Tips to Help You Hold Focus...on Your BUSINESS!

by Skip Cohen
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It's the "slow season" and Marketing Monday, making it the perfect time to think about staying focused on each component of your business you hope to strengthen for the new year. As a photographer, the slow season is rapidly ramping down, but just because business is slow doesn't mean you should be.  

​All of you know how to hold focus with a camera in your hands, but more of you need to focus on your business and set priorities. It's not an easy task; there is no AF button to hit. It's hard to stay focused on building a stronger business when you want so desperately to work directly with clients and bring in revenue. Plus, everyone has favorite projects that are a lot more fun to work on than the infrastructure of your business.

Here are some tips to help you hold focus on what's most important:
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• You don't have to react to every distraction. There are people who will come into your life, often dozens of times each day, without "knocking." They just appear in an email, text, or phone call and want instant gratification. Trying to please everybody is a definite path to frustration and, eventually, failure. You don't have to respond to everything or everyone that wants to suck up your time.
• Make a list. Personally, I've never given up on hand-written lists. The app on my iPhone or my computer isn't enough. Writing it out longhand forces me to retain it longer in my memory. A written list helps me stay focused, and I cross off each item as I finish it, giving me these great little bursts of accomplishment.
• Establish priorities!  This is the hardest of all. It's impossible sometimes to isolate the most critical aspects of your business on a daily basis, but if you knock off one significant thing every day, it makes a difference.
• Long-term vs. short-term: Everything in your business has value. Some items are just a flash in the pan and "low-hanging fruit," while others require the skills of a slow cooker. Balance your day with projects that are both.
• Make decisions! The old rule I was given years ago with my first management job was, "Handle every piece of paper only once!" We're not shuffling paper anymore but shuffling ideas, communications, and projects. 
• Be a fortune teller! You may not have a crystal ball, but that doesn't mean you can't fine-tune your vision for the future. What do you want 2025 to look like? Most of you wear multiple hats as an artist, business owner, parent, spouse, or friend...success is about balance, and what's in your heart is just as important as your wallet!​

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And when focus slips, take the time to sit down with that family member or associate that you're closest to. Who's your muse? For me, it's my wife Sheila, and so many times I've been stuck trying to find a solution to a challenge in my business, or even something more personal, and she always comes through. But she can't help if she doesn't understand my business - so for those of you who still insist on complete privacy - you need to consider opening up and sharing. 
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As I've written so many times - you can't create images that tug at people's heartstrings if your own heart isn't in it! The slow season has a particular purpose - utilize this time to find balance, appreciate your creativity, and define your goals for your definition of success in 2025 and beyond.