Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook “Measure results, change activities.” — Keith Cunningham Focused I’ve never met a photographer with a more analytical approach to his business than Craig. He was a wedding photographer whose goal was to clear “100k in 100 Days” from 30 weddings. (The actual figures don’t matter — they just sound snappy — so I’m not going to tell you when, where or in what currency.) Many a photographer has built a profitable business out of shooting 30 or 40 weddings a year, bur Craig’s To View More >>

Previous |  Contents | Next Download the eBook These are conversation starters, not a test. There’s more than one “right answer”. 1. Are there too many photographers? Do you think it’s different now to 10-20 years ago? If so, why? How does it impact your business, and can you do anything about it? 2. What is it that enables people to earn a living cooking, writing or taking pictures when almost everyone can do those things? What’s special about them? 3. How many commissions — weddings, portrait sittings etc — do you need, and how much does To View More >>

When's the right time for a promotion? Certainly for the holidays — so your clients can have their  beautiful printed products under the tree for Christmas. The ultimate in personal gifts! Or when the wedding season's over — and you have time to chase past clients who're still dilly-dallying about their album. And for what purpose? Maybe to turn your social media audience into paying customers. Or lapsed enquiries into future business. Or past customers into repeat business! But once you've defined your goal, what's involved? This is our take on it, but of course To View More >>

Today’s the day! We’re ready to launch Workspace’s new Print Shop feature.  Conscious of the struggles that photographers and artists face — including our own customers — It’s been a dream of ours for a long time now to build an eCommerce solution for creatives who want to sell their work as decor and works of art online. Sure, there are plenty of eCommerce solutions out there, but while they’re good, as far as they go, they don’t fix specific problems that many photographers and artists face… Do these sound familiar? • Big platforms To View More >>

Here are twenty questions to think about, to help make your business better. It's thought-provoking and worth reviewing regularly, so get a pen and a piece of paper! 1. Are there too many photographers? Do you think it’s different now to 10-20 years ago? If so, why? Does it impact your business, and can you do anything about it? 2. What is it that enables people to earn a living cooking, writing or taking pictures when almost everyone can do those things? What’s special about them? 3. How many jobs do you need, and how much does each one need to pay you? (ie to cover you, your equipment, To View More >>

A little over 6 years ago I returned to my office after a meeting with staff to introduce a design audit and branding project. My phone rang and a man introduced himself and said he was from Apple. At first I thought I was being punked - all through the presentation the consultants had compared us to, and suggested we benchmark ourselves against, not our competitors, but great companies like Apple. This gentleman proceeded to tell me he was from Cupertino and that his boss was Steve Jobs. I tried to act as if I took calls like this everyday. He said they wanted to develop a premium book, and would To View More >>

Since our re-branding last year the front flyleaf of every Queensberry album has been embossed with the new Q-mark. Why's it there? It’s simple really: to sign our work with pride and to acknowledge the craftsmanship and detailing that goes into every album we build. We're doing the same thing that you do as a photographer when you sign your work. We're branding it. Let me explain in detail what we're doing and why, because our goal is to build a brand that will support you as our clients. § Branding is primarily about getting recognised - not a "camera" but a Leica, not a "wedding album" but To View More >>

A couple of weeks ago I posted about aggravating business policies and touch points, and asked readers to tell us about the things we do that's frustrating! We received three comments. One I've mentioned already, and the other two also raise important issues. Katherine (not her real name) emailed her account manager to say she doesn't like Photojunction. More important, she doesn't like feeling pressured by Queensberry into using it. She feels that if QBY were truly customer focused she wouldn't feel this pressure and could continue in the way that's suited her perfectly for the last seven years. To View More >>

We asked one of our print consultants about their commitment to sustainability a few days ago, and they were rather puzzled by the question. "But of course," they said. "It goes without saying doesn't it?  Sustainable plantation paper ... ECF processing ... vegetable-based inks. We don't beat the drum about it, that's just the way it is these days." We feel the same way, but we're regularly asked the same question, so here's Queensberry's philosophy on the environment and sustainability... Humanity's biggest impact on the environment is generally from our daily practices. That coffee is gone in To View More >>