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In the AIBP Forum there's been a lot of discussion lately as a couple of members have taken the plunge into becoming full-time photographers. Each time I hear about somebody getting ready to take that leap, I start pondering my own situation and it makes me realize how amazing life can be. I headed out to start my own company a little over five years ago. While I sort of had a plan, it was hardly very decisive. I was divorced, starting a new relationship and had left California for Ohio. I remember family members and a few friends telling me I was out of my mind to try and start a new business in the worst economy of my lifetime. I remember a few people seriously questioning my sanity at getting involved in social media rather than going out and finding a "real" job. I guess that's when this quote became my mantra: "I do it because I can...I do it because I want to...I do it because you told me I couldn't!" A week after moving in with Sheila, I got a job offer to do portfolio review for three solid weeks at Hallmark Institute in western Mass. It paid well, and without a foundation of clients yet and no revenue, I jumped at the chance. So, off I went, gone from home for three weeks, leaving Sheila with my dog and 80 boxes to unpack in a house we'd rented just a couple of weeks before. Well, here I am five years later and having some of the best times of my career. I've met and worked with so many talented artists. Twitter came into my life about three years ago when good buddy, Scott Bourne, started beating me up for not going beyond Facebook. (Later he'd beat me up for my PC and my Blackberry. LOL) Every day is another adventure and the more I learn the more I realize how much I still have to learn. Just when I got Facebook and Twitter down, they both started changing their formulas and now Google+ and Pinterest are starting in the mix. So what's my point this morning? I'm not going to suggest it's been an easy road for the last few years, but it was a dream to want to do more of the things I enjoyed most and here I am. I so understand those of you who worry about failure and get the criticism from friends and family who just don't get your quest to be an artist. I've also learned how important it is to build a strong network and within that inner circle of people closest to you, be able to build on the friendships and the passions we all share for the craft and business. There's one thing I've learned that's critical to what each of us do every day. It's about being in touch with your passions and in turn staying focused, asking for help when you need it and sharing your frustrations with the right people. It's all thanks to some guy named Shakespeare, but Sheila's hit me with it over and over again... To thine own self be true! Some times with my blog I'm like the old town crier, sharing news and things going on in different parts of the world and our industry. That's just the role I'm playing with this post this morning.
Here's a video that was posted on Facebook last week by Nelson Coelho and I simply liked the way it was done. I don't profess to be a video judge, but Nelson is based in Luxembourg and I loved that fact that quality in being able to tell a great story is universal, no matter where you are in the world! I wrote to Nelson to see if he was okay with me sharing it, so here it is. Just take the time to watch it and tell me what you think. It simply made me smile and seemed like a great way to start the week! It's just a short post this morning, but based on a real life challenge we're going through right now. A new roof on a home is no small project, but after writing checks to roofing companies every time it rained, we had no choice. We did our research, chose a company with a great reputation and got things going, but here's my point. If you don't follow-through on your promises, then no matter how good a job you do, your reputation will suffer and future business will eventually be effected.
We live in a relatively small community. My wife is in the Women's Club. Had they done a great job, we both would have told the world. All of the homes in this development have Mediterranean style tile roofs and based on the age of the community, so many of them are going to need replacement over the next few years. This is a potential gold mine for new business. Although they did a great job on the roof itself, there's no excuse for the lousy follow-through. With every client you've got an opportunity to build the relationship and in turn, secure business for the future. No matter how small the issue, follow-up with every client as quickly as possible. Look for ways to resolve problems quickly so they don't get blown out of proportion and become business blockers for future clients. "Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it.
The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business." Zig Ziglar I tweeted this quote yesterday from Steve Jobs: "If today were the last day of your life, would you want to do what you're about to do today?" We've all heard hundreds of quotes over the years about dancing as if nobody is watching...live as if it's heaven on earth and the list goes on and on. Well, it's July 4th and most of you, at least my American readership, are enjoying a day off with family and friends. So, if today was the last day of your life, you probably are doing something you love. But, here's my point. If you're in a rut and some days things just don't come together the way you want them to, before you get frustrated and either scream loud enought to wake the dead or just give up, stop what you're doing. Take some time off and walk away from the business. Clear your head before you try and get back on track. This is an amazing career field loaded with terrific people, great companies and talented educators willing to help you build a stronger skill set. You've also got a number of knuckleheads like me who are here to help you figure out what's missing. I love this industry more than a blog post could ever explain, but I'm even more proud of you guys. It's not easy being in business today, but in all honesty, there's never been a time when it was just easy. Don't give up on your dreams...stay focused on your goals and remember everything you do each day is another building block in a solid foundation to create your business. Most important of all, is the sentiment in another quote I tweeted... "Many of life's failures are people who didn't realize how close they were to success when they gave up!" Thomas Edison Wishing everybody a wonderful 4th of July weekend. Slow down on the burgers and dogs, enjoy the fireworks and make some memories with friends and family! And for those of you outside the US who can't relate to the day, have a great weekend and the same good wishes for memories with family and friends.
