I’ve also been busy writing the majority of the Business blog posts at Fuel Your Photography.

The new year is fast approaching and I want to help you ensure that 2010 is the best year ever for your photography business!

Stay tuned!
darkroomRYAN

I. The Business Side of Things
A successful company should have people that represent the core elements of business in their “Entourage”. At a minimum, you should have an Accountant (CPA), and a lawyer to help you with taxes and legal concerns. Others that would fit into this category include: a Graphic & Web Designer, a local Chamber of Commerce representative, an Event Planner, and someone to help you with your Sales & Marketing efforts (cough, cough… haha).

II. The Photography Side of Things
You should also develop a tight network of other photographers that you trust. They can share with you some ideas that they are doing in their market, and you can adapt those ideas to your business. This is a two-way street though – So you also have to be willing to share and help out the photographers you selected to be in your network.

III. The Vendor Side of Things
You should develop close relationships with the vendors you use. This ranges from the people you rent or purchase your camera equipment from, to the people that manufacture the albums you use, to other vendors you come across at events – i.e. Florists, Cinematographers, and Catering Companies.

The idea is that you should try to surround yourself with people that can help your with your business, and provide guidance when it is needed. So break out a piece of paper, or open that MacBook Pro and start creating a list of people that you can include in your “Entourage”. Up next in this series is the Sales & Marketing section!

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!

Before we begin, I want to remind you that I am offering a Free 15-Minute Marketing Consultation for Photographers. NOTE: Please follow the exact directions in the post, or I will not receive your request.

There are 3 main topics that I will cover in this post. They are: Industry Analysis, Target Market, and Competitive Analysis.

I. Industry Analysis
This is the “Photography Pond” that I referenced in the title of this post. Your business plan should have information related to the Photography industry in general. Some questions that you might want to answer for this section are:

- What is the current size of the Photography industry?
- Is the industry growing, or losing size? And what is the growth, or loss rate?
- What trends are taking place within the Photography industry?
- What are the major Photography organizations, or associations?
- What are the major Photography trade shows, or conferences?
- What are the major Photography magazines?

- What are the major Photography websites?

I know answering these questions may take some research and time, but knowing this information will help you and your business in the long-term. Please take the time to do your research and answer these questions (and other questions like these) in a thorough manner.

II. Target Market

Now that you’ve done your research on the Photography industry as a whole, lets narrow it down a bit and focus on your target market. Your target market is simply the type of clients that you want to buy your Photography services/ products.

The key here is to be as specific, and provide as much detail as possible. Some questions that you might want to answer for this section are:

- First off, what is your target market? (Don’t try to be a “Jack of All Trades”…)
- What is the size of your target market?
- What is the geographic area for your target market?
- Describe the demographics of your target market: Age? Sex? Class? Location?, etc…
- Wedding Photographers: How many weddings take place annually within your target market?
- Wedding Photographers: What is the average cost of a wedding within your target market?
- Who are the key decision makers in your target market?
- What is the typical purchasing cycle for your target market?

III. Competitive Analysis
If you are the only Photographer servicing your target market – Congrats! You are officially done with this section!!! However, if there are other Photographers (these are the “Fish” I referenced in the title) servicing your target market, you have some work to do…

In this section of the Business Plan, you will list every single Photographer that is servicing your target market. Yes, I said every single Photographer… The keywords however are “servicing your target market”. So this may not mean every single Photographer in your city, or geographic region.

After you have this list, create 3 categories for each Photographer you listed. The 3 categories are: Products & Services, Strengths, and Weaknesses. Now it’s simply a matter of filling out the 3 categories for each Photographer. A sample one may look like this:

Anita Photographer
Products & Services: Weddings, E-Sessions, Trash the Dress, Albums, Family Sessions.
Strengths: Great Portfolio, 15-years Experience, Servicing Clients.
Weaknesses: Website, Marketing & Branding, Keeping up with Technology.

The more information you can provide for each Photographer you listed, the better it will be. Answering these questions will help later on in the Business Plan as you figure out how to position yourself in your target market.

Hopefully you do not feel overwhelmed by all of this… I really want you to take your time and think about each one of the areas we covered in this post. If you have any questions, or would like to pick my brain about this section of the Business Plan, I will be available to you via Twitter: @ryanswigert

Thank you for your time and interest in this series, and stay tuned for Part 2 when we discuss the question: Who Are You???

Drumroll please…

Business Planning for Photographers

I know this topic can be a little intimidating… I promise that I will do my best to make this series not only educational, but also entertaining. My theory is: If you’re going to create a Business Plan, you might as well have fun doing it.

Business Planning for Photographers is going to be a 7 Part series that covers the following:

I. The Photography Pond & The Fish That Swim There
II. Who Are You???
III. Building Blocks & Your Entourage
IV. Sales & Marketing (I had to have 1 “normal” Chapter Title…)
V. The Kitchen Sink
VI. $$$ Money $$$
VII. Tying It All Together

This series kicks off first thing next week – So stay tuned! In the meantime, I would love to hear any business questions that you have. Simply leave them in the Comments, or send them to me via Twitter. I will then address some of these specific questions throughout this series.

“Ryan’s magic is just the kind of stuff I love to watch. It’s highly visual and leaves you shaking your head in disbelief.”
- Luke Dancy, Magic Consultant for “Criss Angel Mindfreak“

How can you tap into the photography industry when there’s so many experienced photographers already out there? The answer: Be yourself and put the focus on your clients.

For years, David Copperfield was the main magician on television, and he achieved “rockstar” status. No other magician could compete with him, or get steady television air-time. Why? Because the other magicians were trying to be like him.

Knock, knock… Enter David Blaine in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Blaine did the exact opposite of everything Copperfield did. Copperfield performed in large concert halls, Blaine performed in the streets of Compton. Copperfield performed expensive illusions, Blaine performed simple card tricks, and magic effects that could be bought from your local magic shop. The list could go on, and on… The main point that made Blaine successful is how the television special was edited. It didn’t put the focus on Blaine, rather it put the focus on his spectators and their reactions to the tricks.

Below are two video clips – one of David Copperfield, and one of David Blaine. I want you to pay close attention to where the focus is when they perform their magic.

David Copperfield:

David Blaine:

Notice how the focus in the David Copperfield clip is on David Copperfield. Whereas, the focus in the David Blaine clip is on the actual spectators and their reactions.

My challenge to you is to put the focus on your clients and make them the “stars” of the show.