by Skip Cohen It's Marketing Monday, and for at least the last ten years, I've shared ideas on things you should be doing to build a stronger business. I've covered just about everything, but there's one more idea I want to hit this morning: the diversity of Marathon Press. My history working with Marathon goes back 30+ years. Yes, they sponsor SCU, but they didn't ask me to write about them today. As everyone looks for ideas to make 2024 a record-breaker, Marathon has so many ways to help you achieve your goals. Let's start with their diversity as an industry-supporting vendor, and this is only a part of the support they offer.
Here's my point this Marketing Monday - stop thinking you have to fly solo all the time. Most of you are small business owners and you don't have the staff, the time or the budget to create, build and launch exciting marketing programs - but Marathon has an amazing staff and products/services.
And they're just a click or phone call away...(800) 228.0629 or click on their logo below.
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by Skip Cohen Throwback Thursday doesn't always have to involve old photographs. I thought it would be fun to tie in old concepts and products from the past. Check out the four products below and tell me what happened to them...
Then, there were expressions and definitions that changed...for example, a troll was just a character in a children's book or an ugly doll. The "mailman" walked your street. You had a paperboy who delivered your paper on his bike. And speaking of bikes, I won a "three-speed English Racer" in a Cleveland Plain Dealer contest that was the greatest bike ever! Now go back to just the last 10-15 years...I found my old Palm Pilot the other day. And I can only laugh over how cool it was. Then came my Blackberry; again, it was slick. I was crushed when I lost my Blackberry while at IUSA in Nashville. I immediately hit the Verizon store in Nashville and paid top dollar for a replacement. Feel free to add your memories from your own walk down "Nostalgia Lane"; if there are enough of you, I'll publish another post with your additions. Happy Throwback Thursday! by Skip Cohen The real fun of social media is about how small it makes the world. Meet UK photographer and good buddy Wes Simpson. We first "met" almost eight years ago when he posted the image to the right on Facebook. I loved it and contacted him for permission to share it in a blog post. That started a friendship based entirely on Facebook and IMs. Since then, Wes has received numerous awards, including Wedding Photographer of the Year in 2022 and 2023 at the English Wedding Awards. Although Wes has shared hundreds of beautiful images, there's still something about this one that makes me smile. It's whimsical, fun and captures the essence of two newlyweds. I'm so appreciative of social media technology and the process of how Wes and I connected. I was sitting in my office on a Friday morning in Sarasota, Florida, and Wes was in the UK getting his gear set up for a wedding. He was over 4000 miles away, in another country, and five or six hours ahead of me. We've never physically met, yet the common denominator, our mutual love for the craft, had us talking like two old friends in a pub! The graffiti wall Wes chose for the photograph is one of Banksy's art pieces. I didn't know who Bansky was until Wes gave me the name. A quick Google search and I had the background on this old car park in Liverpool. Wes gave me the following backstory. The Groom is an art collector. When I arrived at the wedding breakfast I parked at a car park close to the venue and noticed the "Banksy" on the wall, I assumed it was a fake. I'm more of a documentary photographer but during the wedding breakfast (in between courses) I asked the bride and groom to step outside and follow me 'I have a great idea for a shot and I think you'll love it" and they did! The Groom too had no idea there was a real Banksy so close by. We did the shot and they where back inside for dessert without any of the guests even noticing they'd gone. It was the last shot of the day with the groom saying "We won't top that!" There's one other aspect I so appreciate about the image above. It was the start of a great friendship. I'm still hoping to catch up with Wes for a beer someday, but in the meantime, I truly value his support and his passion for the craft. A big thanks to Wes for sharing not only the image that started it all but also a wonderful friendship. Just for the fun of it, I grabbed a few of my favorites from his website portfolio. Feel free to join me in making the world a smaller place - click on any image in this post to visit Wes Simpson's website and galleries. by Skip Cohen In the "old days," there was always time to kick back and chill after the December holidays. January, especially, was considered the start of the slow season and convention time. And while winter is slow in most areas, that's only from a consumer perspective. As a small business owner in photography, it might be quiet, but you've got some planning you should be doing for the next wave of seasonality.
