Curious to know how I scaled my photography business from $30,000 in sales to over $100,000 in just one year?
Let me start by saying it’s things I already knew to do (and you probably do too), but either 1. didn’t believe it would work or 2. didn’t prioritize it.
Here is a quick backstory to share the journey of scaling to 6 figures:
In 2007 I started off as a wedding photographer business owner. Let me rephrase. A struggling wedding photographer business owner.
Most called me successful, but behind the scenes, I wondered if I was really cut out to be an entrepreneur. I struggled to get bookings. I didn’t understand why my pretty photos and client experience weren’t enough. My clients would rave about both. So, why wasn’t this working?
For years, I wanted out of wedding photography to do personal branding photography, but in the spring of 2019, and missing over half of my son’s baseball games, I finally had enough. It was time for a change. A BIG change.
By Fall of 2019, I launched my own personal brand for my branding photography service. I thought for sure I would have to continue booking weddings for at least two years before I could replace my income. I knew to stop booking weddings in less than two years; I would need to take a completely different approach to run this new business.
Below are the ten essential things I implemented in my business that drove me to 6 figures and did in just a single year. And I stopped taking on new weddings in less than that.
Keys to Scaling Your Photography Business to 6 Figures
Here are the ten steps I put as a high priority to create the thriving personal branding photography business I have today:
No. 1 – Personal Growth
Want to know what the secret sauce for growth is for your business? Personal growth. The saying is true – What got you here won’t get you there. To grow to the next level, you must think differently, act differently, and have different beliefs. The way to achieve this is through personal growth.
No. 2 – Create Priorities & Boundaries
Understanding your priorities and creating boundaries to protect them is the foundation needed to prevent experiencing burnout.
No. 3 – Set Time Blocks
Time blocks are essential to pricing your offers to create your desired freedom. Knowing how long it takes you to execute the tasks in your business is vital. Time blocks will help you determine the amount of time you spend, which leads to setting realistic expectations for goals and projects.
No. 4 – Niche Down
When you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to no one. Niching down allows you to create messaging and offers that attract your ideal clients without confusion. Another benefit of niching down is faster growth. Can we say yes, please?
No. 5 – Create an offer they can’t refuse
After you’ve niched down, create an offer to solve your ideal client’s problem. When your offer gives them everything they need, it makes it harder for them to say no.
No. 6 – Give them an experience that has them raving about you
Your client has invested in you, and showing them that we are invested in them just as much (if not more) can go a long way. The goal is to make them not just feel like a number in your business.
No. 7 – Under-promise and Over-deliver
Going the extra mile goes a long way for your client experience. There are countless ways to do little extras for your clients that make them feel like a million bucks. Take whatever you promise and ask yourself, how can I give them just a little more?
No. 8 – Have systems in place that streamline your business
It seems like there is a software program for nearly everything to run a business. These software programs are tools designed to streamline your business. Invest in your business and put systems in place like a CRM to help you execute a luxury client experience.
No. 9 – Simply EVERYTHING
This is another secret to preventing burnout in your business. The more your systems are simplified, the easier and less time it takes to execute.
No. 10 – DO NOT HAVE A PLAN B
Nothing will push you more to figure out how to make it work than knowing there is no backup plan. The only thing a plan B will do for you is give you excuses not to push through the hard times. Remove the option and put your focus on making it work.
In the end…you have to really want it. You have to put in the time and the work. You must go through trials and errors to determine what system works best for you.
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to running a photography business. Or any business for that matter.
Believe you can. Even when it’s hard. Even when you feel hopeless, just get started.
Oh, and you don’t have to do this alone.
Join other like-minded photographers in my free Facebook group – Scale Your Brand Photography Business, where we talk shop about all things photography business!
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