Want an inside look at a branding shoot? In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Vanessa Kavulish of Benefit Bar – a luxury mobile bar serving up signature craft cocktails, unforgettable vibes, and intentional enhancements here in Arizona. We’re diving into what it was like to plan Vanessa’s recent brand session with me, plus how to align your photos and content so that you can show up online with confidence, clarity, and proof. 

On Quianna Marie Weekly, we’re chatting about business growing pains, finding genuine connections, and celebrating wins of all sizes through the lens of a photographer at heart. Sprinkled throughout stories and interviews with past clients, photographers and other business owners this podcast is designed to help you step into your purpose and to truly create a life you’re proud of, a life worth photographing and sharing.

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Today’s episode is brought to you by The Green House, my resource garden for photographers! Let me help you AMPLIFY your heart online and in real life to turn bridesmaids into future brides through templates, workshops, and freebies!

Review The Show Notes:

Meet Vanessa Kavulish of Benefit Bar (3:39)

Vanessa’s Reason For Booking Her Brand Session (7:01)

Bringing An AI Vision Board To Life (8:43)

Planning And Prepping For The Brand Shoot (12:20)

The Power Of Getting Your People Involved (17:44)

Vanessa’s Experience In Front Of The Camera (19:49)

Vanessa’s Post-Brand Shoot Vision (24:23)

How B-Roll Adds To Vanessa’s Gallery (29:14)

Rapid-fire Questions (32:11)

What Vanessa Wishes She Could Tell Herself Before The Shoot (35:37)

Key Tip From Vanessa (36:48)

Mentioned In This Episode:

Book Your Intuitive Content Coaching Call: quiannamarie.com/contact

Connect with Vanessa:

Website: benefit-bar.com

Benefit Bar on Instagram: instagram.com/benefitbaraz

Vanessa on Instagram: instagram.com/vkgrowthconsulting

Rebel Rise Podcast: youtube.com/@coach_ness

Connect with Quianna:

Website: quiannamarie.com

Instagram: instagram.com/quiannamarie

Review the Transcript:

Quianna: Welcome back to Quianna Marie Weekly. I’m your host, Quianna, your branding photographer, content coach, and hype girl. For business owners who are ready to be seen and paid for the value they bring to the table. Today’s episode is extra special because I’m sitting down with one of my real life friends and biz besties.

Vanessa, the owner and visionary behind Benefit Bar az, a luxury mobile bar experience serving up signature craft cocktails, unforgettable vibes, and intentional enhancements for weddings, events, retreats, conferences, and celebrations here in Arizona. But listen, even if you don’t own a mobile bar, this episode is for you because what we’re really talking about today is what it looks like to plan a brand session with intention, align your photos and content with where your business is headed, and how to show up online with confidence, clarity, and proof.

I am all about the proof. Vanessa recently booked a brand session with me, and since then she’s refreshed her website, her content, and the way she’s showing up as the face of her brand. We’re pulling back the curtain on what actually goes into prepping, planning, and producing a strategic brand shoot from the conversations before the camera even comes out sharing the stress.

And the nerves, all the things while preparing for the shoot to how those photos get used after the photo shoot to support real business growth. We even chat about bringing an AI generated photo standing in front of her bar that she created long, long ago, and we were able to create that and bring it to life during the shoot when I saw that photo after the shoot.

I cried, I, I literally burst into tears and I just got so emotional that we were able to help these visions come to life For Vanessa, Vanessa is not only the owner of Benefit Bar az, she’s also a consultant for passionate business owners and service-based entrepreneurs who wanna help their business become profitable, be more professional, get their systems unlock, and become aligned with what they are doing and what they’re growing.

In this conversation, she shares what it’s like to be fully supported, directed, and hyped up during her brand session and how that experience translated into content. She’s proud to share. This episode is a perfect example of why brand photography isn’t just about pretty pictures. It’s about strategy, it’s about confidence.

It’s about having content that works for you long after the shoot is over. So whether you’re a photographer, creative, a service provider, or a business owner who knows it’s time to upgrade your brand and to be taken seriously, you are in the right place. Let’s get this party started with Vanessa from Benefit Bar AZ, and talk all things brand sessions.

Business growth and bringing your vision to life.

Vanessa: Welcome to Keana Marie

Quianna: Weekly, a podcast for creatives who love to celebrate wins, big or small by dancing in the kitchen photographers who are excited to serve their clients and friends who are ready to chase. Really, really big dreams. You can find all of the resources mentioned in this episode at QuiannaMarie.com/podcast

Join me as I share weekly motivation, chat about growing pains, finding genuine connections, and celebrating your wins. Through the lens of a photographer at heart, come join me for a dance party. Ready? Let’s go.

Hey, hey, hey. Welcome to the podcast, Vanessa. It is such an honor to have you. How are you doing?

Vanessa: I am so good, Quianna. Thank you so much for having me. I’m so excited to be here.

Quianna: Yes. Oh my goodness. Well, let’s dive right into this. We have so much to talk about and I wanna introduce you to my audience. Please share with me all about your bar and who it is that you serve.

