WHERE YOU ARE IS NOT WHERE YOU'RE GOING

When I started my business, I had a lot of ideas of what I wanted it to look like.  I had goals, and plans, and dreams, and strategies.  I had a passion for building a photography business that catered to a certain type of client, and I couldn't wait to get there.  

I kept looking for ways to get there as fast as I could.  In fact, if you look around our industry, you'll find all kinds of examples of people promising the quickest possible road to success.  The problem is, it doesn't work that way. Sure, there are a few examples of businesses that experience incredible luck and growth.  There are certainly photographers who start out booking top dollar packages.  In reality, though, these are the exceptions.  There's a reason it's called "building" a business.  It takes time to build something right.

Many times, we're impatient and just want "success" (whatever that means), right now.  We're not willing to put in the hard work that it takes to learn our craft, understand what it takes to run a business, cultivate a clientele, and actually make money.  In fact, for many photographers - it seems as if it's more important to slap a large $$$ on their website, than to actually make any money.  

In reality, the photographers that are the most successful over the long-term, are the photographers that have taken the time to build something based on a passion for their craft, and a solid sense of business.  They are the photographers that have put in the hard work and time to "build" something.  

So, instead of focusing on shortcuts, what if we focused on the tools we have to create a business that will last?  What if, instead of looking for the next great marketing trick, we focused on building relationships with clients and referrals?  What if, instead of focusing on how much some photographer in another market charges, we took the time to understand pricing and sales, and actually had a profitable business?

It's okay that today, you're not where you want to be tomorrow.  What really matters is what you're doing today determines where you end up tomorrow.

Whst are you doing to build a business that lasts?  What have you found works/doesn't work?