This month I celebrated 6 years of business. Or let’s rather say 6 years since I made the first important and terrifying step by saying goodbye to a salary. I won’t call what I did back then running a business or being a businesswoman. Still, I managed to survive and learned as I built my business from scratch, developing from an artist to an artistic businesswoman.
Big steps
In business, I’ve learned that you have to make tough choices that can be uncomfortable now, but you know they will be for the best in the future. If I look back, I can clearly remember the challenging steps that I had to make to get to where I am now.
Year 1 – Say Goodbye to a Salary
Year 2 – Say No to non-photographic work that is very temping when the bank account is running on empty
Year 3 – Say No work that does not line up with the vision of your business
Year 4 – Say No to clients that pushes your price down – I keep saying to myself when the price is too low, “It’s not my client”
Year 5 – Say Yes to calculated risks that will grow your business, don’t wait for the boat, but swim to it instead.
Year 6 – Get out of your comfort zone and evolve to survive
Keep learning
I’ve come to notice that you’ll NEVER know it all. There is always something to learn, and if you can add something to your knowledge every day, even if it’s the smallest thing, the successes of the day will be multiplied.
Herewith some silly and thoughtful things I’ve learned in the last 6 years:
1. You always get your best shots at the end, when your subject has gotten used to you and your camera. So, keep the best for last … lighting, wardrobe, location, etc.;
2. Most people don’t like photos of themselves because they’re used to the inverse (what they see in the mirror);
3. Women in heels have a better posture and exude more confidence;
4. All businesses are the same. It’s just the icing that differs;
5. Compliments have tremendous power and can have a significant effect, so use them honestly;
6. Challenge your usual ways - in discomfort; there is growth.
Thank you
It has definitely not been easy, and it’s still tough (this year especially), but the people that support me, the clients that trust me, carry me through the difficult days. I can honestly say that I love what I do. Every person I meet and get to capture, every team I get to engage with, makes all the hard work worth it.
I would also like to take this moment to thank my previous employer and mentor, Dimitri. I would not be the photographer I am now if it wasn’t for you. My friends for you patience and support. Ben, for being my business coach and a rock for me. And for my mom and my sister, my biggest fans, always supporting and believing in me.