Pushing your business

[12sndsgood]

For those of you who have been doing this for awhile. When you first started out how hard did you push your business and advertisement? Wife works at a credit union, they have a large building with a banquet facility deal where they do weddings, events, etc. She can get the lady that runs it to put my information down for people who come in which seems like a good chance of work. I personally have been slowly working my way into being in business. I had never owned my own business before so it is a lot of learning along with still trying to improve on my photography. I have done 3 weddings now where 1 was a friend, another was helping out a buddy and the third was a small wedding at the couples house that I felt at the time I could handle. I was able to do decent at all 3 but running the show I felt kept me from being as creative as I want to be for a client. If you haven't read my other post a few days ago I was just hired on this week to sub contract as a second photographer this year so I will be doing around 10-30 wedddings depending on schedules etc. So If i'm put on this list for weddings that could be going next year I could be at a point of a few dozen weddings under my belt before I took on a new wedding client.

I am also not working other then photography, so between picking up all these weddings second shooting and (fingers crossed) my business keeps increasing I'm hoping I can squeak by not having to go back to another job. or at worst maybe just a part time job during the week. So I am kind of at war with myself between taking things slow and steady and whether I should be out pounding the pavement more and giving this lady my info to be on there list. I mean if I'm on there list that just means people will look me up, it doesn't mean I have to take a wedding over my head, and as mentioned they would likely be looking at the venue for the following year which by then I'd have experience. Hopefully my ramblings made halfway decent sense.

 

[KmH]

[h=2]Pushing your business[/h]

No one else is going to do it for you.

But, if you don't have a plan, a well researched, written business and marketing plan, you're likely going to waste a lot of time and effort needlessly.

So, yes. Pound the pavement. Give the lady your info and get on the list.

 

[tirediron]

If there's an opportunity to get your name out there, DO IT! I ALWAYS have a stack of cards in my wallet, and if anyone asks for my 'phone number, I give them a card. Doesn't matter if it's photography-related or not. As a rough guide, if you're shooting time is equal to, or greater than the amount of time you're putting into the business side of things, you're doing it wrong. Figure that for every hour you spend behind the camera, you should be spending at least 90 minutes on business; accounts, advertising, social-media, etc, etc...

 

[12sndsgood]

Thanks guys, I think I still just have that fear in my mind of getting in to far to fast. I think I have just been a bit surprised at how much work I have been getting, It's still peanuts compared to what I used to make but it has been better then I planned for. I kept telling my wife that once winter comes I probably wouldn't have any work till spring just being so new and still working on building up a customer base but I have still had things coming in here and there. So far with the majority of my work I have been happy with, and the work that I didn't feel was my best was still loved by my clients. Just want to be sure that I slowly build things versus trying to rush and get in over my head. Your talking to a generally shy quiet person so pushing myself to do this was a major move in my life and even though I have loved it, I just think I have that little nagging voice in the back of my head that holds me back some and I need to push thru it. I think this week I'll work on a plan to send to my wife's work.

 

[12sndsgood]

If there's an opportunity to get your name out there, DO IT! I ALWAYS have a stack of cards in my wallet, and if anyone asks for my 'phone number, I give them a card. Doesn't matter if it's photography-related or not. As a rough guide, if you're shooting time is equal to, or greater than the amount of time you're putting into the business side of things, you're doing it wrong. Figure that for every hour you spend behind the camera, you should be spending at least 90 minutes on business; accounts, advertising, social-media, etc, etc...

I haven't done a great job of tracking my time, since I am out of work and home everyday I have time to network and post things up and study so I am defiantly putting in way more hours in the office side of things, but my options are doing that or playing xbox or something. and I'd rather work on the business most of the time then play around. One of my big goals for this year is to start tracking more where every dime goes and where my time is so I can track it better.