As a photographer and business owner, you have various responsibilities on your plate. From marketing, to sending emails, to blogging, to shooting, your task list (and stress level) is constantly on the rise. In our Online Training: Photoshopping the Distractions Out of Your Photography Business: Steps to Maintaining a Healthy Workflow, Vanessa Joy shared tips to help you work efficiently, accomplish your goals, and spend more time on the things you love. Here are the top 5 tips from Vanessa’s Training for maintaining a healthy workflow.
1. Decide What Makes You Happy
One of the first steps to take to create healthy workflow is to decide what makes you happy. This will differ for every photographer, so start by asking yourself:
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- How you want to be successful in life?
- What really matters to you?
- Why did you choose to become a wedding photographer and business owner?
The next set of questions to ask yourself have to do with how you want to spend your time. Ask yourself these questions:
- What do you want your life to look like?
- Would you prefer to spend your time with loved ones?
- Do you really want to sit in front of the computer screen?
- Have you always wanted to travel?
- Is your desire to start a new business venture, or expand your current business?
How can you do that if you work on every task in your business and take on too much? Find out what your “why” is and your definition of your success. This will help you focus on what’s most important to you, so you can create a business plan based on what will make you happy and successful.
“Run your business with intention, or it will run you.” – Vanessa Joy
Related: Who are 3 people who give you permission to partner with a specialist?
2. Identify Your Responsibilities
Once you define what makes you happy in your business, the next step is to identify your roles. As a photographer and business owner, you have plenty of responsibilities. The reality is, though, you cannot do them all yourself (and some you may even want to). Make a list of each of your responsibilities for both of your roles. It may look something along the lines of this:
- Photography: shooting, education, equipment
- Marketing: networking, branding, advertising, social media
- Meetings and Communication: emails, consultations, sales sessions
- Editing and Design: post production, product design, marketing materials
- Accounting: bookkeeping, taxes, payroll
- Product Fulfillment: ordering, packaging, shipping
If there is anything else you do for your business, make sure you add that into your list. Now you are ready to divide up your responsibilities, and find out what you can take off your plate.
Related: Is your blogging workflow streamlined for your business?
3. List Your Strengths and Weaknesses
On a separate piece of paper, create another list with two columns. On the left side, write down the things you do not enjoy, you are not good at, or things that slow you down. These are items you could outsource to someone else, so you can focus on other important tasks with your time. Some of the items on your list may be:
- Color correction
- Product Design
- Blogging
- Product Fulfillment
- Web Design
- Publication Submission
- Printing
- Bookkeeping
On the right side of your sheet, write down the things you are good at, you like to do, and what motivates you. These are tasks that help you grow your business and place your images in front of ideal clients. Some of the items on your list may be:
- Shooting
- Client Sales and Meetings
- Networking
- Social Media
4. Outsource Parts of Your Workflow
After you create your list of strengths and weaknesses, take a look at the left side of the sheet. These are all tasks you can outsource to a specialist. Items you can outsource are:
- Wedding photography post-production
- Album design
- Blogging
- Web Design
- Print Fulfillment
- Client and Vendor Gifts
- Bookkeeping
- Household items (yes, these count too!)
Outsourcing saves you time and ensures you can spend your time where you are needed in your business. Even if you are great at these tasks in your business, outsourcing them allows you to spend your time on parts of your business that benefit from only your attention. Don’t forget to evaluate your needs, calculate your costs, and adjust your pricing to plan for outsourcing various parts of your business. Also, ensure you are emotionally ready to let go and trust a specialist to make your business what you want it to be.
“You’re not losing control when you outsource, you are gaining control and quality. You are not meant to do everything.” – Vanessa Joy
5. Streamline Your Workflow
For the items which require your attention, it is crucial for you to streamline your workflow. The idea behind outsourcing is to save time, so ensure the other tasks in your workflow do not take up too much of your time. Items on your list you can streamline are:
- Social Media
- Client Communication
- Emails
- Client Management
One of the best ways to streamline your workflow is to implement tools and programs to help you be as efficient as possible. Some tools you can use are:
- Social Media
- Client Communication
- Emails
- Client Management
When you take the steps to create a healthy workflow, you have the ability to focus on what you love to do with your photography and business. One way to spend your time is building a unique that stands out to ideal clients, which helps you book more weddings. How else can you attract and book more clients to your photography business? Download our Guide to Marketing for Wedding Photographers to discover strategies that work for top industry leaders!
