three big ideas for photographers

3 Life-Changing Lessons for Photographers

Are you trying everything but you still find yourself in the same position, year after year? Your photography business won’t grow beyond the startup level and you are sick and tired of worrying if you will make enough to pay all the bills?

What I’m sharing today are three lessons for photographers that I picked up during my training with Jim Fortin and that definitely moved the needle in my business.

If you’re doing everything ‘right’ in your business but your photography business isn’t growing, see if the below three lessons ring any bells.

Life lessons for when your Photography business isn’t growing

1. Work from where you want to be

Jim calls this: “Work from the inside out, not from the outside in.”

If you are like most photographers, you tend to think: “If I get this, I will be happy” Or something similar. “If I get more clients, I will start with ….” or “If I have more money I will start with paid advertising.” etc.

And guess what, the new clients don’t show up and you keep running in the same old circles.

why your photography business isn't growing

When you start working from where you want to be, you start by painting a picture in your head about how a successful photographer would operate. What would you feel like, what would you do when you already are a successful photographer.

Ask yourself, what would a highly successful photographer be like, what would he or she do? What would he or she have? Picture your day as a highly successful photographer and start acting that way. You will soon see different results show up.

Because you will soon realize, a highly successful photographer will not be spending all her time on social media. Or spend 2 days editing one family shoot. They are highly productive and effective and they have created systems for themselves. Or they cultivated their brand so they can charge high investments for their work and only have to do one shoot a week. Either way, they are doing things differently than you are doing now.

Related: Outsourcing your post process work

Start with a new identity

So get creative in your mind and start with Being different.

Take some quiet time every morning before work and ask yourself, what would I feel, what would I do, if I already was a successful photographer?

Then look at your to-do list and see if that needs tweaking!

I’ve you are interested in growing your photography business with me and you’re not afraid of topics like the one I’m discussing in this video, I’m thinking of hosting a small mastermind with photographers where we focus on business growth and automation.

If you’re ready to grow your business and yourself from the inside out, sign up for the waitlist below.

 

2. How Committed Are You To Grow Your Photography Business?

I want you to ask yourself how committed you are to grow your business.

To make it easy, first I want you to think of someone or something that you are super committed to.

For me, that would be my kids. I do everything for them and I always have to be aware that I’ll let them make their own mistakes or I would do that for them as well.

Anyhow, I go through great lengths to give them what they need, I read books, I educate myself, I learn by trying different approaches, and most importantly, I never give up on the idea of raising them as happy, fulfilled, responsible human beings.

So for you, it might be your kids as well, or it might be someone or something completely different. Got that mental picture?

What is your commitment level to your business?

Now think of your business. Are you as committed to your business as you are to that other thing?

Are you doing everything in your power to get to your goals in your photography business?

When you know a certain marketing technique would really benefit your business but you think of it as ‘scary’ are you doing it anyway? Or are you procrastinating? Or worse, or you not even considering doing it?

I’ll be honest, I have to admit, I wasn’t doing everything in my power so this comparison shifted things for me and made me take action in a big way again. I hope it does the same for you.

 

3. You Are Where Your Attention Is

if your photography business isn't growing - You are where your attention is

Sooner or later you will realize that this third point is actually the most important one.

This simple sentence ‘you are where your attention is’ can grow or destroy your business.

If you are always operating with thoughts about failures in the past, it will reflect in your current reality.

Be mindful of the thoughts that you repeatedly think. Be super mindful.

It sounds simple, but a consistent focus on your thoughts and moving your attention to more helpful thoughts takes practice. Yes, I’m not going to sugar coat it. It’s simple, but not easy.

Related: Want to know why thinking good thoughts will help you, read this blog Nervous before a shoot? Try this quick and easy technique!

I used to think that I already knew how to change my thoughts and I used to visualize pretty thoughts and all that good stuff.

But guess what, after visualizing for 15 minutes in meditation or hypnosis, I spend the day in worry and working with a less than optimal energy vibe. Worrying if the clients will come, worrying about problems showing up, worrying if I was good enough, you name it. Worries were basically always there, even if I ‘understood’ that I should not worry.

So this has become my most important practice. To not worry and spend my days in a happy, good vibe. It helps me be super productive and it grows my business!

Guess why?

Your thoughts determine your outcome (and your energy level)

worrying drains your energy - finally grow your photography business

First, you attract what you think about.

Second, worrying drains your energy so by not worrying you have a lot of energy left to do cool stuff.

So make a real effort for this, use all the help you can get. I use my iPhone’s screensaver, my laptop screensaver, my laptops password, my bathroom mirror. All the places I regularly see during the day are reminders for me to think differently, think positive thoughts. They all act as reminders to move my attention to things that serve me. Or just reminders to stop thinking at all! (that usually works best ;-)).

I also use the app on my iPhone called Today to remind me several times a day to move my attention.

Ultimately, I want to work from a position of feeling good. So I always pick things that make me feel good when I move my attention to those things. If you don’t know what that is for you, create a list first! For me, puppies and kittens always work, and babies, little kids, my kids, etc. Easy things that are easy to think about. And with practice, it will get easier to just move your attention to think nothing, which is very peaceful and joyful at the same time.

So these were three big ideas that will help you when your photography business isn’t growing.

If you want to grow fast in a small group of colleagues with me as your coach/facilitator where we will also pay attention to big ideas like the ones above, next to practical things like marketing & sales, sign up for the Mastermind waitlist below.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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