Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracy Ann Battaglia.
Hi Tracy Ann, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m Tracy Ann Battaglia, founder of The Fully Alive Agency — a full-service creative and business development agency that helps entrepreneurs launch, refine, and scale their small businesses, all under one roof.
But I didn’t start as an agency — I started with a camera. I had been shooting and working on my degree focused in film photography for 4 years before I made it official, registering and trademarking my first business, Fully Alive Photography, in October 2006. What I learned fast, though, is that running a business takes so much more than creative talent. It’s bootstrapping, trial and error. I had to teach myself HOW to run a business — strategy, systems, accounting, legal, marketing, branding, everything — the hard way. Before YouTube, Pinterest, social media, or online support of any kind.
Out of that learning curve, I spent a decade building my foundational “Launch Course” to help other entrepreneurs skip the messy confusion I endured. And as more and more people came to me — not just for photos, but for their whole brand, their website, their strategy, their systems — I realized they were exhausted trying to piece it together from a dozen different specialists.
So in 2020, I brought it all — my business operations, consulting & creative — under one roof, and The Fully Alive Agency was launched.
Today, that’s the heart of what I do. I walk entrepreneurs through every stage of their journey — launching, refining, or scaling — cutting the overwhelm, elevating their brand, and making the whole thing joyful and life-giving again. Photography is still one of the many tools in my kit, but what I really build now are whole businesses. Watching one — and the person behind it — come fully alive is my favorite thing in the world.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Is it ever a smooth road? But the bumps are where all the growth happens.
My biggest challenge from the very beginning was that I had to teach myself everything, so I didn’t grow as quickly as I wish I had. I was bootstrapping — financially and mentally — before there was a YouTube tutorial or a business coach on every corner, figuring out strategy, systems, accounting, legal, and marketing through pure trial and error. I wore every single hat (I still wear most of them!), and I made plenty of mistakes. But every one of them taught me something I now get to pass on to my clients, so they don’t have to learn it the hard way like I did.
The second big one — and it’s maybe still my current challenge — is being known as “the photographer.” I’ve spent 5 years building this new full agency, but people who’ve known me for years still picture me as the girl with the camera. So my reputation precedes me — and since I still offer photography, I honestly don’t mind it… but helping the world see that I now do it ALL — strategy, branding, websites, operations, and so much more — has been its own kind of rebrand.
And the one I think every heart-led entrepreneur faces: learning to value my own work. For at least 17 years, I clearly over-delivered and under-charged — because I cared so much and just wanted to help everyone (or at least that’s what I tell myself). The process of raising my prices to match the effort and services I’m actually delivering — and truly believing in my gut that I’m worth it — has been really hard.
Maybe it’s the Midwest in me, maybe it’s the little girl who didn’t always believe in herself… whatever it is, I’m still learning. Saying “no” and charging what I’m worth takes a lot out of me. I’m so much closer now, but I still relax on my boundaries sometimes and have to re-remember that valuing my worth — even passing on a client now and then (even one I love and desperately want to help) — isn’t just allowed, it’s healthy. I’ve always been good at self-care, and I’m now great at boundaries with friends and family — but it can still make me feel a little sick saying “no.” It often leads to anxiety and fear, so I’d be lying if I said this one wasn’t still hard. Even at 45, I’m still working on it.
But I wouldn’t trade any of it. Every struggle made me better at what I do, a better person — and there’s nothing I’d rather be doing!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Fully Alive Agency?
The Fully Alive Agency is a full-service creative and business development agency for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
In the simplest terms: we’re the one partner who does it all, under one roof — education, consulting, brand strategy, systems and operations, branding, graphic design, websites, photography, video, and creative direction. Instead of hiring a strategist, then a designer, then a photographer, then a web developer, then someone for your systems — and hoping they all somehow talk to each other — you get one team that handles the whole thing, cohesively.
