You tried to DIY your Dubsado, but your business still feels like a dumpster fire behind the scenes 🔥
This is what I know to be true...
Clients are either getting double emails or no reminders at all — and payment requests before they’ve even booked a session.
Your workflows feel like duct-taped chaos.
3
You set up workflows to save time, but you’re still chasing payments, retyping the same emails, and manually fixing things your CRM should handle for you.
You’re losing hours to automation
2
You're collecting templates like Pokemon cards, but nothing connects. Instead of that seamless experience, your clients are on a roller coaster and you’re the one screaming on the inside.
You’ve got 12 templates — but no strategy.
1
You’re not looking for generic set up advice that teaches you how to set up a CRM — you want one that works specifically for photographers.
how we can work together in 2026
It’s not you. It’s your setup.
Dubsado was built to make life easier, but no one ever showed you how to make all the moving parts actually work together.
Because you've got a highly personal client process and zero interest in systems that make you sound like a robot instead of the human your clients love.
You want someone who gets it and has actually used Dubsado inside a photography business to show you exactly how to build a system that saves time, books faster, and delivers a seamless client experience from the very first touchpoint.
That's why I created this systems side of my business. After 12+ years behind the camera and inside CRMs like Dubsado, I know how to make your systems work like you do and give your client a luxury experience before they step in front of the camera.
You don’t need a new CRM... you need to learn how to make the one you have finally work for you.
When you have a working Dubsado setup, you'll have your time, sanity, and nights back.
that sounds so good
Send one link that books the client, schedules the session, and gets you paid—automatically.
Make your entire booking process feel like an extension of your brand, not a clunky afterthought.
Keep every email, form, and payment detail in one place so nothing (and no one) gets lost.
Set it up once and reuse it on autopilot—no more copying, pasting, or starting from scratch.
plus you'll be able to:
Sally Rudy, photographer
Before purchasing Dubsado I was having pretty extensive discussions via messenger with clients. Now that I have an established workflow in Dubsado I feel like my client communication is SO much more consistent and efficient. It also gets my sessions booked, complete with a signed contract and retainer fee paid in record time."
Before purchasing Dubsado I was having pretty extensive discussions via messenger with clients and answering A LOT of questions in order to get the necessary information to send the contract. This was a time consuming process and it felt like it was a pain, not just for me but for my clients too. Now that I have an established workflow in Dubsado I feel like my client communication is SO much more consistent and efficient. It also gets my sessions booked, complete with a signed contract and retainer fee paid in record time."
"I’d had Dubsado for two years and was still using it at its most basic level because I didn’t know what to do — until The CRM Blueprint changed that.
Kate Wark, Family + branding photographer
I didn’t have a CRM before I found the Blueprint. I was spending so much time manually emailing, creating contracts, collecting payments… all of it. Now, my systems are fully automated. The payment chasers? I set those up two years ago — they still go out automatically before every session, and I get paid.
The biggest surprise? My clients noticed. “So many people have said, ‘That’s so professional. What do you use?’” It didn’t just save me time — it made my business feel more legit. And it’s still running, two years later."
"One of the biggest game changers I’ve done in 5+ years of business.
Erin Vestal, Family photographer
I feel like I'm running my business my way. I don't feel like I bought someone else's plan and had it slapped on my business. I feel like Colie not only taught me how to set it up and make it mine, but anytime I need help, she makes sure that she's understanding what I'm wanting for my business and helps me make that happen."
I feel like I'm running my business my way. I don't feel like I bought someone else's plan and had it slapped on my business. I feel like Colie not only taught me how to set it up and make it mine, but anytime I need help, she makes sure that she's understanding what I'm wanting for my business and helps me make that happen.
"I can't imagine where I'd be if I was still trying to teach myself Dubsado.
