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How To Keep Your Part Time Photographer Business Moving Forward While You Still Have A Day Job

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Do you have a day job to pay the rent – and spend your evenings and weekends doing what you love, hoping one day to turn it into something more? Yep, that describes probably the majority of photographers out there at some point in their careers.

That’s where we started. It can be really tough though to keep up your stamina and your spirits when you’re working long hours at the office, only to come home and start it all over again with more work piled up in front of you. Especially when the tiny details seem to get the better of you. Its easy to ask “is this all there is?” as you begin to look for the day when you can enjoy your life too – not just work seven days of the week.

Yep, we have been there. And I’m so grateful we stuck out the odds and made it into the business we have today. Here are a few things that helped us. Make sure you have them in your own life too.

Write Down Your Goals – With Dates

Writing down your goals is probably on every small business website and information guide you’ve ever written. And while the advice may get old, the concept shouldn’t. Its there because it works. Yet if you have a goal list in front of you, have you added dates to it as well?

Rather than having a vague idea of what the future holds, put it to the test. A goal of “I’ll quit my full time job by December 31st of this year” is a lot more motivational than “I’ll quit my job someday”.

Putting a date to things creates a sense of urgency. It allows you to think beyond the basics and find ways to get things done. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Start A Photo Business Tagged With: , , , ,

Will Generation C Love Your Photography?

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What if you could find a group of people that loved what you do? And they had the perfect group of friends who were just like them, loved hearing recommendations, and valued their opinions enough to use the same companies they talked about?

Sounds like a perfect group of people to target with your marketing, right?

Welcome to Generation C. Generation C is a group of Americans who are between 18 and 34, consume media, socialize and share experiences through technology devices more than any other age group. Oh, and they are leaning heavily towards being more female.

The C stands for connection. They love new devices and new experiences like no other group before them. And because they are highly connected to their devices, it offers you both a challenge and an opportunity to market to them.

Want a simple way to combine photography with technology? Head over to Google and do a search for iPad wedding albums. I’m already finding many photographers who are combining the two together and delivering their clients a dynamic presentation.

Not only can you put your wedding album onto the iPad, you can customize the iPad too. Try a skin – I love what Nordica Photography has done.

Or look for a iPad album. Here is a great option from Allister Freeman Photography.

If you haven’t thought about putting technology into your business plan, sit down today and do it. There is a lot of potential, especially if you are one of the first to put something into place within your area.

Let me know if you have any more ideas – I’d love to see what you are doing.

Filed Under: Future Trending Tagged With: , , , , ,

5 Things A Small Business Owner Should Never Skimp On

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If you are just starting out as a small business owner, or are trying to move from part time to six figure level, chances are “shoestring budget” is something you live by. You might not have a regular paycheck coming in, low or no income stream, and are probably taking on debt to help you achieve your dreams. In short, you are cash poor.

So the most logical step to take is to try and do everything on a shoestring budget.

Marketing – what’s that?

Advertising – that’s why Facebook and Twitter is great, they are free.

Business cards – why buy them when you can print them on your home printer?

Part of living on a shoestring budget means doing everything at the lowest cost possible. But if you live your entire life like that, you may be putting your business at risk. There are some things that you just shouldn’t skimp on. It shows.

Your Image

When a prospective client meets you for the first time, what do they think? People form opinions within the first few seconds of meeting; make sure those seconds count. Even if you can’t afford an entire wardrobe from Bloomingdales, you should still invest in one great outfit to meet people in. Head to your local consignment store and talk with the staff. Ask them to make recommendations about looking your best. Make sure everything fits the correct way. And pay attention to your shoes; holes, scuff marks and worn down heels say a lot.

Try to look like your customers. If you are targeting business people who usually meet you in business suits, follow their example and show up in a suit. If you work with Internet companies and start up business owners who show up in jeans and a t-shirt, dress down a bit and show up in something suitable. Never look like you’ve spent the last 24 hours in front of the computer.

The Customer Experience

Meeting a potential customer for the first time puts you on display. At all other times, its your company that is on display. Everything you do that relates to the customer should create a “WOW” experience and make them feel like a million bucks. If you are not fully vested in making your business shine and stand out, a prospect may not feel like investing in what you have to offer.

Look at what you have to offer through the eyes of your customer. Would you buy something? Are the marketing materials top notch – or are they thrown together? Is the website custom designed – or put together by amateurs? Do you use top quality albums, frames, materials, etc – or do you use your local discount store? It all matters at this stage of the game. The more thought and time you put into creating a dynamic experience for your customers, the more it will show in top quality referrals, and life long clients.

Your Website

Having a great website no longer equates to spending a ton of money. If you are even just a bit tech savvy, you can do the design yourself with WordPress.

Dig Deeper: The 10 Advantages Of WordPress For Designing Your Photography Site

Move Your Photography Business To The Six Figure LevelThere are really only two things that will provide you with a website you can be proud of.

1. Having a site that looks professional.

2. Having a site that allows you to create content.

Websites today are meant to be a window to the online world. They connect you up with various social sites and allow you to connect with your customer base on many different levels. If you still think a 5 page website will cut it, think again. The more you put into it, the more you will receive. [Read more…]

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What 10 Things Will Change Your Photography Business?

