Combining Marriage and Business with Sam & Yaz Mason
play on: spotify | apple podcasts
Yaz is returning to the podcast with her husband Sam to give us a different perspective on the collaborative side of their work. We discuss running a business with your other half while having a family and leaving the corporate world to start a self-employed business.
JOINING FORCES
Initially, Yaz started out with her own portrait photography business. As the business grew and progressed, she began doing weddings and needed an extra pair of hands. That’s where Sam came in to assist her. Sam had no previous photography experience, but that just meant that Yaz was able to teach him her way of doing things. It goes to show that photography is something that you learn by doing.
TRANSITIONING
Married for 13 years this year, they have 4 children and a huge menagerie of animals to take care of. Before he joined Yaz on the weddings, Sam worked for a large accounting firm. Transitioning from a really corporate world was a freeing experience for Sam, and he was able to bring his organisational skills from that world into the photography business. It’s also a lot more flexible and fun.
THE PROMPT
The transition wasn’t necessarily a traditional or easy one. While he was working at the accounting firm, Sam was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Already struggling to keep up with work, study, and the kids, it was time to take a break and make a change. It was this that prompted Yaz to take her portrait business full-time.
SUPPORT
Luckily, Sam and Yaz have a great family support structure, and Sam organizes everything from work to family matters with a spreadsheet. It’s about balancing and constant re-assessment to keep track of priorities.