I get it - 2023 wasn't the easiest of years, and you'd like to hibernate for the winter. But here's my point: a little planning now sets things up for the whole year. And there are few things better than being a business owner with momentum going all year long! Whether you've put any formal time into planning the year ahead or you're still in vision mode trying to think through what you want to be when you grow up - everyone has goals. And while some are tougher to achieve and more long-range than others, nothing changes the importance of planning and turning wishes into reality. "If it weren't for change there'd be no butterflies!" Unknown Author by Skip Cohen It's January 8, and time is flying by faster than I'd like! While I know time never slows down, procrastination is a luxury. This time of year, we all go through the same process - We think about the previous year, set goals for the new year, and then work on what we need to do differently to make this year even better. Maybe everything in our skill set was right for last year, but now we need to expand to focus more on marketing to a broader audience and offer more diverse products/services. Or, perhaps the product line is fine, but we need to find more ways to reach more people. We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential. Ellen Goodman This is a short post on this first Marketing Monday of 2024. Its purpose is to plant a few seeds to think things through before you jump back into expanding and building in a new direction too rapidly. What if you change virtually NOTHING to start the year?
Here's my point - every year is a struggle to grow your business. Some years growth is faster than others, but overall it's the same process. Maybe you need to pat yourself on the back and take some time, without interruptions, to analyze how you really want to achieve your goals. If last week was the time to recharge, then this week is a prep week. Where are the best possibilities to find areas for growth through diversity and increased brand awareness? There's a great buzz in the industry this year, and there is lots of optimism for 2024. Two great conventions, IUSA and WPPI, are coming up with opportunities to spend time with your peers and so many of the key vendors and educators. At the same time, social media is exploding with opportunities, and even direct mail has the potential for targeting campaigns as you launch a new year in business. Don't rush to change things in your business just for the sake of mixing things up a little. Every business has a formula, and no two artists are the same. The key is to implement things that work best for you and, at the same time, help you expand your reach. What a year this is going to be! PS If you're stuck on ideas in the new year and need some help, you know where to find me. Just IM me on Facebook, and I'll get back to you. by Skip Cohen It's a new year; my first Reflections post for 2024. I'm staying with my usual theme - rarely, talking about business and marketing. Sunday mornings are about the personal side of life, and this morning's topic has been on my mind a lot lately..."Why?" It does jump into a business related topic, but when I headed out on my own in 2009, everybody thought I was nuts, which I am, but that's not the point. As I wrote recently, I still have days when I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. A friend recently asked me why I do what I do every day. Well, it starts with simply loving this industry. I stumbled into it completely by accident so many years ago. As I pondered my "Why," I really couldn't come up with a profound answer, except to say I love what I'm doing for several reasons: First, I'm the biggest groupie on the planet when it comes to artists in imaging. It starts with your creative spirit and then respect for your entrepreneurial endeavors. For years, I lived vicariously through all of you as small business owners until 2009, when I decided to see if I could walk the talk. Second, while my heart is that of an artist, my passion became the business and marketing side of life. I don't have the photographic creativity I respect that so many of you possess, but I wanted to play a part in an industry I love. My quest to help you focus on more than the capture of an image became insatiable. Most of you are off-the-chart right-brainers. Your creativity drives everything you do, leaving you little time to develop the operational side of your business as it deserves. So, I started sharing ideas about how to build a stronger business model. Third is the product itself - helping the world capture memories. You're the magicians who turn the intangible into something tangible, photographs and videos people can physically hold forever. Think about everything you feel when you look at old photos. That old line about a picture being worth a thousand words puts all of you as authors at a level with Shakespeare! I became an industry cheerleader, occasionally criticized for seeing the world through rose-colored glasses. Through the challenges of the pandemic, up and down economies, changing technology, and even a recession or two - the world has never slowed down in the need to capture memories. That makes the fight to help you thrive even more important. Well, here I am, still working while most people my age have retired. Why? Because I love it, and there's a never-ending need for help in post-production - not the manipulation and printing of an image, but in the final stage of creating a successful and sustainable business. My mantra has never changed: I do it because I can. I can because I want to. I want to because you said I couldn't. Anon It's a new year, and if you're questioning your "Why," take some time to consider why you chose this career path. It's a path that requires complete focus, not just on the technology of capture but on the importance of fulfillment to a client base that will never let you down as long as you stay focused on their needs. You can't create images that tug at people's hearts if your own heart isn't in it.
