Today, The Coop caught up with Christine Hochkeppel, owner of Salty Broad Studios. 
What is your business? Salty Broad Studios provides photojournalistic wedding and event photography services to families and businesses. For families, I work to capture the essence of their relationships and the celebrations in their lives. For businesses, I work to capture their brand so that they can clearly communicate their products, services, and their points of differentiation.
When was your business formed? June 2017
How did you get started? While working as a staff photographer at a mid-sized daily newspaper, I became frustrated with the lack of growth opportunities, mostly caused by the decline in the newspaper business. I watched many great colleagues lose their jobs through buyouts and layoffs, and I wanted to create a better environment for myself. So, I built this company that strives to deliver quality service, treat clients and employees with respect, and give back to my community.
What’s the most challenging part of running your business? The most challenging part of running my business is standing out in a crowded market of photographers, but once clients see my work, my unique approach is clear. My photojournalism background brings a whole skill set to the table. I have learned how to be a good listener, how to interact well with all personality types and to adapt when the scope of a project or assignment changes. Capturing the moments that reveal the true essence of an event, brand or a couple is what I do. It’s really not all that different from reporting a story for the newspaper, so it certainly helps that I’ve had over a decade of newsroom training in understanding my equipment, technology, and telling a story accurately on deadline.
What’s the most rewarding part? The most rewarding part of owning this business is having the privilege of sharing other people’s stores, and building the brand and relationships with my clients. I also enjoy giving back to my community, and I get a lot of satisfaction in supporting the growth of other photographers and creatives.
One piece of advice I’d give someone starting a small business is … Be an asset to others. Go out of your way to help and connect people. It will come back to you.
What’s the biggest risk you took in your business? The biggest risk was taking the plunge into self-employment. I left my full-time job without any savings, moved to the Cape, and opened for business in January. It sounds a lot scarier now that I have written it down actually.
Are there any community partnerships or ways you give back that you’d like mentioned? I volunteer as a mentor with EforAll Cape Cod, a nonprofit that promotes economic development through entrepreneurship. I’m a teaching artist with the Working Assumptions Foundation, which facilitates a nationwide documentary project with high school students called wrkxfmly. I’m a member of the Cape Cod Young Professionals Giving Circle, and I help execute their social media campaign My Cape Cod Story on Instagram.
Can you share an interesting or fun tidbit about your business? My mascot is my own interpretation of Rosie the Riveter. I asked an artist friend to create an illustration of this vision, basically a cartoon version of Rosie with the shape of Cape Cod tattooed on her arm. People often ask me how I came up with the name Salty Broad Studios. I didn’t want to just be another photography business that is the first and last name of the photographer. I wanted to find a way to stand out, and I have to say, it worked. The Salty Broad brand is definitely a rallying cry for my woman-owned business. Whenever I am photographing an event or out promoting my services, people come up to me and tell me how much they love the name and how they identify with it too. It feels pretty good to know that my brand resonates with so many people.
Want to learn more about Salty Broad Studios? Follow her at these links: