Making the Most of the Quiet Period – a guide for photographers

Silly season is (finally) drawing to a close, and it’s time to sit down, take a deep breath, and catch up on sleep.

But, if you’re anything like me, you do that for approximately five minutes before the panic about your quiet January sets in.

Firstly, stop the panic. Photography is a seasonal business. We have to learn to make hay while the sun shines in November and December, and then lean into the rest period that January offers us. The perfect time to work ON the business; to fix and perfect all of those behind-the-scenes things that were driving you crazy just a few weeks ago.

If you’re ready to set yourself up for success in 2024, here’s how I will be using my January:

1. Set boundaries for your year

It might be counterintuitive when you’re quiet with shoots to ramp up the boundaries, but actually this is the perfect time. Refreshed (hopefully) after the Xmas break, you’re reminded of the reason you started this lifestyle business in the first place. The clue is in the name, folks.

Sit down with a big piece of paper. Map out your ideal week – when are you most productive, how many hours do you need to set aside for editing, where is your me time?

Then move onto an annual planner – when are the public holidays, school holidays, and any other times you want to take off this year. Block them out now and stick to your guns. Your clients will flex around your availability, I promise.

2. Crunch your numbers

Boundaries are great, but the mortgage still needs to be paid, right? So once you know how many shoots you want to do a month, you should check that meets your minimum financial needs.

Run your budget on your lowest package, always – upgrades are great, but your business should be able to cope without them or you’re in trouble.

The upgrades will be your fun money – extra lenses, workshops, client wardrobe, or special days out with the kids 🙂

3. Sort your CRM

When you’re busy, you create bad habits. It feels easier to just type that email for the eleventy hundredth time rather than create a template.

It’s time to stop and set yourself up properly for 2024.  Map out your client journey, create email templates, and set up workflows.

If there’s a typo in a template that you’ve been manually fixing for the last two months, go into your settings and change it – now. If you’ve been receiving the same questions over and over, go and amend your workflows to address them, or create an FAQ page for your clients.

Don’t know how? Get in touch for a workflow audit – you’ll get fresh eyes on your processes and leave with an action plan to implement!

4. See it from your client’s perspective.

Have you ever experienced your full workflow from the perspective of your client? No? You should. 

We do our best work when our clients arrive well  prepared and trusting.  A few well-timed style guides, prep guides, and FAQs go a very long way.

Equally, typos, missing information, broken links – these are all super fast ways to break that trust and leave your client feeling flustered and nervous.

Submit an enquiry to yourself, and experience your own workflow. January is the perfect time to iron out all of these glitches and you’ll spot them much faster when you’re on the receiving end!

5. Enjoy it!

Before long we will be back in the busy Easter period. This is the time for a mindset reset, some self care, and feeding the soul. Maybe that’s a massage, a long walk/location scout, or an inspirational book or workshop. Come and join us at Club Tog on 16 Jan 2024 to plan out your best 2024 yet!

Club Tog Online is launching in late January, and we have 6+ months of talks from leaders in the industry for you to listen to. For just $22.50 per month, you can access monthly fresh perspectives, admin hacks, and styling tips just to name a few. Join the mailing list to be first to know!