A few of these things may or may not have happened since my last writing, I will leave it up to you to decide!
- I had a baby!
- I ran away with the circus.
- I moved, twice.
- I got into a car accident, and survived!
- I battled an Alaskan bear!
- I saved a family from a burning house along with their pet cat and dog!!
- I got a new camera.
- I had to swim back from the Arctic because I ran out of cash, but boy are my arms... frozen.
- I broke a lens and bought a replacement. Broke that and now on my 2nd replacement.
Well, you get the point, I was out there and living life. I was also keeping busy fulfilling Nashville with as much as my photographer services as I could!
Running your photography business is fun, exciting but also a tad bit stressful. So for all those photographers out there starting out or fighting the good fight, keep it up! People look up to you, regardless if you know it or not.
In Nashville, photography seems to be a hot subject. And rightfully so! There is all kinds of needs for it. You have the musician, the model, the actor, the professional. You have the southern weddings, the amazing sunsets, the great outdoors and of course families! Lots of people move to Nashville to raise their family or start one out, like myself!
Another popular thing out in Nashville is that people are highly ambitious and start their own business. The good thing about starting a business out here in Nashville is that there is a lot of respect for locally owned business as well as a huge support for small/local business.
As much as I am a supporter of both the locally owned businesses and the arts that thrive in Nashville, I can also see how it can get stressful. I have seen some things throughout my social networking and a few topics and/or sources of stress seem to be reoccurring in the photography field. I thought I'd share a few tips and point of views to help those stressed out!
1. Cancelations!!!
Grrrh!!! As a photographer, this SUCKS. I am sure other businesses out there that depend on the client keeping their word that can agree with this statement. Even businesses that sell a product and the client wants to return it, IT SUCKS. But it happens. There are a few ways to handle this:
i. Reservation fees which are NON-REFUNDABLE. This at least helps take the edge off the cancelation should it happen. It's also smart because during the time of the booking and the cancellation you might get more clients wanting that specific date, it's happened to me. And you lose potential clients as well as the initial client. The reservation fee, aka retainer fee, aka booking fee is a life saver. I personally mark it at 25% of the over all cost. You can do what ever makes you feel comfortable.
ii. Ask them to keep you in mind for any other needs should you feel like there is a possibility for such.
iii. Figure out how they found out about you and do more promotion in that area. It pulled the interest of one person, it is fully capable of pulling the interest of more people.
iiii. If it's a return, salvage the sale and make a clearance sale! Sure you won't get as much as you should have but you will get something for it and trust me, you can get repeat business from clearance items!
2. Requests to break a part of a contract.
Now, this hasn't really happened to me but I see it. I see it a lot and it's enough to annoy even me. Just on the sole reason that it's not handled correctly and really, HOW DO YOU HANDLE IT?
Fast answer, NO. Don't do it.
Long answer: You don't want to break your rules once. If you do it once, it's easy to keep on doing it. That is the purpose of the contract, to protect you. If you allow breakage of your contract with the wrong client you might be digging your own grave.
I know, I know, 'But what about those awesome clients?' No. Just don't do it.
Ways around having to say no? Ask the client to REALLY read the contract. Have them ask ANY questions about it. Ask them if there is anything they would like to add and if it's agreeable, add it. If it's not agreeable find a compromise that can be agreed on. That way before it's signed both parties are signing a contract they are okay with signing and chances of them wanting to break it are slim to none.
It's true, not every client is the same so not every contract should ALWAYS be. This is my opinion and it's helped me from telling someone NO when you really want to say YES. My client is always fully aware of what to expect from me and me from them.
A side note, anyone wondering if mom, sister, dad who is paying for it, husband etc... should also sign it, well in my opinion is any one paying any amount of money for your service should. If the clients have family members whom they want to have a say in the product or service should. If you are a photographer and the bride ONLY wants her and the groom on the contract, that's fine. Let them know that you will only deal with them and that no one is to contact you about the service and terms.
If not, you are opening the door to a potential full on nightmare.
3. Competitors!!
There are VERY few areas or fields where competitors are scarce or nonexistent. I do know the bigger the city that you live in, the bigger the competition. Competition not only is a threat to you losing business but they can actually be really amazing at what they do as to discourage you from even being in business. Competitors might even cause you question your style or how you operate. This can be highly stressful!
First off, make friends with them and actually look at their work, service or product. You might find they are good people, they might be willing to work with you or send you business. They might offer something you don't and vice versa. And most of all, I found this to be true, is that you might even find how unique you are.
Another factor to consider is there is no way that you can never get business. There are clients out there that want YOUR service. There is no shortage of business and getting to know your competitor might even help you find different ways of getting business.
I can't tell you how great it is to have friends in the industry that you are in! Because I do have friends in my industry, I was able to salvage some work I had booked but couldn't uphold due to being sick and on bed rest for 3 months due to pregnancy. Otherwise, not only would I have screwed myself I would have screwed my friend who got me hired let alone the people who hired me!
Make friends and get to know your competitors, you will feel much better about it and way less stressed.
Also, don't let your competitors prices discourage you. Charge what you are worth, they will do the same. If you think that their prices are a good idea, then charge a similar rate, if you don't then keep charging what you want to charge. Simple as that.
4. NOT GETTING AS MUCH BUSINESS AS YOU'D LIKE
YIKES!
This is probably one of the most stressful parts about being in business for yourself!
Here are a few tips that can and should help get the flows going:
i. Flyers. Make some! No matter how cheap or low quality they are, make some! Make sure they speak to your clientele and give a way to contact you. Even if you have a white piece of paper that says 'PICTURES! Contact me at 555-5555! That's better than nothing!
ii. PASS THEM OUT!
iii. Contact your past clients to see if they need any more of your services or products or if they know of any one that might! If you want to sweeten the deal, offer a commission.
iiii. Go to social gatherings or places where being social is the order of the day like a coffee shop and strike up conversations that lead to your business. Yes, you have to be bold and willing to meet strangers but those strangers are potential clients and potential clients are strangers. So, getting over this might be easier said than done, but it's vital if you want the work!
iiiii. USE SOCIAL NETWORKING! It's so easy! Once you get going you can't stop! Find people that have businesses or services that have things in common with your business. Cross promote if possible. Example, wedding photographers, find other wedding vendors. If you are a personal trainer, find vendors that sell workout clothes. Think outside the box! If you refer them, they are totally willing to refer you!
I hope these tips work in getting rid of some unnecessary stress!! It's helped me and as always, if you have questions, feel free to ask!