Vanessa: Yeah, so I am the founder of Benefit Bar Arizona, and we are an eco-conscious mobile bar local to the Phoenix, Scottsdale area, and we serve primarily corporate clients. We do some weddings, we do private parties as well, but our bread and butter is really that. Corporate event where the planners want to make that event super focused on their guests, on their employees, really feeding into the culture and showing their teams that they matter.

We have a very firm belief that all of the details matter as well, so that’s why we recycle, we compost. We’re really trying to do the most good, not only for us, but for those corporate folks too.

Quianna: Amazing. And I would love for you to share a little bit more about what your bar looks like, because it’s so pretty.

You have quite a few options, but tell us a little bit about your bar.

Vanessa: Yeah, so I have four options for bars. I’ve got three that are little popups that you probably have seen. But the, the one that I think you’re asking about is our mobile trailer bar, which is a horse trailer that’s been converted into this beautiful bar.

It’s black, it’s got this, uh, live wood edge on the bar front, and we’ve got fun banana leaf wallpaper on the inside, and it’s just this beautiful sage green color inside with the cabinetry and it’s so on brand. It’s beautiful. I’m obsessed with it. And yeah, it’s, it’s been something that people are loving because it’s just, it’s simple but aesthetic at the same time.

Quianna: Yes, it is absolutely beautiful and seeing you pull right up for our photo shoot together, I was just, jaws dropped. I was just, I’ve seen photos of it, but just to see it live and to see it in action was. Such a joy. It’s, it’s beautiful. You did a great job. And did you guys build this out? I’m just so curious.

I wanna know all the things.

Vanessa: Yeah, so actually I didn’t build it out. I bought it from another mobile bar company in the area and her husband built it. He did the whole thing from the ground up and it just so happened to actually already be in my brand colors. So I just had to add a little bit of extra paint here and there, and I redid the wallpaper to make it more like us, but I didn’t have to do much with it, and it was.

Really nice how it worked out because I was, I’m, I’m friends with that other bar owner, so she already knew a lot about my business and the vibe and so when she went to sell it, she was like, Hey, I’m gonna list this, but also I wanna ask you if you want it first because it’s so you and so benefit bar. So I really lucked out and getting exactly what I wanted without having to go that custom order route.

Quianna: Yes. Oh my gosh, how lucky. And what a blessing to have that right in our community. Someone that you know, and someone that I’m sure just continues to, to support you. That is, that’s amazing.

Vanessa: Yeah. Yeah. It, it’s really all about relationships and who you know, right? Like any, anywhere you’re building a business, it’s, you know, there’s just all these different ways where it can come back and benefit you in some way.

Quianna: Yes. Oh my gosh, a hundred percent. And this is why I love a podcast, is getting the opportunity to introduce you to my audience, my listeners, my friends, my clients. All of us are so eager to learn about you. I wanna chat about our branding session that we have done together. And I really wanna start from the beginning.

So before you booked your shoot, I know you and I had seen each other at events and you’ve brought up a couple times, you’re like, key, I need you one day when I’m ready, we’re gonna book this. Right? Like I remember, I remember it being a conversation for a while. I would love to know before you booked, what was it that you felt that your business needed the most?

Was it more visibility? Was it clearer messaging, better content, or just confidence was showing up online? Like what did you feel was the reason for booking this branding session?

Vanessa: So for context, we are about to go into our third year and I had never really done a brand shoot. I had popped around to a few people who were doing mini shoots and things like that, that were, you know, low cost.

And the photos were beautiful, but they didn’t feel like us, if that makes sense. And so what I really wanted was to have something that actually symbolized, this is a real business. I think that’s really the reason it wasn’t about me showing up online. Of course, content is always helpful, but when you are trying to use, you know, something from an iPhone photo, and I, I am Android team, right?

So my photos come through kind of blurry when I’m having people take content for me. And so it was like even if something was a really good photo, it just still didn’t have like that life. Like that life full, that’s not the right word that I’m looking at. But it wasn’t lively. It wasn’t bright and full of life, if that makes sense.

And so I really wanted something that looked intentional and not just an afterthought or like, Hey, this might be a good photo. And I just happened to catch that.

Quianna: I love this so much. So when you were, when you were planning your shoot and you decided, okay, key, let’s make it happen, I would love to know a little bit more about those visuals.

Like what was it that you were thinking? Right. So yes, the lively part about it and like the real emotion and the joy and really capturing that experience. I would really love for you to tell me a little bit more about your AI photo, like that, that vision board piece that you had. This is the crazy part, Vanessa.

I didn’t even know that you had this picture until after the shoot. And we literally created it. So tell me a little bit about that and kind of what went into that thought process for trying to bring this vision to life.

Vanessa: Yeah, so I am a big manifester. I very much believe that not only like the thoughts that we put out into the world is what we get back, but the way we visualize and the things we.

Really set our sights on and the more we can focus on that, then the more those things return. So it was really fun to have, my friend actually called that moment out while we were in session together. She was one of our models and she called it out. And so I was probably about six months into my business at that point.

