Boss Up Spotlight Interview with Imani Aldridge

The road to success is rarely, if ever, a straight shot. No one knows this story better than beauty and wellness photographer, Imani Aldridge of Imani Modus. We’re chatting with her about what it takes to be a success and pivot into your passion.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your business.

My name is Imani and I am a product photographer based out of Atlanta. I’ve always loved beautiful things. Pictures, colors, nature, and decor so it was very fitting for me to take up product photography. In fact, my brand Imani Modus started off as a beauty, fashion, and lifestyle blog that slowly evolved into a thriving product photography business!

What drove you to take control of your passions and start your business?

In 2020, I started to crave real and significant change in my life. I started taking more pictures, testing different setups, and then posting these images to Instagram as a way to showcase my creativity. For me, it was an outlet to express myself and tap into things I loved. As I began to post more and more of my personal projects, people started to notice and hit me up for pricing. (Spoiler alert: I didn’t have pricing yet!) From there, I decided to create a business that expanded out from just a beauty and lifestyle blog. I worked at this until I finally decided to quit my job. Developing Imani Modus intro a full-time career was a big leap of faith.

How did you manage your finances in the beginning? What do you do now to stay on track?

To be completely transparent, I am still at the beginning of my business journey so I am continuously learning new strategies to manage my finances efficiently and in a way that allows me to earn more. I’m always driven to further my knowledge and improve my business from a financial aspect. I’m always doing research. I ask a lot of questions to people who’ve been in my position. People who have faced the challenges I have and come out better on the other side. To me, it’s all about 1) finding someone you trust to give you accurate information and 2) asking the right questions.

What tips would you give someone wanting to step into entrepreneurship?

There are a lot of tips floating around but here are a few I think are exceptionally important.

1. Prepare to the best of your ability. Financially, mentally, and physically.

2. Talk to leaders who have expertise in the subject you’re interested in. I often ask other entrepreneurs, “how did you do it?” I analyze their answers and incorporate the changes into helping guide the decisions I make.

3. Don’t wait until everything is perfect to make a move. Patience is THE virtue.

4. Save as much money as possible before moving into entrepreneurship full-time. Money flow will fluctuate, especially in your first year. It’s good to have a safety net, especially as a creative.

I think it’s imperative to ones path to peace, no matter the situation, to remember that everything is figure-out-able especially when you are a bootstrapped, small business owner. It’s especially hard when you’re starting a new business, but remember, your biggest win often comes on the heels of failure.

Where can people find and support your business?

@imanimodus on Instagram. imanimodus.com