Wishing everybody a day ahead that's filled with love, peace and confirmation to support your "Why." Go for those eleven-second therapeutic hugs with the people you care most about. Friends and family are a big part of your "Why," but don't forget that face in the mirror. Happy Sunday...or Monday if you're on the other side of the world. by Skip Cohen
The fun of Throwback Thursday is often in the hunt. I never know what I'm going to find. Since it's the start of the new year, it seemed appropriate to look back on a moment of celebration from my past. And even though I shared this story in a post almost ten years ago, it deserves to be shared again. The year is 1993, and Hasselblad won a Mobius Award for print advertising. Even though it's usually an ad agency event, off I went to Chicago for the dinner and evening presentations. Just to say we were proud of the recognition would be a huge understatement. However, God forbid I should have to go to a rubber chicken dinner solo, so I talked my good buddy and Chicago resident, Tom Danielson, into joining me along with Jim Ritter, the Hasselblad sales manager for Chicago. Here's what I didn't know...the appropriate attire. I called and spoke with one of the more senior people at the Mobius Awards, and I was told it was usually a mix of black tie and business attire. All three of us owned a tux, so why not represent Hasselblad as upscale as possible? Here's the second thing I didn't know...that we'd be the only three in black tie out of a couple hundred people that evening! Three times I was given a drink order by somebody who thought I was a waiter! Had we been smarter, Tom, Jim, and I should have taken their money and split the evening's profit. There really is no moral of the story here, just a fun thirty-one-year-old flashback and a lesson learned: Always check with at least two sources regarding attire at any industry function. And one more lesson: print your images. Had this been digital at the time, it would have been on a floppy disc and long since lost. I'd be missing all the fun of Throwback Thursday! If you have yet to go off searching for an old memory-maker, you're missing an excellent opportunity to create a reminder of the wonder of our industry. As professional photographers, you're magicians, helping people turn the intangible into tangible memories they can hold for a lifetime. by Skip Cohen
This is that strange time of year when it's quiet from the consumer side of life and in limbo for many small business owners. It's the perfect time to hit the reset button and clear your head. But before you kick back it's also time to tie up loose ends from 2023 and do a little prep work for the new year. From loose ends to preparing for the year ahead, here are some quick ideas:
Here's my point - yes, we're at the start of the "slow season," but that doesn't mean it's slow for you as a business owner. This time of year is always a balance between things you need to do ASAP to wrap up last year and the need to kick back for a few days and clear your head. As I wrote recently, now is the time to do a little dreaming...with your eyes open. by Skip Cohen Before the holidays, I shared a post about stepping away for a few days, and I did just that. It was the perfect way to recharge and step back into the new year. It's a new year with a fresh canvas, and like so many photographers I've spoken with, we're all pretty pumped up for the year ahead. It's time to mix up the routine, take new risks, and step out of your comfort zone. However, there's one daily routine Sheila and I refuse to change - reading something motivational each morning after breakfast. With the start of the new year, I can't think of a better thought to share than Melody Beattie's this morning. It's from one of her earliest books, but there is no expiration code on wisdom. It's a little too long for a blog post, so I'm paraphrasing what she wrote for January 2... Go on your own journey. Don't let others hold you back; don't hold them back. Don't judge their journey, and don't let them judge yours. Many of us started our journey by having the experiences others thought we should. Some of us tried to dictate the lessons and adventures of others, too. This caused pain and confusion for all. Learning those lessons, the lessons of setting each other free, became an important part of our journey...Go where your heart leads...Don't limit your own experiences. Don't limit the experiences of those you love, or those you meet along the way. It's a new year the perfect time to think about the journey ahead. What do you hope to accomplish in 2024? And like the quote below - it's a great time to dream with your eyes open! All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible. T.E. Lawrence P.S. Captured with an iPhone 14 Pro, click on the image. I'm amazed at the detail it captured, right down to the fishing line, although I did use a sharpening tool!
