$174K in 10 Months: Olga and Alex's Fresh Start in the US

A seven-figure wedding business in Ukraine. Then a war forced them to flee, and they had to start completely over in a new country with a new language and zero portfolio in the US market. Olga and Alex of Essential Moments spent 13 years building a wedding photography and videography business in Ukraine before relocating to the US, where three years of grinding on their own barely got them three booked weddings. After joining The Icon Agency, they generated $174,000 in bookings in just 10 months, going from nothing to over 40 weddings. In this interview, Olga and Alex talk candidly about being deeply skeptical of online advertising before finally taking a call, the exhausting early months of 60-80 calls a month while learning to sell in a second language, and why they had to unlearn the mindset that great work speaks for itself. They also share why leaning into honest, direct coaching (even when it stung) was the turning point, and what it took to rebuild an empire from scratch after losing everything. If you've ever had to start over and wondered whether it's really possible to rebuild, this is worth watching. In this video: 00:00 Introduction: meet Olga and Alex 01:05 Starting from zero: three weddings, no bookings, no system 02:06 Fleeing Ukraine and starting over in a new country 04:30 Why they were skeptical of ads before finally taking the call 12:11 No portfolio, no excuses: booking with just three past weddings 14:48 Learning to sell in a second language, script in hand 15:35 Results: $174K booked in 10 months 19:33 Letting go of who they used to be to start from scratch 21:42 Balancing four kids and building a business at the same time 26:08 Their advice for photographers who are skeptical it can work More stories like Olga and Alex's, and how they got there, at The Icon Agency