Tuesday

New Business Resolutions

The first day of WPPI Leah and I could've left fulfilled ready to jump start positive changes for our business but we still had five more days left!!  The energy at WPPI is simply amazing.  One of the most important things we learned at Business Institute was to right down your goals, and share them with another person so it makes you accountable to achieve those goals.  I am sharing my goals with you today so I am held accountable.  Eee... scary!

1. Get a Business License. - When I was first starting my business I talked to a few accountants about getting a license and they each had a different answer and a different reasoning behind them all.  One said not to worry about a license till I make over $14,000 a year.  Another said to get one but he wanted to charge me an arm, a leg, and my head, to set everything up.  I wasn't sure how sincere he was about me and about the money.  The last one almost killed me for not having one yet.  After listening to Silvana Frammartino at WPPI I decided I needed to get one, and her reasoning wasn't about the money it was about being honest.  It seems so easy to reason why we don't need a biz license.  "I only make so much..." "I'm only doing this for fun on the side..." blah blah blah.  I know I'll be more blessed with being honest with my dealings than if I justified it all the time.

CHECK!

2. Get a Professional Website or Blog. - Blogger has been great for me for where I was in my business but I know I'm not going anywhere with blogger as my only site.  Prospective clients need to be wowed!  I was purposefully waiting for WPPI to see what my choices are and to learn more about SEO.
(More about my Prophoto blog soon!)

CHECK!

3.  Refine my branding and logo. - I still have yet to find who I am logo-wise.  Again my logo was good for now but I know I need to make it more fresh and clean.  I'm working on this one and I'm almost done!

4.  Perfect my pricing. - I learned SO much at WPPI about pricing and incorporating albums with everything.  Great advice: Shoot for the albums and SELL the albums!  Michael Warshall a VERY successful photographer said when asked about pricing, "Well how much are you worth?"  You are worth how much you price.  This was very hard for me because I don't live in a big town and although I know how much I'm worth it's hard for me to think that people will pay that much around here.  Again perfecting pricing!

5.  Skills & Technical. - I'm a firm believer that you should know your equipment inside and out.  I want to perfect lighting!

6. Charity. - Shoot to help others.  Nuff said!

7. Shoot for myself. - We shoot for others so much that we often forget to take time for our own art.  If we keep shooting for others and never take time for ourselves we'll start resenting the thing we fell in love with.  I don't want that!

This is all that I can share now and it makes me realize how much more I still need to achieve.  Have you been writing down your goals and sharing them with others?  If not I STRONGLY encourage you to do so and don't share your goals with just your spouse.  Share them with people who will hold you accountable... in a good way of course.

19 comments:

  1. So true about honesty. I don't need something that will prevent me from feeling good about myself, so I make VERY little, but yeah, I've got a licence! :)

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  2. Thank you so much for this post. I have been asking around about getting a business license. I heard the same thing that I did not need to get one right now. I think that it will make me feel more comfortable if I just get one. Also I do need to start writing down my goals. I hope to accomplish so much this year. I just started the middle of last year and I want to really get things going for this year. Thank you so much for all of your encouragement! I love your blog. BTW I am hoping to go to WPPI next year. Maybe I will see you there. :)

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  3. I'm so glad I have stumbled across you blog. Lots and lots of good information out there. I've been debating on getting a business license right now because I'm jsut starting out. I like your take on honesty. Good luck! Can't wait to see you new stuff!

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  4. Great post Noelle! And on my goodness did we have fun creating our goals!! I love that we have each other to hold one another accountable cause I know Kurt and you know Taylor and while we adore them they may not keep us on track the way we do for each other!

    Last about the business license: Noelle's reasoning is THE BEST there is - be honest in all thy doing. My other reason was this, I am always going to treat and plan for my business as if it is where I want it to be, not necessarily where it might actually be. With that in mind, I knew I had to have a biz license cause I have always known that I want to be a successful photographer and business owner and oif thats what I'm planning for then I need a license!

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  5. So great and inspiring! I need to get started on my list now too....

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  6. I am working on these goals as we speak! I want to get the ducks in a row before I take the next babysteps and giant leaps! Now that you have put them out for the world you are REALLY accountable! lol

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  7. A great motivational post Noelle!!

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  8. Love, love, love this! It matches my todo list also! Make the leap of faith and then make changes as you go. You are never a finalized version of anything! So do and then change and then add and keep going!

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  9. Thanks for sharing! I'm just starting off and just have a blogger blog at this point, so I'm hoping to follow in your steps. I also just wanted to say how much I appreciate this blog--I have already learned so much. What a FANTASTIC resource. Thank you Leah and Noelle!

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  10. Hello...I am also just starting out and am confused about this whole license thing as well. Is it a state by state thing? My husband has checked things out for me and didn't think I needed one. Therefore, I was confused about why it is an honesty issue. If you have a chance, please let me know. Thanks again for your website!!

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  11. I love this post. It's great to hear your goals w(which are very similar to mine!) and see your business go through this transition. Cannot wait to see your new blog and website.

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  12. I absolutely love this! thank you so much for sharing!

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  13. I'm so glad that I followed your link to the other post...the grammar one. I have that problem all the time! I just misuse words oh and spell everything wrong. English is not my strength. Do I wish it was? Sure but my family loves me and I get my point across! You are doing a great job!

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  14. I am so very happy to have found your blog today. I am pretty sure I am going to spend the rest of this beautiful day indoors absorbing all of your information like a sponge. Thank you for this blog!

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  15. Love, love, LOVE your blog. You are so refreshing and so real:)

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  16. Would you be willing to do a follow up post on how to accomplish some of these goals you have set. I have similar goals, but am overwhelmed by them!

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  17. mom2four - If in your state you don't need one that it most definitly would not be a honesty thing! For Noelle (Utah) she does need one and in my state (WA.) I may not have needed one at the beginning because I didn't make enough but I knew I was planning to make enough FAST ;) so I wanted one!

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  18. I forgot to say...

    ALI !! This is my new favorite quote!!
    "You are never a finalized version of anything!"

    LOVE IT! I want to frame it!

    And ERIN, yes - we can do a follow up for sure! Email me and tell me exactly what you would want to know!

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  19. Thanks for your response...and thanks again for all of your info.

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