Notes from my business mentor

So I've obtained a business mentor, like I've mentioned before.  

I thought I'd note out some of the things we talked about to see if is any help to you.

Marketing

• Turn one meeting in to two, at initial meeting talk about projects underway (don’t talk about sending a link to the finished product)
• Send thank you for the meeting email and include link to projects talked about.
• Third contact to get their thoughts on the videos.
• Fourth contact "I’ve been thinking about your business and thought you might interest you (example of something I’ve done if possible).  

At the first meeting ask them questions - “I’m interested in your business can I come and talk to you about it?”

“I was interested in how you talk to you clients, this video might help you achieve you goals.”

• Completed jobs - follow up and check to see all is good.
• Send links to potential and previous clients of work, with note - thought this kid of work might help you get to you customers.
• Target - Smaller communities for businesses (Te Awamutu, Morrinsville, Cambridge, Matamata) - find clients that might not have good access to professional photography.
• Keep notes on contact with clients,  when, what, why, result, positive/negative, notes on things to work on / do.
• When asking for for clients to refer, ask them to sell a meeting only, “meet with Chris, he might have a solution for you”.
• Testimonials on completion of the job, Ask - do you might putting this positive feedback in to an email.
• Don’t mention the next job, ask more about what issues they are facing.

Homework

• Cost of no work and not looking
• Cost of no work and marketing
• Up date and pass on books.
• Up date on marketing techniques.

The War of Art - recommended reading

Ok, reading list time.

The War of Art  by Steven Pressfield was a very good read.  He has some other books about this subject that review very well, but I haven't read them at this point.

It helped me understand what goes on with my head.  It's an old one but a good one and worth it.

Good shooting 

Sometimes you win sometimes .. well ... just muck things up

Some days you win and some days things don't go the way you thought.  

It doesn't take much to put you off your game, well we all have things that rock the boat and we loose the happy place.  That zone when you're on fire, and creative, and F.I.G.A.M.  
The other day I had a blinder, I got the brief done and then some.  I'd prepped the client for a delivery date that was easy and I knew that I could turn around the project in quick time to blow them away with my service.  Things went very well.  The next day I had everything editing and post production done so I delivered and they were well please.  So was I, happy clients make me happy that's for sure.  

The following day was different.  I can't tell you why, perhaps I got out of bed the wrong side, socks on the wrong feet, I don't know.  But the day didn't start well, and I knew that it was all down hill from here.  I had to stop myself a couple of times and reset my mindset.  Get myself in the right place to start being creative again.  The first time it worked, I got back in the grove, but on the second job I couldn't find my happy place.  I tried eating my favourite food, and listen to some good sounds that usually pick me up but I was in a funk.

I got the second job done just fine, but I wasn't in that creative space that I love.  It's hard too when you know you're there.  It's a funk that you need to identify and kick yourself out of.  It might be easier said than done but you need to know what things do that for you.

Here's my Top 5 things that help me restart the motor:

1. Listen to some good music (preferably up beat and positive stuff  - Six60, Salmonela Dub, Sola Rosa, Shapeshifter, stuff like that.)
2. Eat food that I love, and that's a list that is too big for this post.
3. Get on the cycle and ride, (however this needs to be for about an hour, shorter just doesn't fix the problem however good it is for me).
4. Watch some inspirational youtube stuff like Chase Jarvis's Creative Live.  Some good stuff there from other creatives talking about their art and life.
5. Go and play with the camera, no matter what it is, even a spider at the bottom of the garden.  (In other words, rediscover what I love about photography, play and push the boundaries.  Do a style of photography that I like and have never done before.  That's the best one)

I have to say that the top two are short-term fixes that I can do on the fly and when I'm on a project or on the way to a project.  The others I obviously can't.  

What are your things that help you get out of that funk?

Good shooting everyone.

Professional / Photographic associations .. where would you be without them.

Big learning curve today. 

I joined the AIPA (Advertising and Illustrative Photographers Association) this month and jump in on a pricing workshop.  It was like opening my eyes to see how far out from industry standards I was.  I can totally recommend a helpful association for this kind of support and education.

Knowing the lay of the land means you and see where you fit in the business landscape and get the jobs, and money that you deserve.  These days everyone, and I mean EVERYONE has a camera.  Either on their phone, or even a DSLR that can take some pretty mean resolution pics for under a $1000.  This is something that should make you stop and think.  

Should you be panicked?  No, and here's why.  If you're a professional, and I don't mean you do jobs for shits & giggles, then you take this seriously.  Here's my quote, please quote me.. go on!

"Any job is easy if you don't care about it."

