You are here: Home / Archives for Wealth Building / Six Figure Photographer

What You Should Really Do With Your Photography Competition

by Leave a Comment

You’ve decided to set up shop as a high school senior portrait photographer. And you think you have a chance of becoming pretty good at it. You love photographing, and you’ve photographed a variety of friends and family in the past. So you put together your business marketing tool set and start on your way.

Then you start looking at the marketplace. Dozens of photographers are in your area, marketing themselves as senior portrait photographers. The local high school’s latest newspaper has 15 ads for photographers in the 10 small pages of news.

Ugh. Do you really stand a chance?

How do you fight all of this competition?

You may be making one fatal mistake if this sounds like you. You may be thinking of other photographers as competition.

What You Should Really Do With Your Photography Competition

Why Photographers Aren’t Your Competition

Let me tell you a story of a group of wedding photographers.

A number of years ago, we ran into a nice couple at a local wedding expo. We had booths next to one another, and we chatted throughout the daylong event. We even agreed to have dinner together after the expo, and spent another few hours talking. We hit it off immediately, and decided these “dinner talks” were something we wanted to do again and again.

We decided to meet a couple of weeks later, and had another friend in the business we asked along. So the three of us had dinner, boosted up our concepts for our businesses over a few hours of chatting, and agreed to meet again the next month for another round of business, wine and friends. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Six Figure Photographer Tagged With: , ,

3 Habits Of Highly Unsuccessful Photographers

by 1 Comment

Plenty is written on successful companies and how you do things the right way. But I find it equally helpful to go in the opposite direction once in a while and discover things that businesses do wrong. You know, the things that really hold people back and prevent them from creating a sustainable, successful photography studio.

By understanding what factors some people have that limit success, you can begin to generate new ideas and ultimately find a better way of doing things.  If you look at failing or even businesses that have failed in the last few months, most of them would cite reasons that would fall under one of these key inhibitors.

1. They believe their current circumstances are unchangeable – they must accept them no matter what.

2. They reorganize so much they never establish a true clientele.

3. They do not test and evaluate to determine when its time to change.

Unchangeable Circumstances

Opportunities exist in every circumstance. Yet for many people, they get caught in the rut of what’s happening in the world around them and forget they can change and manipulate things any way they choose.

Now is the perfect time to find “old time” photographers who fall into this category. Talk to them for two minutes and you’ll start to see the patterns. They’ll say things like “things are rough and nobody wants photography any more” or “everyone wants a CD with digital files for virtually no money at all”. They look at the world as if they are living in the past. They’ve always made a great living in the “old” way and they simply can’t find a way to turn it around and continue to make a great living in today’s world. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Six Figure Photographer Tagged With:

3 Things To Give Up Right Now

by 1 Comment

Have you ever done this?

You decide to do something for your business. You’re not really into it. But everyone tells you it’s the best thing to do for your business. Or maybe you’ve done it in the past with some success, so you decide to give it a try again. Yet when you follow through, you absolutely hated it. You hated doing it. You had zero results. And you ask yourself why you wasted your time?

Let me give you an example. We’re what you might call networking experts. We’ve “networked” with probably every group in Denver (at least it feels like it). We know what works and what doesn’t. We were invited to a “summer bash” networking event. I’ve been there in the past – several years ago – and know it’s a huge function. So we decided to go. Here are the results:

  • 4 hours of time
  • $25 registration fee
  • $5 parking fee
  • zero new clients

Yes, I’ve written before that networking is not about getting new clients – its about connections. And I still agree with that assessment of networking.

Dig Deeper: What Not To Do At A Networking Event

Dig Deeper: If You Are Selling A Photograph, Tell Me You Are Selling A Photograph

But this event was different this year. Here’s what happened. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Six Figure Photographer Tagged With: , , ,

5 Ways To Find The Perfect Photography Help … And You Don’t Have To Hire Them

by Leave a Comment

Once your business really starts moving forward, you’ll end up with more work than you can handle in a normal work day. At that point, you have one of two choices. Work more hours or find some help.

Most solo business owners start out by choosing the first way. After all, what’s an extra hour? But as 8 turn into 10, and 10 turns into 12, you’ll quickly start questioning if there is more to life than work.

A much as we try to conquer the world on our own, its easy to start wishing for something more. Wouldn’t it be nice to have help that was easy to train, would accomplish anything you wished for easily and without a lot of hand holding, and allow us to have the time to do what we do best?

Employees can be difficult. Which is why so many of us avoid them until it’s a true necessity. Yet the work is still there and needs to be done. Luckily, we have options today. Instead of hiring an employee, invest in a virtual assistant.

