5 Ideas for a Successful Business

Episode 203- 5 ideas that will help you be a successful photographer.

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Transcript

Hey, how's it going? I'm Andy Jones, and this is episode 203 of the Photography Side Hustle Podcast.

This week, I’m going to give you 5 ideas to help you build a successful business.

These are some photographers who seem to have it all together. You hear them in podcast interviews, telling the world how they make 300k a year working 2 hours a day, 3 days a week. Then, on top of that, they take the summer months off to go to the cottage. Yes, I know it bugs me, too. 
Now, some of these unicorns are inflating the numbers for the interview, but there are a few that have mastered the photography business. So these are the skills I think you need to be a successful photographer.


1) Leverage

Successful photographers don’t do everything themselves; they have lots of spare time because they use leverage. 


Leverage could mean they are using employees to do some of the time-consuming jobs, or your website is set up to show customers your portfolio and take bookings. This is also where you have a sign-up form for your mailing list.


Many successful photographers have a second shooter on hand, so when they are sick or at the cottage, the business still makes money. 


Another way to use leverage is by using AI software to edit your photos. That will save you hours of editing time. 


And use an accountant or bookkeeper for your taxes. Don’t try to do everything yourself.


2) Work Life Balance

A good work-life balance is so important for your health, especially if this is a side hustle.


Everyone wants to be busy, but if it gets out of control, you’ll run yourself ragged. Workout how many sessions you can do a week, and don’t go over that number. You need to set aside time for your family and time for you to unwind and do non-photography stuff.
If you need to make a certain amount of money a month, but it takes too many hours of your time, you need to look at your pricing. That’s one thing all successful photographers get right: pricing. They demand a high price for their work, and that money allows them to put in fewer hours or to employ others so they have a better work-life balance. So they are using leverage to control their work-life balance.

3) Good Technical Skills

Successful photographers take high-quality photos and know how to get great results in any situation.


You need to know how your camera works and how to use it. Using AUTO Mode isn’t an option. You need to learn how to shoot in Manual Mode or Aperture Priority. Once you understand how Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO work, it’s just a case of practice.


Your success won’t happen if you can’t capture quality images in any situation. You need to use your camera as much as possible. Make mistakes and learn how to avoid making them again. 


There is always something new to learn about photography. Whatever the genre you shoot, learn everything there is to know about shooting it. Check out the different styles other photographers are shooting and figure out how they do it. I constantly try to reverse engineer other photographers' images. It’s easy to do, just zoom in on the subject's eyes, and you’ll see the light source.
Okay, next is …

4) Editing Skills


Improving your editing skills is a no-brainer. I urge you to shootin RAW, not JPEG. The only time I shot JPEGs was when I was printing at an event. But I was using Canon 1D MK4 bodies and capturing RAW and JPEG files simultaneously. If someone ordered a poster, I would use the RAW files.


This is what Adobe has to say …


“The main advantage of shooting in RAW is that you end up with high-quality files to edit into the best possible image. Capturing and storing all the details that pass through your camera’s sensors means that RAW files contain a wider dynamic range and far greater color spectrum than JPEGs.


If a RAW image is under or overexposed, the wider dynamic range makes recovery a lot easier, with greater control over sharpening. Because RAW files are lossless, unprocessed, and uncompressed, they maintain their original high quality and don’t experience any drops in resolution due to resizing.


When your camera compresses a RAW file into a JPEG image, it undergoes a lossy compression process. While the compression makes the file smaller, you will lose some of the data and detail from the photograph, and the image could appear grainy or pixelated. Because JPEGs are 8-bit, there are also color limitations compared to RAW files that can be 12 and 16-bit.”
So, instead of letting your camera edit the file and give you a JPEG, shoot in RAW and edit the image yourself. 
If you use Adobe Lightroom, it isn’t difficult to produce professional photos from RAW files. If you try it with JPEGs, the file degrades every time you edit it. 

Once you get the hang of using masks, you’ll be able to edit any image.


5) Solving Problems

Being able to communicate with your clients is crucial in any business.  Whether verbally or on your website, you need to address your customers' problems. When I say problems, think about their wants and needs.


The first time you make contact with a customer, you need to find out what problems they need solving and help them. It’s no good waffling on about your new $5000 camera body and $8000 collection of lenses. They won’t know what the heck you are talking about, and chances are they will think you’re a nutcase and look for another photographer.


Every piece of copy on your website should address the customers' problems and tell them how you can solve their problems.


So a customer's problem could be … 
They need a wedding photographer for their daughter's wedding day.  
They want a quality family portrait.
They need a professional headshot 


Take a look at other photographers' websites in your area and see if they are addressing customers’ needs and wants. If they are spouting on about their equipment, or their favorite color is pink, you have an opportunity to out-market them by solving problems.
Great communicators listen, identify problems, and keep the conversation fixed on the problems and how you can solve them. 


Right, that’s it for this episode. I hope you enjoyed it.


I’ll be back soon with more photography waffle. Talk to you soon, bye.