It's true for anything that you do.  The more you care the more effort you put into it.  That for me is the difference between an amateur and a professional.  The time you stayed and extra hour or three to get that shot that no one else did.  The extra distance you walked, waded out in to the sea, climbed the hill, getting there that little bit earlier, you get the picture.  

So this care and effort means your work, your creativity is already miles ahead of the part-timers.  For potential clients who know they need a good image, and one that works for them, then you are the kind of person they're looking for.  Nothing can help those who are price driven.  They don't know or care what message the imagery they use says about their projects or business, and good luck to them.

The effort you put in can be for the actual physical effort you put in to your work, to the continuing education you engage in, whether that's in the creative side or the business side.  It all counts.

Joining the AIPA is one of those things that means I'm making the effort to be more professional.  I go to courses, national meetings, Image Nation, read the newsletter, etc etc.  I've even organised a coffee for the local A.I.P.A.'ers here in my district, just to put faces to names, make connections, and make the effort.

I think the sit down and talk with a coffee in your hands was great because we started talking shop, business, what's it been like out there for you.  I can't say we spilled the beans on what each one of us is doing, but it was great to get a feel for how the market place is doing.  It also gave me a feeling on who I could pass jobs that I can't do on to, and who I couldn't.

SO here's to professional associations.    

Good shooting.

The books

It's that time of year again!

You know the one that really sucks joy out of life.  The time where you find the sight of your computer makes you find other non-computer stuff to do.  I personally would love to have a slave to do this kind of thing for me, take the pain away.  But  I don't, I don't even have an un-paid intern, little own a paid book keeper to do the thing in life I really hate doing.

Lean into the pain!

Ok, so I'm plugging away putting the information in the right boxes to keep the accountant happy and not charging me their rate to do this stuff.  It's a very motivating thought.  I must step back and take a big-picture look at it, and realise that it's my own fault!  No, no, I hate being in this place.  The realisation that if I had done the monthly admin monthly, it would all be there, ready to go with minimal effort... Shit.  I hate tax and gst time!

My accountant set up a free business coaching session for their clients and I turned up to see what it was all about.  Funnily enough I was the only client that made the effort.  Tuesday night 6:30pm and I was Nigel.  It was a great time, I had the advice of two business experts for a couple of hours for the fee of $20.  We sat through the prepared material, and that was good.  A case study of a successful businessman in Australia, and I got a lot out of it.   

I got to ask heaps of questions about what I should and shouldn't be doing, once that was done.  They asked me some hard questions too.

• What are your goals, short and long term?  
• What do you want to achieve creatively and financially?  
• What are your life goals and how do you think you can achieve them?  

It's easy to give the glib answers, but I don't want to do that.  I thought I had most of this sorted in my head.  However it was the detail that I need to sort out.  

The upshot of it was, allocate time to work on the business as well as doing the work of the business.

Instantly I find this hard to do.  I'm a great photographer, it's the joy (apart from my family), in my life.  The other stuff.. not so much.  So there's a bit of work for me to do. Get down there and put all the receipts away, transfer the CSV file in to the spreadsheet, and populate all the expenses in to the right columns.  In the long run, I can save myself a heap of money by doing the dog leg work and not the accountant, who by the way, charges just as much as I do, in fact more.  So if I have to pay them 1.5 of my hours for everyone of theirs, it's just plain simple - do it myself. 

Good shooting.

I'm a photographer not a businessman!

So you think your a professional photographer.. and you'd be right to a point.  But here's the important point.. you're also and one might even say, "Mostly you're a business person".  

Wait .. what?!?!? 

Yeah that's right.  After nearly a year in business for myself I can say in all honesty that I spend the majority of my time working on the business, and don't taking photos or videos. It's not what I pictured myself being when I started this journey.  So lets be honest with ourselves, we are business people first and photography is the icing on the cake.  

So what does this mean?   We'll quite a lot actually.  It means that you have to approach your photographic life with that in mind.  It means that you have to be able to switch from creative mind to business mind, and sometimes do that quickly.  I recently experienced that when I was on a project and a client, in the middle of the shoot, started talking about a completely different project.  I was not in the right mind set of that, and it showed.  I was asked to talk about pricing for this new task and in a little bit of a panic said, "Can we talk in detail about this when we get this part done?"  They did say yes and sorry and we got on with the project at hand.  It was good that I did, the new project was complex and time consuming.  If I'd given a quick estimate then and there, I would have seriously under-charged.  I would have not been happy shooter.

