Dreams, Products, Profitability and Fun

© Grasko - Fotolia

Okay, so it's a pretty broad title for a blog post, but here's what got me on the topic this morning:

"If you don't do it excellently, don't do it at all. 
Because if it's not excellent, it won't be profitable or fun, 
and if you're not in business for fun or profit, 
what the hell are you doing there?"
Robert Townsend

This is a very short post this morning and only meant to get everyone thinking about the things things you do to compromise your dreams, your products and sometimes even the services you offer.  

Dreams: There's no reason to ever let go of your dreams and that includes pressure from loved ones who just don't understand your passion as an artist. That doesn't mean you don't have to modify them here and there, but if you let them go under the umbrella that life is a compromise, then you're only going to replace your dreams with regret and growing resentment.

Products: There is no compromise for delivering anything that isn't "excellent", just like the quote above. There's a standard of excellence in photography and essentially it boils down to exceeding your client's mindset. You're living in the most competitive time in business history and every consumer needs to know they made the right choice. Think about how many photographers they had to choose from!

Profitability: Loving what you do, but eating macaroni and cheese every night eventually grows old. Going into the new year, look at your costs, ALL of them. Invest in marketing. Pay attention to consumer trends in your community and price your services appropriately. There's a ton of information out there to help you and even more educators who have focused on the topic.

Fun: Yup, I gave "fun" it's own paragraph. It's the most important word in business today and also the most forgotten. It's not a crime to have fun when you're working. We all have the same challenge - we get so caught up in the pressure of the day in day out business that we forget to have fun.  Having fun is critical to your success as an artist and a business person...make it a priority.

                       "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."
                                                                                                              Confucius


Wishing everybody a fantastic weekend and a Friday loaded with fun, excellent images and clients who find working with you habit-forming.