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Have you ever found yourself saying, “I really need to do this” or “I need to make this change”. Then months go by and you realize you never had the time to do those few little things.

I think we’ve all done that over and over again. If something isn’t absolutely necessary, if it isn’t something that needs to be done for your business to succeed, it seems to be put onto the back burner indefinitely.

Yet if you sit down and take a look at all the little things you wish you had time to do, you might be surprised at how they cumulatively could change your business.

That’s what we’ve done here the last couple of weeks. We sat down and made up a list of the little things for each facet of our business. And now we’re finding it’s a great roadmap to get 2012 started with a bang. Want to do it to? Here’s how.

Write it down

The problem with doing the little things is you always put them off, hold them in the back of your mind, and never add them to your to-do list because bigger things are always more prevalent. If you have to get out an order for a client, are you really going to put “change  out About Us page on website” in front of it?

In order to get the little things done, you have to know what the little things are. And how they will impact your business. Let me share with you one of our examples.

We’ve created a “10 things to do” list for several different areas of our business, one of them being our VirtualPhotographyStudio website. We still love the look and feel of our Virtual site, yet there are small things we’ve talked about changing for months. So we sat down and created our top “10 things to do” list for Virtual. Some of the things we’ve included are: [Read more…]

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7 Things That Should Be On Your Not-To-Do List

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I love to-do lists. I don’t scratch them out on sticky notes and throw them away at the end of the day. Instead I keep a spiral notebook and write down every detail, checking things off when they are complete. It’s a nice way to keep a record of where you’ve been. And you can also go back and refer to notes if you have questions in the weeks and months ahead.

And while I’m a firm believer in creating written to-do lists, I also have started keeping a not-to-do list.

I heard about this concept a while back, and have really come to appreciate what it does for your productivity. The idea is to eliminate the activities that are costing you a ton of time during your workday, yet really aren’t providing you with any reward. Yep, they’re basically the time wasters.

The easiest way to find your time wasters is to sit down with your monthly to-do lists, your monthly calendars, and any other tools you use to track your time during work hours. Where did the biggest chunks of time go? Were they productive?

While every business owner is going to have their own areas of concern, there are several areas that seem to affect small businesses in general. Take a look at this list and see if you can see yourself in any of them. I’ve set them up to be in not-to-do list form.

1. Do not answer unexpected phone calls.

The world runs by caller id. When the phone rings, if it doesn’t ring with its own unique ringtone, you glance down to see who it is. Then its decision time.

If it’s during normal work hours and it may be a potential customer, answer it. But if you’re in the middle of a project, talking with a client/friend/co-worker, or its after hours, let it go to voice mail. Have a great message that will provide the caller with the appropriate information. And consider getting a better phone system that can allow you to do different things with the message, such as send you a copy to your email so you can read it at your convenience.

Dig Deeper: Google Voice – an Amazing Tool For Virtual Photographers

2. Do not leave your email program open and check it all day long.

One of the biggest distractions outside of the phone is your email. That little “ding” when an incoming message appears can throw you completely off track and quickly scrambles your priorities. Every email has the potential to delay what you are currently working on by minutes, hours or even sometimes days. Instead, set up two or three times per day to check in and see what needs your attention. I usually spend my first hour or so working on my own project and check email when I’ve accomplished my first set of to-do’s. Then I check in when I’m back from lunch, and again before I shut down for the day. If I’m expecting something important I may check in more frequently. Otherwise three times per day is more than enough. Just because you have access to it with your phone, iPad or other portable device doesn’t mean you have to do it. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Production Tagged With: , , , , ,

1,000 Ways To Say No … or Should It Be Yes?

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“Would you like to co-chair this committee with me?”

“Can you work the school auction?”

“Why don’t you plan the family reunion, you’re so good at it.”

Are you the type of person that people come to when they need something?

Is it because you do the best job? Is it because you’re reliable?

Or is it because they know you won’t say no?

Yep, I’ve fallen into that trap many times myself. Its easy to do when you love to help out when you can, and you’re committed to a cause. Whether its being a part of your children’s schooling, being a part of a family, or even being in business, its hard to say no when you feel a sense of community.

But saying no isn’t a bad thing; it’s the perception we feel it puts on our shoulders that we’re afraid of.

“Will they think less of me if I say no?”

“Will I miss out on hidden opportunities if I say no?”

All kinds of things run through your mind.

In truth, saying no isn’t a bad thing. In fact it can be beneficial.

Consider the cost of missed opportunities

If you say yes to something you’re heart isn’t into, and you would rather not do, you may find yourself having to turn down other things that would have more benefit. Especially if you’ve signed up for a long term project.

Planning an event or sitting on a committee takes time. You’ll spend hours working on the outcome, and even more hours driving to/from and attending meetings. What if a new project comes along for your business and you can’t accept because you don’t have the time?

Always ask yourself if you are using your time as wisely as possible.