“Celebrate endings—for they precede new beginnings.” Jonathan Lockwood Huie by Skip Cohen
When I started this series, Sunday was simply a way for me to recharge for the week ahead. Reflections became a labor of love, allowing me to step away from writing about business and marketing. A few days ago, I posted what I thought at the time would be the last post for 2023. Well, it's Sunday, and I'm a creature of habit. So, this is a short post wishing you a HAPPY and HEALTHY New Year. May the new year bring you success and one step closer to your dreams. And as far as this past year - savor the view in your rearview mirror because everything that happened, good or bad, in the past brought you to today. Thank you for your support, feedback, and especially friendship. Happy New Year! Sometimes you gotta take a break from all the noise to appreciate the beauty of silence. Robert Tew by Skip Cohen The other day, I shared a post about gathering your "tribe" and taking the time this week to catch up with those special people who make your life richer. I'm taking it one step further today, and attempting to practice what I preach. You'd think at my age, I'd know what I wanted to be when I grew up. *sigh* Well, it just hasn't happened, and as 2023 winds down, my head is filled with project ideas for the new year, things I want to accomplish, and new goals. It's all positive, but even strategizing on what I'd like to be doing in the new year makes indecision an adversary, and it's time to simply take a break. I'm stepping away from the noise and, like the quote above, appreciating the silence. Silence is one of those unique business tools we all forget to use much too often. I need a few days to simply chill, appreciate everything in my rearview mirror, and figure out the route for the 2024 "trip." Being able to step away from business this week is a luxury not everyone has, but if you can, I highly recommend it. It's a critical step to avoid burnout and recharge your battery. If you can slow things down, start celebrating New Year's today, and meet me back in the "office" on Tuesday, January 2. Thank you for all your support, feedback, and great ideas on how I can help you thrive in the new year. I wish you the best close to 2023 and, even more importantly, a great kickoff to the new year. New technology, products, great conferences, and new friends are all setting the stage for 2024 to be amazing. See you on January 2 - Happy New Year! I simply want to take a break and catch my breath.
But I also think that, sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is deliberately keep some time free and see what the world throws at you. Ruth Wilson by Skip Cohen No matter what holidays you celebrate or where your spirituality takes you, this time between Christmas and New Years is always strange. From the business side, it's about wrapping up loose ends, dealing with a few things on the Customer Service side of life, and winding down. But there's still a sense of urgency as we all wonder, "Okay, what do I still need to knock off for 2023?" On the personal side, many of us are catching up with people we've not been in touch with as often as we'd like. From holiday cards to emails, phone calls, and social media, people we care about become more accessible. Just as the rush to get things done before the holidays, now is the time we tend to be more reflective. I've written a lot about the routine Sheila and I have to read something inspirational each morning after breakfast. This morning's reading seemed particularly relevant to this time of year, when we are connecting with so many people in our lives. To create a richer life, gather your tribe and let them know how important they are to you. Spending time with your tribe fosters connection and understanding. Life is designed to be shared, and when we identify the people who make our lives better just be being in it, we foster a sense of belonging. A tribe can be a little or as large as you desire. Choose those who uplift, inspire, and interact with a spirit of love. Emily Silva And here's my point - take advantage of the change in pace this week. Stay away from the "negators" in your life, but make an effort to reach out to the people who make your life better. There's an old line I've always loved, "Angels do exist, but sometimes they don't have wings and are called friends."
