Want to make 2025 your most profitable year ever? In this episode of The Level Up Podcast, hosts Taylor Petronovitch and Kelley Gilster break down the key strategies that will help wedding photographers and filmmakers increase their revenue, book high-end clients, and build a sustainable luxury business. If you’ve tried raising your prices but keep hearing “you’re too expensive,” it’s time to rethink your branding, marketing, and networking approach. Taylor and Kelley share why profitability isn’t just about working harder—but working smarter. Learn how to position yourself for premium bookings, attract planners, and elevate your brand to command five-figure weddings with confidence.
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It’s easy to assume that profitability is something that just “happens” after a certain number of years in business. That the longer you stick with it, the more your rates will rise and the easier it will be to bring in consistent income. But if you’ve been at this for a few years and still find yourself stuck in the same cycle—same clients, same price point, same number of weddings—then you already know that’s not how it works.
Most wedding creatives hit a ceiling at some point. You’ve built something that’s good—maybe even great. You’re getting solid bookings. Your work is strong. Your reputation is growing. But the growth in your income has slowed down or stalled altogether, and you’re wondering what it’s going to take to finally break through.
Here’s the thing. If you want a different result next year, you can’t keep doing the same things. You can’t keep relying on your talent alone to take you to the next level. You can’t keep hoping that charging more will just magically start to work. And you absolutely can’t keep grinding through 25 to 30 weddings a year and expect to feel fulfilled and financially secure.
Something has to shift.
Profitability in this industry isn’t just about booking more. It’s about building a brand that can sustain higher rates. It’s about positioning yourself in a market where clients don’t question your prices—they confidently pay them. And it’s about putting systems in place so you’re not trading your time for every dollar earned.
Raising your rates isn’t about being bold for the sake of it. It’s about building a business that supports the life you actually want to live. A business that doesn’t require you to edit at midnight or miss every weekend with your family or take on work that doesn’t light you up—just to pay the bills.
We hear it all the time: “I’ve tried raising my prices and people push back.” And while that’s totally valid, it usually points to a deeper issue. Because raising your rates isn’t just a number change—it’s a strategy shift. If your marketing, branding, messaging, and referral sources aren’t aligned with your new pricing, then of course you’re going to get pushback. It doesn’t mean your work isn’t worth it. It means your foundation isn’t set up to support that new price point yet.
The good news? That can change. You’re not stuck.
But if you want to charge premium rates successfully, it means you need to refine your brand. You need to adjust how you’re showing up, who you’re speaking to, and how you’re guiding potential clients through your process. It also means being part of conversations that expand your thinking—being in rooms with people who are a few steps ahead of you, so you can rise to that level too.
You don’t grow by staying surrounded by people who are struggling in the same ways you are. You grow by getting in proximity to those who are already doing what you want to be doing. The ones who have made the shift from budget bookings to five-figure weddings. The ones who know what it takes to position a brand for the luxury market. The ones who’ve made mistakes, learned from them, and are now building businesses that support their lives—not consume them.
And let’s be honest—being in business isn’t just about your professional goals. It’s about your personal goals too. Maybe it’s buying a home. Paying off debt. Supporting your family. Saving for the future. Traveling more. Feeling less stress when you check your bank account. Profitability isn’t just about status or ego. It’s about freedom. It’s about having options. And that only comes when your business is built on something sustainable and strategic.
So what does it actually take to make your next year your most profitable one yet?
First, you have to stop operating in isolation. You can’t keep trying to figure it all out alone, spinning your wheels on strategies you’ve pieced together from random sources. There’s too much noise out there. You need a clear, proven path.
Second, you have to start treating your business like a business. That means looking at your numbers, understanding your booking averages, and intentionally setting goals that stretch you. Growth isn’t an accident. It’s a decision.
Third, you have to be willing to shift the way you think. That means moving away from hustle and volume and leaning into strategy, positioning, and alignment. You don’t need more weddings. You need the right weddings.
And that’s exactly why we created The Luxury Mastermind.
It’s not just another course—it’s a guided experience. It’s a 12-week, high-touch program designed to walk you step-by-step through the process of breaking out of the mainstream market and into the luxury space. We help you refine your brand, build a marketing strategy that actually works, attract planners and clients aligned with your vision, and charge rates that reflect your value—without feeling like you’re faking it or forcing it.
And it works. Because we’ve been where you are, and so have the hundreds of creatives we’ve coached through this process. They were talented. They were passionate. They were good at what they did. But they needed a clear roadmap. And once they had it, everything changed.
They started charging more—and hearing “yes” instead of “you’re too expensive.”
They started working with planners and clients who respected their time and trusted their process.
They started feeling excited again about their work, their income, and their future.
And that’s possible for you, too.
If you’re ready to build a business that allows you to work less, make more, and serve clients you actually love—The Luxury Mastermind was made for you.
Because you deserve a business that reflects your talent.
You deserve a strategy that supports your growth.
And you deserve to wake up excited—not anxious—about where your business is heading.
You can learn more and RSVP at thelevelupco.com/mastermind. Or if you’re not quite ready for the full Mastermind, you can always start with The Luxury Framework, our self-paced course.
Wherever you are, just know that staying stuck isn’t the only option.
You’ve already built something great.
Now it’s time to make it profitable.
