A WPPI SURVIVAL GUIDE

Headed to WPPI this week and next?  Like 15,000 photographers, you are headed to one of the biggest gatherings of people from our industry, that you're ever likely to encounter.   Whether you've been a dozen times, or are headed out for your very first time, the entire experience can be a bit overwhemling (to say the least).  Between the platform classes, master classes, imprompteu classes, shooting experiences, mentoring, and of course - the parties, there's a lot happening.  Want to come back in one piece?  Here are my WPPI survival tips:

1. Don't try to do everything.  You'll hear this a lot from many people who have been there, but seriously - DON'T try to see everything.  You can't.  It's too big, and you'll end up robbing yourself of the benefit of what you DO take in.  Be picky about where you spend your time.  You'll get the most benefit if you're intentional about hearing the topics that are most relevant to you - even if they're not being presented by the biggest rock-stars.

2. Walk the Trade Show floor twice.  The first time, just walk through and soak it in.  If it's your first time, there's no question - it will be overwhelming.  I remember the first time I went, and literally stood in the middle of the trade show floor and teared up.  Not because I was upset, but because for the first time - I was surrounded by people that "get me."  

I was surrounded by all the tools and products I could use to grow my business, and it was awe-inspiring in many ways.  So, I just walked around.  I browsed through every aisle - just so I had an idea of what was there.  I didn't stop to talk, and wasn't worried about finding anything.  I just walked through the floor and took it all in.  I recommend you do the same if it's your first time.  There will be time later to stop and have conversations.  There will be time to buy things for your business, or sign up for new services.  

That's what the second walk is for.  This is when you block off time, and go back to the vendors that you think can help your business.  

3. Set up a WPPI only email address :) You'll thank me later.  Every time your badge gets scanned for some kind of giveaway, or every form you fill out, you can guarantee will end up with some emails in your inbox.  If you're like me, you're not really looking for more emails to manage, so I suggest creating a free gmail email account that you can use just for vendors at WPPI.

4. Sign up for Twitter and use it.  Say what you will about the little bird, for saying connected at events like WPPI, nothing beats twitter.  If you're not already using it, sign up before you go. Twitter is how you find out about all the "extra" things happening at WPPI.   All the meet-ups, get-togethers, lunches, dinners, parties, and the conversations that result, are AT LEAST AS valuable as the planned programming.  There's really only one way of having a prayer at following what's happening, and that's Twitter. 

5. Give yourself time to yourself. Even the most ravenous extroverts (like me), need some time to decompress.  Even those of us who THRIVE on being around people, have to take a little time to process what's happening.  If you're going to invest in your business by listening to speakers, engaging with your peers, and navigating the incredible maze of the trade show floor - commit to giving yourself some time to just filter everything that's happening.

So often people get charged up at WPPI.  They learn, discover, engage, and walk away inspired to do more for their photography and their business.  Then they get home, and very little - if anything - actually changes.  So be proactive about allowing yourself to process the experience.  Maybe you just take some time and eat breakfast by yourself one morning, or sit in your room and journal for a half hour.  Just do something.

6. The good stuff isn't on the program.  There are incredible speakers at WPPI.  There are super talented people sharing their wisdom, art, and talent with all of us.  There are incredible opportunities to hear them speak - but in reality, that's such a small fraction of the REAL value of an event like this.  

If you ask anyone who has been to WPPI in the past, they'll tell you the same thing - the REAL value is in the relationships.  It's in the conversations.  It's in the early morning coffees, or late evening drinks with your peers.  It's in the new friends you make, and the old friends you reconnect with.  This is where the real value comes from.  So commit to stepping out of your comfort zone and engaging with the people around you.  This is your industry - these are your peers - and there is so much we can teach each other.

7. Make a list. Whether it's events to attend, people to listen to, or products to see, spend a little time in advance to get organized.  Make a list of booths you want to visit on the tradeshow.  Make a schedule of speakers you want to listen to (hopefully you got your pre-boarding passes for these!).  Make a calendar of all the events happening.  Once you get there, everything is pretty much a blur, and you'll be glad you wrote down why it was you really came.

8. Pick One Thing.  Before you leave to go home, pick one thing you experienced that will cause you to be different when you go home.  Not everything that happens in Vegas should stay in Vegas.  If you're going to make the trip, be sure that you leave with something tangible that will be different in your photography, or your business.  It'll take you a few days to decompress when you get home, so be sure to write your "one thing," down so you can come back to it once the "vegas cloud" has lifted and you get back to real life.