If you have never worked with a virtual assistant (VA) before, consider hiring one to help you do more with your time – and allow you the time you need to enjoy your personal life as well. Here are some tips to start you on your way.

Start by assessing your needs

Its hard taking that first step. What do you need help with? Where should you ask for help? Before you start looking at VA’s, assess your needs first. Develop a to-do list of what needs you have, what you are willing to release or delegate to your VA, and where they can most help you.

A VA can assist with anything that is easy to teach someone else to do. Research tasks, data entry, developing systems, creating newsletters, contacting clients and helping with customer service tasks, and helping you with travel and scheduling needs are just a few of the things they can help you accomplish.

Once you create your list, estimate how much time they will need each month. VA’s can help you with one time tasks, or can be hired on a regular basis throughout the month. When you figure out what needs to be done, you can begin your search.

Find a VA

Finding a VA is fairly easy. It is a growing industry, and there are many different resources, both in your local community and in the online world.

Start by networking at local clubs and organizations. Ask around; you’re sure to find referrals for people right in your own community. You can post free ads on sites like Craigslist, search freelance sites like Elance, use VA search sites like AssistU, or check out organizations like Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce.

Qualify The VA

Before you decide on a VA, make sure they are qualified to do the job you want them to do. VA’s come with a lot of different skills. And while it is possible to hire multiple VA’s for separate duties, hiring one to cover all of your original goals will be easier the first time around. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Six Figure Photographer Tagged With: , , , ,

10 Ways To Minimize Doing Dumb Things That Could Cost You Your Business

by Leave a Comment

Whenever you hear or read the news and you find a company doing something really dumb – getting caught by the IRS for not paying taxes, throwing outrageous parties, building an illegal pyramid scheme, paying bonuses with money they don’t have, or selling really lousy products as fast as possible to make money and get out before they are caught, it makes you wonder. Why would they do it? Isn’t it just as easy making money in a great way as it is making it in a dumb way?

Probably the best way to answer those questions is to say every one of those companies is being run by a smart person. Yet every single day, smart people do dumb things. Its easy to get caught up in it all, and before you know it, you’re caught in a trap that can literally shut your business down, no matter how big or small it was at the time.

No matter what stage of business you are at, here is a way to minimize doing dumb things.

1. Always look for someone employees, advisers or consultants that are ready, willing and able to make you think about the other side. As a small business owner – a solo business owner – its easy to get completely caught up in your own ideas. Even if they are bad and don’t stand a chance of helping you build your business. Look for someone that can argue other points with you and make sure you are proceeding in the right direction.

2. Don’t jump at another’s ideas. Just because someone sees things a different way and has a strong support for his or her idea doesn’t make them right – anymore than it makes you right. Stop, take a step back, and look at the situation logically. If you need to, talk with others about the idea before you make a rash decision. Focus groups work great and can help you look at your ideas through the eyes of your clients.

3. Spell things out. If you tell your accountant you want to pay as little tax as possible, don’t assume he will do it in a legal way. Research the people around you and watch what they do. In some cases, it may be best to tell them “I want to pay as little tax as possible in a legal way.” Don’t assume; assuming can get you into trouble.

4. Never rely on one expert to run your whole business. If experts create your roadmap, its no longer your business. Instead, use them to supplement your ideas and help you understand how to put your own actions into play as fast and as effectively as possible. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Six Figure Photographer Tagged With: ,

Why My Tips Will Never Work For Your Photography Business

by 4 Comments

Every single day you have access to millions of articles, publications, secrets to success manuals, videos, courses and guides.

You can read solid advice from the moment you get up in the morning until the moment you go to bed.

You can talk with a mentor, study with an adviser, and listen to your favorite guru every moment of the day.

Yet when you take all of this and try and put it into your own business life, one thing holds true: it may or may not work for you.

What?

That probably sounds like the most wishy-washy statement you’ve ever heard. How can you take advice from a zillion different sources, put it all into good use for your business, and not know if it will work for you? It should – its great advice right? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Six Figure Photographer Tagged With: , , , ,

10 Steps To Becoming A Better Photographer

by Leave a Comment

When you read the title of this post, what was your first thought?

Did you think “better photographer” meant learning how to use your camera more effectively?

Did you think “better photographer” meant taking better photographs?

Did you think “better photographer” meant building a stronger, more successful business?

In reality, it can mean all of this and more. Photography has so many facets; each one you delve into can take years to learn and perfect.

