Lately I have been pondering on this crazy life as a small business owner. Fourteen years in, I have thought about how much work it has been, but how much joy there has been too. It is crazy to think that as a college student I started my business and have maintained the business through the rise and fall of the economy, getting through three newborn and toddler stages, moving a number of times, and watching the market of photographers double in my area. It has not been easy, and I have not “made it” in any way. There are still days I struggle and fight to even want to work for myself, and I secretly long for a desk and someone else to worry about my bookkeeping. But I also know that this is what I was created to do. I honestly could never have made it without the drive and passion for photography along with a few other techniques that have helped me along the way.
I have decided to start a mini series every Thursday (until I run out of ideas!) for those of you just starting your businesses and have small kiddos at home. These ideas are ways that helped me along the way when I was struggling to find balance between being a mom and a business owner. Of course things not all these ideas will work for you, but take them with a grain of salt and add them to your list of ideas as you continue to grow your business and raise those sweet babies!
The number one best thing I have ever done for my business and one that I WISH I would have done a long time ago was hire an editor. Mind you, I am a little bit of a control freak when it comes to editing my photos. And this is a good thing, right?! Because it is MY art and part of the post processing shows more of who I am. I am able to add my artistic touches and flares which make up who I am as an artist. Because I spent hours upon hours in the darkroom perfecting my art in college, I likened this process to the darkroom and to give it over would be to give up my art. It was hard, initially, for me to give this over because I thought this person would be taking over my creative abilities and it was another expense that I thought I could avoid, but in reality it was killing me. I would spend long hours at the computer after putting my kids to bed and spend time away from my husband and friends. I had no balance of work/ home life. I struggled with this for a LONG time, and considered hiring someone, but never moved forward with it until last year.
Now that all my kids were in school, summers were the only time I had to spend with them. In the past I had hired nanny’s (which I will get to in another post!) to cart them around, play with during the day, and bring them to activities while I would spend the summer days at my computer looking out the window at my kids playing with someone else. I was tired of not seeing them and realized that as they were growing up, I was missing time well spent with them.
So in March of last year, I began my search, and thankfully my search ended not long before it began. I was referred to a woman in my area who was looking for more work, and we meshed right away. She was, and is, a complete blessing. It did take a little time getting the images the way I wanted. I felt so much freedom in culling through a wedding or a session right after I shot it, and then send them her way, only to have them back in a few days. I also realized that because this was her gifting, she was actually able to edit in a way I could not, and I was able to get the photos back to my clients faster than I ever had in the past which was a benefit to my business and to my moral!
No longer am I staying up until the wee hours of the night. I am now able to go to my kids soccer games and gymnastics practices. There are a few nights that I will work later than usual (typically in the busy seasons of September and October), but during the summer I am able to enjoy the hot summer days with my kids at the beach, the park and the zoo. Now I work the editing fee into my prices and am able to confidently say to my clients that they will see their weddings in two- three weeks (rather than six) and their family sessions within one week of their session. And in a day and age where we want to see things right away, this is huge to my client as well as to me!
Needing some ideas on where to find editors?! Let me know, there are a few suggestions I can help you with! Happy Thursday!