Your current headshot is either selling for you, or silently costing you five and six-figure opportunities.

If you’re a founder, executive, keynote speaker, or rising thought-leader, you can’t afford to look average online. Your face is your digital handshake, and right now:
	•	❌ A five-year-old selfie is undercutting your authority.
	•	❌ Inconsistent visuals are confusing investors, event planners, and recruiters.
	•	❌ A stiff, “school-picture-day” portrait is making you seem unapproachable.

⸻

The Problem I Solve

Most high-achievers know their work speaks volumes, but their image whispers the wrong story. They need a headshot that conveys confidence, credibility, and genuine connection in under one second.

⸻

The Top-Tier Solution

I combine expression coaching, cinematic lighting, and brand strategy to create photographs that shout: “This is the leader you’ve been looking for.”
	•	Guided Confidence – I coach you into natural, powerful expressions, even if cameras make you panic.
	•	Brand Alignment – Every frame is mapped to your speaking topics, values, and target audience.
	•	Luxury Experience – From wardrobe prep to same-day image selection, you’ll feel like you’re on a VIP set, not in a photo mill.

⸻

Proof That It Works
	•	A recently laid-off client landed her dream job within weeks—her new headshot was the first thing the hiring board mentioned.
	•	One author’s portrait became her book cover, driving sold-out speaking engagements and a spike in sales.
	•	60% of my new business comes from inbound referrals, because powerful images travel fast.

⸻

Ready to Own Your First Impression?
	1.	Book a 15-minute discovery call → calendly.com/toptierheadshots
	2.	Get a personalized shoot plan that aligns with your goals.
	3.	Walk away with images that open doors while you sleep.

I have limited monthly spaces available. Reach out to book your spot.

Photographer | Author | Entrepreneur

Daniel Wakefield

Starting the year with a BANG!

TRADEMARKED!

Top-Tier Headshots is back in town, and we’re ready to put the pedal to the metal.

Headshot Photographer and First Impression Architect | Helping founders, executives, and keynote speakers elevate their game | People connector | Best-Selling Author | Published wildlife photographer

No alternative text description for this image

I have been getting SO many requests for headshots for this reason: 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• A company announcing a new employee or leader
• A person announcing a new role
• A founder launching a company
• A person getting featured in something
• A company announcing a rebrand

And when this happens, people are telling me they don’t want to look average.

They want to look exceptional.

Because who wants to blend into the masses? Who wants to look like “school picture day”?

Thankful to be able to help each new person and business make that announcement like a BOSS.

P.S. We’re back into the newsletter this January with some fresh insights and hot takes on personal brand development. Comment “GO” if you want in!

FIVE YEARS.

We filed the LLC on January 11th, 2021.

I also threw in my very first LinkedIn post....I had to go WAYYYY back to find this one!

These five years have been an absolute whirlwind. Ups and downs. Wins and setbacks. Sometimes one step forward and two steps back. Sometimes one step back and ten steps forward.

I don't think it's any secret that this platform has been a huge part of the growth and success. I truly couldn't have done it without all of you. 

So THANK YOU!

The next five years should be......interesting 😉

BIG THINGS are in store!

Big shoutout to Max Riehn for making me look wayyyyy cooler than I am.

And if you scrolled to that last image.........after five years, can I take a nap already???

If I was writing a bad cold outreach DM to spam your inbox, it would sound like this:

“Hey there! I was checking out your profile and noticed your headshot is REALLY bad. Did you swipe it from your high school yearbook? Certainly doesn’t make you look like a pro. The good news? I can help! When do you want to get started?”

(How’d I do, Seth Turnoff?) 

If I had a dollar for every DM I get like this from people “just wanting to network,” I think I could easily retire 😜

What’s a BAD cold DM example from YOUR industry?

I recently got to work with the amazing Aniley Perez. And let me tell you….she is serious about helping her clients.

Aniley is a Risk Advisor with Eastern Insurance Group, where she partners with organizations to protect their employees, assets, and reputation through risk control and proactive stewardship. Her approach is grounded in leadership, people risk management, and driving accountability.  

Specifically, she loves helping clients in the construction industry. 

She’s also a member of CREW Fort Lauderdale Boca Raton, and is making a big impact there.

Go follow her!

I knew David R. Carothers, CIC, CRM, CWCA was going to use my photos on the cover. I had no idea I was going to get such an incredible shoutout on the inside.

David, this is exactly the kind of thing I love to help people with. Thank you for giving me the privilege of being a part of it.

AND let me tell you….if you have anything to do with sales, you NEED to read this. I’ve made it a part of my daily routine. Even though it’s focused on the insurance space, the principles contained are so valuable for anyone doing sales.

Go grab a copy!

Grayson Carothers, CWCA

It’s always a privilege to have Karen Ross, EA in front of my camera, whether it’s photo or video.