Go find your "angels." Take a minute and think about everybody in your life. Is there anybody you've missed you want to catch up with before the year ends? Everything we do, from close friends to supportive vendors, takes a village or a "tribe," as Emily Silva wrote above. And to my village/tribe...I'd be lost without you, including my readers. Thanks to your feedback and input, life just keeps getting better. It's not always easier, but it's ALWAYS better! Happy Last Tuesday of 2023! Happy Holidays - Make It the best by remembering what it is really all about. Bob Coates by Skip Cohen My good buddy, Bob Coates, shared his comment above in 2017 and again just this past week. It's perfect to share together with my thoughts on Christmas Eve 2023. Whether your beliefs have you celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other holiday this time of year, I want to wish you all the happiest and healthiest of holidays. I've always been a big fan of December's holiday spirit. It's a time when, no matter how bizarre the world is, there are moments of peace, gratefulness, and joy to cherish and savor. It's a time when Bob's quote is so relevant. One of my most favorite holiday messages came from a friend. "Craig" wrote this eight years ago about his life with his wife, "Erin". The image he used reminded me of the first holiday card photo Sheila and I shared after moving to Florida, coincidentally captured by Bob Coates in 2011. Craig described his relationship with Erin. As I read it, I felt like Christopher Robin would appear any minute. It's so well done, and deserves an encore performance. Wishing all of you happy holidays one more time. Take the time for those eleven-second therapeutic hugs with those people special to you. Don't hold back from reminding them of their importance in your life. Cherish each minute and give yourself a big pat on the back - another year has passed, and along the way, you worked hard, grew your skill set, and have a lot to be proud of. It's time to relax and get ready for a whole new year with new challenges, but even better, new milestones to celebrate. Happy Holidays! Not at the beginning mind you, but fairly early along the path did the Blue Jay and the Mole cross. Quite by coincidence really, and certainly out of the ordinary as that’s not normally a pair you’d assume to be friends. Walking in the forest can be unpredictable. Sometimes you just cross paths, at just the right time, with someone you’re not looking for. And if you happen to say the proper things like “My, isn’t it a lovely day” or “I quite fancy your ugly hat” or “I do,” you both can get lost, obliviously, in that lovely fog of connectedness that ever so rarely reaches the forest floor. The next thing you both know you are QUITE far down the path. Farther than you’ve ever been. So you look both ways; backwards….been there….forward…..yes, doesn’t look totally scary. “I’ll go there with you.” And so you walk. Together, hand in hand. And time stands still, or so it seems. You make “traveling companions” on your walk, those who started at the same time or love the same parts of the forest that you do. You make a family, or, in this case, Mole Jays (Blue Moles just didn’t sound right). And although you wouldn’t think a Mole Jay could fly away, one day they do. But you keep walking because there is so much yet to do and see. All of which leads me to this part of the story.
After walking for days uncounted, the Jay and the Mole came upon an alpine lake in the early afternoon (of their lives) and decided “this is a good place to rest.” They unpacked their toasted tomato and PB/ham sandwiches (respectively) and sat waterside, enjoying the solitude. Perhaps it was the alpine air, perhaps the clearness of the mountain lake, or perhaps, as years before, they had crossed a path together at the same time; but in the quiet and reflection of the water they saw their lives, and how they had been blessed. Their relationship, their children, their friends, and yes, all right, even you! (you’re so needy!). And it was all wonderful. The End. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from the Mole and the Jay (Craig and Erin)! by Skip Cohen Most of you know I do not make a living as a professional photographer. My passion has always been the educational side of the industry, with a strong focus on marketing and business. However, I'll match my love for clicking the shutter with anybody. The truth is, having hung out with so many professional photographers over the years, I know more than I let on. Here's my Hump Day point - I'm blown away by the quality I'm getting with my iPhone 14 Pro. There doesn't seem to be very much my phone can't handle. I still love having a full camera in my hands, but I also can't deny the fun of always knowing I can capture an image with just my phone. A NEW Necessity for Your Gear: Put the quality of the phone together with Platypod's new Grip for smartphones and two other members of the family, the Handle and the eXtreme, and there's not a whole lot of challenges in capturing an image I can't handle. The image below was a grab shot a few weeks ago. It was just a fun day with good friends - and it's also right out of the can. We were on the observation deck of