Yet if you had to sum it up in 10 steps, what would they be? As I thought more about it and looked back over the past 20 years I’ve been a photographer, I realized I didn’t just look at it from a “taking pictures” angle. To me, being a better photographer also means building the business. And since that is the purpose of this blog, I thought I would divide it into 10 steps.

Know Your Subject

What is your area of expertise? What do you want to photograph from this point forward? People will photograph differently than landscapes. Models will photograph differently than a product or still life. Yet they all have their own unique qualities and can be made to look average … or the best they’ve ever looked. Whatever your choice of photography niche, study it and understand how to make your images that absolute best they can be.

Understand Composition

When you pick up the camera, do you know exactly what to look for, how to frame it, and how it will look as a final image? Do you see it in your mind before you ever snap the image? Or do you approach it from the “spray and pray” methodology, knowing you’ll have at least one good look somewhere in there? Composition is everything in the world of photograph, even though its seemed to lose some of its true value in the digital world. Yet if you can “see” it first and shoot it second, I guarantee you’ll have a much better image … and a much better portfolio over all.

Dig Deeper: Your Television Could Be Ruining Your Photographs Composition (The Rule Of Thirds) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Six Figure Photographer Tagged With:

How To Recover From Online ADD So You Can Grow Your Photography Business

by 3 Comments

Online ADD. That’s what I call it. And you’re probably a victim of it. It goes something like this …

You decide to build up your photography business, so you head online to start checking things out. You visit site after site, taking in whatever they are talking about. If it’s a great site, you sign up for all you can and start following the advice. UNTIL …

You find the next site. They look great too. So you sign up for their stuff and start following it. Put away the stuff you got last week … that’s soooo last week. And so you start following the steps it tells you to do. UNTIL …

Yep, you get the idea. Everything you read looks like a better shiny object. It seems more relevant to what you want to do today. They sway your decisions and make you want to start down the other path. You may even find yourself saying things like, “Well if he can make $1 million and have hundreds of clients just from a simple Facebook page, I can too.”

Can you see yourself here, or is it just me? Yes, I’ve done this way too many times before. I knew if I just kept reading, I would find the magic key somewhere. What I was going through was an information overload – the more I found, the more I tried to read, the more I wanted to try.

Too Much Of Anything Is Never Good

Do a quick search for things that apply to your photography business. I Googled a variety of key terms, and this is what I found:

Now think about that for a minute. If you wanted to start a photography business, you potentially have over 5 ½ million items you could look through to help you with the process. Once you start your business, you could look through over 451 million things to find the right advice to market it. Or 192 million results to determine what to plan for.

No one could ever get through that kind of content. Its information overload.

But its so easy to do, we Google things all day long.

If you went back 20 years or more, things were different. If you wanted information on building your business, you bought a book. Or you attended a seminar. You learned one thing and began applying it. The only way to increase your knowledge would be to go out and buy another book or attend another seminar. So chances are you invested in just a few things over the course of a year, and found a way to make sure they all applied to each other and helped you build a solid foundation for your business.

In other words, things were easier because you simply didn’t have access to enough information to cause you to go into overload mode.

The Key Is Focus

It was easier to build a business pre-Internet. Without excess information, you could really focus in on the next step, do it, and have results. Once you saw what your results were, you adjusted and tried it again from a slightly different way.

Likewise, prospects attention spans were also easier to capture. When we had a handful of television channels and everyone read the same daily newspaper, you pretty much knew where they were getting their information from. Now we have hundreds of television stations, thousands of options when you add in Internet and satellite channels, movies, DVDs etc. Newspapers are a thing of the past – your prospect could be relying on anything from radio to television, to Facebook or an online news source. People are actually more informed today then they ever have been in history. Which means to capture their attention, your work has increased tenfold.

Yet the solution isn’t trying a hundred or a thousand things. The solution is to focus even more, really narrow down to whom you are trying to reach, and do everything you can to attract attention to your business. Instead of jumping at the “latest and greatest” thing, you know instantly if your audience will be there, and use the best advice possible to make that work for you.

When you discover the next step, its important to spend all the time necessary to put it into place before you move onto the next step. If you are setting up a website, you need to focus on choosing the right  platform (WordPress) and developing the best website possible to showcase your business. Or if marketing is your weak point and you are trying to build up a referral plan, you need to focus in on creating the best program from beginning to end.

The only way to build a successful business is to follow in someone else’s footprints. They’ve done it before you and they will leave bread crumbs to help you along.

Only you can choose how you will do it. Will you constantly search and look through millions of results that pop up when you perform free searches? Or will you take the next step and work with someone who can help you get there twice as fast, and help develop your business as quickly as possible?