I guess I've been living in a vacuum, because I had no idea there were actually rules for images you share for Throwback Thursday. Mashable actually has a post for throwback etiquette. Well, none of us have time to follow etiquette when it comes to old photos. So, I'm just running with this one. Digging through my archives I found this image my buddy Jim Morton sent me a while back. We were both at Hasselblad for many years. Here's the scenario: First, that's Tony Corbell, Big Daddy himself (Don Blair), me, (Who told me that sweater looked good?) and our good pal, Terry Deglau, who used to be with Kodak. Sorry, no idea who the models were.
Second, this was taken at a shoot at the MGM, back in the days when they had the giant lion out front on the corner of the hotel. Don did a program that year at WPPI, probably around '91 called "Don Blair and Friends", then sponsored by Hasselblad, Kodak and Art Leather. As part of the program, Don did a live shoot outside with the models and then the following day each member of the workshop got an 8x10 from the shoot during a more standard presentation. Don, along with Terry and Tony talked about the key ingredients along with lighting and posing, two of Don's favorite topics. Remember, this was in the film days, so it was pretty impressive for people to get an 8x10 image within 24 hours. Just as Don handed out the 8x10's to approximately 200 people or so, I came down the aisle yelling about making a big print, at least "5x7". Everybody looked at me as if I was nuts, but behind me we rolled in a 5x7 folio that Art Leather had built...5 feet x 7 feet. It must have weighed five hundred pounds, but was covered in leather and looked exactly like a 5x7 folio on steroids. Even more impressive was how good the Hasselblad image from the shoot held up - no grain no pain. For a lot of years the four of us, Tony, Don, Terry and I were like the Four Musketeers involved in one adventure after another. Here's a point so many of you take for granted. Images like this truly capture amazing memories and transport everybody involved to another time and place. Don't underestimate your power as an artist to create incredible images that years from now will be a personal time machine for your clients. Every client deserves your very best work! The recent hype about "Man vs Food" star, Adam Richman, got me thinking about Facebook, Twitter and everyone's blog. You can click on the link if you want the whole story, but the short version is simply that the Travel Channel has indefinitely postponed Richman's new show, following his incredibly bad reaction to a comment posted on Instagram. For the most part, all of you have multiple clients. I don't think any of you are in a position with only one client. However, when you took on social media you put yourself in the public eye and your readers, followers and potential clients all, directly or indirectly, have input into the future growth of your business. The fiasco with Adam Richman sparked some ideas to help you stay grounded. See if these five points make sense:
Last on the list, we're all only human and sometimes you just get pushed over the edge. When that does happen, don't be afraid to go back and apologize. You don't need to stand your ground when you know your approach is wrong. Make sure you taste your words before you spit them out!
Author unknown My good buddy, Nick Vedros, sent this to me last week. It's a kick to watch for a few seconds, just to see what's being consumed in the US. If you click on the image you'll go right to the "Retail in Real-Time" site. Now, here's why I wanted to share it with you in a blog post. What if we were building our own real-time site for photographers? What categories would be fun to capture? Here's my list. Feel free to add to it.
On the positive side there are some really strong trends it would be fun to track:
Sadly, there's a negative side, only listed here in the hopes that you make sure you don't become a statistic.
The truth is, there's a lot of really good things going on with professional photographers. I'm hearing so many stories that support being headed in the right direction to build stronger businesses. But, what I got a kick out of was just wasting a minute and watching the counters roll. Sadly, between Sheila and me, I know we've contributed too much to the rolling total on MacDonalds fries and Starbucks Iced Mochas! Happy Wednesday everybody! |
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