Now this was a little off putting, however the client was in that head space.  They wanted to talk, and talk now.  So I had to change.  Let's not get into why they choose to do this, second guessing peoples methods or motivations is just counter productive.  We did talk about the project after the one we were completing was nearly done and I was able to focus on what they were saying.

So as a rule, I don't do quick quotes or even estimates.  It's a recipe for disaster, you rarely get enough information to make effective decisions on how long it might take to do the project and what it might involve.  Still you're there, the current project is happening and you have to think in a business like manner so you don't say something that commits you to a course of action that doesn't work for you. 

So what else does it mean?  It means that you need to know what your business is doing, i.e. the books, and how much does it cost you to run your business, provide for you and your family.  This cost will vary from person to person, and you can't charge your rates and what someone else does.  Maybe they're happy eating instant noodles every night, I know I'm not.  I want to pay the mortgage, get my kids in to a good school, and invest.  So there has be a cut off on what jobs I take and which ones I don't.  I do know, down to the cent, how much it costs me to run my business, on a week by week, and annual amount. This gives me a really strong goal, how many jobs I need to do in the year, and how much I need to earn to achieve my goals.  I can look at a given month and know that I have reached my target, or if I'm short, or I've kicked it out of the park (I like those months).  

If I have had a good month, I can say no to the small jobs that the client wants to pay nothing for, and is incredibly difficult and demanding.  This is just such a wonderful feeling, to say no.  Liberating and empowering.  Having said that, knowing your monthly goals sometimes means that you know you're coming up short and you need to hustle, get out there, network and get things going.   I've talked about this before here, and here.  In fact I have a few more ideas on marketing (or letting people know you exist), I should do another post about it.  

So realising that you need to be business-person, is really a mind shift you need to make.  Without it life can get really hard.  More than that, you can loose money, the business, friendships, family.. the consequences are real.  Just think of all those kids getting out of photographic schools these days, how many last more than two years?  How many are still going, or flipping burgers at McDs?  

So I'd like to impart a piece of free advise.. get a business mentor.  For over a decade I've had a photographic mentor, and he has always been great.  He was my wedding photographer all those years ago.  We hit it off and he's a good friend now.  He's very straight up with me and calls me on things that I do that aren't right.  I always try to buy him a beer when we meet up.

This year I got the chance to get a business mentor and I jumped at it straight away.  It's been great so far.  The guy is on the same wavelength as me.  We seem to have hit it off and talk the same lingo.  I was a little nervous when we first met, but I feel relaxed enough to show him my books.  He's outside my trade so I'm not sharing information with my competition, and he's a paid professional business mentor, so I know that he knows what he's talking about.  He's able to look at the business from the outside, see what gaps I have missed, give friendly advise on what to do and what not to do.  

Family is great, but more often than not they aren't business people, and because they know you or have invested in your business, or have other motivations, won't give you good objective advise.  If you're lucky you have someone that can, and good for you.  

The thing that I have really appreciated is the suggestions and even the homework.  Yep, I asked for homework and assignments.  The reason I did this was that I am a goal focus person.  I achieve when I get clearly defined goals.  It's a real driver for me.   I feel good when I complete the goals, it gives me the reason to buy a coffee to reward myself.  It picks me up when I feel a bit tired or down, hey I did achieve something this week! 

Look around and find a professional mentor group, or association, whoever.  

Good shooting and good business.

State of the nation .. kind of

It's been a busy month, lots of work coming in, and going out.  Starting to feel like this whole thing is working.  So things are good, not where I want to be but on the path.

It's still early days with a lot of work head of me.  There is the continuous marketing, the book work .. the list goes on.  And did I mention the continuous marketing?

So I'm beginning to get a feel for the whole business thing.  So here's my thought so far.

1. "When you polish a turd, it's still a turd" - Lester de Vere

What the  ..?  I hear you saying.  To me this means that you have to produce good work.  You can talk yourself in to deals, past problems, and perhaps in to those big paying jobs, but at the end of they day, you still need to produce that fantastic work that knocks their socks off.  And if you're not, then keep working and pushing and finding those opportunities that allow you to perfect your art.

2. "Face to face is best"

Well for me it is.  I do get better results, make better connections, learn more from my potential clients when I can talk to them in person.  I'm not so good on the phone.  I have to be careful of what I say, how I come across.  So a little of knowing your strengths in communicating with clients is really key.