9. What else would you add? Share it with us in the comments section below!

By the way, I'll be there with my entire family (yes, we're crazy like that).  I'll be hanging out a few places on the tradeshow floor, as well as at the ONE DAY INTENSIVE VEGAS EDITION.  I also have a few spots open for coaching sessions if you're interested.  Let's connect!

INSURANCE INSIDE OUT: A PHOTOGRAPHERS PRIMER

Insurance is a lot like a toilet. Toilets aren't sexy. They aren't something we spend a lot of time thinking about or talking about. No one builds a house thinking "that's where I'm putting the toilet," but you sure are glad it's there when you need it.

Likewise, when you are building your photography business, insurance probably isn't at the top of the list of things you want to think about, but it's sure nice to know your covered when the proverbial "crap" hits the fan.

As a photographer, it's easy to see how spending money on a camera is valuable for your business. It's easy to understand how a lot of expenses relate to building your business, but insurance is one of those things that you really don't think about until something goes bad. Unfortunately, by then it's too late.

I also think that another reason that photographers don't adequately protect their business is because insurance coverage can be confusing and intimidating. I'm going to try to demystify the types of insurance coverage that a typical photography business should consider, but you should definitely talk with your insurance agent about the best types of policies and protection for your business.

Lets start with the three types of coverage every photography business should have:

1. Liability Coverage
Liability Insurance is designed to do basically one thing - protect you in the event of a lawsuit or other claim. It protects your business by covering things like attorney's fees, court costs, and the cost of a judgement or settlement arising from accidents, injury or negligence. Liability coverage isn't for when something goes wrong and suddenly you've lost all the images from a wedding. We'll get to that in a few minutes.

You probably think it's unlikely you'll be sued, so why do you need liability insurance? Well, first - many venues won't even allow you to work there without liability coverage. All it takes is one person tripping over your camera bag, or a light stand, or a tipsy bridesmaid to break her ankle trying to do the classic "let's all jump up in the air while you take a picture," and you could be at risk.

The most common general liability policies have coverage of around $1 million per incident/$2 million lifetime, and this is what is usually required by venues who request to be named on your policy.

2. Property Coverage
This is insurance for your gear, equipment, etc. Usually, you're looking for an Inland Marine policy to cover camera and photographic equipment. Don't think that you're covered just because you have homeowners or renters insurance.

In fact, most homeowners polices specifically exclude camera equipment (unless you have a specific rider), and all of them exclude business related property. If you suddenly file a claim for $10,000 of gear that was stolen at a wedding you were shooting, it's likely that your Homeowners insurance will reject the claim.

Coverage for property insurance is usually based on a dollar value of the equipment covered. This can range anywhere from $1.50 - $4.00 per $100 covered, depending on the deductible, where you live, and other variables. One thing to be sure of, is that you have replacement value - NOT fair market value, or cash value.

Replacement value means that you'll receive the reimbursement for the current cost to replace an item, as opposed to fair market value, which only reimburses you for the orignal purchase price, minus depreciation.

3. Errors & Omissions
Sometimes things go bad, and sometimes they're your fault. Even when they aren't your fault, sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes hard drives fail. Sometimes you lose a compact flash card on your way home. Sometimes cameras fail, or equipment fails and you miss important shots.

This is why having some kind of Professional Liability, also known as "Errors & Omissions" coverage is valuable. Basically, this is malpractice coverage (except we're not doctors), and it protects you against things that happen that cause you to be unable to fulfill your contractual obligations to your clients.

If you are a member of PPA, you are able to take advantage of their Indemnity Trust, which - while not insurance - is similar in practice to E&O coverage. Even if you're a member of PPA, and are covered by the trust, it's still worth exploring with your insurance agent the types of Professional Liability coverage that would be appropriate for your business.

One last thing I'll suggest is that while there are insurance plans out there designed specifically for photographers, you may find that working with your local insurance agent has distinct advantages. Not only will you often qualify for multi-policy discounts by going through the same agent as your auto, home owners, and life insurance policies, there is no substitute for having a person on your side.