And I just remember thinking, man, if I just had the trailer people would come. If I just had the trailer people would come. Which also is not true. People don’t just come because you have. One new thing they don’t, it’s, there’s a lot of work involved, but I wanted to create an image for myself that just kind of reminded me it was possible.

And the image isn’t the best. It was older ai, you know, a year and a half or so ago. But I just, I had it put a photo of me standing in front of a trailer that had my brand name on it. And it was just interesting ’cause the positioning was the same. Outfit was different, but. I was standing, I think with like, you know, my hip off to the side, kind of in my hand on my side.

And my friend said, oh my gosh, like this is the same, this is, this is the AI photo that you created. And I was like, oh my God, it is. And so it was just a very full circle moment and I think it was really powerful to have that realization happen in a time where I really decided to go all in on my business and to invest in a brand shoot, you know, invest in having you come out to, to make these moments real for me.

And so it, it was really fun to solidify it in that way. And then of course, we made that real, and it, it went kind of viral. It wasn’t like crazy viral, but. It was, it was just so fun. Just like a fun realization.

Quianna: Yes. It was beautiful. And this is the part that makes my heart just so happy to know that we have the ability to curate what we want out of our business, out of our brand, even, even out of our entire life.

Right. Like you said, you’re a manifester. Just like me, we, we say things that we want to bring into our life and. It truly is a mirror, right? So like, I just thought that was so cool. It literally made me cry. I remember I was walking the girls, it was the next morning and I had my hair in a top knot, and I was wearing my like magnolia sweatshirt like every day.

And I was just walking in the backyard and I saw that reel. And Vanessa, I cried, like I like had like this like ugly Kim k cry where it was just like. We did that. Like that was just the coolest feeling ever to, for you to have that vision and then for us to be able to deliver that. Oh my gosh, such an honor.

This is like, this is literally, this is why I do what I do. It’s so cool.

Vanessa: Yeah, it’s so powerful and I wanna thank you for helping to make that happen as well. You know, I had to show up, but you, you created those moments, those super powerful moments in that session that allowed that to come through. So.

Thank you.

Quianna: Oh my gosh, of course. Oh my gosh. Well, thank you. I, I don’t wanna like breeze by that. I, I wanna receive that. Thank you. So tell me all the things that went into planning this session. Okay. So now that you have, like, you know, you have your little AI kind of vision, and then tell me all the things when it came to preparing for the garnishes and the outfits and.

Even asking friends and family to come and pose for you as models, as guests. Right. For your, for your popup bar, tell me what that was like. Was there any hesitation? Was there any friction? Like, was it stressful? Because I really wanna, I wanna openly talk about this and share with other business owners that it’s not always these like highlight reels.

Like there’s grit, there’s time, there’s investments into this, behind the scenes. So what was that experience like?

Vanessa: Yeah. So.

Quianna: I don’t wanna say I’m not a unicorn, I’m not gonna say that,

Vanessa: but I do really well under pressure. So take what I say with a grain of salt. With this experience, some of it got hard and I’ll get there in a second, but I was just really leaning into the process.

I was excited. I was happy to lean on your guidance as well as to what we needed for a shot list and what would work best for the flow, how many models I should get. Getting models was really difficult, and it wasn’t just because we picked the most beautiful venue in the world to do it. It was far, it was so far, but we also, you know, we shot in December and so our golden hour was early, so a lot of my friends were still at work or in other engagements, and then it was almost an hour to get there and people are busy, so it was really hard and I ended up with five.

Five people. Yeah. I ended up with five people helping, which ended up being perfect. And in going in, I was actually kind of worried. I was like, oh my God, this is gonna look so lame. It’s just gonna look, you know, like a picked over buffet kind of vibe. And I’m like, oh no, this is gonna be awful. And I don’t wanna be misunderstood here.

I so deeply appreciate my friends, my people who showed up. I had a friend who drove over an hour. He lives in the, like the Deer Valley ish area, like very north Phoenix, and came all the way through for me and we were in Queen Creek. So very, very grateful for that. And it ended up being the perfect amount of people.

I think that the outfit planning, I had no idea what I was doing, and I had no plan at all until I actually created another AI image, which is one thing that is. AI is so great for, I had had it generate some photos of me in like business casual outfits because I have never felt like I was a business casual girly.

I was either like the gym girly or I look like I’m in troll mode and I’m in a hoodie or something. You know, just very casual. And so when I created some images of me like that, I was like, oh wow. I can actually show up that way, like that, that’s what I would look like in that. And then I was like, okay, hold on.

Got my phone out. And I was like, all right, Amazon, like, here we go. And so I just ordered a bunch of stuff and that would be my advice to anybody is just order a bunch of outfits, make sure that they’re things that you like and colors that make sense for your brand. And then I just returned the stuff I didn’t like.

Yeah. Even the stuff that I used in photos that I didn’t like I returned. Um, so that was great. And then I think the only, like other piece that was stressful was the day of, because I had to get the trailer out there. I wanted to pick up snacks and things for my, my, my models, my volunteers. And I was stressed about making sure everybody made it there and nobody canceled on me last minute.

