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PHOTOGRAPHIK ARTICLES |
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Mind Your Business
by: Parris Whittingham
Success is not a coincidence. In a recent interview with reporters, Steve Jobs was asked how he feels Wall Street will react to the recent product developments and strategic changes taking place at Apple. Seemingly perplexed by how to best address the reporters question, Jobs explained that when you successfully manage the top-line of your business (strategy, talent and execution), the bottom-line will take care of itself.
Developing Your Strategy
Business is truly about problem solving. Most of us can afford to be more focused on “minding our business”. The more clear you are about the way that you want your business to function, the easier it will be to offer your services to potential clients. This requires organization.
Being able to clearly explain your ideas is the result of careful planning and organization. Look at Google, for example. Google organizes our search queries and presents clear results for our diverse needs. In short, it simplifies the Internet and solves millions of problems everyday. There are dozens of problems photography solves: bringing awareness to a specific cause, honoring a timeless event, sharing a moment with future generations, etc. The key is to focus on the specific problem that you want to solve as a photographer.
In time, you may add additional “problem solvers” to your lineup of services or products; however, start with one problem and come up with a really good solution for it. Once you have that, you will need to make sure you can clearly explain your solution. You can call this explanation your business strategy. One of the best ways to organize your business strategy is to create a concise mission statement. From there, you can drill-down into your specific approach by creating a business plan. When preparing either document, consider the following questions:
- What is the problem that your business will solve?
- How does this service add value to your potential clients?
- Who are your potential clients?
- Where do you intend to interact/engage with your potential clients?
- Why are you confident that you can deliver on these expectations?
The business section of every major book carrier is filled with texts that discuss the finer details of creating a business plan. Remember, the best business plan is like a roadmap, you should refer to it often to help keep you on course.
Managing Talent
At the end of the day, your goal is to create a business that is sustainable. This means it is not susceptible to sudden changes in market trends and that potential clients will look to your business for innovation and fresh ideas. Fresh ideas require creativity, inspiration and talent. There are many ways to hone and manage talent. Below are some simple suggestions:
- Read the newspaper and start making connections. Consider how current events may affect your future business.
- Create personal work. Shooting your own projects is a great way to experiment and explore new ideas.
- Travel with a notepad/notebook. Ideas can strike when we least expect them….be prepared.
- Create a list of creative and professional goals.
- Create a daily schedule. Be sure to include a healthy portion of “fun” and “boring” work. Accept that both are equally important.
- Seek inspiration from everyday occurrences.
Execution: Delivering Your Mission
Most of us can be very critical of people when they do something that we think we can do better. Execution of tasks is paramount to the success of your business. If you write a great business plan and never use it, you have just wasted your time (and paper). If you take amazing shots and deliver them late, your client will lose confidence in your skills. In many cases, the thrill of ”doing something” can cloud the senses and distract us from the long-term value of planning. Therefore, if you take the time to create your mission statement and you develop a business plan that supports your mission, be sure that your execution of daily tasks reflects your plan.
A successful business plan emanates throughout every project you take on. Your clients feel supported by the organizational and creative strength of your services and you feel empowered to deliver according to a clear, well-executed plan. By the time you are ready to execute your ideas, you should have a healthy sense of what you want. In my case, I spent months thinking of my “ideal client”. Thankfully, once I committed this vision to my business plan, I was rewarded with the type of clients who truly make my work enjoyable and inspiring. In business (as in life), there will always be unforeseen circumstances. Planning for your success should never be left to coincidence.
Check out this link to learn more about online marketing for your photography business.
DISCLAIMER : The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent the views of photographik or any member of the photographik organization.
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| contributor details |
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| Name: |
Parris Whittingham |
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| About: |
Parris Whittingham is a New York City wedding photographer whose work is a harmonious marriage of wedding photojournalism and fine art wedding photography. His efforts to promote the craft of wedding photography have been met with outstanding support. To date, his work has been featured in numerous editorial and online publications including: mywedding.com, Computer Arts Magazine and the official website of Kanye West. In 2008, Parris Whittingham will be honored for his photographic accomplishments at the Adobe Design Achievement Awards (AADA). |
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| Contact: |
www.pswhittingham.com |
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