I’ve been officially “in business” (meaning I got my legal ducks in a row and launched a website) for just under a year. It has been a fascinating process. I read this article today, and it really rang true for me. I wanted to share some of the points from it and give my perspective.
“You don’t have to go into business just because people tell you you should! And you don’t have to be full time and making an executive income to be successful. If you decide you want to be in business, set your limits before you begin.”
Agreed. Shocker alert: I never wanted this to be a full-time gig. My full-time gig is being a mom to Matthew, and that’s by choice. Dallas (my husband) and I talked as this was all getting started, and he had no expectation of me being booked up to my ears, either. (Let me tell you how relieved I was after that conversation! Whew!) We’re thankful for the part-time income that can help our family. Once our kids are in school or even all in preschool, we might consider it. Photography has been a blessing for me because it has been a creative outlet and it gets me a chance to work with children. Those were two things that I had on a daily basis as a teacher and loved.
If anything, starting this business part-time is a huge blessing because it is providing me with the time to do so many of those business things that other photographers push to the wayside because they only have time to take pictures and edit.
“Say no. Say it often. It may be difficult, but you owe it to yourself and your clients. Turn down jobs that don’t fit you, say no to overbooking yourself. You are no good to anyone when you’re stressed and anxious.”
I don’t know about saying no often, but I have said no. It almost seems silly to some people– why would I turn down jobs if I’m not fully booked (see above)? The reason is that they aren’t my style and they don’t fit my vision. They aren’t how I want to build my business. Head shots really don’t compel me. I’m a major (MAJOR) romantic at heart, but I doubt that I’ll ever consider really getting into wedding photography, either. It’s too far out of my comfort zone. Boudoir… well, no one has asked, but let’s just not go there! (Speaking of, did you know that’s a booming market right now???) I am entirely too modest to be comfortable shooting in that kind of situation. There are people who do all of those things and they are amazingly talented. I just know that that is not my skill-set or the type of client that I am trying to attract. Right now, maternity, newborns, and children just click the most with me.
“Never compare your journey with someone else’s. It’s a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never “arrive.” No one ever does.”
This also goes back to the first point, and I’ll be honest that it’s one I struggle with sometimes. I see photographers who’ve only been around a year or two, and they have amazing, flourishing businesses. I mean blogging-every-day-about-two-new-clients kind of busy. What I have to remind myself is that’s not my goal right now. It’s ok.
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Who knows where ECP will be in 6 months, 1 year, or even 2 years? Not me. In the meantime, I hope to get repeat clients (got one of those calls yesterday!) and to also meet new friendly faces in the months to come. I’m savoring some of the down time, as it gives me a chance to think… about my business cards (just redid those), my branding (been slowly tweaking it), my website design (a big change will be coming sometime if I can get all the pieces in order!), and my style. Slow and steady suits me best so I can do things the right way.
Because every post is better with a picture or two, here’s Matthew playing at the park today since we had crazy 60 degree weather. 🙂
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