I can’t WAIT for you all to see what The Daily Drip has planned for this 😁

Nicole Mastrangelo Vildosola 
Romi Wallach

Repeat founder, now advising. Coach at heart.  
Definitely not a guru. Clients say I’m more like a business partner. 
I’ll explain... 

Expertise-based businesses and their founders almost always go through this: 
They've got some traction. 
Clients love them. 
Revenue's growing.
But cracks are forming. 

They're involved in every meeting. Every question. Every problem. Doing the work. 

And somewhere around $200K-$500K, they hit a wall they didn't see coming. 

Not because they're bad at business. 
Because they've built themselves INTO the business. 

In 20+ years of building and advising companies, I’ve learned this: What got you here won't get you there. 
Behaviors that get you to $300K will bury you at $500K. 
I work with expertise business owners at that inflection point. 
Ambitious founders building something with potential but are now trapped in it. 
I redesign how they lead, think, and operate so the business finally runs the way they've envisioned it. 
My approach is simple:
→ Get you into your zone of genius 
→ Align your goals and decisions so the business moves as one 
→ Build systems that work without you and create real leverage 

It’s the Business Alignment System™ growth framework I created while building a portfolio of dozens of businesses (incl. 4x Inc 5000). 
Now I use it to help founders scale with their sanity.

I work with expertise business owners who are:
→ Doing at least $300k, aiming for 2X, 5X, or 10X+ 
→ Serious about building a business, not just a job 
→ Don’t want to be a bottleneck 
I've been in the weeds, scaled, sold, burned out, rebuilt smarter. 

All of it.  I’ve been you. 

At 22 I realized I was unemployable. I had to create my own path. 
So I bought a business. 
Then started another. 
That led to consulting. 
Built a portfolio of businesses over 15+ years that grew to include over three dozen brands. 
Helped thousands of clients. 
Won awards for growth and culture, reaching the Inc 5k 4x and Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 7x. 

In 2024 I exited and took a year to reset.
Now I'm helping founders build the business they’re proud of, that works for them and creates lasting impact.
How I work:
Everything aligns three core areas: Leadership, Strategy, and your Operating System. 
We:
→ Clarify your big picture 
→ Identify the obstacles 
→ Set clear priorities 
→ Execute in 90-day cycles 

I don’t just advise. 
I guide you as you build and run the business you envision having. That’s why clients say I’m a business partner. 
If you’re over trying to figure it all out on your own, DM me “Go time” and let’s talk.

Nick Berry

If I had to name one “secret” behind my own journey as a business owner, it’s this:

The 5 Stages model. 

No one gets to skip a level.
But you can move through them faster.

The 5 Stages map a true growth path of small businesses.
Five stages. 
Each with a primary challenge. 
Each requiring a specific capability to solve the challenge.

When you understand the challenge in front of you, you can stop guessing.

You can shift your time from doing to leading.

Here’s the short version:
🔹 Stages 1–2: Shift from hope to control
Build a repeatable sales process first. Then build a lead engine with known ROI. Don’t scale spend before you can close consistently.

🔹 Stage 3: Leave hero mode behind
Document what actually repeats. Hire for capability. Replace “I’ll handle it” with “system or owner?”

🔹 Stage 4: Produce outcomes through others
Give up control while raising standards. More than 50% of your time goes to leadership and strategy.

🔹 Stage 5: Treat the company like an asset
Focus on vision, portfolio strategy, and mentoring. Use selective client exposure as market research, not labor.

You can’t skip stages.
Speed comes from:
a) knowing the right problem to solve, and 
b) what it takes to solve it.

1) Find your current stage.
2) Make priority #1 building the capability that unlocks the next one.
The rest is extra.

I’ll share an interview in the comments with more depth. 
I go over the signs, challenges, competencies, KPIs, time allocations, and the transformation for all five stages.  

👉🏻This is the path from producer to leader.
And it changes how you approach growth when you know which lever to pull right now.

Founder Redesigned.Business⚡Guiding Expert Founders out of the Messy Middle⚡4x Inc5k⚡20+ Yr CEO/Founder⚡Host The Business Owner’s Journey Podcast

There’s more to growing your business than working on your business. 
𝟏𝟏 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡:

1️⃣ Your goals won’t outgrow who you’re willing to become.
2️⃣ If an action doesn’t feel like “you,” you’ll eventually stop doing it.
3️⃣ Motivation fades fast. Identity doesn’t.
4️⃣ The inner work that feels uncomfortable is usually the work that matters.
5️⃣ You can’t build a next-level business with a current-level version of yourself.
6️⃣ Consistency gets easier once the behavior feels normal, not heroic.
7️⃣ Most people quit because they expect fast proof instead of slow progress.
8️⃣ When you’re burned out, it’s often because you’re pushing the wrong version of you.
9️⃣ Discipline works better when it’s tied to a plan, not your mood.
🔟 Losing clarity is often a sign you’ve outgrown the identity that got you here.
1️⃣1️⃣ The real growth starts when “trying” turns into “this is just who I am now.”