I've had a few claims happen on my business policy, and each time, having someone on my side who knew me, and knew my business, meant I was taken care of professionally, and quickly. I don't mean to speak poorly of those "photographers insurance" companies, but don't assume they have the best coverage, the best prices, or the best service.

GET HELP: WHY A VIRTUAL STUDIO MANAGER MIGHT BE RIGHT FOR YOU

I've talked a lot in the past about a principle that lies at the foundation of many of the business decisions I make: Only Do What Only You Can Do. The idea is that you should focus on the things that help you grow your business and make money, and find a way to have someone else do the rest.

One of the investments many photographers look at is bringing on a studio manager, which can be a huge help in managing the day to day aspects of your business. A good studio manager can help you with client communications, scheduling, invoicing clients, and more. In fact, depending on how much you are willing to pay, and the skills of the person you hire, you can create a position that handles many of the tasks you do everyday - leaving you with more time to focus on the things that grow your business (marketing, meeting new clients, photographing more events, etc).

For a lot of photography business, the idea of hiring a full-time, or even part-time staff person can be intimidating and stressful. While you know there's plenty of things you could have someone else do, it's hard to justify the expense and time involved in bringing an employee.

Fortunately, there's another option - a virtual assistant. Now, I have no idea what image you get when I talk about a virtual assistant, but it probably involves someone answering a phone somewhere in India, or another country. Or maybe you imagine a service where you get a different person every time you need something done. That's definitely NOT what I'm talking about.

A while back I discovered a company called Zirtual, based out of San Francisco. They offer virtual (or Zirtual) assistants for people just like you and me - people who run a business and could use a little extra help. Over the last year of working with them, I've gotten to a point where I couldn't live without my Zirtual assistant, and I thought I'd share with you the five reasons why:

1. I have a dedicated assistant that knows my business, and my needs.

My Zirtual Assistant, Tara, understands my business, and what I need. She handles things for me that make my life easier, and make me better able to run my business. We spent the time to create a framework, and now she knows how to book my travel, how to interact with clients, how to respond to questions, and what to do in a lot of the everyday situations I encounter.

2. They focus on matching you with the perfect assistant.

One of the things that really drew me to Zirtual was that they really focus on matching you with someone that is a great match for you and your needs. Need someone that's great with people? Check! On the other hand, you might want someone that's super tech savy, and great at finding information online - that could be a totally different skill set. It doesn't matter though, because they do the hard work of finding the right fit.

3. I only pay for the time my assistant is actually working for me.

One of the hardest things about hiring an employee (aside from the paperwork and taxes), is that you pay for the time someone is on the clock - not necessarily the time they are actually working for you. Think about it - in a normal job setting, someone clocks in, they get coffee, they sit down and check their email, read a few blogs, and look through stuff left over from yesterday. That might be an hour of time that you're paying them, but aren't getting anything really "done."

With a Zirtual Assistant, I send Tara the things I need done, and she does them. I get a certain number of hours a month, and those are hours she's actually working on things for me.

4. She interacts with clients as if she's working in my office.

Even though she works from her home, far, far, away, to anyone who interacts with my business, it's as if she's in my office. She emails clients, talks on the phone, schedules appointments, follows up on things, all as if she's right here. Most people would never know that she's 2,000 miles away. She has an email address and phone number with my business, so no one knows any different (google voice is awesome for this by the way).

5. It's easy to budget the monthly fee

As I said earlier, I picked the plan with the level of service and time that worked for me and my business, which makes it easy to fit into the budget. If you need more time, you can simply choose a higher plan level, but either way - there's no such thing as wasted hours, or overtime, or surprises! For $200 a month, you can have someone that's working to help you make your business more profitable and sustainable.

So, what are some of the things my Zirtual Assistant does for me?

- She handles all of my calendar scheduling

- She makes all of my travel arrangements, including flights, hotels, rental cars, etc.

- When I travel for workshops, she makes all of the food arrangements for me, and coordinates with the on-site hosts

- She communicates with clients on my behalf via email and phone.

- She also handles personal things on occasion, like making appointments for things that I tend to forget (like getting a haircut).

- A ton of other things on a regular basis that free up my time to do the important things that help me grow my business.

- Basically, she can do anything that doesn't require her physical presence, which is really quite a lot if you think about it.

Think that a Zirtual Assistant might be right for you? They are currently invite only, but you can check them out using this code: http://mbsy.co/zirtual/17486