How The Enneagram Can Help Your Photography Business

very photography business owner wants to be a thriving entrepreneur. Is that you? It is not just strategy or execution, but how well you know your own strengths. Self-awareness involves your personality style, how you see the world around you, and why you see it that way.

Photography business owners who lack self-awareness put hires in the wrong roles, have high assistance turnover, experience conflict with their clients, and do not know how to communicate well. It is essential to your business to learn how you think and why.

The more you know yourself, the better you will understand how to get what you want out of your photography business. Self-awareness translates into greater happiness and better photography business relationships. Let us help you find your personality style to become a better business owner.

What is The Enneagram?

The Enneagram is a personality typing system that teaches there are nine basic personality types in the world. While we each carry traits from all nine types in different situations, there is one type we naturally gravitate towards on average. We adapt to this dominant type in childhood when learning coping mechanisms and navigating relationships.

What Enneagram Type Are You?

If you have not yet taken the Enneagram Assessment, let's start there. (There are other free assessments online like this one)

When taking the test, think about these things:

• Your number is not based on what you do, but on why you do it. (Think: Motivation!)
• What were you like at an earlier age? Your personality is louder when younger.
• Look for the type that describes who you are at your core, not who you would like to be.
• The negative aspects of each type drive your dominant type.

Enneagram Types and Your Photography Business

All nine Enneagram Types are based have wings, stress and security numbers, and triads. While we won't go into total detail here, we'll start with the triads: head, heart, and gut. These triad breakdowns mean your type thinks with either your head, heart, or gut.

The gut triad includes Enneagram Types 1, 8, and 9. The prominent emotion of the gut triad is anger. These people are instinctual and actionable people who often act before they think.

The heart triad includes Enneagram Types 2, 3, and 4. The prominent emotion of the heart triad is shame. These people are feeling-oriented and think from the heart.

The head triad includes Enneagram Types 5, 6, and 7. The prominent emotion of the head triad is fear. These people tend to over-think and over-plan.

Yes, these feelings are built from negative feelings and aspects, but this is where we learn our truest selves.

Your truest and best self is waiting. Below, you will find the typical personality of each Enneagram Type when they are in their average space of thinking. As a bonus, we threw in which CloudSpot features each Enneagram Type would be most drawn. Which type are you?

Enneagram Type 1 - The Reformer 💯

Enneagram Type 1s are called the Perfectionists and they are the great improvers of the world. 1's commitment to making things and situations better can also lead to perfectionism that can burn them and others out. When 1s are self-aware, they make a tremendous contribution to the organizations and people they love.

CloudSpot Features Type 1s Love:

• Print and Crop Order Approval: Perfectionists can avoid client crop mistakes by signing off on their orders before a purchase is made.
• Gallery Favorites: Because perfectionists need validation, they love instant feedback from their clients.
• Folders: Having galleries organized into a neat folder structure for client access means everything is right in the world.

Enneagram Type 2 - The Helper ❤️

When an Enneagram 2 walks into a room, they immediately think about what they can do to help others get what they need (Think: People-pleasers). They’re called the Helpers and have the incredible gift of knowing what people need and how they can help. This can sometimes lead to self-neglect which is something you should watch for if you are in a relationship with a 2. Self-aware 2s make time for themselves equal to the time they give to others.

CloudSpot Features Type 2s Love:

• Custom Storefront: The Helper knows just what their clients need and can pick the perfect products that speak to their client's desires.
• Email Templates: As a natural helper, sharing all of your best advice to help clients easily access their images comes naturally to you.
• Custom Mobile Apps: Helpers know your clients will need access to their images on the go, and they want the process to be easy for them.

Enneagram Type 3 - The Achiever 🏆

Enneagram 3s are called the Achievers and they are the most productive number on the diagram. They strive to be first, the best, and the top performer. They love to stay active and build forward momentum wherever they go. They are fantastic folks to have in your life and especially in your workplace. Most business owners fall under this category.

CloudSpot Features Type 3s Love:

• Call-to-Action (CTA) Button: For Achievers, awards and reviews are validations. Using the CTA Button to gather client testimonials is the perfect way to share their top-notch client experience with the world.
• PLANN Social Media Marketing Integration: Scheduling social media posts weeks and months ahead of time feels like the best accomplishment.
• Print Sales Auto-Fulfillment: Because there's nothing quite like checking something off of the to-do list without even lifting a finger.

Enneagram Type 4 - The Individualist 👩‍🎨

Enneagram 4s are the most emotional number on the Enneagram and love to express themselves creatively. Their artistic and creative nature makes them great at balancing out intense or aggressive people.

