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A $7K Photography Job Almost Fell Through (Square Deactivated My Account)
Last week, I got an email from a client about a 7K job she was trying to put down a 50% deposit for but she kept getting an error message. It was one of those moments that stops you from finishing what you're doing and makes you drop everything. I mean, who doesn’t want to collect $3500 from a willing and ready to pay client right? I immediately contacted my CRM, 17hats (through which I’d sent the invoice), and they told me the error was coming from Square, my payment processor. When I called Square, they gave me the mind BEnDing iNExPlicable news: my account had been deactivated. Just like...
Your Market Isn’t Saturated (and the Real Problem)
I recently received an email from a photographer who downloaded my Pricing Guide. It hit me hard because it's a feeling I know many of us have experienced. It said this:👇 "Thank you. Well that was depressing. It confirms I will have to hang the camera up. In my saturated market with today’s inflation, customers are just not willing to pay what I need when I have 125 competitors willing to give it away for free. There are just not enough of those individuals willing to pay that price. Good bye for good.” My heart sank. I looked at this person’s portfolio and their work is beautiful. They have...
The Secret to Charging More for Your Photography
When I’m at the studio, I try to pack my lunch most days but on the days I forget or just don’t have time, I grab my lunch from Sweetgreen. I pay a whopping $16 for a salad, and after tax and tip, I’m out $18-19. And if I’m short on time and can’t drive there, delivery costs $25. So yeah, it's ridiculous. The other day I was working from home, and there wasn’t anything in the fridge and no Sweetgreen nearby. So I decided to try a place called Chop Stop which got 5 star reviews on Yelp. AND it was cheaper, like $10 for a salad! I thought I’d found the secret to saving money on a healthy...
Why Photographers Drop Out: The Painful Truth About Staying Relevant
When I was young and Sex and The City first came out, it was a BIG hit and a BIG deal. It was such a big deal that my roommate and I would have Sex and The City watch parties. 💁🏼♀️Okay they weren’t parties, but a bunch of girls (and some cool guys) that would come over just to snack and watch Sex and The City. This ritual was very important because It was VERY important that we didn’t ever miss an episode. Because this was before the days of streaming. You yunguns probably can’t imagine a world where you couldn't pause TV or watch a show on demand. But alas, a time like that did exist. So...