What is the number one reason you're feeling like you're stuck in your photography business? Maybe you feel like you need to attract more clients? Maybe you feel like this industry has too many people in it?
The thing that I'm learning more than anything else, is to pay attention to what's worked and what isn't working.
For example, one thing that has always worked SO well for me is the fact that 8 out of 10 clients of mine find me on Google. Just a straight up google search.
How do I know this?
After the first couple of years in business, I started getting really interested in how random folks found me and what was working that I was putting out there directly from my website.
And this is something that caught my attention so I went ahead and added a mandatory slot in my contact form that asked: Where did you find me? How did you find me?
Then I just started keeping track, and my average was 8 out of 10. That's important. So I made sure to note that: GOOGLE WORKS. It was responsible for my first 100K year.
If you're not able to pinpoint what's working, you can't improve it.
What can't be measured can't be managed.
So, basically, if you can't—right now—pinpoint something that's helping your photo business to grow, you're winging it.
You can wing it for a little while, but after while you're going to feel not motivated, without direction…you might even start procrastinating because you're missing a big piece.
Another critical thing that helped me move forward was investing in my business education. You probably hear this all the time, “invest in your business”…and that's true but it doesn't really matter without context.
You've probably hear me rambling on about intentionality a LOT, and that's because I believe it is one of the biggest things that separates folks doing well from those feeling a little lost.
When you invest in your business—exchange a certain amount of money for someone else's time, guidance, knowledge—you're also making an energetic shift by committing in a new way to your growth and the growth of your business.
This is important stuff!
Why?
When you look at the cost of something, you might see it differently than someone else. You might see the price for this program and go “what???” because your brain wants to make a measurement: this for that.
Let me ask this:
How much money does somebody need to pay in order to show up to do the work & put in the energy that is required for them to get the result that you're helping them to achieve?
If someone pays you 6k for a branding session, vs someone paying you $600, which person is going to show up prepared, take your advice, and be open to your suggestions in order to get the best possible outcome?
Do you HAVE A PLAN FOR YOUR BUSINESS? CAN YOU ARTICULATE WHAT YOU'RE DOING?
What can't be measured can't be managed.
Like, if you want to lose weight and say: I'll eat better this month and exercise more.
You cannot measure this.
If you're someone that said something like you're inconsistent with showing up on social or your blog…or maybe you said you don't really know what to do next to grow your business then you're probably feeling a little like Tom Hanks in Castaway just hoping something good happens.
To grow you need commitment and clarity.
Those aren't the only two, but they are the lion's share of what it takes to move past the walls of resistance we feel when we want to quit, or we're comparing ourselves to all the other millions of photographers out there, or we wanna throw our camera through the wall.
We resist the unknown and what's uncomfortable but we can move past that barrier and grow.
This is the third piece I want to address today, and that's MINDSET.
If you had everything your ego–or the small self–promises you, my guess is you wouldn't be sitting there reading this feeling a little lost, not booking the clients you'd like and growing.
There's a little battle going on here: the determined badass part of you that wants to grow your business and knows that you have an awesome style to offer the photography world
VS.
your FEAR.
But what if it doesn't work?
What if I don't get anything out of it?
I'm just not good enough.
I'm never going to be like that person…
Sound familiar?
GROWTH is about CLARITY.
Growth is more money, more time, more abundance in your work and life. For me, I started to see growth in my third full time year…waaaay back in 2012-ish 2013.
These stories we tell ourselves are powerful.
YOUR MINDSET is in your way. It is the reason you're feeling stuck.
It's about steps.
You have to be willing to do the work to get to where you want to go.
Growth comes from clarity, commitment to your future self, an abundant mindset and a willingness to change what isn't working and improve what is working.
If you're not growing, you're sitting still, or maybe even atrophying a little. You must have the mindset to embrace change and growth, to clearly picture the person you want to become.
If you want to continue exploring these ideas, I'd like to point your to learn a little more about PhotoSynthesis. It's all about FINDING CLARITY in ORDER to GROW.
PhotoSynthesis: photobizhelp.com/coaching
