When you feel like quitting think about why you started.

This week I posted this quote on our workshop Facebook page. And the moment I posted it it got me thinking a little more.

Why did you start your own business? Why did you start being a signature brand photographer? Did you ever think about this? Because for the love of your craft (Photography) (putting it into brackets as this post relates to every independent artist or entrepreneur)? But if it was only for the love of your craft why didn’t you apply at another photographers business? I hear you speaking with a low voice behind your desk reading this: I wanted to be free, to be independent, to be my own boss. Exactly that is the point and fuel of every entrepreneur when he starts: FREEDOM.

And now comes the painful part. Think about it: are you free? Did you imagine it to be like this when you started? Are you terrified about your customers, about your endless editing, about the hours of bookkeeping that you have to do?

Here are three small tips to get you back on track to the dream business that you once had in your mind

– Find your ideal client, where work doesn’t feel like you have to change who you are and how you photograph to please your clients but those who love who you are and how you shoot and book you because of that.

– Find a great system for your editing. Use Photomechanic (+1) for the selection of images. Importing the whole bunch of images into Lightroom will just slow down the working speed of your computer and after making a selection you can purely focus on the editing.  Create your own presets and use them ALL THE TIME. Stop experimenting each time with new presets that might look more (fill in…. hipster, vintage, classic, cool, like from the 70s) Choose one style and stay for it for at least one season. You will see how easy your editing is going to become.

– Find somebody to support you. Honestly if I hadn’t Conrad for all our paper works and books and administration I would find somebody else. I am just not good at those things and as taxes and bookkeeping doesn’t forgive any mistakes.

Find your client + structure your editing + find somebody to help you with the administration = get your life back and feel the freedom of being an entrepreneur again.

Happy Tuesday everyone!