And then when I first got there, I was stressed because I was like, I’m not ready to go. I feel like nothing is ready to go. I needed my bartender to set up the bar. I think the more elements like that you add when you’ve got these big physical things to set up, it adds more stress. Versus if you’re, you know, I’m a coach too, so if I was to show up for like a coaching and consulting shoot, I might just need my computer and a few office things that I could fit into a bag.

It’s. It’s just a different vibe.

Quianna: Oh yeah. I mean we,

Vanessa: those ups and downs.

Quianna: Yes. And you had to pack, I mean, all the alcohol, right? All of the drinks, all the garnishes, all of your cutie little lavender pieces that you had added to your drinks. There’s just, um, so many moving parts and I mean, I even remember having conversation with you reminding you.

Even asking your models to do a little finger check and make sure that their nails aren’t super overgrown. Right. Because all of those things matter, right? And everyone, everyone that attended was right on point. Everybody looked lovely. But those are the kind of conversations you need to have in advance, right?

Where just kind of adds to the dress of. Thank you so much for coming and driving across town for me, but like, do you still have Halloween nails on or what does it look like? Right,

Vanessa: right. Yeah.

Quianna: Yeah.

Vanessa: And everybody did such a good job. 10 out of 10.

Quianna: Yes. Everybody looked beautiful. And what I also appreciate too about your models is.

They came a flexibility because we were able to photograph two very unique scenes, I guess I would call it like two different vibes, which was your wedding vibe for your mobile bar, as well as like a corporate vibe, right? So that was awesome that they were willing to change and, and be flexible and, um, just create different.

Different vibes for the shoot was just, they were rock stars. So Definitely. Yeah,

Vanessa: definitely.

Quianna: They

Vanessa: were so easy.

Quianna: Yes, they, they added it. And that’s, that’s the part too, this is what I kind of wanted to dig a little bit deeper into is sharing element of your client experience, right? So as a photographer, as especially as a brand new photographer, trying to encompass all of the feels, all the vibes, your authority, right, your experience, your attention to detail, all of that needs to be evoked.

In one picture, right, if not a gallery or a post or a fun reel of behind the scenes, but that’s a lot of pressure to put on one image, right? So I do think, um, that definitely was a challenge, but this is the power of incorporating your client experience, getting the people involved, like getting, whether that’s your client, whether that is an event, actually seeing yourself in action.

Like, oh my gosh, Vanessa, some of my favorite photos from that gallery are. Toasting pictures, like just sharing like the glasses clinking, and then your smile is just kind of blurred out in the background. But you could, you could feel the love, like you could feel the, the toasting and the cel like celebration behind that image.

It’s just so powerful and this is. This is why I love including people in your photos too.

Vanessa: Yeah. And I love that you brought that photo up. You probably haven’t looked at my updated website, but you need to check it. Um, ’cause it’s, I

Quianna: have, I

Vanessa: have. Oh, okay. Perfect. Okay, good, good. That is the first photo that is on there.

It scrolls, but that photo that you’re talking about is the very first one, because I felt the same about that, that it just like evoked comfort and fun and. Feelings that I can’t even articulate right now, but it just felt like that encapsulates our vibe. Like that’s what we’re trying to create.

Quianna: Yes. Oh my gosh.

A hundred percent. So, so I wanna kind of take listeners through this branding experience, right? So let’s say you are pulling into the back and I remember, I feel so sorry when I told you, oh, there’s plenty of room for the trailer back there and it was a tight space. Like you totally rocked it and I am so proud of you and your.

Like backup trailer skills, Mike would be so proud. So the stress of just arriving and unpacking and making sure every, like all the moving parts are in motion. I would love to share a little bit more about your experience actually with the shoot, right? Like did it feel chaotic? And it’s totally okay if it did, because I feel like that’s something that oftentimes brands and businesses will feel like in the moment.

It’s a blur. Like it’s just like, whoop, like this whirlwind of a rush that went through and then afterwards we can be calm. But I would love to hear your perspective and your experience with the modeling part with posing. What did that feel like when we were like, you were actually in front of the camera.

Vanessa: Yeah, I had, I just had fun. I have a lot of experience in front of a camera. I’m very comfortable on camera. I speak on camera for a living, and so it’s fun. I think the biggest part of apprehension is when you’re getting in front of somebody’s camera for the first time. Do they have my back? Are they gonna make sure if my hair looks funny or I have a piece of lint on my black shirt, or do I have a double chin like for my ladies?

You guys know what I mean? Like we wanna make sure we get caught at the right angle. Right? And so having you there as a true cheerleader, not only to be like, oh my God, yes babe. Like this looks so good. This is amazing. Like that’s great. But then for you to say, Hey, I need you to like turn this way a little bit or tilt your chin up just a bit.

That also helped to boost my confidence, which I would imagine it does with your other clients as well, because then I know you are looking out for my best interest because I have had photos in the past come back and I’m like. Who is that? Do I look like that? Like there’s no way. Right? And so I think like that is like was my biggest takeaway was just how comfortable that you were able to make me feel and how, how much fun that I had.