3.  Set out the path to your goals.

For me right now it's pay the mortgage, and pay it quickly.  I hate debit, let me say it again, I HATE DEBIT!  I was never rich growing up, and I have to say that I don't like having things that aren't 100% mine.  I don't like the feeling that someone can take it way from me.  It scares me shitless to think I could loose my home.  It's a big driver for me, to get out and hustle.  So that's a very clear goal, the next step is to map out how to get there.  You might not even know, but that's ok.  Step by step something on paper, make it concrete.  For me and my business right now that's this:

Find my place in the market - find clients that I want to work with - create opportunities to do work I like - create great work that makes them want to come back to you for more - start doing mini documentaries to help build your skill level - apply for funding to help pay for the documentaries - write a screen play - make a feature documentary / movie - win an Academy Award.

Opps hold up.. how does this pay the mortgage you ask?  Well, with finding my place in the market, I charge a fair price for my work.  I know from some calculations I've done, that I want to earn $1500 a week for the business expense, future CAPEX, and give enough money to the family to pay those bills.   I know my work is good, and I know it's worth good money.

ALSO look at where your going at least once a year!  It's important to make sure that what you wanted then is want you want now.  It changes.

4.  Be good to yourself.

Here's the one that I'm not very good at.  I'm my own worst critic.  I can shred my work faster than I can do anything else.  So it's hard for me to celebrate when things go right.  It's my habit to critique my work and performance to the Nth degree.  So if things are going one way or the other, it's more important to learn lessons and apply them moving forward.  If you spend too much time kicking yourself, then you just do yourself no good.  The tight downward spiral begins.  So, be good to yourself.  Pat yourself on you back and cut yourself a bit of slack.  .. and every now and then, not all the time, do something for you.

5.  Always feel like your cup is empty.

So when I was younger, I did martial arts.  One of my sensei (teachers) said to me that every time you grade up a belt, empty your cup.  I didn't know what it meant at the time, but when I got my black belt, I began to understand what he meant.  If you think you know it all, then you can't learn anything more.  Be hungry to learn more, grow your art, you skill, your horizon.  This and only this will keep you on the edge, keep you getting better.

6.  Believe

This one is easy to say, and sometimes hard to do.  But Believe.  Believe in yourself, your art, your goals, and above all, that you can make this work.  If you don't believe, then none of your clients will.  None of them.

7.  Lean in to the pain.

I've talked about this before.  Lean in to the things you hate doing, the books, the marketing, the dealing with difficult questions.  Whatever it is, try and try and try to work things through.  If you can't fix it then get help.

So there it is.

Good shooting.

Keeping perspective.

So in the beginning....

I started this journey full of hope and optimism... as you do.  It's been a roller coaster of ups a downs. It's hard to go from a steady pay cheque, to not.

Looking from a day to day perspective, there are times when you don't have work that day, or that week for that matter.  It's a scary place to be in your head.  The consequences keep you up at night, the head buzzes about what you can do, should have done, shouldn't have done.  It is the stuff that increases the stress levels in the body, that stop you sleeping, stop you relaxing, stop you thinking straight.  So there's consequences to having this continuous level of stress in your life.  It's totally not good for the body.   It's hard not to let it get in the way of your happy place.

I have been talking about this before, and it's hard not think about it.  It takes effort to focus, be persistent, get through the hard days.  So one of the things that you must do, is keep a longer look at it all.  You can't look at the day in day out and measure you success that way, especially in the start up phase.  You have to take the small victories, the shit that just looks good moment when you take that fantastic pic.

You have to rap yourself in the blanket of why you love photography.  The passion of the trade craft, the love of the hustle.  The hunger of wanting to create something special, and need of getting the projects.  This is the way that will give you the safety, protection, padding, that will help you get through the tough times.

I looked at my upcoming week, and with nothing on the board on Monday morning, no shooting.  I had plenty of other things to do, editing, project development, marketing, networking, phone calls,  the list goes on, and on, and on.  However the bottom line jumps out at you when you think that people are paying you to shoot, not to do the other stuff on your business.  However you have to keep the faith, the love of the creative part.  If you don't have an opportunity to create, then go out of your way to create something.  This is what keeps you going.

The middle is here...  the business is up and running.  I'm getting work, phone calls, and making connections.  I'm producing good solid work that clients like.  That's the positive that I'm taking away.  I put in my calendar on Monday.. "Choose to have a creative week", and it's that choice of deciding to do that, that will shape your day, your week, and your career.

So choose to be creative, choose to be successful, choose to have fun, that power is in your mind, and in your hands.

day - shit I've lost count

So some time has past after the start of this journey, and I've made progress.  Happy customers, nice results, and money coming in the door.  It's certainly better going than in 2008 when I first tried to go freelance.  I often stop and look back to see the achievements I've made in the business to remind me how far I've come.  It's important to do this, because the path ahead can seem very daunting.  I'm a driven person, I have high goals and it's hard to be patient!

