2. Who Are You???
Welcome to Part 2 of 7 in the Business Planning for Photographers series! This should be one of the shorter and easier sections for you to complete in your Business Plan. In this post, we will cover 3 topics that will be in your Company Description section of your Business Plan. Those 3 topics are: Company Overview, Nature of Your Photography Business, and Primary Success Factors.

I. Company Overview
Without going into the weeds too much, this is simply a high level look at how all of your Photography services and products fit together. Specifics to cover include:
- Your background and experience as a Photographer
- A list of all of the Photography services you offer
- A list of all of the Photography products you offer
- Accomplishments – i.e. Awards won, Speaker at WPPI Convention, etc…
- Other skills that you possess that could benefit you as a Photographer – i.e. Photoshop, Marketing degree, etc…
- Why you decided to become a Photographer

II. Nature of Your Photography Business
This section of your Business Plan answers the question: Why are you in business??? Specifically, describe the supply and demand of your target market, and how your products and services will meet those demands. For example, a newly engaged couple has a need for Engagement photos. How will your Products and Services satisfy this need? Are there specific Engagment Packages you offer? Please be as detailed as possible for all aspects of your target market’s needs.

III. Primary Success Factors
Why should someone hire you versus another Photographer? This is where you detail all of the competitive advantages that you have over other Photographers in your target market. Feel free to review your answers from the Competitive Analysis section in Part 1 of this series to help you out.

Again, take your time in filling out all of these sections. If you rush through or skip certain sections, you are only cheating yourself… Up next in this series is Building Blocks & Your Entourage. Stay tuned!

Filed under: Business Planning, business plan, Marketing, photographers, Photography