Opening My New Senior Photography Business: 60 Days until my first paid gig

After much deliberation -- actually, I decided in the shower about 5 minutes ago -- I have decided to close my real estate photography business and open a senior photography business.

I don't take this decision lightly (see sentence one) but my real estate business has become unsustainable due to the nature of its time requirements. Realtors need photos now so they can list a house, and with a full time day job, I am turning down more work than I am taking.

Enough about my past -- on to my future. I have sketched out some basics, but my number one goal is to have a bright perky senior posed in front of me on August 1, with mom beaming in the background writing me a check.

My question for the group -- what SPECIFIC things should I be focusing on in the next 60 days to make that happen?

Thanks!

is there a reason your shutting off real estate? just curious.

mattograph wrote in post #12534240
After much deliberation -- actually, I decided in the shower about 5 minutes ago -- I have decided to close my real estate photography business and open a senior photography business.

I don't take this decision lightly (see sentence one) but my real estate business has become unsustainable due to the nature of its time requirements. Realtors need photos now so they can list a house, and with a full time day job, I am turning down more work than I am taking.

Enough about my past -- on to my future. I have sketched out some basics, but my number one goal is to have a bright perky senior posed in front of me on August 1, with mom beaming in the background writing me a check.

My question for the group -- what SPECIFIC things should I be focusing on in the next 60 days to make that happen?

Thanks!

I'm guessing the bolded part would be a reason why.

Hire help. Get some kid who can shoot and send her/him to the gigs and make money in RE.

S.Horton wrote in post #12534772
Hire help. Get some kid who can shoot and send her/him to the gigs and make money in RE.

I gave that a lot of thought. The challenge I ran into was insurance. I carry insurance, but my rates would increase 1000% if I began to hire help, even on a contractor basis. I could still make that work, but right now my fixed expenses are low. If I start with the overhead, I need to start devoting MORE time to the business just to "make ends meet." So I wind up going in the opposite direction -- more time, and LESS shooting for me.

I had a guy working for me that was self insured, trustworthy, prompt, and did great work. Unfortunately, after working several assignments for me, he went out on his own. If you find someone competent, you have to expect that, and I wish him well -- but in the end, he wasn't a solution to my problem.

gravy graffix wrote in post #12534580
is there a reason your shutting off real estate? just curious.

The time is the biggest reason. Expectations are high on speed. I will actually be keeping one builder client -- since they do all new construction, their time constraints are much more flexible.

WTF!!!

Sen-ior
a. A senior citizen.
b. A student in the fourth year of high school or college.

Now I get it. In aussie, we dont have freshmen or seniors, so when you mentioned a senior sitting there with her mum waving a check, I imagined a grey haired granny with her elderly mum waving her pension money at you.

No, that is how middle aged pudgy men get paid for dancing in retirement homes.

So, in AUS what do you call first, second, third and forth year students?

Bush, outback, foster and lager?

haha...nah, they would the ones that didnt go to school

we dont have names, kids are just known by whatever grade they are in..we're a bit backward. Even some of our schools are different to others.

In government schools:
Primary school is kinder through to grade six.
High school is grade 7 through to 10.
College is optional, and only for two years, so they are grade 11 and 12.

In private schools:
Primary school is kinder through to grade six.
High school is grade 7 through to 12.

Some schools have three semesters, some have four. Its a pretty messed up system.

It's the same in Canada too, highschool is grade 9, grade 10, grade 11, grade 12..but it's become more common to call grade 12 seniors. The whole freshmen, sophomore, junior thing isn't really used, though.

We have to have names, being America and all. The next step is just acronyms. That will happen when there is real consulting money to be made doing that.

Uh .... any advice on the topic?

Go full-time with your RE? Seriously, you're already sort of taking risks by turning down popular paid work. When the housing market rebounds, senior photos won't magically increase... RE will! The only thing stopping me from going FT is I have 2 kids and a wife to support... though, my wife is looking to go back to work soon. That'll change my business direction!

I'm dead serious. Going from photographing inanimate object to people is going to offer challenges, but one of the biggest is remarketing yourself. Good luck in whatever you decide, but I would seriously reconsider... especially stopping RE cold turkey!

CiM_Photography wrote in post #12537089
Go full-time with your RE? Seriously, you're already sort of taking risks by turning down popular paid work. When the housing market rebounds, senior photos won't magically increase... RE will! The only thing stopping me from going FT is I have 2 kids and a wife to support... though, my wife is looking to go back to work soon. That'll change my business direction!

I'm dead serious. Going from photographing inanimate object to people is going to offer challenges, but one of the biggest is remarketing yourself. Good luck in whatever you decide, but I would seriously reconsider... especially stopping RE cold turkey!

I wish full time was an option, but I am fortunate to be blessed with a great day job that my wife and kids are very accustomed to, income wise. I could be happy myself, but I gots too many mouths to feed!

Train your kids for college, KD and Ramen, then you can afford to shoot RE all the time.