It's a big thing to think you can make it, however it's hard for anyone running a small business, especially one person operations or sole traders to keep up your spirits.  It can get hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you're hanging out for the 20th of the month and your clients to pay.  So there's a bit of pressure on, those bills don't go away.

So what's on my mind?  My mind state to be honest.  I guess this is partly why I started this blog. Writing down the things as I go through them is part of me making sure that I keep on the straight and level.  There's a bit of stress to be dealt with, running a business is never easy, and like anything that brings stress making it go is not an easy thing.

But I've been thinking about all those techniques I learnt in my time in the RNZAF, exercise, planning, doing things you like doing.  During my sergeants qualifying course we talked lot about identifying stressed staff and how to help them through.  It's easier to see it in others than see it in yourself.  Getting to know yourself is the key.  To see the triggers that set you off down one path or another.  Good friends and family also help.  As I posted before, you've got to keep taking pictures, or creating the things you love to create.  It's the "go juice" that keeps you on top of your game, the creativity flowing, and a sense of accomplishment that you can hang your hat on and be proud of.

This has come to the fore again for me today as I realised I hadn't picked up the camera to shoot for a while when I did a location scout this afternoon.  The feel of the tools in hand really did feel good.   Time and time again I rediscover this about myself, however I get distracted and diverted by other things in life.  So make the time, it's worth it to help keep you sane.  We all need a bit of sanity in this world.

There's some resources out there that you can really help.  Depression NZ is excellent.

Am I suffering depression?  A little, at times, but not for the most.  Like all of us I go through ups and downs.  Several friends have often talked about how hard it is to make it in the freelance work, however the word depression is not used.  Still it does effect a lot of people.

Lesson #21 - How do you find your target clients?

Let me start with....


"The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself."

Peter Drucker

Ok this is mostly a post for me, not you.  So I've been thinking about how to approach the whole marketing thing, which is essential (amongst several other essential business tasks) to keep you afloat.

You'll have to forgive me not using Marketing terms, 'cause I just don't know them.  But I figure the best thing to do is really define who you want to have as your clients.  For me thats agencies - ad & web design, PR companies, Communications firms, government departments, etc.  Simply because they get to do all the persuading of the end client on the cost of getting the content generated, and I don't have to.  Don't get me wrong, I can talk things up pretty ok myself, but I just like it when I don't have to.  My time is better spent doing other things.  And don't forget to add direct business with the businesses.  They tend to have bigger budgets than the small mom & pop business, which I like too.

So now I know who I want to get to pay me a shit load of money, it's a matter of getting past the receptionist, (read gate keeper) or any other barrier to brake down that door.  Sounds too aggressive. Lets try "pry open the door".  Hmm that's close enough.  The best way I've found so far is the referral.   For me it's gone a little like, "John (who knows the potential client, and a friend of mine) suggested that I give you a call and offer my services to you, and find out how I can support you this year." So straight away I'm talking to the right person, who has the ability to make decisions. Bingo.  Also the fact that someone they trust/like/work with whatever, is doing the referring, makes some of those barriers come down.  Double Bingo.  This seems to work, some of the time.  The more of those you have the better the results.  It seems to be far better than cold calling which I hate.  REALLY HATE.

There's other ways, BNI are great, other networking groups, all good to brake the ice and get your elevator pitch in the ear of those that can make things happen.  I'm good at face to face so that suits me fine.  I listen well, and that's what people like.  They like to be listened to and understood.  If you can do that your steps ahead.  I've noticed that if I start telling people things, I lose them straight away.  I just don't have the bullshit factor that a really great salesperson has.  For me I've got to tell it like it is, what I genuinely believe.

So I've joined a word of mouth business group/community, I have reached out to all my friends to see who they can recommend me to, and I'm setting up meetings to show and tell.  All very gentile stuff. Now here's the crunch.  Getting the good work done for those who take a punt on you, and lets be real here, people who hire you to do some work are taking a punt, is the key to it all.  You can talk your way to the top, but you got to produce the goods.  Making that customer happy is the best word of mouth of all.  The magic stuff that happens while you're not there.   I'm not sure how long it takes, but the goal is to get enough of a ground swell so that people are calling you back, or calling you for a first contact, so that you doing have to have that phone glued to your ear and here the word NO.

Well that's the theory.  Seems to be holding true.

Good shooting everyone.

Fun on the job - Always have fun on the job.

So I get to know a local hairdresser, hoping to set up a connection with her business and support her as best I can.  Since hairdressers are a focal point for some of my target markets, it makes good business sense to team up and support each other.  

