A 100k year is a huge milestone for entrepreneurs, and there seems to be chatter in the online business community that’s split into two camps: 1) there’s nothing magical about 100k, and 2) it’s absolutely everything to get to 100k. No surprise, I fall somewhere in the middle. My business coach refers to 100k as a sustainability point for business and I totally agree. We all know we’re not taking home all of the money we make, so at 100k that typically gives you room to pay for expenses, pay yourself, pay your taxes, maybe start outsourcing a little bit, maybe have some profit leftover if you’re lucky. While it’s not EVERYTHING to hit 100k, I do think it’s a big deal because it gets you to a point where you can really sustain and start to look at growth and scaling.
I talked in a previous episode about multiple streams of income and how I didn’t start pursuing that until after I hit 6 figures, and this got me thinking about what I would do if I were starting my business over and striving for that 6 figure mark from scratch. In this episode, I am talking about every step I would take if I were starting over and trying to make six figures with my photography business. Here are the main things discussed in this episode:
- Picking a service to focus on
- Being seen as an expert when you have a specialty
- Doing a few free or low priced sessions to build your portfolio
- How to create an awesome experience that creates chatter
- Taking your images from your free/low priced sessions and using them to market yourself, grow your social media, and build your personal brand
- My thoughts on taking on most clients that inquire if trying to reach 100k and being aware of your capacity
- Slowly raising prices as your calendar fills up
- How hiring an editor can help you book more sessions (yes, it’s okay to give up some of this control!)
- Get more specific about the work you take as you become busier
- After 6 figures, looking where you can trade money for TIME and outsource
[7:06] – I would design the session that I eventually want to offer and offer it at that really low price point. The reason for this is because I want my client to want to walk away with an incredible experience that they talk about, regardless of what they paid for the session.
[12:05] – This content is key for setting you up as a thought leader in your industry.
[14:05 – Make sure that what you’re marketing is what you actually want to focus on and specialize in.
If I were starting over, those are the steps I would take. I’ve seen it work for myself, and this is exactly what I teach to clients to help them grow their business and revenue.
This is also the process I walk you through in my mini course, The Brand Photography Jumpstart: learn how to make your first $500 with brand photography. This free course runs February 12-16, 2024. Join me for about 30 minutes a day for 5 days over the lunch hour to learn AND be coached. Claim your spot here!
That mini course tees up my group coaching program, Rebrand, as enrollment will be opening February 16. Rebrand is both a curriculum and coaching. We follow these same steps talked about in this episode to help you build a successful brand photography business that makes six figures and charges four figures for a brand session. Learn more about Rebrand here!
The Ultimate Personal Brand Session Shot List: 10 must-have images, plus a bonus concept, to create a diverse gallery that will get clients singing your praises! Download here.
Some of the best conversations happen after the show in my private Facebook group, Take It Personally Podcast. Click here to join in!
comments +