Meet Zoey Berg | Equestrian, business owner, college student

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zoey Berg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zoey, what role has risk played in your life or career?
This is not a simple question, and therefore, not a simple answer. Taking risks is the only way you grow. Every choice you make in life has risk to it!

I personally think risk is a really good thing! Yes, risk is terrifying, but that’s why you can use it to your advantage! Everyone can make a plan, but not everyone will follow through with their plan. Once you start taking risks, you’ll see that while not every plan works out, but when you’re fully committed, you’ll reach your end goal one way or another!

In my case, using risk to my advantage has been my upper hand! Taking on the mindset of “this is going to feel really scary, but I know how to reach my end goal,” has really gotten me to where I am today! If fear is the only thing holding you back, it’s likely what’s holding everyone else back too.. so be THE ONE who goes for it!

I could talk about risks all day long, as there are so many layers, but I’ll try and keep this short! I do feel as I should give a warning about risk I wish someone would have told me, so here it goes:

You will feel completely alone taking risks. You’ll feel like no one takes you seriously, and you’ll feel unsupported.

I’m here to tell you that that is your biggest hurdle to overcome! Being able to wait out that uncomfortableness will lead you to your biggest successes! After you learn how to trust yourself and your vision, it’s smooth sailing from there! You got this!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Hi! My name is Zoey Berg!
I am an equine Photographer & videographer, as well as an avid equestrian!

I am a showjumper and have been riding since I was 14! It’s truly my passion. Throughout my junior years (14-18) I was just learning how to ride! I loved it, but definitely was not where other people were at my age. When I tuned 18, I realized that I always wanted to ride, and needed to figure out a way to support my riding career as an adult!

I went to college at 18 years old, and I’m still an active student at CU Boulder! I am 21 now, and technically in my junior year, but I likely have a good 2 more years left before completing a degree. While I am determined to get my degree, I have never felt like school was meant for me. I have pretty severe ADHD, as well as something called a language processing disorder, which has always made school difficult for me. I am a very creative and out-of-the-box person, so sometimes fitting into a box is very hard for me!

Along with that, I have always known I am not the type of person who can sit in a cubicle all day for a career, and that I can’t have the same routine everyday. It’s just not how I function. That part of me is both a blessing and a curse! It’s a blessing because it’s gotten me to where I am today, and a curse because I always feel like I am running at full speed to keep myself afloat.

Becoming an equine photographer & videographer was not my original plan, but starting my own business was. I’m so happy I figured out what type of business was my passion!

Being an equestrian and someone who’s incredibly active on social media, having high quality, adequate videos and photos has always been one of my top priorities! Filming myself and others on smartphones every day for 6 years honestly gave me so much knowledge when beginning my equine videography & photography career! I already knew exactly what I wanted MY videos to look like, and applied that to everyone else I shoot for! Learning the camera came pretty easy to me, as well as getting my business out there, as I am already pretty well known across the Colorado horse community!

I struggled starting my own business similarly to how everyone else does when starting one: financially and mentally.

No matter what type of business is started, there’s a period at the beginning where you feel like you’re pouring money in, and getting very little out. This process certainly took a toll on my mental health, as well as relationships, especially with my parents! While they did support me the whole time, tensions were definitely high, especially when I made mistakes! My social life went out the window for a bit, as I was putting effort into my new business every waking moment of every day!

It’s been about 6 months now since I’ve officially started my business, and it’s already paying off and growing faster than I ever anticipated! I felt like in these past 6 months, I’ve had the lowest lows, and some of the highest highs! I know there will be more ups and downs in my future as my career grows, but I feel like I know a bit more of what to expect and how to get through the tough times!

I am so grateful I found my opportunities to make this business my reality! My goal with this business is to support myself, my riding career, and to give other people the opportunity to have the best photos and videos at the most affordable price possible! Because I am also an equestrian, I know how expensive this sport can be, so I want my services to be affordable to everyone in the sport! From the beginner lesson students, to the Grand Prix riders, to the working students who spent every last dime they had on being able to horseshow!

I believe that everyone who puts in the time, effort, and funds into horses deserves to receive recognition, and deserves to be able to show off their work! I have the privilege to be able to capture that digitally, and want to make that a common and accessible service for everyone!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m a photographer & videographer, but that wasn’t always my dream! I feel like the job kind of fell into my lap!

I LOVE editing, making videos, and sharing my life and experiences on the internet! I began to gain a little bit of a following because of it, and I wanted a way to make my content better for the viewers who watched me! I did my research, and decided it was in my best interest to purchase a camera! For those who don’t know, cameras do not come cheap.. my dad gave me a loan for it, and I didn’t really know how I was going to pay it back!

I began posting content taken with my new camera, and slowly but surely, people started asking me if I could make videos for them as well! That’s where my business plan went into action! I knew videography and photography is something I’ve paid for, and something that others would pay for in the future as well.

From there, I began to market my services! As business grew, I was able to purchase better gear, which cycled into business growing more, and so on! While I have a long way to go in my journey, based on consistent patterns and my commitment, I will continue to grow with my business to endless possibilities, which is just the coolest thing!

But the reason I was able to start this journey is my parents! They really helped me start up and stand up on my feet in the beginning stages!

So mom & dad, if you’re reading this, I love you, and thank you!

Website: https://www.instagram.com/zoeybergllc?igsh=aGNwMHYzYmlsOTM1&utm_source=qr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoeybergeq?igsh=MXBrbXdiOThpcHNudw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@zoeyberg?si=ukQqqjxAzXvyCkNs

Other: Tiktok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@zoeyberg?_t=8mwmjQqHty3&_r=1