This Can't Be That Hard

One of the most common questions that I get asked here at This Can't Be That Hard is: “How do I get more photography clients?" Right? It's the photography marketing magic bullet (say that 10 times fast!) that we are all looking for. But as you know by now, I’m a believer that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for your marketing. It’s about trying different things, seeing what s...

When your first start your photography business, you need to make a plan for a period of time where you're building your client base up. It's normal to run at a loss for a year or two, but you need to have a plan in place for moving from that deficit into the land of profit. (If your profitability runway is too short, you’ll risk feeling like a failure. If it’s too long, you may never ge...

As the busy season creeps up on us, often our stress creeps up right along with it. While some stress is inevitable (more clients = more work to do), it’s important to remember that at least part of the reason we chose to be photographers was to have freedom, flexibility, and control over our schedules and lives, so we need to run our businesses accordingly! This week, my guest is Flourish Academy...

For many photographers, self-promotion can feel a little painful even in the best of times. But what about those days (and weeks and months) when there are much bigger events (rightly) dominating our headlines and headspace? How do you send out a sales email or post about your upcoming mini sessions when those things seem trivial at best compared to what's happening in the world? Balancing th...

Every photographer uses technology to some degree or another. In this day and age, tech is required for everything from bringing new clients in to giving them a good experience to editing, backing up, and delivering the images themselves. And if you're not careful, it's far too easy to let your “tech stack” get away from you. Today, Colie James and I are having a conversation about the t...

When the economic forecast looks dark and stormy, it’s easy to get panicked about whether your photography business is up to the challenge. Panic, though, doesn't help... a plan does. Even in boom times, it's smart to keep our businesses ready for whatever storms may come.  In today's episode, Annemie shares four important ways that you can sure up your strategy and take some of the...

In the world of photography education, there seems to be an assumption that everyone is after the same goal: to make 6 figures and have a completely full roster of clients that’s booked out 3 years in advance.  But there’s a very large subset of photographers for whom that doesn’t resonate…  because that’s not in alignment with what they want or need from their businesses.  Erin Brown artfully dub...

Have you ever had a brilliant idea while driving or walking the dog that felt so clear and exciting at the moment, but then even a few minutes later when you try to write it down… it’s gone?  This has happened to me so frequently that I actually created a system (shocking, I know!), not only to capture the ideas that occur to me (even at the most inopportune times), but actually get them into my w...

Dealing with the legal side of running a business is complicated, confusing, and can feel like an overwhelming item on your to-do list... but the cost of NOT addressing it can be enormous. Luckily for us, Rachel Brenke - better known as The Law Tog - has spent the last 10+ years using her expertise as both a lawyer and a photographer to make the legal side of things accessible to us as creatives. ...

It's not uncommon for my new Simple Sales students to have lots of questions about the "rules" of the system. If they change this thing or tweak this step, will the system still work? Today I want to discuss the three modifications I most commonly get asked about in our Facebook group - how I have seen them work (or not work) for other photographers, and why I think that is.  If you...

Adding films to your photography business can be a great way to up-level your client experience, and can be rewarding both artistically and financially. That doesn’t make it an easy transition, though! The business of offering films to your clients is totally different from the business of offering still images.  If you've ever considered adding films to your repertoire - or if it's some...

We all get to the point in our business where we need to raise our prices. But if you aren’t taking the time to understand why your prices need to go up (and even more importantly, how you're going to align that price increase with your overall business model), you're setting yourself up to fail.  Today I'm covering 5 questions you should ask yourself before you increase your prices...

You know when you have that perfect client experience? From the moment they reach out, they're excited to work with you, there's no pushback on your pricing, the shoot is a breeze, and when you deliver their images they absolutely gush? It’s just an amazing experience from start to finish. Don’t you wish you could clone those clients? Today’s guest, Heidi Thompson, is showing us how to d...

When you're a solopreneur, your to-do list can feel never-ending. Taking a break, stepping away, or even ( gasp! ) going on vacation can seem like a luxury reserved for the non-self-employed. After twelve years in business, I wish I could say I no longer have a hard time taking time off from work, but to be honest, it's still something I struggle with. That said, I've finally come t...

As photographers, we spend a lot of time focusing on our visual storytelling, but as entrepreneurs, our written communication is just as important. Like it or not, your words are as likely as your photographs to land you your next job... or to lose it. Today, creative copywriting specialist Courtney Fanning is sharing the 4 different types of buyers in the world, and how we can use our writing to...

One of the easiest traps entrepreneurs can fall into is filling our time with the busywork of running a business, and in so doing, postponing or missing bigger opportunities or changes that could dramatically improve our businesses and our lives. A lot like having a baby, there is never a “perfect” time to make changes - especially big ones - in your business. There’s always going to be a good rea...

If you believe a task or a project is going to be easy, the smallest roadblock can seem insurmountable. But if you're mentally prepared for a challenge, those roadblocks become an expected part of the journey. A lot of photographers go into business believing that their side hustle won't require much effort - what's so hard about doing something you love and getting paid for it, rig...

The most common complaint I hear from other photographers is that they hate trying to get people to buy. On one hand, I get it - there’s something inherently uncomfortable about tooting your own horn and asking people for money. On the other, I worry that mindset is hurting you!  Years ago, working in New York City in a totally different industry, I learned the difference between what makes sellin...

Have you ever heard the term “your strength is in your struggle?” The Simple Sales System was born as the result of a life transition that forced me to take a good hard look at my business and my numbers. Once I got over the struggle of doing that (and saw the massive results it created in my business and my life), I wanted to help other photographers do the same thing, ideally before they were fo...

There's more than one way to run a successful small business... photography or otherwise. But with all the variety out there, successful businesses share one important trait: they are fully aligned under one of three models - The Donkey, The Unicorn, or the Workhorse.  Back in episode 38, I described each of these business models in detail (so if you haven’t listened to that yet, I’d suggest...

I'm always surprised when people express an interest in my personal life... you come here for photography business strategies, not the latest on this single mom's love life, right? Well, today you're going to get a bit of both. Back in February, I announced I'd gotten engaged, and instantly started getting pinged with questions about who this guy was and what our story was all...

A few weeks ago my refrigerator (finally) died. I knew it was on the outs, so it wasn’t totally unexpected, but surprise expenses like that can be a big bummer, right? Today’s guest, MicKallyn Elis, calls those kinds of surprises “Oh 💩! Expenses”, which is exactly how I feel about them! MicKallyn is a financial coach who specializes in helping solopreneurs gain control of their finances. She unde...

It’s easy to fall into the trap of advertising that we do ALL THE THINGS - saying "no" to work that comes your way can be scary, especially when you’re first starting out as a photographer! But the last thing you want is for your business to come across as a “jack of all trades, master of none.”  The fact of the matter is that niching down can really benefit your business… if you do it t...

When photographers want to increase booking rates, we tend to think about the things people see BEFORE they reach out to us - our social media or our websites. And although working on those can bring more inquiries in, a much easier issue to address is what happens AFTER they reach out... getting the people who inquire to you to actually hire us.  The number one factor that will sway someone to hi...

Several years ago, right in the middle of one of her busiest seasons at work, Sabrina Gebhardt had a series of major, totally unpredictable personal issues hit all at once - a health emergency, a natural disaster, and a death in the family. When you run a solo business, you can't just call in sick... you have to manage the explanations, the reschedules, and the apologies, even when you may no...