"The Rhythms that Bring Returns on Your Education"

Join Lindsay Betz Cr. Photog, and PPGCS 2026 Fellowship Char, as she talks about education

Continuing education is the lifeblood of both business and life. For professional photographers, education has never been more easily accessible - from a plethora of podcasts and recordings to live education workshops, our own Guild monthly meetings, and powerful and fun national conventions, the sheer amount of educational opportunities certain can overwhelm.

So how do you choose what to consume and how do ensure the content matters and makes a difference?

Just like we should have compensation for the time we invest in serving clients in

our business, the time we invest in education should pay a dividend in our growth and in

refining our business.

The first key of educational return is knowing the lens through which to take in education.

Not every nugget of education applies equally - some ideas that worked well for one person do not work at all for another. The better you know the vision for your business, your brand and target, the more focused your education application. The lens through which your business operates provides an essential filter so that you know what information should be discarded and what should be applied. When you recognize the difference between relevant information and non relevant information, you apply information in ways that refine and grow your unique business.

When an idea feels relevant, do a check and ask questions like these:

“Does this fit my current brand?”

“Does this idea align with an area I already wanted to grow/move into?”

“Do I have the current resources to support this idea?”

The next essential key is application of information. You must take action because education

without application is meaningless.

I absolutely love this quote from Sahil Bloom: "Always get your dopamine hit from action.

Dopamine from information-gathering is a dangerous drug. The real goal is to have a razor-thin gap between information and action."

Jon and I credit much of the past growth and continuing refinement we see in our business to our strength in taking action from information.

Here are steps we would recommend to make this happen:

Before leaving a convention or multi-day educational event, go back through all your notes and highlight anything that feels immediately relevant and/or actionable. Do not wait until you get home as returning to your familiar environment loses much of the momentum and energy that exists when you are away at these conventions.

Within 3 days of the end of the event, look back at the highlighted pieces and create an action plan of 3-5 steps you will take. Set a timeline for when to complete each

Then…COMPLETE your action plan!

When this is a rhythm, you are guaranteeing that your business moves forward each and every year. Businesses are always moving; “stagnant” is never an option. You are either moving forward or losing ground, and the direction of your movement is solely in your hands. Take control of your business and intentionally move forward and choose to always be refining. You owe it to yourself and to the clients who choose to work with you.

Jonathan Betz, M.Photog., Cr., CPP and Lindsay Betz, Cr.Photog. have been married for

21 years and in business together since 2006. Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, they

specialize in family and high school senior portraiture with an emphasis in outdoor portrait art.

Within their full-time studio roles, Jonathan serves as lead visionary and portrait artist; Lindsay serves as chief implementer, client guide for consultations and sales appointments, and studio manager.

Jonathan served as the President of PPGCS from 2014-2019 and Lindsay has served

on the Board for PPGCS both past and present. Jonathan's work has received high

recognition within IPC over the years, and Lindsay received the PPA National Business

Education Award in 2022. When not serving clients, they love to explore the outdoors and

travel. Faith and family are at the center of life. You can learn more about them and their

business at www.jonathanbetz.com