This month I’ll celebrate my birthday and it’s one of those “milestones” of sorts. (The above photo is from a few years ago when I was a bit younger and not as slender as I am now.) Now straddling geezerdom and the wisdom that comes with old age, I want to share some of the useful tidbits and tips that have helped me over the past thirty plus years.
Apply the golden rule to employees but never loose sight of what they owe you as well. You should expect honesty as well as a fair day’s work for wages paid. In return, you owe them loyalty and flexibility to help them through the ebb and flow of their careers and family life. Cutting them slack when the need it, giving paid time off for family emergencies will repay you many times over what it costs in the short run.
Apply the golden rule to clients too but never forget someone who doesn’t pay their bills is not a client; they’re deadbeats. From time to time, all clients have cash flow problems and as long as they keep you in the loop and send partial payments, you should work with them. When their current crisis passes, they’ll remember who helped. Otherwise I think bad clients, like bad employees, should be fired.
Technology is your friend, embrace it. When you hear of any technology that could increase your operation’s productivity, decrease overhead, or allow you to expand into new markets, put it in place and start making and saving money right away.
Never, ever stop marketing: Keep your website fresh. Buy a car, get it wrapped with company graphics and give it to a valued employee to drive. They’ll appreciate the wheels and over time it’s cheaper than a billboard. Sponsor a golf tournament or health drive, so when people think of photography your name is the first to come to mind.
Be a joiner. Networking pays big dividends. Join the local Chamber of Commerce, professional group for the field you work in, and make community involvement part of your business and marketing plan.
Write a book. It will increase your credibility in the local business community as well as with your clients. Can find a publisher? Self publish with one of the many print-on-demand websites that abound.
Stay informed. Make time to read about what’s going on in the world around you, looking for trends that affect present and future business opportunities.
Too busy for all this? Hire a personal assistant, if only part-time. It will make you more efficient and minimize the potential of premature health problems brought on by too much stress. Investigate intern programs at local community colleges for a low or no cost assistant.
Lastly, I’d like to pass on advice that legendary photographer Don Feltner gave me years ago when Mary and I started our photography business in the spare bedroom of my condominium: Expect the best, but prepare for the worst.
Senior Blog Contributor Joe Farace was author of the long-out-of-print “Re-engineering the Photo Studio” and has been an independent photographer for more than 30 years.
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