Are Your Business Systems Good Enough For Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce?

A little over a week ago, the internet lost its fucking mind when Taylor Swift went on the New Heights podcast, co-hosted by the Kelce brothers and announced her latest album. Everybody was talking about it. Marketing campaigns popped up around the Easter eggs, the color schemes… all of it. I usually don’t pay attention, except I have a couple of business besties who are the biggest Swifties. It’s hard for me to ignore because I see it in their content around Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce constantly.

And then, just yesterday, they announced they’re engaged. While everyone was like, “oh, woo-woo,” I posted on Threads something to the effect of: “Y’all, I know Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got engaged, but I want to talk about the love of my life: my offer, systems, and session.”

I made it cheeky, but then I started thinking. How can I make photographers and entrepreneurs care about the systems in their business as much as they care about their close personal friend Taylor getting engaged?

You Should Care More About Your Systems Than The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Engagement (Here’s Why!)

Yes, I watched dozens of threads go, “Did you hear my personal best friend Taylor got engaged today?”. It’s all in jest, but y’all are being ridiculous.

And I came back to this again: how can I get that kind of buzz around systems in your business? Because you all need them, and a lot of you don’t prioritize them. You think there are other things more important in your business than your systems.

And you know what… I can’t tell you for certain that systems are the most important thing you need to fix in your business. We all run different businesses. But I went to therapy this morning and on the drive home I got it. I got it. I drove so fast to get home and record this episode for you because I finally tied together how I can make you care about systems in your business and relate it to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announcing their engagement.

Would Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Hire You For The Royal Wedding?

Everywhere I look, people say, “If I shot those photos and they went viral without credit, I’d be furious.” Working photographers with real businesses reply, “She probably doesn’t care.”

They are probably not bothered because they got paid. Believe that. If they had to sign the kind of NDA to do that photo session a week ago and keep it quiet until they announce? Can you imagine being one of the only people on the planet who knows Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged?. And you can’t tell anyone? But also, can you imagine how much they got paid?

Seriously, I want you to think about that. But it brings me back to your systems.

If Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Inquired For Their Wedding, What Would Your Systems Be?

I wanna ask you one question, and this is what we’re gonna talk about for the rest of this episode. If you were the photographer who got an inquiry that said, “Hey, I’m Taylor Swift,” or “I’m Taylor Swift’s manager,” or whoever hired the photographer wrote to you and said, “We’re doing an engagement session this day and time. Are you available?” What would that look like for you?

Because I have a sneaking suspicion a lot of you wouldn’t have an automatic response that goes out with additional information until you can respond personally. I have a feeling a lot of you would find that inquiry buried in your inbox (or your CRM, if you have one) a week later, absolutely kicking yourself that you weren’t paying enough attention to see that lead, to have potentially been the engagement photographer for Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.

Can you imagine the horror of realizing you dropped a fucking ball that big?

Now, we’re not all gonna have the opportunity to photograph the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce engagement session. But think about the people who are contacting you to hire you. Do you have times where someone inquired and you only responded three days later?

They respond and say, “Oh, sorry, we hired somebody else,” or “Oh, sorry, you’re out of our price range,” or “Oh, sorry, whatever it is.” This is why systems matter.

Your Systems Should Be Solid Enough for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

Systems are what take your leads, your inquiries, from the moment they fill out your contact form, all the way through hiring you, until you deliver the photos or the service they paid for.

And the more thought you put into your client-experience systems now, the less time you’ll spend managing that process for every lead that comes into your business. Every person who hires you gets a consistent experience, and you let go of the stress of managing them all.

So… what would happen if Travis and Taylor had chosen you to be their engagement photographer?. Would you actually have the systems to let them hire you, or would the process be so daunting they’d say, “Thanks, but no thanks”? That’s what I want you to think about today.

And again, I am not a Swiftie. I care about you and your systems, and I want you to care about them too. If it takes me putting this Taylor-and-Travis spin on it to help you see the value of taking care of people, when they fill out your contact form or when they say, “I’m in, send me the booking process,” then great.

Systems and Workflows Red Flags

Do you think Taylor’s manager wants the back-and-forth where you present offers, they choose, you send the contract, you wait for the signature, and only then you invoice?. (Newsflash: they’re probably not signing your contract—you’re probably signing theirs. Special-case scenario, yes.) Still, all that back-and-forth… do you think someone at Taylor’s level wants to deal with that? And why should the everyday person inquiring about your services deserve any less?

I know this is outside my normal wheelhouse getting on here talking about Taylor Swift and the latest Instagram craze to talk about systems. I just want you to consider whether your systems could handle the next high-level client who wants to book you. And if they’re not famous, think about the next person who’s super interested in your services, has the budget, and is your ideal client. Will they be impressed with your inquiry system, or will they cross you off and move on?

Want To Fix Your Systems Together?

I’m going to end by talking about my offer, because if I didn’t, I’d kick myself later. These are the things we do inside Systems in Session. Now, I know Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have found everlasting love, and I’m also married almost 25 years at this point. But I will tell you right now: I am in love with my Systems in Session offer.

This is where you come to me for a 60-day container (and I’m currently testing a 30-day container so there might be more options soon). We design and implement a client experience that has your clients raving about you, increases referrals and retention, and we get it done in Dubsado or HoneyBook in less than 60 days.

So if you’ve heard everything I’ve said today and you’re thinking, “My clients deserve the very best, and I want my client-experience systems to reflect that,” let’s chat.