Today we’d like to introduce you to Dolly DeLong.
Dolly, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started my business as a family photographer, and I still do. Dolly DeLong Photography has been a full-time business since 2018, and in many ways, that part of my story never left. I was building a photography business while navigating motherhood, limited time, and the reality of being a solo business owner. I loved serving families, but behind the scenes, I felt the familiar pressure so many creatives feel. Doing all the things, keeping track of all the details, and trying to grow without burning out.
What changed everything for me was not a new marketing trend or a viral moment. It was systems.
I began intentionally building workflows for my client experience, marketing, launches, and backend operations. Not complicated systems, just clear and repeatable rhythms that helped me show up consistently without feeling scattered. As I implemented these systems, I noticed something surprising. Other photographers and creative business owners kept asking how I was doing it. How I stayed organized. How I planned launches without chaos. How I managed marketing while still having a life.
That is where the education side of my business, Systems and Workflow Magic, was born.
I did not set out to become an educator. I simply started sharing what was working. Trello boards, email workflows, launch planning frameworks, and realistic marketing cadences designed for business owners who do not have a team. Over time, that sharing turned into a brand dedicated to helping family photographers and creative entrepreneurs simplify their backend, build confidence in their processes, and run businesses that actually support their lives.
Today, I still work behind the camera, and that matters deeply to me. It keeps my education grounded in real life rather than theory. Through Systems and Workflow Magic, I now serve photographers and creative business owners through my podcast, YouTube channel, digital resources, and my membership, where I help them build steady and sustainable marketing systems without hustle culture or overwhelm.
My work sits at the intersection of creativity, structure, and stewardship. I believe good systems do not restrict creativity. They protect it. Everything I build, teach, and share is rooted in that belief.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges has been time. I am a full-time parent, and I run two sides of my business as a solo business owner. Balancing family photography with the education side of my business while raising children and working within limited hours is hard. Doing it well requires constant intention and discipline.
Another challenge has been pushing back against the common narrative of what “success” is supposed to look like. So much advice in the business world centers around hiring a large team and building a massive company. That has never been my goal. I do not want a giant team, and I do not want to build a multimillion-dollar business just for the sake of growth. I want a business that is sustainable, profitable, and aligned with my life. I want to run my business well and pay myself well, even if that does not fit the world’s definition of success.
Because of that, time will always be a constraint, and I have learned to respect it. This is why I lean heavily into systems and workflows on the education side of my business. On the photography side, I intentionally limit the number of clients I take each month. I know who I serve, I serve them well, and I do not undercut or undervalue my work. That clarity has been essential.
Comparison has also been a real struggle for me. It is easy to look at other business owners and feel behind or question your choices, especially when you are intentionally choosing a slower, more grounded path. I still have to guard against comparison because it can be discouraging if I let it take root.
Finally, running a business from home can be lonely. I spend a lot of time working independently, and that isolation can be challenging. Building community through my education work, podcast, and conversations with other business owners has been an important way for me to stay connected and encouraged.
These challenges are real, but they have also shaped how I run my business today. They are the reason I value clarity, boundaries, and systems that support both my work and my life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At the core, I help family photographers simplify and organize the backend of their businesses so they can market consistently, serve their clients well, and build businesses that actually fit their lives.
What sets me apart is that I am both a working family photographer and a marketing strategist with a deep background in launching and pre-launch planning. Over the years, I have helped business owners successfully launch digital products and group programs, and that experience is what ultimately led me to merge my two worlds. Family photographers are often excellent at their craft but struggle when it comes to marketing their businesses. They are expected to act as their own marketers without being taught how. That gap is where my work lives.
I specialize in systems, workflows, and realistic marketing strategy for family photographers who are already good at what they do but feel stuck or overwhelmed behind the scenes. My work focuses on helping them build clear client experiences, intentional marketing rhythms, and backend systems using tools like project management platforms, email marketing, and automation. I am not teaching trends or quick wins. I am teaching photographers how to think like their own CMO and run their businesses with clarity and confidence.
I am known for making systems feel accessible instead of intimidating. Many photographers assume systems are rigid or overly complex, but I show them how structure can actually create freedom. My teaching style is practical, grounded, and rooted in real life because I am still actively running a photography business myself. Everything I teach has been tested inside my own business first.
One of the things I am most proud of is my commitment to free education. I consistently show up to teach on my YouTube channel and on my podcast, The Systems and Workflow Magic Podcast, because I believe education should be accessible. I want photographers to have clarity and direction, even if they are not ready to invest yet. That consistency reflects how seriously I take stewardship, trust, and long-term impact. (YouTube is: https://www.youtube.com/@dollydelong and my Podcast is The Systems & Workflow Magic Podcast)
What I am most proud of overall is building a business that aligns with my values. I have intentionally chosen sustainability over constant growth and depth over volume. I limit the number of photography clients I take so I can serve them well, and I have built an education brand that supports photographers without requiring me to sacrifice my family or my convictions. I am proud that my work helps business owners step out of chaos and into clarity without feeling pressured to become someone they are not.
At the end of the day, my work is about stewardship. I believe well-built systems protect creativity, relationships, and energy, and that belief shapes everything I do, both behind the camera and in the education I provide.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I believe the biggest shift we will continue to see over the next five to ten years is the role of AI in marketing and business operations. AI is only getting more integrated into how businesses communicate, plan, and show up online. For family photographers and creative business owners, this is not something to fear, but it is something to take seriously.
I am not saying that photographers who are not using AI are failing or falling behind in a dramatic sense. I am saying it as a realist. The online space is more crowded and louder than it has ever been, and it is not slowing down. Family photographers are still expected to market their businesses consistently while serving clients well, all as solo business owners with limited time. AI, when used wisely, can help bridge that gap.
What I see happening is a growing divide between business owners who rely on reactionary, last-minute marketing and those who build intentional systems that support long-term visibility. AI will become a tool that supports clarity, consistency, and efficiency, not creativity replacement. The photographers who thrive will be the ones who use AI to support their marketing systems, not shortcut their values or voice.
Another shift I see is a stronger need for sustainable marketing rhythms. Burnout-driven hustle is already losing its appeal, especially for family photographers who are balancing business ownership with real life. The future belongs to business owners who build simple, repeatable systems that help them stay visible without being constantly online.
At the heart of it, the industry is moving toward more intentional stewardship. Photographers will need to think more strategically about how they market, how they use technology, and how they protect their time and energy. Those who embrace systems, including thoughtful use of AI, will be better equipped to build businesses that last and support the lives they want to live.
Pricing:
- To work with me as a Family Photographer, my family photography packages start at $600 in Nashville go to: https://dollydelongphotography.com/
- My membership for Family Photographers who want to learn how to market themselves consistently on Instagram+ Email Marketing is only $40 a month
- To work with me 1:1 (I work with Family Photographers to help them market their family Photography Business) at $1,200 a month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://systemsandworkflowmagic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dollydelongeducation/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dollydelong
- Other: https://systemsandworkflowmagic.com/the-family-photographers-marketing-society
