I'm always looking for fun and inexpensive ways to market to potential clients! Well here is a quick, easy, AND inexpensive way to spark conversation and gain new clients!
Create a custom on-the-go mug to match your branding all for under $15!
Create a custom on-the-go mug to match your branding all for under $15!
Thanks for a great idea from Tami Rogers of Attic Chat Photography!
Design your own 8 x 10 sized photo in Photoshop using your branding/logo/etc., upload and order it in an 8 x 10 sizes print from your printing lab.
I purchased my on-the-go mug from Starbucks for $10.95.
Once you purchase your mug and receive your 8 x 10 photo, you will begin by unscrewing the black cap on the bottom of your mug and taking out the paper template to trace on the back of your photo. After tracing the photo, cut it out!
After cutting your photo out, simply insert it into the bottom of your cup, replace the cap, and Wa-la! You have a fun new marketing tool for under $15! And I guess some would consider it an excuse to visit Starbucks more often, as well! ; )
Happy Marketing!
Xoxo,
I recently decided that I needed more organization in my business, specifically with time management and planning. Once I decided what I needed to better manage, I spotted an idea on a creative blog that I follow, Infarrantly Creative, and she had blogged about the idea of creating a custom planner. So, I did.
Supplies Needed:
-2 Pieces of Chipboard for front and back cover (You can get this here)
-2 Decorative Printed Sheets for front and back cover (Design your own!)
-1 Piece of Chipboard for the tear off pad
-1 File folder
-Pen loop (Optional)
-Flip loop (Optional)
-Sprial Binding service
-Tear Off pad (glue) service
-Elmer's Spray Adhesive (You can get this here)
1. I used the PSD files above to custom design my planner to ME.
My sections include: Megan Mondays Blog Post, Photo Shoots, Marketing, Misc. P52 (photo project), To do list, and ideas.
2. I added a fun background with my branding colors to the blank planner and the blank calendar files!
You can find some fun and free backgrounds here!
3. I printed out my own calendars and weekly planners at home. I printed out my front and back cover on smooth paper at home, as well. Cut down your calendars on the sides to the outline of the calendar.
4. I used Elmer's spray adhesive to glue my front and back cover paper to chipboard and then cut them down to size.
You can find Elmer's spray adhesive here!
5. Next, I used Staples to bind my chipboard front and back covers and 52 weekly planners together and took my one piece of chipboard and 12 calendar sheets to Kinkos to glue my calendar tear off pad together.
6. Use the spray adhesive to glue the file folder to the inside of the front cover of your planner so that it opens up from the inside out.
7. Then I use the spray adhesive to glue the tear off pad to the front of the file folder, and added a loop to the inside of the file folder for easy opening.
8. Lastly, I added my pen loop and Wala!
Happy planning!
Xoxo,
Preparing for tax season can become stressful! Very stressful! I don't know about you, but I have procrastinated my taxes all the way up until this past weekend! *Tsk Tsk,* I know. But hey - I got them done and that's all that counts! Okay, what really counts is that I keep my finances organized for NEXT tax season now....sooo here's to five tips that have helped me to organize my finances to reduce stress at tax time!
1. Develop an Accounting System
Developing an accounting system that best fits you and your business takes time. It was a trial and error process for me, actually. I tried multiple accounting systems until I found one that worked best for me and met all of my needs. Developing an accounting system is the best way to track your income and all of your expenses and stay organized all at the same time.
What's working for me: The Easy Accounting Solution (Visit the website for a 2-day trial and let them know 'Megan Quigley' sent you!)
2. Dedicate Time
Now that you've developed a working accounting system, dedicate time to inputting all of your financial information into your accounting system! Whether you dedicate one day a week or one day a month, this will help you to stay more organized and will reduce the stress at tax time x1000!
What's working for me: I have dedicated every Wednesday morning to organizing receipts and inputting my financial information into my accounting system. Again, this is just what works best for me!
