Cat Ford-Coates is a

Portrait Photographer, Educator, and Speaker.

Cat Ford-Coates is the founder and creative force behind a new era of leadership for photographers. Once a “starving artist,” now the blueprint for CEO identity rooted in heart and standards, she guides creatives who are done playing small into the version of themselves that leads with vision, communicates with clarity, and earns with unshakable conviction.

Her work sits at the intersection of high-caliber artistry and high-profit strategy where brand becomes legacy, and identity becomes leverage. With a foundation in portrait mastery and sales psychology, Cat’s frameworks redefine how photographers see themselves, structure their business, and scale their impact.

She doesn’t just mentor photographers...she develops founders. Cat helps her clients turn emotional work into elegant systems, elevate every client touchpoint, and step into boardroom-level self-trust without losing the soul of their art.

This isn’t about louder marketing or prettier portfolios.
It’s about becoming the leader you AND your business have been waiting for.

If something inside you knows it was never just about the photos, you’re home.

"I had faith in you and what I wanted, and you said

'and faith in yourself'..."

MIM Q.

"I'm building my business and staying in my photo

related job as I build these foundations for success."

ALENA F.

Lead Your Business with Standards. Scale It with Strategy.

You’ve done the hustle.
You’ve shot the sessions, posted the content, offered the discounts, and said yes to clients who didn’t respect your time (or your skills).

You love your craft.
But if you’re honest… your business still feels like a beautiful mess you can’t quite get in front of.

You’re the artist. The visionary. The one with clients who cry in front of your camera because you captured something they didn’t know how to name. And yet somehow, you’re still the one chasing.
Chasing inquiries.
Chasing bills.
Chasing time you swore you’d protect.

That ends here.

This is the moment you stop building your business around survival, and start building it around your standards.

Because what you need isn’t another download or course you’ll never finish.
You need real structure. Proven systems.
A mentor who’s built what you want to build, without burning it all down.

Inside Takeover, we help portrait photographers step into CEO identity rooted in soul and standards. We teach you how to lead a business that doesn’t just look good online, but feels aligned behind the scenes.

And we don’t teach theory. We teach what works.
The strategies we used to grow from burnout and borderline bankruptcy to $500K+ revenue, and the frameworks now used by dozens of our clients who are earning more, shooting less, and finally living.

If something inside you knows you were never meant to just “get by,”
If you’re ready to build a business that holds you - not the other way around -

This is where your next level begins.

Apply now. Your future self is already waiting.

Apply to work with Cat

TESTIMONIALS

What others are saying

Aamel Abed

Calgary Canada

Ivana Desancic

Chicago, IL

Simon Diez

Washington

Lorraine Hjalte

Alberta, Canada

Dr Donnamaria Jones

Waldorf, MD/Washington DC

Ashanta Staten

Sanford, NC

Apply to work with Cat

Working with Cat is not just another “course” but the mentoring experience you've been missing. Working with Cat leading the ship with her team supporting you and holding you accountable every step of the way to get where you want to be in your portrait business.

not sure if applying to work with cat is the right next step?

Frequently Asked Questions

Who will I be meeting with?

You will be meeting with Cat. The call is a diagnostic meeting to assess alignment and whether or not your photography business can actually support a more sustainable, high-leverage structure — and whether it makes sense to build it together.

Some people leave with clarity and next steps.

Some people leave knowing this isn’t the right move yet.

Either way, you’ll get a direct answer.

On the call, we’ll:

Identify where your current structure is capping revenue

Separate effort problems from design problems

Determine whether your business is ready for sustainability-focused scaling

This is diagnostic, not motivational.

Can I reschedule my call if something comes up?

Save for real emergencies, we don't allow for reschedules for these appointments. Cat is reserving an hour of her time for you and your business at no charge to you. We simply ask that you respect your time and hers for the time you booked for your appointment.

What if I’m interested but would need financing to move forward?

If we both feel it’s a strong fit to work together, many photographers choose to use financing to get started.

Several of my mentees have used services like Affirm or Klarna, which often offer flexible repayment plans ranging from 12–48 months.

If financing is something you’d want to explore, I recommend applying before our call so you know what options are available to you. That way, if we decide to move forward together, we can do so without delays.

And if we determine it’s not the right fit, you’ll still have financing available for other investments in your photography business.

Do I need to prepare anything for the meeting?

It’s helpful to come to the call with a clear picture of:

• where most of your current clients come from
• what type of photography you'd like to book more of
• what your goals are for your photography business over the next 12 months

That way we can make the conversation as useful as possible for you.