So when she asked me to come in and do some posters for her wall of her work with some clients of models I jumped at the chance.  I have to say that Irene has a great crew with her, they certainly produce some fantastic style and are very creative and talented.  Shooting in the salon presented it's own challenges, but nothing that a few flags to block the sun streaming through the windows didn't fix.

The trick I find with shooting hair and beauty is to have soft light for the model and bring out the textures and luster of their hair with some very directional light.  Shooting in the hair and beauty studio provided it's on challenges but with some flags it all worked well.  Big credit to the talent that made it so easy to get the look we were after.

And that's the key here, have fun, even when things are not as easy as you dreamed.  It makes a good impression with the client, that you can solider on and get the job done with style.  It also helps you get the talent to relax, have fun and get better results.  I often show the talent the images on the back of the camera too, allowing them to get the idea of your vision, and give them a steer on which way to go.

And hell, if you're not having fun, what are you doing?

Good shooting everyone.

Inspiration - is all around you.

So there are lots of things happening at the moment.  Mostly still trying to figure stuff out.  A bit of paid work to complete, a couple of projects to push on, and stuff to do to make the business work.  This is my new life.  Family must come in there too, so my life is pretty full.

However you have to make time to let yourself remember what you love about photography and image making.  So I found a little project to do on the side, a quick one day - shoot and edit.  It turned in to two days but there you go.

ANZAC service 2015 from Chris Hillock on Vimeo.

I used the ANZAC service this weekend to express my creativity as well as remember the fallen family members from the various wars.  Every year I cover this service, and I use it to help drive that creative flow in my head.  It "shits" images as my old boss says.  It is something that I am passionate about, and love creating great pictures.

I also used it as a time to get to know and get better at using my gear.  I've had a new video camera for a couple of months, used it a handful of times and still learning more about it, sometimes on paying jobs which is not ideal.

So look around you, an event, protest, sunset/rise, anything something that lets you take the gloves off, learn something new, recharge your battery and remember why you love creating what it is that you love to create.  Even if it doesn't turn out perfectly, it's the process of creation that will help you in the paid jobs be better.

Good shooting.

Shoot every day .. or you'll regret it I promise you.

Creativity is like a muscle, the more you use it the better it gets.  Ask anyone that has tried to learn a new sport or activity.. practice makes perfect.

So what?  So it comes down to this.  In photography, you have to be "On" when you show up on the job.  That's what your client is paying for.  They don't pay you to have a day off.  In fact if you do have a bad day, it will effect you long run.  Word of mouth is a bitch.

What's more, you need to be having fun, so all the tech stuff is going on as smooth as silk in the background, you don't even have to think about it, so that you can focus on getting your subject to relax and get that perfect shot.

So how do you get into that zone?  Well, its getting in the rhythm, shooting as much as you can.  How do I know this?  Cause I'm feeling it now.

I did a full day shoot a couple of days ago, and felt the rust in my head as I started the shoot.  It didn't help that I was using new gear (that I hadn't had much practice with) , on a job for a new client, with a basic idea of what they wanted to achieve.  Still I did the job, and by the end of the day, I was back in the rhythm, and doing some good stuff. Not great stuff, but good stuff.  Get back to the office and download, look at what I've got, and I can squeak through.  Not a position I like to be in.  I like coming home and feeling like I kicked it out of the park.  

I've know this for a while, come back from a holiday, and it usually takes a day or so of solid shooting to get the feel for it back.  I don't know why I forget it.  

How to get there?  You might not have a job or three a day to keep things flowing, but you can assign yourself a few shoots.  Photography friends. family, anyone that you trust and will let you shoot them.  But here's the footnote, you must in your head treat it like a professional assignment.  Do all your prep, get your gear ready, shoot it like it like you mean it, and aim for that gold.

So I'm going to talk my own advice.  Shoot anything and everything, with the idea in mind that I can sell it for stock, art or other.  Wish me luck

Inspiration and where to find it.

Ok, heads up, I've had a very long day with a full day shoot, (day 1 of 3) with a lot of gear problems, and just making it through the day.  So needless to say that I'm feeling exhausted, and not thinking straight.  Need sleep in a big way as tomorrow and the day after are big days too.  Lots of content required and tight deadlines.  Just finished backing up the cards and should be in bed..

However, a good friend of mine, Mike Scott  is in Nepal at the moment on assignment with some kick arse photographers, reporters and drone flyers producing some epic and spectacular content.  I'm lying if I say I'm not jealous! - cause I deeply deeply jealous.  They're covering a year on from a deadly avalanche there.

