MISTAKES I MADE WHEN I STARTED MY PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS (AND HOW YOU CAN LEARN FROM THEM!)
Oh, sweet little 2018 Stacey.
She was so young. So naive. Exhausted from parenting a 1 year old, drained from her job as a lawyer, she started obsessing over taking photographs of people, and loved the fact it got her out of toddler witching hour. She never really intended for her hobby to become her job… but when Covid threw us all a curveball, she dove in head first. ‘How hard could it be’, she thought.
A LOT has changed since then. Back in those olden days (lol…but it actually was SO different!) there wasn’t the education we have now. Gatekeeping was fierce. I muddled through and took the long, slow road. I made a lot of mistakes, and although I kinda loved learning ‘on the job’ like that, it was definitely the long road.
Fast forward to 2024, I’ve grown two businesses to 6-figures, and have learnt a heck of a lot along the way. Mostly, that business is pretty universal, actually. Once you understand the basics, it really isn’t that hard. But one thing that does make it a LOT harder is trying to do everything alone.
So, I’ve made it my mission to make things easier for you than they were for me. To ensure that you DON’T make the same mistakes I did. To save you time and money and headaches and stress… gosh damn it makes me happy.
In the spirit of sharing, I’d love to kick off the new year by sharing the top 5 mistakes I made at the beginning of this wild journey – so you don’t have to make the same ones.
Mistake #1: Not getting my financial ducks in a row.
In hindsight, there are several things I would have done before I even started CONSIDERING taking money from people. Besides the legal basics, the first thing should have been to get two brand new business bank accounts and separate ALL of my money. Having all your business money coming into one place and going from another from the START is such a hack, I cannot stress this enough. So while it is tempting to start an Instagram and dive in head first, spending everything you earn… that’s gonna cause you headaches come tax time. Making sure you have the financial basics organised from the very first payment is IMPERATIVE to long term success (and your stress levels, trust me on this).
Mistake #2: Not having a contract from the beginning.
When you start photographing friends and family, it’s common to not charge anything, and to not take it seriously. Photographers feel awkward about it but having a contract from the beginning IS NOT OPTIONAL. Whether you’re being paid or not, you do have liabilities and obligations to your clients – and those need to be clear. Even if your clients aren’t difficult (and, honestly, the people we love can often turn out to be the hardest clients) a contract is the best way to save you stress and ensure everyone is on the same page.
Mistake #3: Investing money into photography education, instead of business education
We got into this job because we love taking photos, and so most of us spend a LOT of time and money and effort honing and perfecting our photography skills. Now, don’t get me wrong, if you can’t take a good photo then I can’t help you. But equally, if you’re the best photographer in the universe with no business skills…you’re also going nowhere. Running a small business requires you to practically have a degree in business, accountancy, marketing, IT, communications, and design, to name just a few. It’s WILD. No wonder most photographers burn out by year three. Having foundational knowledge on how to run my photography business from the beginning would have changed EVERYTHING. Not just financially, but mentally. We all evolve and grow as photographers, but how long does it take us to set proper business foundations? Too long. And once they are, everything else falls into place.
Mistake #4: Not charging enough to make a profit.
Imposter syndrome starts the day you pick up the camera and decide to give it a crack. And no matter how successful you are, it still rears its ugly head. So I know it can be really hard to set serious prices, rather than just undercutting your local market by a little bit. But it doesn’t work – because if you’re barely charging enough to cover your costs, the resentment starts to build FAST (trust me on that one). Pricing for profit from the start allows you to grow into your business, attracts the right clients from the start, and means you aren’t living on beans on toast for the rest of 2025.
Mistake #5: Not getting a CRM from day dot.
I remember being at a kids’ birthday party and one of the dads was lecturing me about why $100/month on software was a great investment. And I remember thinking ‘mate, I barely earn $1k/month, I’m not going to spend 10% of it on a subscription’. WELL, what an idiot I was. While I was painstakingly doing, well, everything, manually, I was costing myself hundreds and thousands of dollars. Because in all those hours I could’ve been taking on extra shoots and crafting killer marketing, I was instead typing the same email over and over, and generating invoices from scratch. A great CRM will set you back less than $40/month and it’ll save you HOURS which you can spend doing stuff that’ll actually grow your business. If you get this set up from the start? You’ll absolutely thrive.
There’s absolutely a stack more (and let’s be honest, are we not human if we don’t continue to make mistakes), but these are the difference between slow, steady growth and a six-figure business in year 1.
It’s so important to learn the basics, and there is nowhere to actually find them. So, I’m creating it. A four week on-demand course for photographers wanting to set themselves up for success, fast. Everything you need to go from hobbyist to professional, without any of the guesswork. Legal and financial basis, the foundations of pricing and marketing, and of course sustainable systems.
If you are ready to take the plunge in 2025 and go pro – THE BIG PICTURE launches February 2024. This comprehensive course is EVERYTHING I could have wanted when I started my business, and so much more. It will help you launch your business with clear direction and processes, ensuring you don’t just survive but THRIVE.
Ready to take the plunge?
