If you own a real estate photography or architectural photography business, you need to love taking photos but you also need to love the process of being a business owner.
So in this video we’ll look at why that matters, and then I go through 3 things you can do to help develop that love for the process if you’re not that keen on doing the things that business owners need to do.
Transcript - 'Love the process of photography and business'
One of the big mistakes I see some photographers make is that they get into this because they love photography, but they don’t love being business owners, so let’s have a chat about that.
When I want through university I did a science degree, and I majored in genetics and human anatomy. I’ve still got some of these books here, and there is not a lot of wear and tear on these.
I mean, I completed the degree and I got that graduation certificate, but I wasn't passionate about these subjects. I wasn't borrowing books on the latest developments in forensics or anything beyond what I needed to learn to pass my exams.
If you run a photography business then you don’t want to do that. You see, you need to love the process of photography and business. That means you've got to love the strategizing and the marketing and pricing and social media and everything else we do … and when you do that, when you love that process, then you’ll be happy to put in the hard work that needs to be done to build a great business.
Please, don’t get too focused on just the photography side of things, but focus on the process of getting those photo shoots so that you become willing to do the work you need to do to get more clients and keep those clients.
Now sometimes loving the process of being a business owner doesn’t come naturally, and if that’s the case for you then you could act like the love is there, and you may find that pretending to love the process, at least at first, will help that love to develop for real.
OK, so what can you do?
Tip #1. Buy or borrow 2 books or magazines each month.
Well, the first thing you could do is every month either buy 2 books or magazines, or go to your local library, which I do a LOT, and borrow 2 books – one needs to cover either photography or provide great examples of interior and exterior architectural photography, so maybe something like this that’s about architecture.
The other book needs to be about business, whether it’s small business management or marketing or pricing, or even an autobiography on a successful entrepreneur or business owner. So I’ve got this one out from my library at the moment. And you want to do this at least once a month.
Now if books aren’t your thing, then watch a video or listen to a podcast on photography or architecture or business, and do that at least once a month or maybe even once a week.
This repetition of constantly learning and exposing yourself to great images and great business knowledge is going to help you enormously to move forward and not get bogged down in just the nitty gritty of shooting and editing, shooting and editing.
Tip #2. Attend events and hang out with other architectural photographers.
The second thing that would be great for you is to either regularly attend events on photography and also events on business, but also make sure you hang out with other people who also own architectural or real estate photography businesses. Again, this game is all about the development of your skills in photography and business – that’s all part of the process of being a business owner. And if you want someone to push you and keep you accountable, then I run a coaching group where myself and other experts can help you, and if you’re interested in that then there’s a link in the description.
Tip #3. Take what you learn, and apply it to your business.
The third and final thing to do is to take what you’re learning, and use all of that to review your business and make changes to your business. I’d suggest you block time out to develop better marketing tools, and also look at how you can better choreograph each engagement you have with clients and prospects.
Once you start to love the process of being a business owner you’re going to really enjoy the challenge and really focus on the business-development side of your photography business. That in turn is going to give you a greater love for what you do, and it’s going to help your bottom line with increased revenue coming in. I mean, that’s what we want, isn’t it – a greater love for our work, and better financials. That would be great, wouldn’t it?
OK, so what’s the take home message?
If you want to be successful then you need to love the process of being the owner of a photography business, and look to develop your skills in both photography and business management. Dive deep into it, read books, watch videos, engage with other people in your industry and most of all have some fun working on your business!
That’s it from me – go and check what I do at buildaphotographybusiness.com, and if you like this video then be sure to leave a comment, and then Subscribe or Like my Page. My name’s Darryl Stringer and I’ll see you next time. Bye for now!