3. Develop a Filing System
Once you have input your expenses into your accounting system, it is vital that you save those receipts for tax time! So, developing an organized filing system is also very important! There are many ways to track these receipts. If you prefer keeping everything on paper, I suggest purchasing a small hand held filing box with file folders and labels, and keeping your receipts stored in categories (i.e. equipment/repairs, marketing, office supplies, etc.) or by months. If you prefer to keep everything stored via your computer, there are plenty of ways to do this, as well!
What's working for me: I keep all of my receipts in a filing box with monthly labels, all organized by date.
However, if you're looking for a great iPhone/Android app for scanning and storing receipts, search for the free app called Lemon!
4. Budget Your Finances
Creating a realistic budget will help you to prepare for any potential expenses that may come up in your business. Budget for things such as taxes, marketing & web design, education, equipment & repairs, product packaging, computer programs, office supplies, etc. Also, budgeting for finances helps reduce stress when we receive unexpected expenses with our equipment or other things, because we have already set aside the money for the potential of those circumstances within our budgets.
What's working for me: I have separate accounts open for separate budgets. When money comes in, certain percentages of that money is deposited into separate budgets right away.
5. Don't Stress!
When it comes to finances, just relax. If you spend time on stressing out, you are losing valuable time that you could instead dedicate to developing a strong working financial system. Getting organized is a vital part of running a business, but being stressed is not!
Smile & don't stress at tax time! Get organized instead!
There is a lot of time and effort involved in operating your own business. Sometimes it feels like too much time and effort with little reward. As much as I have grown to truly love and enjoy running my own photography business over the past year, it has had its trying and exhausting moments. These trying and exhausting moments have helped me to understand the importance of balancing business and personal life. I often hear other photographers discussing the difficulties of balancing their business and their family/personal life, especially during the first year of business. The first year of business for me consisted of many late nights, a burnt out computer, and a very burnt out photographer, business owner, full time education student, and everything else that I am!
So.....here are some tips to balancing your business and personal life!
1. Get Organized
Organize your business. Organization is a vital aspect to running a business. I will continue to say this over and over and over again, but I truly believe that the time I have spent over the past 4 months, just getting organized, has gotten me further in my business than the previous 10 months.
For more on business organization, visit the posts below.
2. Stick to a Schedule
Set a schedule everyday and stick to it! Buy a planner or create your own custom planner (Extreme Organize | Custom Planner Tutorial) and schedule your daily activities. Not only schedule your office time, but schedule your family time, your school time, or even just alone time. You need this time to rejuvenate from the exhausting responsibilities of running a business.
3. Remember Life Outside of Business
Remember that there is life outside of your business. Remember your spouse, your kids, your education (for those of you like me-still in school), and any other responsibilities that you may carry! Remember that with or without your business, life will go on. So, nurture your personal life, your relationships, your education, your hobbies, etc.
4. Don't let your Business take the place of your personal life
Be careful when allowing your business to get close to your heart. Yes, as a photographer, my business is close to my heart because I love photography. However, I have had to be careful of allowing my business get closer to my heart than my personal life. Even though I love photography and I have the privilege of making a living doing what I LOVE, it is still business.
5. Recognize your Priorities
Recognize and separate your business priorities and your family priorities. What comes first? What should come first? When spending time with your family, make that time 100% about them. Try not to allow your business to control conversations all the time, and minimize using your spouse or children as models every time you get new equipment! They grow to hate the camera :P
So, all this being said...learning to balance your business and personal life has been one of the best things that has happened for my business and personal life. I am able to complete my tasks and responsibilities as a business owner and photographer with greater accomplishment because I am not burnt out from working too much. I am also able to show my appreciation and love for just being with my family because I have learned to set business aside after 4pm, Monday - Thursday, and on the weekends.
My Other Half : )
Organizing your business is one of the most important tasks that is to be completed in running a successful business! I love organization, so I am constantly obsessing over how I can better organize my business on a daily basis! I have achieved some great organizational processes that have helped me tremendously to run my business and to run it well!
