I Love You….But

During my 40 years of owning a studio I had amazing support and understanding from my wife with the long hours I spent in the business, the working on weekends, and the aggravation that I brought home on a regular basis, when business wasn’t going so well.

She worked tirelessly, bringing up our two kids, protecting me from anything bad, always having a great meal on the table when I arrived home late from the studio, and was my rock, when I felt like I was having a meltdown.

Running any small business isn’t easy.

We all know that.

Any small business owner needs support to help them through the hard times, and have someone to celebrate successes.

While I was truly blessed with the support I had in my business, as a photography business coach I understand that circumstances are not the same for everyone.

The article below is from a recent Design Aglow posting. www.designaglow.com

LETTER FROM A PHOTOGRAPHER: TO MY HUSBAND, BECAUSE I NEED YOUR SUPPORT FOR MY BUSINESS

“To my unsupportive husband,

I know you work so hard every day to support our family and I want you to know that I appreciate it.

I respect you, and your job, but sometimes I feel like I don’t get that same respect back. I know that society has taught us to believe that photography is not a “real job”, so I’m not blaming you for thinking that way.

But I am asking you to change the way you think.

My love of photography may have started out as a hobby, but I’m a professional photographer now.

And even though my job doesn’t require me to put on a suit and go to an office every day, it is a real job.

I value your opinion and as my husband, I need your support. I need you to believe in me.

Running a photography business isn’t easy.

I need to invest in equipment and invest in training.

I need to shoot in the evenings and on weekends sometimes.

I won’t make a lot of money in the beginning.

And I know it feels risky to invest our money in my photography, but I want you to know this isn’t just an expensive hobby that I’m going to get bored with in 6 months.

This is a business.

I know you see me working hard to grow my business.

I’ve learned how to create a website and I’ve learned how to shoot manual and how to pose and work with all sorts of clients, even newborns.

I have set up an efficient workflow, made a business plan and customized legal contracts and policies for my business.

I’m getting paid for my work and even though it’s not a lot of money just yet, I know I’m on the right track.

But when you make sarcastic comments about how I’m better at spending money on photography than making money doing photography, I feel irresponsible.

When you use air quotes when you talk about my “photography business”, I feel humiliated.

When you tell me we shouldn’t spend $700 for me to go to a workshop, I feel ashamed for mentioning it.

When you tell me I should “just cancel that session” so we can make other plans, I feel disrespected.

I work just as hard as you do every day.

Just because my job does not bring home a steady paycheck does not mean that it is any less important than yours.

I know that’s not easy to hear.

But it’s true.

And it’s the root of all our problems involving my new business. I need your respect. I need your trust. I need your support.

Without it, my business will never succeed.

Sincerely,

Your Wife, the professional photographer.

Letters From a Photographer is an original series by Design Aglow. Articles are meant to spark thought and conversation and be shared within our industry.”

I would welcome your comments…info@aswpp.com.au

CHANGING PHOTOGRAPHERS LIVES….FOR THE BETTER.

www.berniegriffiths.com

#Photography Business Coach

#Business Coach

A Day For Photographers

A DAY FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

with

BERNIE GRIFFITHS + MURIELLE SASSINE + JOHANNAH BARTON

                            Get rid of your Photography Business Frustrations!

The whole day will have a focus on what makes a studio successful, and will include going through the following critical points. Sorting out Websites, Social Media, Business Principals, creating a Price List, Photographing for Sales, Creating more Business, The Retail No Pressure Portrait Selling System and more….going to be a full day.

1.   Developing Your Photography Into A Clear Brand.

2.   Getting the Right Customers.

3.   Developing A Conversion System To Convert Leads Into Customers.

4.   Building Your Price List To Maximise Sales.

5.   Test and Measure Strategies To Keep You On Track.

6.   Facebook Marketing for a constant flow of Customers.

BERNIE GRIFFITHS

www.berniegriffiths.com    

THE 5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS

After having a successful wedding/portrait studio for over 40 years, Bernie transitioned into being a Photography Business Coach. He is now the “go to” coach for those studios looking at taking their business to the next level.

His studio experience, expertise in Facebook Marketing, and down to earth approach to business, has enabled him to help and guide photographers in growing their business and generating more income.

Bernie’s presentation will be on the 5 most important things that a photographer should focus on to build a successful business.

MURIELLE SASSINE

www.vividimaging.com.au       www.blackboxportraits.com.au

8 CHALLENGES FOR A HOMEBASED PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO

Murielle Sassine, owner and operator of Vivid Imaging and Blackbox Portraits, developed a passion for photography at a young age. She pursued her interests in photography and obtained a degree in Visual Communication, establishing herself as a photo media specialist.

Murielle has run her successful photography business from home for over 14 years, and has achieved great success with her sales in the areas of portrait and glamour photography.

She will talk about some of the many challenges facing photographers who work from home and she will share with you how to overcome them.

JOHANNAH BARTON

www.confettidesign.com.au

THE BIGGEST MISTAKES PHOTOGRAPHERS MAKE WITH THEIR WEBSITES AND HOW TO SOLVE THEM

Johannah is the owner of a branding and website design company called Confetti Design. She specialises in helping small businesses sell to predominantly female target markets. With over 20 years experience, she has worked with many photographers to enhance and project their brand, and create unique websites, that have delivered great results.

Is your website up to date and giving you the best chance of competing in such a competitive market place?

