Since I began my own photography business when Weston was 3 months old, my life has been the busiest it has ever been! I am loving it so much, but at times (a lot of times) I am so stressed out. It is so hard to keep up with the house, run a business, and most importantly care for my son! I find myself staying up all hours of the night editing, emailing clients while Weston eats his breakfast, constantly checking my Facebook business page for new likes and comments, packaging CDS ... it is seriously CRAZY! I am so happy that I found something that I love doing where I can stay at home with Weston and also make money (which we definitely need). The only time I am away from him is when I have a session and then everything else can be completed at home. When I started this back at the end of March 2011 (oh my goodness it’s been almost a year) I told friends and family, began a FB page, and then within a few weeks I had many people interested. I just scheduled my sessions whenever I could find someone to watch Weston. Some weeks I would do up to 7 sessions which was outrageous, but at the same time I think it was great way to build clients.
Listed below are a few things that I have learned:
1. 3 sessions a week is just the right amount (unless I have some time away during the day to edit)
2. Say NO to people- I always feel bad when someone really wants their pictures taken and I am completely booked. I always end up squeezing them in and then end of getting super stressed out about keeping up with photos.
3. Create a work schedule- I decided for the spring and summer I will work on Tuesdays and Saturdays with the rain dates being Thursdays and Sundays. My newborn sessions will be on Tuesdays around 12 and then by 4 I can have a family session or two. Saturdays will most likely be 2 family sessions. I have tried to figure out where people would like their session to take place and if I can fit in 2 sessions at the same place back to back it works out perfectly. Less travel for me and also saves a lot of time!
4. Create a weekly schedule- I made a schedule for the week and I am hoping to stick with it! For example on Mondays I will clean the main floor of the house, finish laundry, and work from 8-10pm. Each day I will be working from 8-10pm except for Fridays and Saturdays. I hired a babysitter to come to the house on Tuesdays from 12-6pm. I will have my two to three sessions and hopefully be able to work in between sessions if there is time. So my main goal is not to work on photog business stuff except for those allotted times. If I can do that, then I will really enjoy my time with Weston every day instead of stressing over work! And maybe during nap time I can do something for me!! :)
5. Hire a babysitter- I know I said that above... but having a babysitter will be wonderful! I will not have to worry anymore about who I can find to watch the little man while I go to my sessions. I have not met her in person just yet, but have talked to her quite a bit on the telephone. She is a college student and also her family is good friends with the secretaries at the school I used to work at. And she lives very close to me too! Perfect! For now I am paying one flat rate. Some days I may be longer than usual and other days I may only need her for a few hours. So hopefully it works out for the both of us.
I am really looking forward to my springtime and summer sessions! Here’s hoping for a more organized, less stressful, and fun photography business year 2!!!! Yay!
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