Photography Business Training Foundations : Profit

Profit

Over the next few weeks we’ll be taking you through our latest free training series: The 8 Foundations of Photography Business Success.

The one thing we are passionate about communicating here at Wolfe Island is that your photography business success lies in more than just your photography alone.

Did you know that?

It doesn’t matter how great your photography is, if you don’t  have these 8 Foundations of Success in place you’ll always feel like you are getting left behind. 

We’re passionate about helping you get the success and reputation that your business deserves.

In this next free series we’re going to cover the 8 essential foundations to propel your photography business into the profitable, sustainable success story you need.

These are the secrets that every successful photographer knows

Not only do they know them but they already do them…really well! 

But the great news is that you can learn them too!

Successful photographers know that taking great pictures accounts for very little of your business success. For example your photography itself can be amazing, but if no one ever hears about you then you haven’t got a business, you’ve got a hobby.

So what are the foundations to a business that pays you a great salary, doing something you love?

Let’s start with the first one: PROFIT

Profit is more valuable than you realise, for two extremely important reasons : the first is obvious; it pays for your family to eat! It makes sure you can pay the rent and allows you to retire.

The second is just as important – profit drives you to treat your customers even better!

If you charge too little, you scrape by – you rush jobs, cut corners and become deflated.

Over the years, we’ve seen two major objections to charging a strong, healthy price.

​The first is ridiculous – ‘everyone deserves good photography’ – maybe they do, but they only get it if you charge enough for it because without the funds needed to provide to dedicated and excellent service, your customers will receive an inferior product.

You see, you’re able to create time and energy to improve your craft if you have the financial flexibility to do so – you’re able to have down time and space to think. 

You’re able to go on courses and to do personal projects.

This financial flexibility only comes through the profit you make in your business.

Charge more to be able to give more!

We’ll never stop saying this : your business is purely about your clients! The reason you charge more is to do a better job for your precious clients!

The other objection I have heard is – ‘I’m not good enough to charge higher prices’ – that may be true, but if you’re that hard on yourself then your almost certainly better than you think.

At the end of the day, talent only accounts for so much – your tenacity to learn and grow counts for way more.

Profit drives you to get better and give more to your clients!

Less glamorous though, is paying your mortgage, feeding the kids and saving for retirement.

In today’s photography world, you’d be forgiven for thinking that impressing other photographers is what pays the bills and not cash – how many times have you found yourself jealous of that photographer who travels the world for amazing destination weddings?

Don’t be too jealous – I’ve lost count of the amount of photographers who have burnt out because they’re offering massive discounts just to get that job.

I’ve seen destination jobs advertised online with photographers falling over themselves to land the gig; offering to do it for a massively reduced price, expenses only or even paying for it themselves!

They then post excessively about their glamorous lifestyle online which then makes others feel like they haven’t “made” it yet and the cycle continues!

But the truth is you can’t retire on Facebook likes! 

​”Making” it as a professional photographer does not mean that you are travelling the world if this is at the expense of this core business foundation: profit!

You have to have the end goal in mind! 

At the end of the day you’re going to be the one sunning it up on your Caribbean cruise in your golden years while those you once envied struggle to even retire.

Commit to the long haul.

A commitment to profit does not mean that you have to give up on your dreams or your personal preference in terms of who your dream clients are.

There are more than enough of your dream clients out there who have the money and willing to pay it.

But if you sell yourself short now, you will make yourself too busy and unmotivated to be able to find them.

You will create an emotional and financial rut that is difficult to get out of. 

You will have spent so long saying yes to the wrong clients (i.e. those without the budget or unwilling to spend it on you) that you have no idea how to start finding the right ones.

Build for the long term, build with the end in sight. 

The small sacrifices and heartache now will be far outweighed by the satisfaction of creating the exciting and profitable business that you are going to have tomorrow.

A business that is sustainable and a lifestyle beyond that of the photographers you once envied and causes YOU to become the envied one.

Keep THIS as the end goal.

Hope you’ve found this helpful, and it’s encouraged you to view profit as a good thing – look out for the next video coming soon!

Matt&SJ 

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