Five Things I've Learned in Five Years of Business
Hi Friends!
Happy 2023! 2022 ended with sickness and some family emergencies so I was honestly happy to say goodbye. It's no secret that it was a rough year for both Arabela and I but it also contained a lot of good things too including adopting my little pug, Cooper and getting married. Overall I am very ready to leave 2022 behind and very excited for this new year, I love a fresh start and new goals.
We're also starting off the year by celebrating five official years of Weekend Creative! It's be a wild ride and I truly never would have imagined that we would be here today, with the studio we have and the clients we have been able to work with and this community here. We have been so blessed with so many wonderful experiences and I'm excited to see what this next year holds.
We've also learned a LOT along the way, neither of us had any business or freelance experience when we started and we barely had any studio experience. We have had to learn a lot through trial and error and our business is so different now than it was back then.
1. You can tell the client what you need
When we first started out we let the client dictate everything, the timeline, the budget, everything. If a client told us they needed images in a week we would make it happen. If they said they only had $500 we would still take the shoot even though it usually meant we would actually lose money. If they wanted to bring their own props we said ok even if it meant we had only two ugly apples to use for an entire shoot.
I remember when it clicked into place that we could set boundaries and let the client know what was realistic and what we needed. We were chatting with another photographer and complaining about tight deadlines and she said, "you know you can tell the client what your process is? Once you let them know what a realistic timeline is they usually will adjust to work with you if they really want to." It was so simple but it changed everything for us.
Now we tell the clients what is realistic and compromise with rush fees or reduced scope instead of bending over backwards to make things work. Our business is much more sustainable, our work is better, and our clients are happier.
2. You can love what you do and it can still be hard
This is my dream job. This is exactly what I would choose if I could design my own career (which I guess I kind of did). I have freedom to travel whenever I want, I get to be creative and work with my hands, I have the best business partner who I get to share the highs and lows with and I've even gotten to travel within California and to New York and Spain for work. I really couldn't ask for anything better.
But that doesn't mean that it isn't hard. There are lots of tasks that are super boring or irritating. There are clients who are disappointed and months when we don't make our financial goals. There are times when life is just hard and work feels very unimportant compared to the weight of everything else.
This last year was rough, there were a lot of days I didn't want to work and I questioned how long I can do this. I didn't want to do the work to get new clients and I didn't feel inspired to create for the clients that we had. I felt completely drained of any inspiration. But there were also days that I was over the moon excited about work and so thankful that I get to do this.
Both can exist. You can be discouraged and excited at the same time. You can have days where you love your job and days where you don't. We usually talk about the highlights, that's what is shared on social media. We don't share the days that we feel uninspired and want to quit so I want to share that I've learned that it's ok and it's normal. It doesn't make you less of a creative and you are not alone in the difficult times.
3. Never start work without a deposit and a contract and always license your work
This one almost goes without saying because we've said these things so many times already but these are HUGE lessons that we learned (a few of them several times). Protect your work, your business, your sanity. It might feel inconvenient at times, clients might tell you these things are unnecessary, you might even lose out on work but at the end of the day you will never ever regret that contract, deposit or license. You almost always will regret not having these in place, just listen to a few episodes of Per Our Last Email if you don't believe me.
4. Creating community is key
We always joke that our hidden talent is getting people we look up to to become friends with us without them even realizing what's happening lol. We have built our business on transparency and education and we definitely attribute our success to those who have cheered us on and given us advice along the way. Some of the photographers that we most admired have become close friends - close enough to text when we have questions about a client situation, close enough to fly across the country to come to my wedding.
Having the mindset of building up our industry instead of competing with others will help you so much. You will learn so much from others and others will learn so much from you because you have a lot to offer too! This attitude frees you up to celebrate the success of your friends, and it also opens you up to more referrals which is a bonus for sure.
Speaking of community, thank you for being a part of this one. We created this place because we couldn't find it anywhere and we are so grateful that you are here and a part of building up our industry together.
5. Working 24/7 does not always equal success
This one took me a while to learn. In the freelance world (and actually most of the business world) being busy is a badge of honor. Everyone brags about how overwhelmed they are and how little sleep they got because of how many projects they have. Being busy is great, having clients is great, but I have learned that I need breaks. I need time away. I need to not work 24/7. I just can't do it and that's ok.
Success to me doesn't not equate to working constantly. To some people it might and that's totally ok! But for me, success means working on projects that I love while maintaining my freedom of schedule and having lots of time to spend with people that I love and reading and cooking. It means not being overwhelmed and stressed, at least not the majority of the time. I'm ok if we have less impressive projects and make a little less money if it means that my life is more fulfilling. I actually wrote a whole post on this that you can read here if this resonates with you too.
6. You are capable of so much more than you think
This is a little bonus lesson because I feel like all of us need to be reminded of this heading into a new year. Five years ago if you had told me where we would be today I truly would not have believed it. This would have seemed completely impossible, but it wasn't. We were capable and you are capable. Whatever hurdles or difficulties you are facing this year, you can meet them head on knowing that you are capable and we are here with you along for the ride!
If you have any lessons you've learned in your own business journey feel free to drop them below! Wishing you the best in this new year!
Is it the weekend yet?
Elle