CloudSpot Features Type 4s Love:

• Custom Gallery and Storefront Branding: It's a creative and valuable way to show off their unique brand.
• Gallery Favorites: Seeing clients loving their work in real-time gives them #allthefeels.
• Storefront Print Markups: Because Individualists know their creative worth and value. They aren't afraid to be compensated for their talents.
• Print & Digital Store Packages: Individualists love the ability to customize and sell bundled items at a discounted price in their galleries.

Enneagram Type 5 - The Investigator 🔍

Enneagram 5s are called the Investigators and they are clear, composed, and analytical people who have an incessant hunger for knowledge. They can motivate them to be their best with just a little research.

CloudSpot Features Type 5s Love:

• Notification Center: This is a great place to see activity across all galleries in one spot.
• Gallery Analytics: Investigators enjoy watching how clients navigate through galleries, so they can perfect their systems in the future.
• Folder Organization and Structure: Having galleries organized into a neat folder structure makes for cleaner analytics data.

Enneagram Type 6 - The Loyalist 🙏

Enneagram Type 6s are called the Loyalists and as their name suggests, are the most loyal type on the Enneagram. They’re also incredible at anticipating problems and coming up with solutions. They need to also find a source of positivity and reassurance.

CloudSpot Features Type 6s Love:

• Send Gallery + Zip Folder: Loyalists are prepared for everything, ensuring their clients have easy-download options that fit their needs.
• CloudSpot Facebook Group: As natural problem solvers, Loyalists enjoy meeting other CloudSpot users, finding tips, answering questions, and sharing images.
• Embed Video Integration: Ability to share a how-to video to explain gallery functionality to clients.
• Private Portfolio Categories: Add multiple client-facing galleries to one private portfolio page, so clients can have their images all in one spot.

Enneagram Type 7 - The Enthusiast 🤩

Enneagram Type 7s are called the Enthusiasts and they are the joy bombs of the Enneagram. They’re outgoing, upbeat, and see the bright side in everything.

CloudSpot Features Type 7s Love:

• Multiple File-Type Uploads: Being creative and fun, GIF sharing is a bonus on top of the normal JPG, PNG, and other file types allowed.
• Multiple Image Size Downloads: Enthusiasts get excited that they can share multiple sizes for downloads including social media, full resolution, and custom sizes!
• Background Uploads: Enthusiasts tend to be spontaneous and this requires multi-tasking. They can hold to their responsibilities of delivering client galleries while diving into their next creative project or celebrate by popping some bubbly.
• Call-To-Action (CTA) Button: The ability to think creatively about all of the use cases of the CTA button — the sky is the limit.

Enneagram Type 8 - The Challenger 💪

Type 8s are the most energetic and intense type on the Enneagram. They like to do things their way and can be seen as intimidating to others. While their intensity can be misunderstood, you want self-aware 8s around you because they’ll protect the people they care about and fight for justice at all costs.

CloudSpot Features Type 8s Love:

• Branded Domains: Challengers love having the ability to see their company name in their URL and this keeps their business at the center of the client experience.
• Sales Banners: Boldly share discount codes, sales opportunities, or other messages for clients to see while purchasing print products.
• Watermarks: Although they love showing off their images, watermarks make it easy to protect their work before proper payment.

Enneagram Type 9 - The Peacemaker 🕊

Enneagram Type 9s, the Peacemakers, are some of the most grounded and balanced people you’ll ever meet. Their gift is seeing all points of view, which makes them a valuable part of any community. Like all numbers, when they’re healthy, 9s are fantastic human beings to surround yourself with - at work and in your life.

CloudSpot Features Type 9s Love:

• Gallery Presets: They love having a clear and innovative system for serving clients— that saves them time and increases consistency ensuring a cohesive experience for all of their clients.
• Client Mobile Apps: Ability to delight their clients with an easy-access spot for them to bring their images on the go, allowing them to share their photos with ease.
• Grandma-proof Downloads: Peacemakers find joy in ensuring their client's friends and family can easily download images.

How You Can Use the Enneagram to Transform Your Photography Business

Now that you have found your Enneagram Type and CloudSpot features you will love, you have the tools and foundation to become self-aware. As you work with others in your photography business and improve your client experience, use this knowledge of yourself as a relationship tool rather than a personality excuse. All in all, the main takeaway here is to be patient with yourself in learning how to have relationships with others, especially in business.

If you want to learn more about Enneagrams and go deeper into the topic with Enneagram wings, where you go in times of stress, where you go in times of security, and more, you can find out more from this Enneagram Report or a quick Google search for a free assessment.

We wish you the best of luck with your Enneagram and your photography business!

‍

Ready to level up your photography business? Join CloudSpot for free!

‍