Now that Christmas is over I am looking at what I would like to do in 2019. I'm inspired and motivated to start growing and adding to my business. I absolutely love what I do but now I want expand and add to my business. I thought I wanted to add a photobooth business to my business and I'm not completely over that idea but now I'm rethinking it. Between new equipment, being unfamiliar in the market and still having a baby at home now really isn't the time. But maybe in time it will work out. I've also wanted to try birth and fresh 48 photos but with Travis's schedule and having the girls it is hard to schedule. So again I would like to put that on the back burner. So then what does that leave? Well beyond wanting to add more clients from January to September I would also like to photograph more events and weddings. I would like to work with more small businesses. I want to grow my brand. I spoke with a local photographer today and asked if she would be my mentor and she said yes! We are meeting up this weekend for coffee and to discuss my business. I am so thrilled because not only do I know her, she lives in my neighborhood, she's photographed my kids but also I love her work and she isn't just a photographer. That is 2 big things for me. She branches out and does other stuff along with her photography and I love her work. So I plan to talk to her about my plans. How I want to rebrand, how I want to grow my business, how there are a few things I would like to change about my business, have her give me some tips for what works for her business, share my frustrations and how I want to do more than just photography.
I've been told before I should focus on one thing and be the best I can be. I've also read this a few times. But that isn't me. In every aspect of my life I have never been able to stay in one lane and do just that. No I was a jock, theater geek, dancer, burner, social outcast, etc and that was just in high school. While in college my freshman year alone I was part of the theater, newspaper staff and hung out with a bunch of frat guys. I get bored if I stick to just one thing. While in college I combined my love of photography with dance and promoted a dance team my sister was on. This is where I fell in love with marketing/public relations. I could combine my love of photography with any other hobby I had and I could promote it. Because I had ankle surgery, I couldn't be on the dance team so I did the next best thing and promoted them. I also did this with the organization P.R.I.D.E. that I was a member of. So besides the fact that I can't focus on just one thing I also don't want my business to be exactly like other businesses. As a consumer I don't want to have to find a different photographer for every life event. I want to be able to work with the same person over and over. Not only because I get to know them and their work but also I know that I can rely on them. So I want to be that person others can go to for all of their photography needs. Someone they can count on to photograph their babies from birth to when they get older. But besides seeing a family grow over the years I would also love to see a business grow. If I help another business with their brand and help them grow it is just like watching a child grow.
I love Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis. I am inspired by what she says about growing your business and about how she has expanded her brand. She hasn't stuck to just one thing and that fits exactly what I want to do. I don't want to do lifestyle but I do want to do small business, marketing, etc. I have a bachelor's degree in public relations I haven't really used since receiving it in 2012. I did use it a little when I worked for a hockey team because I interned there and was offered a job. But beyond applying what I learned about social media for my business, I haven't done anything else. So if I were to start doing more marketing and could still work from home while Kalynn is still little that would be perfect.
I do think I need to figure out what I want to do with my craft business which isn't really a business. I mean I do make stuff but again I don't just specialize in one thing, I don't keep a bunch of stuff in stock and I don't promote the way I should. Christmas should have been a great time for that business but obviously I chose to do my photography. Plus there are so many craft businesses around here that I really have to compete. I don't have time to go sit at craft fairs and hope maybe someone will buy my stuff so again I need to figure out what I want to do. In a perfect world I could combine my crafting with my photography/design/marketing business. I would like to start making props and signs.
Well its an hour before midnight which means its an hour from my birthday. I'm turning 33. I'll post a new blog after my meeting with my new mentor on Sunday. Goodnight.