Benderson Rowing Park, watching the races. There was nothing on the deck to set the phone on, but the top of the railing was perfect, even though it was slanted. Using the Grip, Handle, and eXtreme, I had my setup in seconds. Then, I used it to photograph the rowers from above looking back out on the water. I know I'm turning this post into an infomercial, but the new Grip is pretty remarkable and well worth it's $34.99 price point. Check it out at Platypod.com along with the video demo from YouTube below. The only thing that hurts more than paying an income tax is not having to pay an income tax. Thomas Dewar by Skip Cohen I ran this last week, but it got sort of lost in a late day post, combined with the distractions of the holiday season. There's too much in here that's relevant, and too many of you who don't pay enough attention to the financial side of your business. Have you made every purchase you need to before year end and doing your taxes for 2023? Is there anything you're going to want to deduct that's related to your business? It's NOT rocket science! When looking at the cost of doing business, so many of you need to remember all the things you spend money on that might be deductible. I'm not an accountant and don't profess to understand tax law, but here are some things to consider. As you review it, I'm sure you'll find other things I might have missed. People don't know how much they have to be thankful for, until they have to pay taxes on it. Ann Landers Here's my point - if, for example, you've been thinking about buying a new large-format printer, talk to your accountant. See if there are benefits to buying it before year-end, and also ask about the allowable depreciation. Don't forget to check into leasing vs buying high ticket items - leasing utilizes somebody else's cash without depleting yours! So many of you get excited over how much you think you make on sales because your lab costs are so low - but what about everything it took to build and maintain your skill set and build your business? A fine is a tax for doing something wrong. A tax is a fine for doing something right.
Anonymous I finally realized it. People are prisoners on their phones, that's why they're called CELL phones! Anonymous by Skip Cohen It's Sunday morning, and not only do I rarely talk about business, but occasionally, I like to rant. And this morning is no exception. My topic is the need to put down the phone! I'm tired of people looking at their phones, no matter where or what they're doing! When did our need to be connected to the outside world take priority over everything else we do? What if we kicked back and appreciated everything going on around us; without letting anybody else in? I recognize that I'm older than many of you, but I miss the days when talking face-to-face was a priority. I realize that sounds archaic today, but we're the ones who changed the rules. We're the ones who chose to answer every call, look at every text, check email first thing every day, and make social media the hub of contact with the outside world! Cell phones bring you closer to the people far from you, but take you away from those sitting next to you! Anonymous And there's my point - too many of us, me included, miss out on all the wonderful little snippets of life going on around us because we're obsessed with technology and being in touch with the world - ALL THE TIME. How often have you been sitting in a restaurant and noticed how many people are on their phones? I remember a family of five having dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, and everyone was on their phone checking emails and texts. So, look at your phone now, starring right at the screen. As you focus on your phone, notice the blurry depth of field all around it - that's called LIFE! Every minute on your phone means you're missing all the best stuff. Wishing you a terrific day ahead - one without needing to be on your phone! Go for those real connections with the people you love most and friends who appreciate you without a phone in your hand. Don't forget those eleven-second therapeutic hugs, and remember, genuine connections don't get measured in Mbps or pixels. Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world. by Skip Cohen It's Throwback Thursday and my favorite day of the week! But it's not just about old photographs but the great memories they bring back. The fun of throwbacks is often in the hunt. And because I'm so unorganized with images all over the place - while I should be embarrassed, I love not knowing where I'm going to land when I step into the time machine. Today, I'm turning the clock back to January 2010 and IUSA in Nashville at the Gaylord. That's me on the right, hanging out with three great artists and legends in the industry - Jim Garner, Joe Buissink, and Scott Bourne. It's incredible to think of the talent these three possess. I've lost touch with Joe, but I catch Jim on Facebook now and then, and Scott and I talk regularly. Take a second and think back to fourteen years ago. What were you doing in imaging? Some of you were at that convention. For me, it was one of my first times out in public as an independent business owner. I left WPPI/Rangefinder May 1, 2009 to start my own company.