What we specialize in is the full journey. We meet clients wherever they are — whether they’re ready to launch a brand-new business, refine one that’s outgrown its brand, or scale an established company — and we walk them through every step. It’s not a one-off rebrand or a single photoshoot; it’s an intentional, holistic experience that looks at both sides of a business at once: the strategy and operations AND the creative and visual. Because a beautiful brand that isn’t backed by real systems won’t last, and great systems that don’t look and feel like you won’t sell and will collapse if they don’t work for YOU and your needs and lean into your strengths.
What sets us apart comes down to two things. First, everything is genuinely connected — clarity, strategy, and creative all under one roof, so nothing gets lost in translation between vendors.
And second, I’m not working from theory. I’ve spent 20 years building and running profitable businesses myself — two decades without a single year in the red —EVEN bootstrapping (no investors, no loans, no family money) I built from nothing but hard work and dedication, so when I sit down with a client, I’ve truly lived what they’re going through. That, plus a whole lot of care: I follow through, I over-deliver, and I genuinely love the people I get to work with.
Brand-wise, what I’m most proud of is the transformation. I’ve helped entrepreneurs go from a scattered idea to a fully launched business, from an outdated brand to one that finally feels like them, from overwhelmed and piecing it all together to clear, confident, and fully alive. Watching a business — and the person behind it — come to life is the whole reason I do this.
What I’d want your readers to know is simple: you don’t have to build your business alone, and you don’t have to piece it together from a dozen different specialists. Whether you start with one of our courses, a consulting call, or a full agency partnership, we’re here to cut the overwhelm, elevate your brand, and make the whole journey joyful and life-giving again.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Oh, so many people. I truly haven’t done any of this alone.
First and always, my husband. He’s been my biggest supporter from day one. While I bootstrapped and bet on myself, he kept a steady corporate job — in large part so our family had insurance and stability while I chased this dream. That safety net is what made it possible for me to go all in, and I’ll never stop being grateful for it.
My parents. They encouraged me through college and bought my art supplies and books when they could. As the first person in my extended family on either side to pursue a four-year degree, I was fairly alone in that journey — and even though they couldn’t financially fund it at the time (loans took care of that), they supported me in every other way they could. Then again, when I left my coffee shop manager job to pursue this full-time in 2009, they let us live with them at a very low cost for a year, giving me the runway to build without drowning. And my mom especially has been a constant cheerleader, believing in me even in the seasons I struggled to believe in myself. She has always celebrated my uniqueness and creativity. She is my biggest advocate — I know she’ll always have my back, and honestly, she believes in me more than I believe in myself.
My team deserves so much credit, too. I’ve had some seriously standout employees who’ve supported me in more ways than I can count — big and small, both in my business and personally. They’ve become friends, and even family, in so many ways. These girls are everything. They’re willing to do the most random jobs and hours because they believe in me and my company and genuinely want to spend their days supporting it. This business grew as far as it has because of those people — the ones who showed up on set to carry everything, shot the behind-the-scenes videos, and assisted in my everyday chaos and creativity.
And honestly, some of my greatest supporters have been my clients — specifically the ones who pay me what I’m worth, who won’t take a “friend discount,” and who share words of affirmation and encouragement that they love working with me. Those words are dear to my heart, and they give me strength that I am indeed using my life the way I was meant to. Those people taught me my own value in the seasons I couldn’t see it myself. They played a bigger role in my growth than they’ll ever know.
And my personal and work friends, who have cheered me on through every high and low. I’m surrounded by good people, and I know exactly how lucky that makes me.
Pricing:
- Website Design & Development — $2,500+
- Educational Courses & Workshops — $800+ ($399 LAUNCH E-Course Coming Soon)
- Branding, Brand Guidelines & Graphic Design — $500+
- Operation Shifts/Build Outs — $2,000+ | Consulting & Brand Therapy — $200/hour
- Photography, Video & Content — $900/month or $1,000/project+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thefullyaliveagency.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefullyaliveagency
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefullyaliveagency/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/90421718/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFullyAliveAgency
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fully-alive-photography-tempe-2
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thefullyaliveagency