But you've got to hand it too them.  They stepped up and organised it all.  Off their own recon, to do something they truly believe in.  So I turn around and look at myself and ask... what am I doing? It's time to step up my game is the answer.  So inspiration, and opportunity, is all around.  I've just got to open my eyes and find stories to tell.

I think telling stories is what I love most about my job.  It's a super power, without the suit and cape. (Thank goodness).  From the youth development program, to the aftermath (or duringmath) of a disaster, or a story about someone turning things around.  This kind of work is needed, no, required to be told more and more in our communities.  It gives you the edge in what you create.  From a simple pretty picture to something with drive, energy and purpose.  

So message to self.. pick up game.  Get out there and into my community.  It'll be good for you as a person, and as a photographer. 

EDIT - Please share some of your inspirational stuff / links (Please note it's a family show) in the comments.  Thanks. C

Arggh just get organised!! Please :)

So you've done all the hard work, made the cold call, talked your way in to the office, given your pitch, you've given the estimate/quote, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, .. ok you get the point.

So what is it?  Why do some clients leave you hanging?  I just don't get it, you're ready to go!

Well I do get it, cause I'm one that takes my time in doing things.  Sometimes its hard to figure out where you stand, and what's more, you can quickly make yourself from potential collaborator into whinny pain in the butt!  Thus quickly leading to never getting hired by them again.  Suck.

So your sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring.. hold on that sounds really sad.  So your doing your books, dreaming of all the future earnings your going to make, (that sounds better).  What can you do?  Well, you need to have some idea of what type of client you have and then you can act appropriately.


So lets break it down.

"The thinking client"
Yes they are still keen, but mulling things over, and over, and over.  You end up wanting to push them along, ringing them up and saying "Get on with it!!"


The "procrastinator"

The "too busy with too many things going on",

and the "I've changed my mind."

..

The right time, right place, the right price point, YES

So small baby steps, and be ready.

I saw a quote on the back of a truck the other day..

"Luck is preparation meets opportunity"

I have no idea who said it but it's true.  I've been a photographer for 20 + years now and its happened to me a lot, turned up early, brought an extra piece of gear that I didn't initially think I would need.  Arrive at the job, see an opportunity for something extra, and turn it into a picture or film.  Some times on a shoot, you know exactly what you want and how to get it.  But then you might step back and see something that your focus didn't allow you to see before, that patch of light in a tucked away corner.  You wedding and press photographers will know what I'm talking about.

So hears some rules of thumb... not hard and fast but worth keeping in mind.

1. Turn up early and leave late - this one is gold.  Often been on a job when I got the image that no one else did because they weren't there.
2. Even if you don't need it for a job, bring it, and leave it in the car (if it's too big), just in case.
   - Since Murphy was an optimist this is always a good one.  Lock stuff in the boot of course - out of sight is out of mind.
3. Have a game plan but keep your eyes open, for that patch of light or chance opportunity.  This open minded approach can turn things to gold for you, but you have to be able to see it for it to happen. 

So how does all that above relate to my title for this post; "The Right Time, Right Place, The Right Price Point, YES!"

I rang a potential client, an ad agency, and set up a meeting.  I was feeling very nervous, in fact a bit intimidated, a big firm here with great work.  Felt I wasn't going get any interest from them.  However I did my prep (don't under-estimate prep for every and each meeting with your client new or old), and manage to show them what they were looking for, and at a price point that had them sit up in their seat.  Now don't get me wrong, I didn't charge less than I normally would, I've calculated my charges so that I make a good liviing for the work I do, and the hours I put in.  So I feel very happy about that.  As a good friend said to me, don't undercharge to get a job, because as you do that job, you'll end up feeling bad about working for less than you know you're worth.  That will lead to poor results.  You must be happy in the charge and that flows through to the results.

So, I felt good walking away from the meeting, right time, right place, right presentation, and right price point.  No guarantees of anything but I broke the ice with this company in a very positive way.  Some times it pays to face up to your fears, try to turn it in to something.  Even if you failed, at least you've moved forward.

Good luck and good shooting.

Even on your holidays... thinking of your business / your life

Something that I didn't really realise on this adventure is how much of my waking thought it would take up!  There's at lot to think about to be honest.  From actually doing photography to meeting clients, to marketing, sales, production.  The list seems to go on and on.

So here's the thing.  Some how you've got to balance things out.  Time for relaxing, family, whatever you need to get through the day.  It's been a little harder to manage than I thought it would be.  After so many years working for others, it was easy to go home at the end of the day with the work done, and not worry about if the business will survive tomorrow?

