Have you done a marketing survey? Like who is doing what and how many will photographers who do the type of work you are interested in are there, and will the market support another shooter?
Do you have a target demographic/client type that you want to work with?
Do you have a marketing plan?
Do you have a business plan?
Do your goals correspond to what is possible doing the work you would like to do in your target market?
Can you make enough with your idea(s)?

But the biggest question has to be - Why would someone want to hire you? Most people have some idea of all of the above, but choke when it comes to answering this question.

Along with this you have to consider how good a salesman you are - and since you are in a service industry, how exceptional your customer service skills are. At the end of the day, I can give a camera to a chimpanzee, teach him/her how to use it, and it will likely take pictures as good, if not better that the herd of paparazzi out there with everything from a cellphone to a Phase One. But when it comes to people skills - an essential component to delivering a high level of customer service - you either got it or you don't. This is something that must be innate - though if you don't have a natural tendency to work in service to others, you can learn some of it, you won't likely reap the rewards until you have made it part of your personality.

There is no magic bullet or short cuts in this or any other business - and you have to create your own magic - give people a reason to want to hire you.

I will give you a clue - it has almost nothing to do with how nice your pictures are. And another clue - your most successful clients will come from a high-energy effort on your part to network with people who might want to hire you to do the work you want to do. There is no substitute for hard-core networking.

For example - high school senior shoots - I'd be knocking on every door of every school getting to the correct level of contact (decision maker) to make a case for yourself.
If you want to do corporate portraits - I'd start with HR and work my way through the maze of middle management until you find the right person. And so on.

You may want to find an established photographer to work with or even intern for - to get a sense of how the business works from the inside.

Hi All, well, after a year of study, practice, and many free shoots, I think I’m finally ready I market my photography business to paying clients. I have a website, but I’d love to know where the professional photographers here advertise their business. I spoke to Groupon, but after they collect their extortion fee, there is very little left for the photographer. I’ve also tried Craigs List but for some reason my ads are flagged for removal and now my credit card must be blacklisted because the site won’t let me try again. This group has always come through in the past, so I look forward to your creative suggestions for how I can market my new business. Thanks!

Hi All, well, after a year of study, practice, and many free shoots, I think I’m finally ready I market my photography business to paying clients. I have a website, but I’d love to know where the professional photographers here advertise their business. I spoke to Groupon, but after they collect their extortion fee, there is very little left for the photographer. I’ve also tried Craigs List but for some reason my ads are flagged for removal and now my credit card must be blacklisted because the site won’t let me try again. This group has always come through in the past, so I look forward to your creative suggestions for how I can market my new business. Thanks!

Hi All, well, after a year of study, practice, and many free shoots, I think I’m finally ready I market my photography business to paying clients. I have a website, but I’d love to know where the professional photographers here advertise their business. I spoke to Groupon, but after they collect their extortion fee, there is very little left for the photographer. I’ve also tried Craigs List but for some reason my ads are flagged for removal and now my credit card must be blacklisted because the site won’t let me try again. This group has always come through in the past, so I look forward to your creative suggestions for how I can market my new business. Thanks!

Hi All, well, after a year of study, practice, and many free shoots, I think I’m finally ready I market my photography business to paying clients. I have a website, but I’d love to know where the professional photographers here advertise their business. I spoke to Groupon, but after they collect their extortion fee, there is very little left for the photographer. I’ve also tried Craigs List but for some reason my ads are flagged for removal and now my credit card must be blacklisted because the site won’t let me try again. This group has always come through in the past, so I look forward to your creative suggestions for how I can market my new business. Thanks!

Hi All, well, after a year of study, practice, and many free shoots, I think I’m finally ready I market my photography business to paying clients. I have a website, but I’d love to know where the professional photographers here advertise their business. I spoke to Groupon, but after they collect their extortion fee, there is very little left for the photographer. I’ve also tried Craigs List but for some reason my ads are flagged for removal and now my credit card must be blacklisted because the site won’t let me try again. This group has always come through in the past, so I look forward to your creative suggestions for how I can market my new business. Thanks!