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Nik Buttigieg of www.nikbuttigieg.com is someone I feel like we’ve all been on the journey with as he’s built an incredibly successful portrait photography business.

He’s been a listener — and an active PhotoBizX member — since 2018. I first brought him on in 2021 for the Coaching Diaries series. Back then he was living in a remote part of Western Australia, shooting out of a caravan parked in his front yard, and only just starting to find his momentum.

Then in 2022, he packed up his family, his life, and his business and moved to Albury — a large rural town on the NSW/VIC border. He hit the ground running and immediately put everything he’d learned into practice. We covered that whole transition in episode 531.

That was two years ago… and since then, something has shifted. You can see it in the way he shows up in the members’ Facebook group, how he talks about marketing and client experience, how he approaches sales, lead generation, and running a proper studio business. It’s like watching all the pieces finally lock together — the hard work, the lessons, the discomfort, the experimentation — suddenly operating in full flow.

I was genuinely excited to sit down with him again — not just because he feels like an old mate, but because I wanted to understand what sparked this shift… and the conversation did not disappoint.

In this interview, Nik shares his low-pressure marketing strategy for filling his studio with ideal clients.



Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:



The simple shift that took Nik from shooting in a caravan to running a high-performing studio — and why your environment has more to do with confidence and growth than most photographers realise.
How building a small, reliable team frees you up to focus on marketing and sales — the work that actually moves your revenue needle.
The studio setup approach that creates consistency, speed, and predictable client satisfaction (no weather stress, no location roulette).
Why diversifying your lead generation — expos, fundraising, giveaways, partnerships, and seasonal promos — protects you from slow months and keeps bookings rolling in.
The generous giveaway and client-offer structure that turns cold leads into high-value clients without discounting your brand or hurting your averages.
Why treating every client as a premium buyer quietly lifts your sales averages, reduces pressure, and leads to better overall experiences.
How Nik handles Google reviews — the five-stars and the one-stars — to build trust, transparency, and resilience in a small-town market.
The mindset shift behind hitting $600k revenue: do fewer shoots, sell more intentionally, and let systems do the heavy lifting.
Why learning, coaching, and community support accelerate growth far faster than trying to figure it all out alone.
The long-game strategy behind scaling a portrait studio — more capacity, more efficiency, and more time back so the business becomes an asset, not an anchor.








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