Here are five great tips that have helped me to organize my business!
1. Time Management
-Set business hours that best fit you and your business, and stick to them! I recently changed my business/office hours to Monday - Thursday from 10am to 4pm. Not only am I a business owner, but I am also a full time student, and I have a family that is full time, as well. These hours reflect what best fits me and my schedule outside of my business. Remember, this is your business. Don't let it take over life, keep time for family and other activities that give you a little breathing room!
2. Develop Repeat Processes
-Do you ever notice that you are completing the same tasks over and over again? I am constantly responding to inquiry emails from potential clients, letting clients know when their proofing galleries are ready for viewing, completing the same editing processing on every photo, and so many other tasks, as well! In this case, develop a repeat process. Create a checklist of all of things that you notice you do over and over again. Write down ways that you can develop each of these tasks into a repeat process. Some great repeat processes include: email templates, client guides/welcome packets, and creating photoshop actions containing the steps your complete over and over when processing a photo.
Here is a shot of the Client Guide I have set in place (using Flip Snack pdf booklet)
3. Dedicate Each Day to Certain Tasks
-Dedicate each of your business days to accomplishing different tasks that make your business run. For example, on Mondays, I set aside time to cull and edit photos from the previous weekend's shoots. Mondays are also my "Megan Mondays" blog post days. I choose to blog on Mondays about different things that I have learned throughout my one year in business. I have set aside time on Wednesdays to file paperwork and input expenses into my accounting system.
4. Keep a Filing Box
-Yep. Do it the old fashioned way. Go to Office Depot or Staples and purchase a filing box with dividers and labels! Label your dividers with things such as, Contracts, Legal Paperwork, Education, Receipts, Client Invoices, Vendors, etc. Figure out all of the areas within your business that need to be filed away, and do it!
5. Keep a Checklist or a Planner
-Keeping a To Do checklist or a Planner will also help with your time management. Scheduling your days every morning will help you to accomplish more in the amount of time that you have set for your business hours and will also help you stay on task. If you're like me, you are often distracted by Facebook or Pinterest or any of the other fun distractions out there! I have found that it has been very beneficial for me to set aside scheduled social media times throughout my day. For example, at 10am, I first answer emails, then I have scheduled time from 10:30-11:00am for social media. I also find it beneficial to give myself social media breaks, as this helps to encourage task completion! I am not beneath bribery and a reward system for myself! ; )
P.S. Checking things off of my checklist is my FAVORITE thing to do! I sometimes include potty breaks on my checklist, just so I can feel accomplished and check something off!
Hope this helps you to get your business organized!
Xoxo,
Branding your business is one of the most important marketing tools out there! Making a lasting impression on your clients is in your ball court, and you have the option to choose whether that lasting impression is good, bad, or indifferent.
An effective brand self promotes and markets itself for you, it stimulates a unique and custom experience (hey-we're in custom portraiture right??), and offers a consistency throughout the product and/or service that you offer to your clients.
In the world of photography, there seems to be so much to keep up with. There are constantly new trends to keep up with and new tendencies to follow, but I am a CUSTOM photographer, and therefore my brand must be customized to ME. I want to stand out, I want my clients to get a feel for who I am before they even have the chance to receive a reply email from me!
Things to remember when branding your biz:
-First and foremost, be YOU
-Secondly, stand out!
-Lastly, Keep it simple & consistent
Incorporate a bit of who you are into your branding! Your clients want to know you and know that you are real, and your branding can help in that process!
Don't blend in with all of the other photographers out there! Stand out & give your clients something to talk about!
Keeping it simple makes it easy for consistency! And both of these are very important!
Tiffany from On the Spot Studio helped me to understand the importance of branding while she designed the entire MKP brand! Btw, she is amazing at what she does!
Visit her website to learn more about the importance of branding at www.onthespotstudio.com
So give your clients a feel for who you are throughout your branding and remember that a solid brand will influence its target clients!
Xoxo,
Megan
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