When I made the transition out of the classroom and into running my photography business full time, I thought I was prepared for what was to come. As it turns out, I was completely wrong. Now just to clarify, I was certainly prepared for the nuts and bolts of this career shift. I had spent the years prior working nights, weekends, and holidays in my business but there was so much more that I wasn’t prepared for! So I started to take note of all of the things that I had to tackle, rework, and overcome and I decided that the best thing I could do is to share them with people who I might be able to help in some small way! I miss being able to share my heart with those who need it – it’s been the worst part of leaving my life as a full time teacher. It’s out of this desire to motivate, educate, and help people, that this new blog series for photographers was created; and honestly if it reaches just one person who needs it, I will be happy! So get ready for a mix of business, photography, and personal posts coming your way. I will also be pulling questions that I commonly get through mentoring sessions and sharing my insights and answers to those as well! My intention with this blog series is to be as candid and open as possible, and to serve people no matter how scary it may be for me to share my failures, successes, and thoughts!
To kick off this new series, I want to lay out five solid pieces of advice I would give myself if I had a time machine and could travel back to the day I decided to take the leap and chase this crazy dream of mine!
This is probably the easiest thing to do, even though I was racked with fear to actually do it! It has made the biggest impact on my business and personal life and it all boils down to one word – COMMUNITY. Pretty much anyone who knows me knows that I am constantly talking about the Rising Tide Society and it’s impact on me, but honestly I don’t care what community you join…just trust me, you NEED one. A group of people who understand you and what you are going through. It’s a truly immeasurable gift to have a support system like that. After several failed attempts to find someone that I could have some sort of business camaraderie with, I resigned myself to keeping my head down and keeping to myself. Then finally I connected with an old acquaintance who had started a photography business and she replied with an open and welcoming attitude – guys, I honestly cried tears of gratitude that I wouldn’t have to go it completely alone… and I want you to find that person!
I would so encourage you to put yourself out there and make connections until you find what clicks for you! It’s like online dating but for a business soulmate! Through my newfound boss-lady-bestie I joined one community, which led me to a conference, which led me to new friends, and ultimately to the Rising Tide Society. Now I have the opportunity to serve my community as a leader for one of their monthly meet up chapters in North Dallas, and I feel so at home within this community of creative entrepreneurs and business owners who operate under their philosophy and mindset of “community over competition”. Everyone flourishes under different conditions, but this one was right for me. So what community speaks to you? I would challenge you today to look into at least one local group you can join to start finding your community! If you need a place to start, check out your local Tuesday’s Together group here or just go on Facebook and join one of the many groups geared toward building a community and see which one feels the most like home to you! Don’t be shy, be brave and have the courage to jump in and introduce yourself!
Another route to take is to find a mentor! This is great if you are looking for a more personal approach to community building. So how do you go about finding a mentor? If you already know someone in the industry that you’re looking to break into, reach out to them. Just send them a short email letting them know you admire their work and would love to learn how they got where they are. Some experienced photographers offer in depth business mentoring sessions that you can invest in, or if you aren’t quite there yet maybe ask if you could buy them coffee and chat for a few minutes. If you don’t know anyone in your industry start googling and asking around! Reach out and tell them who you are, what you’re trying to do, and that you’d like to take just a few minutes of their time to meet in person and get a coffee or glass of wine. Don’t be afraid to fail! The worst that can happen is someone doesn’t respond or they might not have time, in which case you ask the next person! Good luck!
Seriously, stop. I have definitely struggled with the concept of “different is good” in my life. I grew up in a place where most people had so much in common, and there I was as different as could be! I could go on and on about the way it felt to look different, think different, and struggle with the urge to blend in. All of this is to say, there is no reason that comparing yourself to anyone else is beneficial for you or your business. When I have a mentoring session with someone who says “I want my work to look just like your work” I tell them that is such a high compliment but it will never happen because we are two uniquely made people and the best thing to do is appreciate one another’s unique perspectives while creating our own! Now, don’t get me wrong- learn from people. Draw inspiration from them. Just don’t let their success make you feel less than what you are, and certainly don’t lose your voice trying to blend in with theirs.
Research the best of the best in your industry, but also research the ones who operate under the philosophies that you believe in. I have such respect for photographers who run their businesses differently than I do, and certainly listen to different perspectives on why things work for them, but at the end of the day I run my business in the best way that works for me and that allows me to serve my clients in the best way I can. I personally start most of my decisions using the perspective of what I would want as a client, and that enables me to be confident that I am doing things with the best intentions of my clients at heart. With that in mind, I now only attend conferences and workshops run by educators who generally approach business in the same way. If you don’t know where to start, reach out in your new community and ask around; “who is an educator that you respect and learn the most from?” I’m sure you will get so many suggestions!
It’s so funny to me that four years into my business and other people still sometimes have the ability to make me doubt or question myself. One of my biggest struggles that I faced when I started my business years ago was the response of others in my industry. The initial feedback that I received once I officially launched my business was jarring, with people who I had looked up to responding territorially and with hostility or just ignoring me all together, even when I would reach out to grab a cup of coffee and chat! I was terrified that my entire career would be this way. A people-pleaser to the core, I thought there was no way my business or my self-worth would survive! I have learned that to let the opinions or the sheer fear of judgment from one or two individuals is not a substantial reason to hide and shy away from being yourself! In addition, (see number 1 above) I toughened up a little, and kept at it until I found my community which strengthened me beyond belief!
I can and will dedicate an entire post about the best organizational tools I have found in the past few years, but until then I have a few general tips that you can start applying today!
First- get a planner. Not your phone calendar. I mean an actual pen-to-paper planner. And use it to plan as far ahead as possible. Put everything in it- business, personal, family events, etc. Keeping things in multiple places only creates confusion and a higher risk of missing something or double booking yourself.
Get an accountant or bookkeeper if you struggle with finances- trust me, once you need to get into taxes you will be thankful for them.
Create checklists for EVERYTHING. Make copies, or simply laminate them and hang them on your wall! The last thing you want to do is show up to a shoot/consultation/wedding and realize you left a critical item at home!
And lastly (and I will certainly be writing an in depth post about this one later on) make sure you have a solid back up system in place for all of your work! There is a reason there are so much cliches about technology failing us! Don’t let a corrupted hard drive put your business at risk!
I hope these little tips help you on your journey and I hope you will join me next time as I continue to share some of the ups and downs of this photography life!
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