Right? Because even if you have experience speaking and being on camera and having photos done in that way. Posing for photos, knowing that they’re actually attached to your business, which feels like an extension of you, is a whole nother level of pressure. So having the extra guidance and knowing like you’ve got the, the bumper guards on me and you’re gonna make sure I don’t look ridiculous, was just, that was everything.

That was everything that I needed and more so,

Quianna: yes. Oh my gosh. I’m so happy you mentioned that because I do. I love being that cheerleader behind the lens. And I also, I love creating that moment and getting handsy, right? Like actually moving your hair. I have this thing, it drives me crazy. I call it spiderweb hair, where the hair is on your shoulder and your back.

They get kind of stringy and it just. It drives me crazy. And so I’m always super proactive about making those adjustments. And you’re right, it, especially with women and just being so self-conscious of our bodies, like it is insane how one little eyebrow twitch or one little like hip dip can just make the world of a difference.

Right. It’s, it’s actually being proactive with that posing and, and this is, I’m so happy you mentioned this too with the posing piece too, is like. I love to give direction and then let it flow, right? Like not take it so seriously that we feel stiff and awkward and like a checklist, like, like I remember mentioning this when we were making our timeline for the shoot.

It’s like, I love bullet points. I love a good bullet point that just reminds us to hit the shots or. Hit these visuals that we’re trying to create and like these moments versus, okay, now that we got this Pinterest photo next, now that we got this photo next, right? Like there’s, there’s room for organic pieces.

And that to me is where the branding piece really comes to life is because it’s, it’s yours. Like it’s your story. Right? Like I’m helping prompt that without feeling too stiff.

Vanessa: Yeah. Yeah. And I, I think I was saying to you earlier at some point, ’cause we were chatting before this, that. I really also enjoyed getting the photos back that were more candid too, like ones where I’m making funny faces or I’m just doing it like you can just tell that I’m just in the moment and enjoying myself and I’m not necessarily posed because it also illustrates that.

That’s exactly, you know who I am and reminds me how, you know, relaxed. I was there. Not only because you made me feel that way, but because I was also surrounded by people who. You know, went out of their way to be there with me and to make sure that this happened for me. So, um, I think those were really particularly special.

Yes.

Quianna: Ah, thank you so much. That makes me so happy. Oh my goodness. Well, I would love to take the conversation to what’s next. So now that you have your gallery, your website is absolutely beautiful. We will a hundred percent be linking that in the show notes for you to take a peek. And anytime I share future images on stories and fun highlights, I will make sure to include your website.

So tell me, Vanessa, what else are you doing to market and to share this experience, get it out there and create that hype online?

Vanessa: Yeah, so I just started running ads for the first time ever this last week. So that’s terrifying and exciting. I’m using the photos, so if anybody sees those, I would love some feedback, whether you’re interested in booking with us or not.

You can still reach out and just say, Hey, this was not a good ad. Or this was a great ad, I would love it because I’m still kind of learning how that goes. But our whole goal this year is just to make as many memories as possible to make as much impact with people as possible. Not only because you know these celebrations are important and whether you do cocktails or mocktails.

We love both. My whole team, we don’t drink, so it’s kind of fun to be bartenders who don’t drink, so we love to do both. It’s more than just a party. Like there, it’s really about the connections that you make as you share a drink or as you share food together. It’s about the atmosphere that happens around the bar and inside of the event that, you know, boosts culture or morale or really shows people that they have that teamwork and that camaraderie.

While that piece is major, right? That is so important. We’re also on a mission to make an impact in a different way, and we are the only mobile bar definitely in Arizona, but maybe even the whole country. I don’t know. Don’t quote me on that. If, if I’m wrong, let me know, but. That is zero waste. Like we wanna make a positive impact.

And that’s because I spent 20 years in the hospitality industry and there’s so much waste that that gets thrown away. And I’ve always been somebody who’s cared very much about planet and the animals and the trees and all of the things by booking with us and allowing us to make your memories elevated and special and just really impactful.

You are also able to contribute to making the world a little bit better, even if it’s the only place and the only time you do it. If everybody just does one little thing, it makes a huge difference, and that’s something that I embed into both of my businesses really is that idea of giving back. We also don.

Portion of our profits to charity as well. So it’s another way that corporations love to book with us and, and be able to give back. Um, even if you’re a small business, we, we work with small businesses as well, so I know I keep saying corporate, but we do that as well and it’s something that people love.

Um, we also do, you know, fundraisers and things like that where we help to boost donations. And so that is really the biggest thing for me is of course, I want my business to grow and to profit, and I wanna be able to pay myself. And pay my team more money. But at the end of the day, it’s really about impact.

So the more impact that we can make this year. The better. I will be the happiest girl.

Quianna: That’s incredible. And I love that so much. I love that you have such a heart for our planet Earth and for our animals. And this no waste movement I think is incredibly important and something that we should all be working towards.