Your business can’t reach its potential without you reaching your potential. 

Most founders don’t see it until the business stalls and they’re stuck. 
It’s hard to see when you’re the constraint.

===
If you’re serious about building something real,
I write a short weekly note about business growth, leadership, and the tension between progress and chaos.
If that’s your world, check "The Golden Thread" in my Featured section

entrepreneur Nick Berry discussing leadership growth with a business owner.

A far too common (and avoidable) annual planning mistake business owners make: 
Setting goals without evaluating their workload.

And when it happens, somehow every goal requires some of their time and attention.  

​But there's a better way.  
Much better. 
​
Experienced leaders create leverage for themselves. 
That approach drastically changes the path. 

That means getting clear on the role the business needs them to play next, making some trade-offs, and putting structure around themselves so progress doesn't depend on their constant involvement.

Here's how you can apply that approach:

​1️⃣ Start with the role, not the goals.
Define who you need to become for the business's next stage. Then align the company around that role instead of staying anchored in the version of you that got you here.
​
2️⃣ Limit the priorities.
You get two. Maybe three if you're disciplined.
​True priorities will force focus and alignment. 
Everyone knows what matters and what doesn't. 
Too many priorities doesn't work because when everything is important, nothing moves forward.
​
3️⃣ Plan around the decisions that will slow the business down.
Identify the decisions that currently involve you, then redesign the plan so those decisions can be made without your involvement.

​4️⃣ Make sure the business can handle the plan before committing to it.
Make sure the team, systems, and roles can handle what you're trying to build before you chase new goals or opportunities.

​Planning this way reduces your role as the bottleneck.

You can finally lead with clarity when your business is built on structure rather than just your daily effort.

Make note of this: 
💡 You can't afford to continue being the 'gray matter' for the business.

You just have to look from every angle and ask yourself: where is my plan still relying on me to hold everything together?

Nick Berry leading a strategic planning workshop for expert businesses using a whiteboard.

ANTHONY TRUCKS is quotable. 🔥 On another level.
This is one of the most quotable interviews I can remember doing.

Not hype quotes. 
More like crystal-clear reality.

Here's some of the gold he was throwing around in our discussion: 

“Every goal you have requires certain habits, actions, perspectives, even paradigms…the way you see the world. If you aren’t that person at an identity level, you don’t get that thing.”

“Most folks are disciplined to an emotion. What happens when you don’t have the motivation to move? Well, I fall back to my identity.”

“You can’t attain or sustain anything above your current identity.”

🔥

View company: The Business Owner's Journey Podcast

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 🚀 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟯 𝗶𝘀 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘.

𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁: In our Season 3 kickoff episode, ANTHONY TRUCKS, Founder of Dark Work, joins Nick Berry to discuss Identity Shift, Dark Work, and Leadership Growth

🟢Your goals can’t exceed the person you’re willing to become
🟢Habits fail when they don’t match who you believe you are
🟢Motivation fades, identity keeps you moving
🟢Discipline works best when it’s built into your plan
🟢Burnout often signals an outdated version of you
🟢Real change starts when effort becomes normal

🎙️ 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲:
https://lnkd.in/eEbarRG8

𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆:
https://lnkd.in/eEbarRG8

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗯𝗲:
https://lnkd.in/emGxBbvr

𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀:
https://lnkd.in/eueYa4G2

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆.

👉🏻𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱: 𝗔 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀.
https://lnkd.in/ejB9CnNU

Every expertise-driven business owner plans for growth. (As they should.)
Then most of them find themselves fully tethered.  
It’s particularly rough because it’s one of the quietest traps in business. 

I was more than ready to talk to Dr. Benjamin Hardy about it, because he’s got a reputation for helping entrepreneurs get through it.

Here's what happens:
You plan carefully. 
Set a target you genuinely believe you can hit.
Usually something like 15–20% growth.

The problem? 
That goal is based on how the business works right now.
And doing more of it.  

The business gets bigger.
But you stay busy.

The work doesn't shift. 

That's the difference between growth and scale.

Growth improves what exists.

While scale redesigns how it works.

What Dr. Hardy points out is that modest goals keep the operating model intact.

They never force you to redesign how value is created, how decisions are made, or where you sit in the system.

Even thinking just beyond 20% starts to change the questions.

You stop asking: "How do I squeeze more out of what I already have?"

And start asking: "What would actually need to change for this to work?"

I went into the conversation understanding the distinction. 

Dr. Hardy pushed me further, especially around how much of myself I was still assuming had to stay embedded in the business.

If:
- your business is growing, 
- but you're still stuck in the middle of everything, 
listen to this episode. 

🎧 Listen or watch Dr. Benjamin Hardy on The Business Owner's Journey Podcast

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The Battle

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Nick Berry

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The Battle

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Nick Berry

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