It Could Start With An Email

10 people. Yep, currently I’m opening up my email coaching program to 10 people. I haven’t publicly offered my email coaching program in over a year, and I don’t anticipate offering it again any time soon. With some major projects coming up in the summer/fall, it will be at least 2013 before I have any more opportunities for individual coaching.

So if you’ve always wanted a “marketing director” on your team, someone you could run ideas by, get advice from, and learn from, this is your chance. I’ve run 3 successful business over the last 20 years. I took our photography business from start up to over $250,000 in under two years.

If you are ready, now is the time. But with only 10 openings, you have to make the choice now … You can read all about it here.

Filed Under: Six Figure Photographer Tagged With: , , ,

4 Ways You’re Probably Looking At Money In The Wrong Way

by Leave a Comment

One of the biggest reasons people never start their own business, or choose to migrate from a job to solo-preneur spirit is due to lack of funds. They simply don’t THINK they have what it takes to make the change.

Yet in many cases, the money is sitting right there ready for the taking. The problem is most people focus on the wrong things instead of how to find what they need.

For instance, a person may say “I’ll start my own business after I’ve saved $10,000 to put towards it.” So they start saving.

Then a friend asks them to go skiing. So a couple hundred disappears for the day of fun.

Then the car breaks down. So they spend $500 on repairs. And maybe even determine an old car just isn’t good enough anymore. Several hundred dollars per month migrate into a new car monthly payment.

The problem is people waste time on the minor decisions of life – the things that people are faced with on a daily basis – instead of focusing on the big picture.

Small decisions make us feel productive. So they grasp whatever they can and feel good about this one simple decision.

Chances are you are already starting to see yourself in this line of thinking. I know I’ve been there a time or two myself.

Yet the only way to move forward with what is truly important to you is to really focus in on the bigger picture. If you want the life you’ve been dreaming about, you have to change what’s really holding you back. Let’s go over 4 things you can look at in slightly different ways.

Earn More

If your goal is to start a business or jump over from a full time career to a full time photography business, have you ever charted out how much money it will take?

Its easy to think about your current take home pay and try and mirror that in your sales. But that isn’t always the true necessity.

Instead, take a look at your bills as they stand today. How much do you need to survive every single month?

Then as you are working towards your goal of full time photography business, concentrate on making more money in the months preceding it to allow you to jump off into your new career. But don’t spend your new-found wealth. Just because you increase your income today by taking on overtime or getting a raise doesn’t mean you should spend it. Instead, tuck that away into a special savings account that will help you achieve your dreams.

Save More

If you try and save more on your current income, you’ll always find an excuse to avoid it. Yet if you find a way to make more, you now can continue to live your current lifestyle without having to trim back on the little things you love.

Once you see your savings building and your dreams becoming more concrete, you’ll automatically be motivated to see them through faster. This is when you can start cutting back on the “extras” in your life because you have more motivation to do so. Nothing will motivate you more than seeing your dreams get closer and closer as your savings begins to reach your goals. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Six Figure Photographer Tagged With: , ,

5 Tips For Women Building Six Figure Photography Businesses

by Leave a Comment

“One woman can change many things; many women together can change everything.”
Women for Women International

Today is the 101st anniversary of International Women’s Day, a day created to inspire women and celebrate achievements on a global level. The International Women’s Day tagline is Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures. So this post is dedicated to the thousands of girls and women that love their cameras, are passionate about photography, and want to use their passion to change the world.

According to the National Association for Women Business Owners, women own 40 percent of all privately held firms here in the US, imply more than 13 million people, and generate $1.9 trillion in sales. Yet most – 97 percent – have revenues below the million dollar mark. In other words, women create businesses to replace their “jobs” that aren’t flexible enough to allow them to do all they need to do, yet don’t have what it takes to grow them into serious money-generating businesses.

While the idea behind this post isn’t to help you create a seven figure business, creating a six figure business is more than doable, and is something you can strive for within a short period of time – two years or less. What should you put in place right now to help you grow to the six figure level?

Watch your numbers.

Do you know what your current profits are? Your ROI? Your net sales? Your cash flow? How about how much profit you make on each product and service you sell? The more you understand your numbers and watch how well your business is doing, the more you can change things as they happen to keep your business on a straight path. You don’t need an MBA in order to understand the financials. Use a great accounting system – I use Wave – which will make it easy for you to track and watch your reports. Or hire an accountant who can keep you up to date on what’s important, without having to learn the accounting details yourself. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Six Figure Photographer Tagged With: , ,
«Older Posts