Cultivating community is an excellent way to grow your business, says Lake Country, Wisconsin-based maternity, newborn, and family portrait photographer Julie Collins. For the last five years, she’s collaborated with two local business owners who also serve mothers and families to host Love Your Belly, an annual event for expectant and postpartum mothers. The event is held at Collins’ studio in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. About 30 vendors typically participate, she explains, from doulas and lactation specialists to ultrasound providers and prenatal chiropractors.

“The purpose is connection,” says Collins, who adds that attendees get free mini massages during the event and the first 50 guests receive swag bags. She chose her partners—a pediatric and prenatal chiropractor, and the owner of a local resource for family-friendly events—because they share a similar philosophy. “We believe mothers deserve strong support systems, trusted information, and meaningful connection during pregnancy and early motherhood,” Collins says. “Each of us brings a different area of expertise, which allows the event to feel well rounded.”

Hosting the event has strengthened her business, Collins says. “It’s positioned my studio as a place that genuinely supports families, not just photographs them. Because the event is rooted in service rather than promotion, relationships form naturally,” she explains. “Many attendees later return for maternity and newborn portraits, and many vendors become long-term referral partners.”

She provides tips for setting up a similar event in your area:

• Focus on service, not sales. “If the goal is to generate bookings, people will feel that immediately,” she says.
• Choose partners who share your values. That gives the event a trustworthy, consistent feeling.
• Be intentional about growing the event. “It is tempting to grow quickly, but thoughtful curation matters,” she advises. Only allow vendors who truly support the attendees you’re trying to attract.

Amanda Arnold is a senior editor.