Studio opening up 2 doors down from me. :(

[rub]

Came back to the studio today and saw this:

I was going to wait for sinage until I was ready for business, but I think I may have to get a move on. I might puke.
What if people think this is me? OMG.

 

[Christie Photo]

Don't let this trouble you. It's only the first of MANY such events that will come and go.

The folks who will use this "photographer" were never gonna be your customers anyway.

My advice: Just worry about what YOU'RE doing, and forget about the others. The market will take care it all.

-Pete

 

[Derrel]

Wow..two doors down...they're laughing and screaming and having a party! (MY apologies to Dolly Parton for the use of her song lyrics!)

Well, it seems like this is a very interesting sit'y-ation, huh?? It might be advantageous to your business...it would give people the opportunity to "shop" two different studios, in just minutes. Your small area of town would be "the photo district", as it were. Not all bad...not all good either...

This sounds to me like a great opportunity to start a campaign of product and brand awareness, and differentiation between "YOU" and "THEM" (those awful coat tail-ridin' bastids!!!)

Your front window had better have some GOOD-LOOKING sample photos...

 

[ekool]

See if you can review your rental agreement. Some rental agreements have a clause that say the land lords can't rent to a competing business. Just something to think about.

 

[tirediron]

Annoying, but I don't think anyone who would put quotation marks around "free" is much competition for you!

 

[MLeeK]

You are going to blow it out of the water. If that table is any indicator? You will do BEAUTIFULLY!

 

[Natalie]

I just wonder what makes the drawing "free" rather than just plain old free. Sounds a bit suspicious... I bet they sell your information to advertisers.

 

[Tee]

The table set-up screams amature. Are you going to put anything in your windows for samples? If I walked by that table and then a few doors down saw a clean storefront with elegant samples, I'm going for class. You win.

 

[tirediron]

Reading the sign on the table, "Portraits being done from 11-20 March" makes me wonder if they're just flying into town hoping to clean up on cheap sub-Wal-mart crap and blow; if that's the case it could be very good for business as people will be calling you for the do-overs. Same sort of thing happened here when a local over-did his Groupon sales and left a LOT of people without session time (and made a bunch of us quite happy).

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Sorry Rub, but why aren't you laughing your ass off?

It doesn't look like they even have a computer to layout and print "decent" signage.

Look at all the duct tape and nail holes on the front sign and the nasty table.

Screams pro, doesnt it?

 

[manaheim]

Crush them.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

That family pic siting on the right of their fold out table appears to have been taken with a Holga lens. (don't ask me how I know)

 

[tirediron]

Sorry Rub, but why aren't you laughing your ass off?

It doesn't look like they even have a computer to layout and print "decent" signage.

Look at all the duct tape and nail holes on the front sign and the nasty table.

Screams pro, doesnt it?

You mean it screams "Best Buy Pro" don't you? I missed the holes, but I'm guessing that sign has been used a LOT which makes me think that my theory of fly in, do a crap load of crappy portraits and blow one step ahead of the BBB and RCMP is probably the case.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

That family pic siting on the right of their fold out table appears to have been taken with a Holga lens. (don't ask me how I know)

It's that very very slight vignetting, isn't it?

 

[tirediron]

That family pic siting on the right of their fold out table appears to have been taken with a Holga lens. (don't ask me how I know)

Pssssssssssssst Hey Kristal... 2Wheel's opening a studio two doors down from you!