BOOK NOW…Earlybird $65. LIMITED NUMBERS

CHANGING PHOTOGRAPHERS LIVES….FOR THE BETTER.

www.berniegriffiths.com

Is The Clock Ticking On Your Business?

 

 

Is The Clock Ticking On Your Business?

I came across this email that I had received from one of my clients a few months back.

I had just started coaching her, and the email I think pretty well describes the bad financial position and negative headspace that she was in.

“ Hi Bernie……I’ve had two viewings tonight…   both parties sat here and at the end of their viewing one was in tears over how lovely her pics were of her dog and her….. the other said they are the most beautiful photos ever and how much she loved them all!!!  Then I started talking about the pricing when they asked…   both faces dropped as I talked…   and when they asked about the digital images I told them $850 for all with a gorgeous gift of keepsake album of their images….They both left not purchasing a thing.  They were gutted it was so expensive :(((  One said that was way more than she could afford but would love to get a couple of 5×7 prints at least.  She’s made an appointment for Tuesday (pay day) ….. the other said they would have to think about it but could I send them a price list and they will work out what they can afford!     Gutted to say the least… I was almost relying on these sales tonight to pay my rent next week….What do you think?”

The client was gutted because they loved the photographs but could not afford them, and the photographer was gutted for the same reason.

Not a good state of affairs.

If you didn’t go into business to make money then you’re lying or you simply have an expensive hobby, not a business.

Are you going to be happy if you’re broke?

You also may have gone through lying awake at night worrying about clients who did not spend, or how to get new clients in the door.

Struggling with spending time and money on marketing that ends up as a total waste, can be soul destroying!

You may also have tried free mentors, or mastermind groups, or been on many forums, but none of these improved your bank account.

Getting bad advice is always ineffective.

Yes we all look for a magic wand.

is-the-clock-ticking-on-your-business

Instant weight loss, instant fitness, instant wealth, instant successful and instant highly profitable business.

Ah, but it is just a dream!

Creating a machine to bring new clients into your business every week of the year, including when you are on holiday, without having to cold-call, or to think up new marketing ideas, is every business owners dream.

When you visit competitors’ websites don’t assume that they are having major success with what they are doing!

I have been around the industry long enough to know that a flashy-looking website does not mean new clients are constantly banging down the doors.

So what is the answer?

How do you crack the code to get an oversupply of customers?

In my forty plus years of having a successful photography studio, and now in my five years of coaching photographers, I have learned that you have to have a business that has these 5 components.

1.   A Clear Brand.

2.   A Marketing Need for customers to come to you.

3.   A Conversion System to convert leads into customers.

4.   A Price List constructed to maximise sales.

5.   A Test and Measure process to keep you on the right track.

I am going through these 5 critical points in “A Day For Photographers,” to be held in Melbourne on the 25 October.

Bookings opening soon.

What Does A Skype Session Look Like?

Many photographers have asked exactly how my coaching works.

I did a Facebook “live” with one of my clients last week.

John went from 4 photography sessions a week to nearly 30 sessions a week.

He tells some great stories of doing portrait sales in a brewery and in clients homes while being fed with tea and cake.

Check out the recording here.

https://www.facebook.com/1550631856/videos/10210499133745195/

CHANGING PHOTOGRAPHERS LIVES….FOR THE BETTER.

 QUESTIONS OR QUERIES….

CONTACT ME  info@aswpp.com.au 

www.berniegriffiths.com

www.createaphotographybusiness.com

www.berniegriffithsbusinesscoach.com.au    

 

www.berniegriffiths.com

 

Are You Working Too Hard?

Stop Working So Hard.

It appears that in today’s busy society, we are led to believe that the more appointments that we can cram into our day and ultimately our week, and the more time we spend working, the more money we will make.

But is that really true?

In my many years of business, I have experienced the opposite to be true.

By consolidating certain tasks on certain days, like photographing only on Wednesdays to Saturday mornings, and doing sales sessions at the same times but alternate weeks, you could just work four and a half days a week.

Afternoons could be spent doing post production and compiling orders ready for collection.

You could have Monday off, and Tuesday would be committed to working on your Marketing, Social Media, Blog, and Networking.

The key of course is to be disciplined with the structure of your working hours.

If you don’t stick to your rules, obviously you will fall back into those old bad habits that will once again steal your valuable time.

Most experienced photography business owners know that if your customers are allowed to dictate what hours you work, they will have you working 24 hours a day!

Being in control of your own business, I believe is one the most fulfilling feelings that a business owner can experience.

It is fulfilling in that it brings together all of the reasons that we wanted to have our own business in the first place..…loving what we do, more freedom, more time with the family, more money, and pride in our achievements.

Let’s Do The Numbers

Business is all about numbers, so let us throw a few numbers around in the case of a portrait studio.

With this example you would be working a 36 hour week.

If we allocate one day a week, every week, to put some Marketing strategies into place, we should be able to create a minimum of 4 photography sessions a week…yes?

Now let us assume that we do face to face ordering sessions, and with our well thought out products, combined with our strategically crafted price list, we have an average sale of $1,000.

That equates to $16,000 per month.

If this scenario happens for 10 months of the year, taking into account that there are holidays, and other incidentals that could get in the way of our working life, that would be a turnover of $160,000 a year.

Would you be happy with this?

Is it possible though?

The numbers say it is possible.

Consolidating your time will give you more time to live life.

www.berniegriffithsbusinesscoach.com.au

www.berniegriffiths.com