in a business. Still, starting an online business was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!

Grow a Business You Love

Much of my business is “passive” income otherwise referred to as scalable income. It is my hope that my experience inspires you to work towards starting an online business! Truly, I’m so grateful for the lifestyle this business allows my family to have. I cannot wait to see what 2025 brings.

Thank you for being a part of this community and a listener of this podcast! It means so much to me, and I am grateful for every single one of you. If you don’t already, follow me on IG!

See you on Monday at 7 AM!