And, and I love the fact what I really picked up, aside from all of that amazing environment, um, environmental love that you’re giving back to our communities. Is the fact that you mentioned you’re out, like you’re out and about, you are doing these things. I feel like right now, and this may just be myself and my own little bubble that I’ve been in with social media, but there is life outside of Instagram.

Like there is life out, like outside at these corporate events at weddings, at. You know, boutiques and popups and all these fun things, and I truly believe that is the best way for, especially for your physical bar to, um, get the recognition and build that hype is by physically being places and sharing the story, right?

Because you are unlike other bars where you have this heart and intention for the environment. I think that’s incredible when it comes to that marketing piece is. Going outside, like going out to events and chatting about what it is that you do, and, um, I hope all of us can take a little piece of that away and put that towards.

Having an effort into showing up to events supporting local businesses, and that is gonna be another extremely important stream of marketing. I love that.

Vanessa: Yeah. Yeah. It’s so important and I spent a lot of time out in the wild, so to speak, building relationships with people, not only because I wanna build my own business, but you know, because that relationship piece that I mentioned earlier is also so important because you never know when a connection is going to.

Help you in in a way that you didn’t even know that you needed. Oh my gosh, I love this.

Quianna: Oh, yay. This has been so fun. So I would love, before we wrap up, I have a couple more things I wanna cover. I would love to learn more about your experience with B-roll from our shoot. ’cause that is something that I loved capturing these little clips and I, I love capturing some of the hyperlapse moments and just the behind the scenes.

Pieces of the brand session. So I would love to hear your perspective of that B-roll and how that’s adding to your gallery. What does that look like?

Vanessa: Yeah, so the B-roll is really fun. Uh, it was something I wasn’t expecting either when I booked with you. So for me it was a pleasant surprise. It might be commonplace, I don’t know, but.

I just really enjoyed it as an ad, and it’s been fun because I’ve also found that those B rolls, when I turn them into reels, they actually perform really well. Like there’s something about those, and I’m not concerned with virality, but there’s something about those that’s really engaging to people, and I think it’s because it allows them a peek behind the lens, because right now people are kind of pulling away from that idea of perfection and seeing things that are super polished or.

Influencer marketing, right? Where, you know, influencers just don’t have the pull that they used to have. And so people are reaching for more of that authenticity. And so I think that’s what I’ve really enjoyed about those is because you’re capturing that as the photo shoot is happening, which just allows people to see like, hey.

For one, this is not ai, even though there are AI videos out there that could do the same thing, but like these are real people having real moments and you also get to see cracks, if you will, in the the professional posed photos. Where we’re just being real people, you know, where I’m just slow pouring whiskey and I’m like, this is so awkward, right?

Like, you get to kind of see that and you, you are more welcomed into the idea that I’m a real person and this business is real and it’s genuine. And it’s not like no one’s hiding behind just a, a corporate photo.

Quianna: Yes, I love it. And I think you totally, totally hit it on like the nail on the head with that.

It’s real like it’s raw, like it’s actual raw behind the scene footage and that’s what creates that relatable, just relatable moments. Like really, like it just makes things feel real. It doesn’t feel so posed and shiny and AI generated, or two corporate-y head shotty vibes, right? Like. These are just good people having a good time, good food, good music, good drinks, right?

Like all of it flowing and, and that’s the power of that. Right. And I love that you mentioned too, like going viral is not the goal here, right? Like, I mean, it’s fun and it’s exciting, but to me, my goal as your photographer is to help you become a local favorite. Because local favorites get booked. Local favorites, um, become recognizable.

They get talked about, they get shared about, they get referred. And that’s when we can scale, that’s when we can actually make an impact. Right? So I love it. I love it so much. Well, I have a fun, um, little series here of rapid fire questions. These are so fun and, uh, yes. So Vanessa, I would love to just ask these quickly for you.

I think these are so fun as we kind of wrap things up here. So I would love to know, do you prefer powerful and posed or candid and natural photos?

Vanessa: Definitely candid and natural. For sure. Much more of a natural girly.

Quianna: Yes. I love that. Uh, okay, so coming up with recipes for cocktails or mocktails, what’s more fun for you?

Vanessa: Mocktails. Because it’s more of a challenge to find something that’s balanced.

Quianna: Oh, interesting. So when you say balanced, you mean like. Tasty, but still sweet. Like what is, what does balanced mean for making a mocktail?

Vanessa: So when you, when you have something that’s balanced, you want it to have like enough body in it, you want it to have enough acidity, enough sweetness, and it’s often where you have the alcohol, the flavor of alcohol can kind of influence and balance those flavors.

And so when you remove that, you kind of lose the density of the drink sometimes or the flavor, like you can imagine trying to make like an old fashioned without, without the whiskey, right? It would, it would influence it quite a bit. So trying to come up with a drink, whether it’s an existing cocktail and figuring out how to make it a mocktail that doesn’t feel any different.

To coming up with a mocktail that’s totally original so that it’s still fun and it’s not like you’re just drinking like a cranberry and Sprite or something.

