Aligned Ambition - Nicole McConville

Welcome to our Aligned Ambition Series. A monthly blog series where we highlight a member of the HIVE community to learn more about their journey, purpose, and future vision.

Nicole is a photographer and visual storyteller who helps creative entrepreneurs and businesses showcase their unique magic through brand photography, portraits, and consulting. Inspired by her background in publishing and a transformative photography workshop in Morocco, she built her business around purpose, creativity, and connection.

To learn more about her business visit https://www.nicolemcconville.com/

Nicole’s Story:

Tell us about your business. What inspired you to start it? 

I’m a photographer serving growth-minded creative entrepreneurs and businesses with a range of services, including portraits and headshots, product and brand photography, and most recently photography consulting . My goal? To help you showcase and magnify your unique magic, connect you with your ideal community of clients and customers, and sell, sell, sell. What that means to me? I’m an experienced visual storyteller, skilled and highly organized project manager, creative brand magnifier and amplifier, and enthusiastic shared partner in bold action toward a goal. I work with dreamers and doers, people who wake up every single day driven by a purpose to offer something unique in the world that can touch and and affect the lives of the people and communities they serve. While many of my clients are within North Carolina, I also welcome remote photography and consulting services to clients anywhere.

My professional story began in book publishing, where I spent many years immersed in the world of ideas and storytelling. I had the good fortune and the bold determination to learn, or at least explore, nearly every side of the business. It was a powerful training ground that taught me the importance of shining a bright light on good people and meaningful ideas. When I eventually stepped away from that industry, I gave myself the space to ask what I wanted the next chapter of my life to look like. I wanted to build something grounded in purpose, creativity, and connection.

Around that time, I took what turned out to be a transformative trip to Morocco. I joined a group of women for a photography workshop. That experience helped me fall in love with the art of seeing. I began to understand how photography could be a way of telling stories, of paying close attention, of honoring people and their work. When I returned, I felt something shift. I knew I wanted to keep celebrating remarkable individuals and their ideas, and I realized I could do that with a camera in my hand. Photography became a way to carry forward everything I had learned in publishing, while building something new and deeply personal.

What has been your biggest challenge as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it? 

“No matter where you go there you are.” It’s essential to understand your nature as a human, your tendencies and habits, your long established patterns. Do you resist change? Are your perfectionist tendencies keeping you from trying new things? Are you comparing yourself and your work to your peers? Or, taking another angle … Do you have fiercely determined optimism? Are you a committed devotee of structure and order? I could list dozens of these concepts, and many of you reading this will relate. In life and business, you must truly know yourself, both the dark corners and the bright, sparkling disco balls of light. Who you are as a person is who you will be as a business owner. I’ve worked diligently over decades to understand and accept, love, and celebrate who I am. There is no overcoming, only learning and adapting. Therapy, coaching, and community are integral to that process.

How has being a member of Hive Ambition impacted your entrepreneurial journey? 

Being a HIVE member has helped connect me to a vibrant and growing community of business owners that I may not have otherwise met. I have greatly appreciated the ongoing opportunities to enrich my network with a group of creative, kind, and supportive women who genuinely wish to raise each other up through education, support, referrals, and more. I’ve been reminded again and again through the abundance of offerings of events that a big part of entrepreneurship is showing up.

What advice would you give to women considering starting their own business?

Know your strengths, lean into them. Determine what your unique gifts are and how they can serve and lift up others, and that is exactly what you need to showcase with absolute confidence, clarity, and joy. What makes you singularly qualified to attract attention and investment from others? What is your “superhero power” that helps elevate you and your offerings amidst your competition? Be radiantly YOU. When you can be clear in these things and shine a bright spotlight on them, that is exactly what will raise you up as a leader in your field. Nourish your relationships. I wouldn’t have this life or career without the relationships I have built and nourished over many years. Cultivating community through my work with my clients, involvement in networking and industry support groups, and daily interactions with people I come in contact with is an ingrained part of my life philosophy. There is a real need to have trust, rapport, respect, and a sense of shared commitment in my work; I take that investment very seriously. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Truly listen, see, and hold space. Support, encourage, and amplify. 

Can you share a moment when you felt particularly proud of your business? 

Honestly, I’m proud of my business each and every day. It’s a big deal to choose this path and recommit to it again and again. But, of course, there have certainly been some specific milestones that stand out. I celebrated my 10th year in business last year! I started this business as a leap of faith, leaning into my curiosity and passion for visual storytelling, empowering and elevating my subjects, and wanting to build something that could keep me connected to and support my community in meaningful ways. I learned by doing, again and again again. And it continues!

I was also named to the top three of Best of WNC list for Headshot and Portrait Photographers, a remarkable validation of my work, since it is a community-voted award. Receiving that kind of support means more than I can say.

How do you balance ambition with self-care in your daily life? 

It may sound odd, but I actually think that my ambition is critical to my story of self care, as I identify strongly with and am fueled by determination and consistent action. But I also know what a good, full life looks like to me, and that requires plenty of space and time for deep connection to others and curiosity and exploration of  the world around us. I’m grateful to have truly remarkable people in my life, including a rich tapestry of friends and a wide, extended community, that help keep me centered. Prioritizing quality food, sleep, physical and mental health are also non-negotiables.

Can you share a moment when you felt truly aligned with your work and its impact? 

Every single time my work helps someone feel more confident in how they show up, whether in their business, their brand, or simply in their own skin, I feel a strong sense of purpose. That might mean a client finally recognizing themselves as the professional they have become, or a business owner sharing that their new images gave them the courage to reach for an opportunity they once thought was out of reach. Those moments remind me that my work is about helping people feel seen, capable, and ready to grow. I never take that for granted.

What legacy or impact do you hope your business will leave on the world? 

I truly believe photography can change people’s lives. I’ve seen it happen. When done with true intention and care, the act of putting yourself or your work in front of a lens can transform the way that you see yourself and the dreams you have for yourself. The right photography can build confidence and strengthen your understanding and acceptance of self, open up broader and larger opportunities, and magnify your good work in the world. And that is pretty remarkable.

You can find some of Nicole’s stunning work below. To learn more about her business visit https://www.nicolemcconville.com/