Look at the alternatives

When someone approaches you with a new idea, don’t answer “yes” right away. Even if you like the idea, ask if you can respond in a day or two with your final answer. Then look at it subjectively over the course of the next day or two. Do a little research to find out how much time this project will truly take. Ask people that have been in the position before how much time they truly spent on the project. Also consider what you could do if you don’t commit to this project. Make your decision based on what you feel is the best thing for you at the moment. [Read more…]

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1 Simple Rule To Making Money Over Night

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It’s easy to make money.

It’s easy to start up a business from scratch and have it make a full time income your first month.

It’s easy to become a millionaire.

Yep, you can hear and read statements like that everywhere. And it always seems like when times are bad and things are at their worst, those “promises” turn up more regularly than ever.

But if they are true, why don’t we see more people jumping into their own businesses and becoming profitable “overnight”? Why don’t we read about the millionaires instead of the people hard on their luck?

The problem with most of these promises is they are simply not true.

Yes it may be easy to make money – if you have a great job, have a solid business in place, and have products and services people are willing to buy.

Yes it may be easy to start up a business and have it make money the first month – if you understand what it takes to make that happen.

And yes, it may be easy to make a million dollars – but only if you know what it takes to make a million dollars.

There may be the case studies and the examples of people that have “been there, done that”. But for most of us, that isn’t reality. And the only way it will truly happen is if we follow the one simple rule needed to make money … [Read more…]

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How Can You Turn Your Passion Into A Photography Business?

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What if you grew up loving something and being very passionate about it, and always wondered if you could turn it into a business and a career. Can you really turn “anything” into a lucrative business model?

I think that’s one of the exciting things about small business, and what the Internet has done for us as a society.

Small businesses can be started from scratch, immediately, and you’ll know within weeks if it has potential. Add in the Internet where you can reach millions of people with just a few clicks of the mouse, and you’ll be able to define your target market, and whether or not you’re truly onto a unique idea.

This week I found a great video from a photographer who makes her living photographing “secret” places. She’s invited into some amazing sites, and has created photographs that will haunt you and inspire you. In her presentation, she makes one key point that to me relates directly back to turning your passion into a business. She says she spends more time contacting and connecting with people to allow her to photograph in the places she loves then she does actually photographing. That’s the key.

You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to make your business ideas a reality. If you want to sell something big, it may take weeks or even months getting the idea into place. You can’t get discouraged. And you have to knock on as many doors as it takes to make it a reality.

Filed Under: Start A Photo Business Tagged With: , , , , ,

Are You Taking Care Of Your Number One Client?

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Who is your number one client?

Is it the person that has purchased your biggest package this year?

Is it the person that has spent the most with you overall throughout your business life?

Or is it the person that has referred the most clients to you over the years?

While you can argue that they all have the potential of being your number one client, one thing is for sure. You probably treat each of them extra special, spend a little more time with them, spend a little more time on their production work, and maybe even send a gift or two along the way.

Dig Deeper: How To Be Unique

Now let me ask you another question.

What if you spent the same amount of time, care and dedication on your own business, and treated it like it was by far your number one client? What would happen?

Something interesting happens when you start looking at your own business through different eyes. Yes, it’s important to spend time on clients, especially the great ones, and dedicate your energy towards them. But if your energy is gone at the end of the day, and you consistently think, “I’ll create my plan, my goals, or review my direction tomorrow” because you’re too tired, when will it truly happen? [Read more…]

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18 Easy Ways To Fine Tune Your Photography Business

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Once you get your photography business up and running, and a few clients start coming through your doors, the business side becomes easier. As you long as you provide great customer service, and market in the same way over and over again, the business seems to run itself.

While this is great and allows you to focus in on what you love – photographing – it can also be harmful to the future of your business. Business “happens” at that point instead of evolves based on what you love. And if you end up working with clients and project you don’t like, you can slowly see the fun drain from your life.

That’s one of the best reasons to own your own business. Instead of letting this happen, take a step back once in awhile and reevaluate your business. Every business needs a bit of maintenance and fine-tuning along the way to keep things running smoothly, and to keep the passion in what you do.

Here are 18 ways you can quickly fine-tune your business.

1. Raise your rates to match your experience. The more experience you have, the more you can charge. Don’t be afraid to raise your rates, especially your hourly and ala carte pricing.

2. Evaluate your packages. If you love or hate parts of your current packages, change them. Make sure your packages give you what you want in sales, and keep the customers happy by providing what they request the most.

3. Focus on a niche. If you’ve started out a generalist, what do you love the most? Find ways to bring in more clients doing what you love. If you focus on it, it will come a lot easier.

4. Look at your financial reports. Whether you choose to keep the books yourself with a program like Wave Accounting, or hire an accountant and bookkeeper, spend some time every few weeks looking at your financial reports. Look at your total sales, accounts receivables, and how much cash you have on hand. The only way to grow in the future is to know where you are coming from.

5. Find a mentor or two. One of our greatest assets when we first started our wedding business was finding several other wedding photographers to mentor with. We met monthly to talk about the business, marketing, strategies, and anything else that came up. We could never have done all we did without the mentorship and friendship that came from that community. [Read more…]

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