Quianna: Okay. I haven’t really thought about that. It’s true. And sometimes I think I remember ’cause like the thought of a mocktail is isn’t always trying to replicate the actual alcohol, it’s also just trying to come up with fun recipes that just taste delicious.

Right.

Vanessa: Right. Yeah, yeah, exactly. We’re just trying to get away from the, you know, the juice or club soda options that people typically have and create something that’s truly inventive and it should still kind of feel like a cocktail. It doesn’t, you know, I don’t wanna just drink an orange juice.

Quianna: Yes.

Vanessa: So Right.

Quianna: Apple, apple juice with a little, little garnish. Yeah.

Vanessa: Right. Exactly.

Quianna: I love that. Oh my gosh. Okay, so a couple more rapid fire questions. Sorry, I get distracted. So when it comes to content. Do you prefer planning it or winging it?

Vanessa: Uh, that’s a good question. I think. For the most part, I prefer to wing it more because I feel more inspired when I’m in the moment.

If I have to block out a time to do content creation, then I usually, I can’t remember what it was I wanted to share or the, all the juice is gone, basically.

Quianna: Yeah. No, this is awesome. PS I just wanna give you a shout out right now that you are. Content and your fun reels literally make me laugh, like as you Oh, thank you so much.

Yes. As you and your bartenders have been posting these, I’m dying. I’m like, ah, I’m so proud of you. They’re so fun. And they’re so cute. So shout out to you. You have to make make sure we go follow.

Vanessa: Yes. Thank you so much.

Quianna: Of course. Okay, so more with content. Um, do you prefer voiceovers or text overlays?

Vanessa: Text overlays, for sure.

Quianna: Me too. A hundred percent. Do you prefer dancing and pointing or talking head videos?

Vanessa: I do a lot of talking head as a consultant, so I gotta go with that one.

Quianna: And do you spend more of your time on Instagram or TikTok? Instagram. Yay. Oh my goodness. These are so fun. Perfect. So I would love to ask, I have two more questions for you.

I keep saying we’re almost done and then we just keep talking. It’s fine. So I would love to ask Vanessa, now that you’ve had this experience with a brand session and you have your gallery back and you are, you know, you already have updated your website, you are sharing ads, what is something that you would tell your past self prior to the shoot?

Vanessa: I think I would just. I would probably do it sooner, to be honest with you. I mean, I was gonna say, you know, I think what most people probably need to hear is to trust yourself and trust the process. That’s something I, I was very conscious of doing in the process, but I, I would’ve done it sooner. And I think a lot of people probably need to hear that too, because we tend to put these things off because.

It’s not like it’s, you know, 10 bucks to do this, you know? But it, it really is worth every penny because I, you know, I got what my expectation was, but so much more than that.

Quianna: Ah, that makes me so happy. Yes. I love that. And I agree. It’s, it’s taking the initiative, it’s, it’s doing it before you feel air quote ready.

Right. Just go for it. Oh my goodness. I love this. And so one question I love to ask everybody, which kind of is very similar, you may have a similar answer and it’s totally okay to put you on the spot, but one question I love to ask every guest is, what is your key tip? What is something that you wish you could tell entrepreneurs today, or something you wish you knew years ago?

Vanessa: That’s a great question. There’s a lot of things I wish I knew years ago, but you know, I think the, the biggest thing is to a, trust yourself, like I’ve already said, and really leverage the power of relationships because. I think that’s the hardest thing to do when you’re a new entrepreneur because you just are excited about what you are offering to the world.

And you go to networking groups or you go to friends and you’re like, here’s what I do. You wanna sign up. And it’s, it’s not reciprocal. There’s like an energetic block there, so to speak. And so I would encourage everybody, even if you’re launching a new business or maybe you’re not new and you’re wondering why you’re having a hard time expanding, ask people like.

How can I support you and figure out what that answer is? Because it’s not always, well, I need you to buy my package, and that really shouldn’t be your first answer, in my opinion. It should be, you know, come onto my podcast or I would love to have coffee. I don’t even, just like a chat about how your day was asking questions about how their business is going, whatever that looks like.

But it really pays you back in ways you could never imagine. It’s how I built this business on referrals. It’s how I get so many opportunities in both of my businesses and they’re not opportunities that I could have ever planned, but it was all as a result of. Building relationships, and I didn’t do that right away.

I spent a lot of time wondering why I would never hear back from anybody. And I’m like, well, how come they don’t respond to me? And how come they’re not reaching out to me? And I think that’s pretty normal, but it would save you a lot of time and it would’ve saved me years.

Quianna: Yes. Oh, this is great advice.

And I feel like this is across the board. So whether you are just starting, maybe you are in that like nine to five and you have really big goals to start your own entrepreneurship journey, or maybe you’ve been at this for five to 10 years and you’re ready to kind of shake things up, right? Like.

Relationships are in the backbone of everything, and I’m so grateful you mentioned that.

Vanessa: Yeah, thank you. Yeah, it’s definitely one of my soap boxes for sure. So important.

How To Find and Work With Vanessa

Quianna: It is. It is. So please tell us, Vanessa, how can we connect with you and please share about both opportunities to work with you.

