Hello! I'm Vanessa... and I need career advice
Jul 30, 2018 08:45:46 #
Hi everyone,
I've been following the forum for a few months now and thought I'd start participating :)
I'm 33 y/o, married with 2 boys and 2 pets (dog + cat), living in N. Carolina.
When I was 26, I attempted to start my own photography business. I was young, naive, sleep-deprived (newborn baby!), and couldn't get enough clients to keep it going--or even pay for groceries!--so I closed my biz down, and headed for corporate life.
Now, 7 years later... corporate life has been good to me, but I long for more. More freedom in my work, more creativity, more time to myself.
BUT I also don't want to be broke, and constantly searching for business.
Any advice from those of you who have been-there-done-that?
I will probably get my business going again, as a side gig, until I feel I'm ready to pull the trigger to full time.
Your help is much appreciated! Thanks all!!
Photo is my headshot for work... taken by hubby, Photoshop'd be me ;)
I've been following the forum for a few months now and thought I'd start participating :)
I'm 33 y/o, married with 2 boys and 2 pets (dog + cat), living in N. Carolina.
When I was 26, I attempted to start my own photography business. I was young, naive, sleep-deprived (newborn baby!), and couldn't get enough clients to keep it going--or even pay for groceries!--so I closed my biz down, and headed for corporate life.
Now, 7 years later... corporate life has been good to me, but I long for more. More freedom in my work, more creativity, more time to myself.
BUT I also don't want to be broke, and constantly searching for business.
Any advice from those of you who have been-there-done-that?
I will probably get my business going again, as a side gig, until I feel I'm ready to pull the trigger to full time.
Your help is much appreciated! Thanks all!!
Photo is my headshot for work... taken by hubby, Photoshop'd be me ;)
Jul 30, 2018 08:52:13 #
Vanessa,
We have a "Ask the Pro's" section on UHH.
https://uglyhedgehog.com/s-129-1.html. You might want to post your inquiry in that section.
Good luck.
Mark
We have a "Ask the Pro's" section on UHH.
https://uglyhedgehog.com/s-129-1.html. You might want to post your inquiry in that section.
Good luck.
Mark
vanessav wrote:
Hi everyone, br br I've been following the forum ... (show quote)
Jul 30, 2018 08:53:42 #
olemikey
Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida
Good luck, hope you do well..... It's a tough business, use due diligence, do your homework, pick target clientele, research & research some more, develop a solid business plan (you should get some great advice here, many pro's on the forum) do some market testing, listen to the pro's when they chime in. My photo business was a small town effort back in the 80's & 90's, and was not my primary income, so I ran a compact photo service, and made decent money.
Jul 30, 2018 09:08:09 #
To quote a line from you post, "BUT I also don't want to be broke, and constantly searching for business."
That right there is a problem. You'll have to be doing just that in order to break even. If you're not enthused about selling yourself to everyone you meet, this is probably not going to work for you.
--Bob
That right there is a problem. You'll have to be doing just that in order to break even. If you're not enthused about selling yourself to everyone you meet, this is probably not going to work for you.
--Bob
vanessav wrote:
Hi everyone, br br I've been following the forum ... (show quote)
Jul 30, 2018 09:14:12 #
vanessav wrote:
Hi everyone, br br I've been following the forum ... (show quote)
Welcome, Vanessa! ...If your eloquent, well worded and spell checked posting here is any indication (I believe it is!) of how you would conduct business, I would say you will do well in the "People Business" of photography!
Photography as a business, whether part time or full time can be up and down as any business can be. BUT ...oh, how rewarding it can be if a business plan and a helpful partner (husband?) are put to use!!
Choosing to do this as a side business, using family and friends as contacts, as well as your corporate contacts (careful there, however) is very wise.
Just remember to HAVE FUN with this new business and the rewards will be satisfying and lucrative!
Enjoy!!
Jul 30, 2018 09:26:52 #
vanessav wrote:
Hi everyone, br br I've been following the forum ... (show quote)
Since the dawn of "digital" and lower priced high end equipment, the field is crowded and competition is highly skilled. Many are quite happy to be breaking even, paying for equipment and tech, etc, while pursuing their passion for art as a side gig.
You might want to try breaking into "micro-stock". Though very competitive (globally) at the highest levels, you can pursue at your leisure, improve your skills, and at least derive satisfaction that you can not only earn a few dollars, but your work is good enough that folks are willing to pay for it in the first place.
You could also get into the "very crowded" online photography blogs and "you tubers" and so forth which derive income from the photographic information field vs imagery services itself. There, you would have control over your time and efforts as well.
Another area, which is very "people" oriented is commercial, corporate, and business product photography.
Good luck,
jim
Jul 30, 2018 09:28:59 #
NCMtnMan
Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC
One of the big secrets to being successful is finding a niche that you can fill. People are willing to pay someone to do what they can't or don't want to do or an innovative way of performing a service. I've been in the IT business for 30+ years. I enjoyed working with small businesses, but found that most IT companies involved in computer networking did not want to deal with small businesses. So no one wanted to help the small guy have what the big guys had. So, with this in mind, I started my own business devoted entirely to small businesses. I never even had to advertise. Word of mouth and referrals took care of all the business I needed.
So, find that thing in photography that makes you different and that people need or want and you'll be okay.
So, find that thing in photography that makes you different and that people need or want and you'll be okay.
Jul 30, 2018 10:13:50 #
Jul 30, 2018 11:42:05 #
Jul 30, 2018 15:42:18 #
Jul 30, 2018 22:51:53 #
vanessav wrote:
Hi everyone, br br I've been following the forum ... (show quote)
Here is a recent discussion about starting a photography business: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-219960-1.html
Here’s another: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-539506-1.html
Walt
Jul 31, 2018 06:08:48 #
Jul 31, 2018 07:43:22 #
Welcome,Be very careful giving up a sure thing for a gamble, a part time artist might be the perfect position, think this thing through, friend of mine owned his own business, loved it, made a lot of money, never had a day off until he retired, consider everything before you jump, Bob.
BTW Good Luck
BTW Good Luck
Jul 31, 2018 08:01:05 #
Jul 31, 2018 08:12:07 #
vanessav wrote:
Hi everyone, br br I've been following the forum ... (show quote)
I would look to see if there is a local SCORE office nearby. You would get some eye to eye advise from retired business people. What you want to do may not provide you with all the necessary $$$$.
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