In my limited and made up experience, so far, you have to get good at compartmentalise things.  It's easier to say than do.  Will a young toddler in the house I find it difficult to get the this to work for me.  My little one is very daddy centric at the moment which sucks up a lot of my time, leaving not much in the afternoon and evenings for the business or me.  It's great being a full time photographer, father, husband and then some where along the line a person too.

I have tried some time management solutions, such as set times for set tasks.  Emails in the morning, phone calls after 9:30, to give clients and potential clients time to get settled in to their day and have the first or second coffee of the day.  Afternoon is planning or post production, and by the time it's 4pm I have to think of getting dinner started.  It's a down side to working from home.  The line between home tasks and house tasks is never an easy thing to balance.  My wife often gives me a long list of stuff to achieve, and it is hard to explain that this gig is a full time thing.  An hour during the day doing a choir is an hour not doing the business.  Since there isn't anyone else to pick up the slack, that means it just doesn't get done.

Still part of this post is to help me map this out in my head, figure solutions, and make it work.  At the end of the day, above all else, this has to work.  The spectre of working at retail, or hospitality scares the pants off me so I HAVE TO MAKE THIS WORK, 'cause there is no way you're going to get me to give up photography.

So for anyone that's listening, comment below, put up your two cents worth and let me know how you deal with this dilema, I'd really like to hear and try something new that might just help me out.

And yes.. I know I have to take a concrete pill and harden up.

The endless phone calls.

It's the old thing, you don't market, no one knows you're there.

SERIOUSLY, it's no joke,  the very moment you stop making the effort to be on the business stage in your community, you disappear.  Unless of course your world famous, read Anne Getties, Annie Leibovitz, David Hobby, etc etc.

So you jump on the phone, call someone, reach out and make a contact.  Offer your service, and hopefully some magic comes!

But more often than not it's a no, or wrong time.  (No but you need to hire me now .. I often feel!!)

Dig in feel the pain and lean in.  Keep going, things will happen.  Work hard and do the best you can on each and every job.  You'll get there.

It's the mantra I keep telling myself everyday.

Having said that, things make up for it when you get the yes, come and talk to us.  It's like the sun came out from behind the clouds after 12 weeks of rain!  The other day I jumped out of chair and danced a little dance in my little office.  Very excited.  Meeting booked and I was very happy for the rest of the hour.  Until I picked up the phone to call someone else and .. no thank you.  Bugger.  Still you get that and you have to cherish those times when things are going your way.

To quote someone  .. "Gnothi seauton"  ~ some Greek Philosopher.  You might recognise it from such films as The Matrix, where Neo goes to see the oracle.  It means "Know thyself".

But it's a quote and famous because it's true. Business is something that if you want to succeed, at you have to commit and when you commit, you tend to find out a lot about yourself.  For me I'm a very good photographer, but not so strong at the books (read really really crap at it, and I hate doing it).  But I schedule in that special time of the month in to the diary when I lean into the pain and just do it. (Nike reference there).

So at this point the parts of the business I hate and suck at are .. not in any order ..

1. The books
2. Marketing
3. Getting going on my own projects
4. Cold calling!

So nothing that wouldn't sink the business then, much.  It's good to know and being aware makes it easier for me to  work on.  When you get to work on things like, it does make it easier to solve the problems.   Here's where my military training kicks in, with the old four D's.

1. Do.
2. Dump.
3. Defer.
4. Delegate.

Do it because, well sometimes you need to learn from it, or just plain old have to.

Dump it, because.. it's not right, it doesn't work, you don't need it, whatever.  Just make sure that you're not doing this, whatever it is for damn good reasons.

Defer it until you can, whether that's time, ability, affordability, access to resources, whatever.

and here's my favourite

Delegate... in my case, to the accountant.  The specialist that does this better than I ever could and gets my business, how I run, and what I want to achieve.  Delegate to give you time at the things that work for you.  For me that's photography and video.  I don't earn money learning how to be an accountant.  Don't get me wrong, I do my cash book, I know where every cent goes, and why (yes I kick myself on those extra coffees that I shouldn't have put on the business account!).  But the moment I stop taking pictures or doing post production work is the moment I stop earning money.  It's a balancing act and often you have to do something simply because you can afford to pay someone to do it for you.  

It could be to an assistant, a gaffer, editor, colour grader, whatever.  Just make sure you're delegating for the right reasons, and be sure that you don't let go 100 %.  You still need to manage the result, to get what you want and what you're paying for.  Delegation is not abdication of responsibility.

One day when I'm really rich .. I'll have a staff to do all the shitty jobs I don't like.  One day.