Vanessa: Yeah, thank you.

So you guys can connect with me on Instagram. I live and die by Instagram. You won’t find me on TikTok at all, actually, but I don’t really do TikTok so. Benefit bar, az all one word is our mobile bar. And yet we post lots of fun content. We also post, uh, about our events and fundraisers and things that we’re at where you guys can even come and hang out with us publicly and try something.

That’s where you’ll find us there. And then I also. Offer business consulting for people who are, you know, beyond the point of scale and they’re looking to raise their top line growth. They’re looking to systematize or simplify their backend of their business. ’cause often we forget about that kind of stuff.

And so if you are looking for some support, guidance, have questions about your business in general, you can reach out to me also on Instagram. And that’s VK Growth Consulting, all one word.

Quianna: Amazing. Oh my goodness. I am so grateful for you and I hope everyone goes and checks out both of the ways to work with you and connect, and I love that you get to bring that knowledge and experience into your consulting, into your own business, into your bar, and I just thank.

It is just a perfect, perfect little circle situation here for you to continue to grow and scale and continue building those relationships.

Vanessa: Yeah, it’s, it’s, I think it’s so important to have both, at least for me, because I’m continually testing what works, which makes me more powerful. In business with both of those things.

So I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be able to test things like

Quianna: yes. Oh my goodness. Well, thank you so much Vanessa. Thank you for investing your time into this podcast, sharing your wisdom, and of course, thank you so much for investing. In your branding session. I am so excited to see those ads. I hope they come across.

I’m gonna keep mentioning Mobile bar, Arizona Bar. I’m just gonna talk to my phone and see if they start popping up.

Vanessa: I hope they do. I hope they do. And thank you so much for having me. It’s been so fun.

Quianna: Yes. Oh my gosh. And before we go, I do want you to mention your podcast as well. Just so we make sure we can go and, because I, I feel like once you’re a podcast listener, like you love podcasts, and we’re always looking for new voices and new conversations.

Rebel Rise Podcast

So where can we find you talking as well on your podcast?

Vanessa: Yes. So my podcast is called Rebel Rise. It is on Spotify and YouTube, so you can see the video version. I may go onto Apple Podcasts, but we’re not there yet. That is where you can find me. It’s also linked in my consulting profile, so if you guys go there, you’ll find it in the link in bio, and Quianna is gonna be a guest on there.

So if you guys want more of our conversation, then you can come over and hang out with us and hear more about it.

Quianna: Amazing. Oh my goodness. Well, thank you so much. I’m sending you to the biggest hug

Vanessa: and I just thank you and can’t wait to see you again soon. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

Quianna: Alright, my love. Before you go, if this episode lit something up inside you, if you caught yourself thinking, “Wow! I need this! I am overdue,” or This sounds like so much fun, it’s time for my own brand session. This is your sign to stop waiting because the truth is this. The longer you wait to be seen, the longer it takes for your dream clients to find you.

And the longer it takes for your dream clients to find you, the longer it takes to make the impact you’re trying to create and the more money you’re leaving on the table. Your dream. Clients can’t hire you if they can’t see you. They can’t feel your energy, your professionalism, your magic. If your content doesn’t reflect the level you’re actually operating at today, not last season, not last year, not pre 2020, what is the era?

What is the proof, the energetics, the life, the business, the professionalism that you’re carrying today? We need to see that, and that needs to be updated, right? Vanessa didn’t just book a brand session. She invested in clarity, confidence, and content that actually works for her business. And you, you deserve that too.

So here’s what I want you to do next. I would love for you to book a call with me. I don’t care if we take it on a hot girl walk and it’s at the butt crack of dawn and we’re walking our dogs in the cold. Or if you are sipping your coffee in the morning, or you’re sitting in the car driving from one carpool to the next, right?

Just get on my calendar, okay? We’ll talk through your business, your goals, your offers, and map out a brand session that shows your clients exactly why you are the one, why you are the only option. No pressure, no fluff, just strategy and vision, and a whole lot of, oh my gosh, why didn’t I do this sooner?

Literally, exactly what Vanessa said earlier, why didn’t I do this sooner? Because staying invisible doesn’t make you humble. It keeps you underbooked. You are ready, your business is ready and your next level needs proof. You are already doing the work. You are already showing up like I mentioned a million times.

I really don’t like that. Prove it energy. It really is just about sharing that, right? So dm me the word brand and I’ll send over all the details to get you on my calendar and to share more about your next brand session. Let’s plan a brand shoot that gets you seen, remembered, and paid. Can’t wait to chat next week.

I’m proud of you. I love your heart, and I’m so excited for more people, the right people to know about you and love you as much as I do. Keep on dancing, baby! Love you. Bye.

That’s a wrap on another episode of Quianna Marie Weekly. Thank you so much for your listenership and support. You can find the resources and show notes for this episode and more at QuiannaMarie.com/podcast

I’d be honored if you’d show your support by leaving a review and rating on your favorite podcast app. Until next time, keep on dancing.

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