Julie francom, birth photographer + doula
When I first got into the course and I started setting up the canned emails, she had the magic email in there. I had a few leads that had ghosted me. So I just sent them the magic email, and two of those ended up booking me for services. One of them was a two month old inquiry. (I apparently was the only one to check back in and follow up with her.) We set up an interview and then she booked me the next day. And that was for my highest package, which is $2,200 right now. And then I had another one that booked me for a $1,500 package.
When I first got into the course and I started setting up the canned emails, she had the magic email in there. I had a few leads that had ghosted me. So I just sent them the magic email, and two of those ended up booking me for services. One of them was a two month old inquiry. (I apparently was the only one to check back in and follow up with her.) We set up an interview and then she booked me the next day. And that was for my highest package, which is $2,200 right now. And then I had another one that booked me for a $1,500 package.
"Just sending the magic email out got me two bookings, almost right away.
Allison Patel, photographer
The thoroughness of the information, the flow and process to set it all up, and the way you are always (I mean ALWAYS) available to answer questions make this head and shoulders above any other online course I've ever bought. If you want to get your CRM up and running quickly, without having to recreate the wheel and figure it all out on your own, this is perfect.
The thoroughness of the information, the flow and process to set it all up, and the way you are always (I mean ALWAYS) available to answer questions make this head and shoulders above any other online course I've ever bought. It was practical, useful, and sooooooo helpful. If you want to get your CRM up and running quickly, without having to recreate the wheel and figure it all out on your own, this is perfect. If you need accountability to finish in a timely manner, this is perfect. If you want help and support from classmates and a guide, Colie's Blueprint is perfect! "
"I never could have set up Dubsado without you, Colie!
What Clients Say About My Workflow Strategies
my superpower is making complicated shit simple, particularly with regards to systems strategy + automations for photographers.
I'm Colie James:
Your Systems Professor
COLIE, I TRUST YOU — PLEASE MAKE THIS EASY
Before I started Colie James Photography in 2012, offering in-home family + newborn photography sessions, I was a college professor for 10 years..
But how did I get here… as THE go-to systems guru for photographers?
On my birthday in 2020, I was a guest on the This Can’t Be That Hard podcast, spreading my love for all things CRMs. This was the spark that led to the creation of my Dubsado implementation course for photographers + Dubsado VIP Day setup services and now, Systems in Session. Thanks Annemie 😍
Shalimar. - Family + senior Photographer
"I wasn't using a CRM… just hoping I'd remember stuff."
BEFORE: No CRM, failed setup with Studio Ninja, scattered client info, and manual invoices.
NOW: Shalimar has a lead capture form that feeds right into her Dubsado account, sends customized proposals, automates her emails, contracts, and invoices — and gets paid faster.
Shalimar has customized everything herself and finally feels in control of her business after 10+ years of winging it.
“I even paid someone to set StudioNinja up… but it never clicked. I didn’t use it for a single client.”
“Now I hang up from the consult call and boom — I email everything. They can pay right then and there.”
Okay but seriously
What if you could...
Book a client while you’re standing in line at the grocery store
No more refreshing your inbox to see if they signed the contract. Your proposal, contract, and invoice? Already delivered. Already booked. Already paid.
Stop rewriting the same damn email every time someone inquires
You’ve got a lead response that’s fast, friendly, and totally on-brand—and it goes out without you lifting a finger.
Trust that your clients are actually being taken care of
Your workflows are doing what they’re supposed to. Every email is sent. Every reminder goes out. No one’s wondering what’s next—including you.
Spend less time in your CRM and more time behind the camera (or on the couch)
Because let’s be honest—you didn’t start this business to babysit a bunch of email drafts.
Looking for the best way to build systems that work in 2026 and beyond?
Get Grown-up systems for 2026
CRM Blueprint helped hundreds of photographers streamline their client experience — but I’ve turned the dial up.
Everything inside Blueprint has been upgraded and expanded inside Systems in Session — my done-with-you container where we build, customize, and implement your entire client journey together.