Here's my point - take a few minutes, and whether you share them or not, search for a photograph or video at least ten years old. Then kick back, look in your rearview mirror, and savor the memories. Besides the fun of a quick walk down Memory Lane, it's a great way to remind yourself of the importance of what we do as an industry - help the world capture memories they can hold on to for a lifetime. Happy Throwback Thursday! The only thing that hurts more than paying an income tax is not having to pay an income tax. Thomas Dewar by Skip Cohen It's Wednesday, and as I started to grab the camel shot, I decided to make the jump to a bit of humor. Naturally, there are those who won't appreciate it and will consider it tasteless, wondering if I've lost my mind. If I have, my ability to laugh is still wholly intact. After all, it's Hump Day! In the meantime, here's the perfect topic for December 13, just 2 1/2 weeks before the year ends. Have you made every purchase you need to before doing your taxes for 2023? Is there anything you're going to want to deduct that's related to your business? When looking at the cost of doing business, so many of you need to remember all the things you spend money on that might be deductible. I'm not an accountant and don't profess to understand tax law, but here are some things to consider. As you review it, I'm sure you'll find other things I might have missed. People don't know how much they have to be thankful for, until they have to pay taxes on it. Ann Landers Here's my point - if, for example, you've been thinking about buying a new large-format printer, talk to your accountant. See if there are benefits to buying it before year-end, and also ask about the allowable depreciation. So many of you get excited over how much you think you make on sales because your lab costs are so low - but what about everything it took to build and maintain your skill set? Happy Hump Day! "A fine is a tax for doing something wrong. A tax is a fine for doing something right."
Anonymous by Skip Cohen We're down to the wire on seasonality for 2023, but there's one last category there's still time for - thanking your clients, vendors, and people who have supported you throughout the year. While I've shared thoughts about this in the past - I want to expand on both concepts. 1. Thank You Promotions: The illustration below is from Adobe Stock, and while it's not worded how you might publish a special offer to all your past clients, it makes the point.
2. Saying "Thank You" to Your Support Team: It's another illustration, but we all know what a thank you note/card looks like. The target audience, though, is everybody who helped you in 2023.
And if you're stuck on design ideas or how to implement a promotional thank you program, at the risk of sounding like an infomercial - call Marathon! Their staff has worked with thousands of photographers and business owners on creating programs with impact. Call 1-800-228-0629 or click on their banner below. The year is quickly coming to a close, but there are still building blocks you can put in place for 2024, and they're all about relationship building - your strongest marketing tool. There are dreams of love, life and adventure in all of us. But we are also sadly filled with reasons why we shouldn't try. These reasons seem to protect us, but in truth they imprison us. they hold life at a distance. Life will be over sooner than we think. If we have bikes to ride and people to love, now is the time. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross by Skip Cohen
It's Sunday, and most of you know what that means with my blog posts - I rarely write about anything related to business and marketing. I go with whatever's on my mind, and this morning, it's the challenge of aging. While I recognize I'm not getting younger and can't slow down the process, that doesn't change much in my attitude toward life. I've noticed I creak a little longer when I get up in the morning, but that's about it. My fuse has gotten shorter and shorter over everything from being on hold with CVS to telemarketing calls and people who think they have a right to my time. I notice other little things, but overall, I'm the same knucklehead I was twenty years ago. At the doctor's office the other day, this little old lady was checking in at the receptionist's window, and I heard her give her birthdate - she was five years younger than me! She shuffled away and sat down, and that's when it started to dawn on me: we don't all age at the same rate. I can't slow down the aging of my body, but I have slowed it down on the "inside."
Here's my point - I love looking in my rearview mirror, but it's a balancing act. The key is never to stop looking forward and appreciating those backward glances down Memory Lane. It's about staying on track with one big fat general goal - living a great life. And with that favorite aged cheese you like - don't skimp on a good wine to go with it! Wishing everybody a day to create a few new memories. It might sound trite, but we're all storytellers putting together the album of our lives, and there are still lots of blank pages to fill. Make it a weekend filled with peace, love for the people you care about most, and time to let them know it. Happy Sunday or Monday on the other side of the world! |
Our Partners"Why?"Check out "Why?" one of the most popular features on the SCU Blog. It's a very simple concept - one image, one artist and one short sound bite. Each artist shares what makes the image one of their most favorite. We're over 100 artists featured since the project started. Click on the link above and you can scroll through all of the episodes to date.
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