I love the content available on Marathon's blog and this article is a prime example. Just click on the banner above and you can read the entire piece.

Here's my point - for years I've said the two worst groups of business people on the planet are photographers and doctors. Seriously, check out any investment scheme for ocean front property in Arizona and you'll always see a list of doctors as the core investors. Well, photographers aren't that much better.

So many of you forget about key expenses throughout the year. You don't track your costs on business related events, services and even products you purchase. Even worse, most of you don't know if you honestly made any money during the year until you do your taxes!

The first paragraph of this recent Marathon post explains it all...

Tax season is one of the most stressful times of the year for any sized business. Make sure you get all of the tax write-offs you can this year with Eric Michaels’s list of “7 tax write offs small business owners cant afford to miss.” Read his whole article at http://smallbiz.theupsstore.com/blog/small-business-blog/2014/12/30/7-tax-write-offs-small-business-owners-cant-afford-to-miss.

It's a new year and it's time to start it out right. Talk with your accountant about more than just doing your taxes. Take a look at your margins. Check out all your expenses. Keep track of everything you spend on the business. Be ready to make 2016 the best year you've ever had and then be disciplined all year long to know you're on target!

by Skip Cohen

​Back in my Polaroid days when I was part of the U.S. Sales/Marketing crew, again and again, I'd see managers brought in from the field who'd fail in the home office environment.

The scenario was always the same: A top sales manager would be promoted and brought into help build stronger marketing programs. They'd be taken out of the field, and expected to thrive suddenly in an operational office environment. While a few did well, a lot of the managers failed and were in other positions within a year.

This short interview with Nadia Borowski-Scott, a photographer from San Diego, reminds me of that old Polaroid scenario. She openly talks about being a photographer for over twenty-five years, but knowing nothing about the ins and outs of running a successful business. She was an accomplished photojournalist, creative and had developed a terrific skill set, but not in marketing and thriving in the world of branding, customer retention or profit and loss.
 
She joined Marathons's Marketing Advantage Program and last year attended her first MAP Getaway. Nadia couldn't be more passionate as an artist or about running a healthy business. She recognized early on she needed more help than her skill set allowed and had a choice to make - bring in some expertise or live by trial and error on her own.

Marathon's next MAP Getaway is coming up July 11-13. Even better, you can pick up the phone right now and call Marathon (800-228-0629) and speak with a facilitator about MAP.  The ongoing program essentially creates a customized marketing department for your business. It gives you the support you just don't have time for, let alone the staff. Plus, the discounts you get on all of Marathon's printing services alone makes up for your monthly fee. 

Still on the fence? Join us in July for the Getaway - It's free for MAP members, but for the first time it's open to the industry. It's a terrific value and at $299 includes the program, three lunches and two dinners and non-stop time with other photographers and the instructors. In an environment like this, you can't help but pick up ideas on how to build a stronger business.

Check out the brief descriptions below about this year's speakers. If you'd like to read more, just click on any photograph to link to Marathon's full description of all the programs and this year's schedule.

See you at the MAP Getaway!