Certified Life Coach.org & Coach - Six Clues On What To Look For When Starting A Phot...

What you should be looking for when starting a photography business is a rough business plan that suits your personality, your goals for your business, one that enables you to be organised and motivates you to convert your dreams and theories into action. A business plan can be drawn up for you and tailored to your specific needs by a qualified business coach or you can do it yourself. A business plan gets your business off to a perfect start and includes planning everything from what you will charge for your photographs, to your finances, and marketing strategies.

Important elements of what to look for when starting a photography business that is to be included into your business plan are the prices you should charge for your photographs.

Knowing what price you should charge your customers for your photographs will be based on your costs you have had to outlay in starting your business as well as your research on what other photographers are charging. To give you a good idea of how to price your photographs, look at the prices that other photographers who are new to the scene charge, and also look at what photographers who do similar work and services to you charge. When your business gets up and running and grows to be more successful you will be able to look out for the prices your competitors are offering, match it or better it. If your name becomes well known and your photography becomes the ?latest thing?, then you will be able to charge your customers more for their privileged access to your services, however in a more realistic situation when your business grows, you will most likely lower your prices in order to compete with other photographers. If you find that your particular style or avenue of photography is in great demand, or there are few photographers who have a similar style of work to what you do, you will be able to charge more for your photos. There are also scenarioes where you can raise your prices for special services but there is much more on that in my eBook.

An essential factor in starting a photography business is the amount of finances you will need to run it successfully, including the hidden and ongoing costs involved with all businesses. In relation to finances, start with what you are comfortable with, but your business (in order to be successful) must be backed with a realistic and reasonable amount of funds, including the costs for marketing that is essential to build your business, and you should always allow for an increase in the marketing budget as sales pick up.

Ensure your marketing strategy is making the most of your money, getting your name and services out there. No one will know about you unless you sell yourself and display how beautiful/clever/funny your photos are. Your marketing strategies need to include a clear description of your business name, your experience and/or qualifications as a photographer, display your flair through example photos, the services you offer, the type of photographs you take, your prices, and most importantly where and how customers can find you/contact you.

What to look for when starting a photography business: Some important points and questions to consider;

Does your advertisement/website present your business name and your services in a clear and attractive manner? Ask yourself, ?Would I be interested in the services that this photography business offers??

If you have a website is it easy for your customers to navigate through, or is it like a maze? Your website can display your personality, however it must be presented in a professional manner, where customers can find the information they are looking for quickly and easily. We live in a fast paced society, often if people can?t find what they are looking for within one minute on your website, they will most likely move onto another one.

How easy is it for customers to access your services? Make sure that your contact numbers/addresses are easy to find and clearly visible (to people of all ages) both in your advertisements and on your websites. Have a look at the advertisements yourself, and get your family and friends opinion too, doing this may save you money. Tip - make your phone number in larger type on our business card. After all, that's really the only reason you should keep them, so that people can quickly and easily contact you. Not marvel at the motto or pretty typeface.

If you want your photography business to work through an agency, research and trial the company/agency offers to sell your photos first. Ask yourself ?Am I satisfied with the results?? In order to answer this question, you may want to review the initial goals you had for your business, and also research/compare other photographer?s experiences with that same or a different agency.

You should not charge unrealisticly high prices for your photographs to make up for the loss of finances and ongoing costs in starting your photography business that you did not account for. You must start your photography business with a realistic amount of finances to support your business through the initial challenges and slow times. This may include having other sources of income to support your photography business in its infant stage.

It is essential to follow and to adapt your business plan, continually review and focus on your goals, learn from your mistakes, and to research and seek help when in doubt.

This article courtesy of http://www.certifiedlifecoach.org.
You may freely reprint this article on your website or in
your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author
name and URL remain intact.

Economic Growth Continues - More Than 5.3 Million Jobs Created Since August 2003
On June 2, 2006, The Government Released New Jobs Figures – 75,000 Jobs Created In May. The economy has created about 1.9 million jobs over the past 12 months – and more than 5.3 million since August 2003. The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent – lower than the average of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Revised Report Shows Fastest Real GDP Growth In Two-And-A-Half Years. Real GDP grew at an annual rate of 5.3 percent for the first quarter of this year. This follows our economic growth of 3.5 percent in 2005 – the fastest rate of any major industrialized nation.

Productivity Increased At A Strong Annual Rate Of 3.7 Percent In The First Quarter.

Real Hourly Compensation Rose At A 3.2 Percent Annual Rate In The First Quarter.

Personal Income Increased At An Annual Rate Of 6.7 Percent In April. Since January 2001, real after-tax income has risen by 12.9 percent, or 7.3 percent per person.

Real Consumer Spending Increased At An Annual Rate Of 5.2 Percent In The First Quarter.

Employment Increased In 47 States Over The Past 12 Months Ending In April. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 41 states in April.

Industrial Production Increased 4.7 Percent Over The Past 12 Months. Over the past 12 months, manufacturing production has increased by 5.5 percent.

This Week, President Bush Nominated Henry Paulson As Treasury Secretary. Paulson has an intimate knowledge of financial markets and an ability to explain economic issues in clear terms. For the past eight years, Paulson has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Goldman Sachs Group, one of the most respected firms on Wall Street.

The President Has Expanded Tax Relief And Is Working To Make His Tax Relief Permanent. Two weeks ago, President Bush signed into law a bill that extends the tax cuts on dividends and capital gains. This legislation also contains an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) patch enabling millions of middle-income families to avoid paying higher taxes in 2006.

The President’s Tax Relief Has Helped Spur Growth By Keeping $880 Billion In The Pockets Of American Taxpayers. The Administration reduced taxes for every American who pays income taxes, doubled the child tax credit, reduced the marriage penalty, created investment incentives for small businesses, and put the death tax on the road to extinction.

Growing The Economy And Reducing The Deficit Depend On Controlling The Spending Appetite Of The Federal Government. Every year since the President took office, the Administration has slowed the growth of discretionary spending that is not related to the military or homeland security. The President's last two budgets cut discretionary spending that was unrelated to the military or homeland security, and we are on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009.

If The Emergency Supplemental Bill – Which The President Has Requested To Help Fund The War On Terror And Hurricane Recovery – Includes Non-Emergency Or Wasteful Spending Or Exceeds The President's Set Limit Of $92.2 Billion Plus Funding To Prepare Our Nation For A Pandemic Flu Emergency, He Will Veto It.

In The Long Run, The Biggest Challenge To Our Nation's Budgetary Health Is Entitlement Spending On Programs Such As Social Security And Medicare. We call on members of both parties to join us in a bipartisan commission to address this critical issue.

The President Will Continue Working With Congress To Restrain Spending In Other Ways, Including Passing A Line-Item Veto. A line-item veto would allow us to cut needless spending, reduce the budget deficit, and ensure that every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely – or not at all.

Six Clues On What To Look For When Starting A Photography Business