articles/Business/Suc-pho-bus-page1
Published 01/06/2015
By Catherine Connor
Creating a successful photography business does not require magic skills, however, your business will require your head and your heart to work in harmony and equal measures. At times your heart will run your head, and other times your head will run your heart. We run emotive businesses, as photography is all about capturing the emotion within every image. The trick to your success will be to give your head and heart the permission to equally contribute to the business, and making sure they do contribute is a responsibility you guard. Your head needs to run the business, to ensure you receive the business you deserve. Creating your intentional business is all about making sure you earn a decent living and ensuring the business sweats hard to earn your wages. So many fall into a photography business due to a sheer passion for photography, not necessarily for being in business. Be in your business; be very visual and present within the business. Guard every aspect of the business, your head has a great deal to manage and monitor; ensure you evaluate the business monthly. You will hear through lectures at the Societies' Convention and within the Business School, my references to an 'Intentional Business'.
What do I mean by intentional? Create, decide and commit to an intention of the day, and intentions for the month, as business owners these will become very significant to you, as they will aid the development of your business. Your intentional business has to mould five key headers each week that include your finances, customer service, sales, marketing, and finally your love for photography. All of these headers have to be evaluated and monitored; none can be neglected as they all have an important role to play. Your head needs thinking space, valuable time to ponder all of the elements. Give your business quality time; you can't rush your success. You will not witness your overall success in business, you will witness a steady growth. In my experience success will not unfold over night, and the development of your business needs your head. Switch on to what matters to the business each day; this should be your guide, and use these wise and experienced words to guide you well. We all have to be realistic and practical even though this may sound dull and un-sexy. The fairy dust in the business will come from the creative spirit in your heart. Your heart needs to maintain your imagination and inspire current clients as well as budding future clients.
I passionately believe in the importance of a creative spirit within a business, it's the core of who we all are and it divides us from the consumer and what they achieve themselves, with their Smartphones. Our creative spirit moulds us as photographers and you must feed the spirit, as the spirit feeds you. Professional photographers come in all shapes and sizes and the one thing that connects us all is our ability to be creative, all of which is triggered from the heart. Over the years I have mentored many photographers; we connect frequently through webinars, seminars or the SWPP Business School and if I were a guest on Mastermind 'The Professional Photographer' would be my specialist subject, as I know you so well. Experience has taught me so much, and the lessons are often learnt from the experience of others. Photographers will tell you one of their biggest mistakes has been to neglect their heart for photography. As soon as it becomes all about the head and the business stuff, the heart and passion for photography along with your spirit suffers greatly.
Not many people understand how we tick and we tick in a very special way. We need inspiration, we need creative time, we need nurturing and it's essential to helm the business from our hearts. I love Aspire Photography Training and I devote my time to training, mentoring or simply nurturing others, when I do so, I do with the equal measures of head and heart. My head keeps me out of mischief and my heart ensures I remain relevant. We all have to remain relevant to those we serve and to remain relevant requires knowledge, ideas, inspiration and suggestions. Feed these four words through your heart; steal this concept and you will remain visual within the marketplace and attractive to your clients. Being successful in business is never down to only one method, it's down to a synergy and my belief is your synergy and recipe for success could be simply down to a nice mixture of using your head to be wise and your heart to be creative.
Wishing you all well, with a motive to see you with pad and pencil ready at the SWPP Business School.
There are 42 days to get ready for The Society of Photographers Convention and Trade Show at The Novotel London West, Hammersmith ...
which starts on Wednesday 15th January 2025