For Caroline Eidson, restarting your photography business after four babies in five years felt less like picking up where she left off and more like starting over completely. Her computer had crashed, her presets and actions were gone, and the editing style she’d built her business on needed to be redefined from scratch. In this episode, Caroline joins Kim Box to share how she used the Motherhood Anthology membership to rebuild her workflow, rethink her pricing, and step back into her business with a lot more clarity than she had the first time around.
Restarting A Business From the Ground Up
Caroline started in photography back in 2010, shooting weddings and learning the ropes the hard way, through Google searches and whatever scattered advice she could piece together. When she decided to relaunch after her motherhood pause, she didn’t want to guess her way through it again. She leaned on the Motherhood Anthology to rebuild her editing style from the ground up, studying Danielle Hobbs’ approach to edits and Katie Lamb’s color grading until she found a workflow that felt like her own.
She also rethought how she structured her sessions entirely. Rather than offering the quick mini sessions she once assumed were the only profitable option, she moved toward a motherhood-focused event model, something that felt more strategic for both her family and her clients. Alongside that shift, she used TMA’s pricing calculator to finally understand the numbers behind her business. “I did the pricing calculator and I was like, whoa, okay. I know how this makes a lot more sense,” she said, describing the moment pricing finally clicked in a way it never had in her early years.
Finding the Confidence to Raise Her Prices
That clarity around pricing translated directly into action. Caroline added a session fee to her structure and is in the process of putting her new pricing live on her website, a shift she credits directly to the education and confidence she found inside TMA. It’s a familiar pattern inside the community: photographers arrive underpricing their work, then watch other members further along the path and realize they’ve been leaving money on the table.
Kim pointed out that this is exactly why TMA doesn’t prescribe a single “right way” to run a photography business. Every mentor and every member has walked a different path to get where they are, and the goal isn’t to hand photographers a rigid formula. It’s to shortcut some of the trial and error by putting people who’ve already made the mistakes in the room with people still figuring it out.
Why Community Makes the Difference
Caroline was quick to point out that the value of TMA isn’t only in the courses. It’s in the 700-plus member Facebook community that sits alongside them. She described it as the most kind and supportive community she’s found on Facebook, a place where photographers show up for each other whether business is thriving or painfully slow. “It’s not about me. It’s not about the team. What we really do is facilitate a community,” she said, reflecting on just how quickly she felt like she belonged.
Kim echoed that sentiment, noting that even mentors with years of experience remember the panic of a slow season and the fear that business is “over forever.” Those dips are part of the nature of running a creative business, and having people in your corner who’ve navigated them before makes all the difference. For solo entrepreneurs working from home, often alone at a desk, that kind of community is essential.
Listen and Learn More
Caroline’s story is a reminder that stepping away from your business, whether for a season or for four babies in five years, doesn’t mean starting from zero when you’re ready to come back. With the right education and the right people around you, restarting your photography business can be a lot more intentional the second time around.
Find Caroline Eidson at carolineeidson.com or on Instagram at @carolineeidsonportraits.
Ready to build a business that reflects your own creative voice? The Motherhood Anthology membership gives you access to expert mentors, live coaching, monthly marketing suites, and a private community of photographers who are invested in your success. Learn more and join at themotherhoodanthology.com.
The Motherhood Anthology is a community and educational resource for photographers who want a profitable and sustainable business they love. With 15+ expert mentors and 7+ years of proven content, TMA helps portrait photographers build confident, thriving businesses through monthly education, mentorship, and a supportive community of 700+ members.
