Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” -Jimmy Johnson, racecar driver
This week, I want to follow up on my Independence Day post with an exploration of some of the myths—some true, some not so true—about flying independent for those readers who may be contemplating a career change.
Something to Think About
I can set my own hours—True, but they better be hours your clients can take advantage of in order to purchase your services and products. Picking a day during the week that your operation can close so you can be open on a weekend day is half of a good idea. You can take off Tuesdays, if you like, but somebody on that day—not voice mail— should to be available live to handle routine client inquiries.
I can dress anyway I want—That’s true too, but when you interact with clients, you might want to leave the Marilyn Manson T-shirt home (unless of course, you’re in the rock & roll business, where “casual dress” day is everyday.) You should also dress appropriate for the occasion. Some days, especially in the winter, I’ll write these posts in my pajamas but on the occasions when I go to trade shows, more often than not, I’ll wear a jacket and tie. One way I take the edge on this is by wearing ties featuring the late Charles Shulz’s Snoopy.
I can make a lot of money—The sky’s the limit for the independent photographer; there is nothing to hold back anybody with a good idea and no smothering corporate structure to prevent you from success. When Pierre Omidyar started eBay in his living room In 2000, the site produced more than $430 million in revenue.
I can get away from all this paperwork—Maybe some day you can but not now. The minute you hang out your shingle, you’ll be buried in paperwork from local, state and federal governments. A single person operation will have some government paperwork such as the inevitable quarterly sales tax and IR quarterly estimated tax but the minute you add your first employee—and you’re going to need them to make all that money just mentioned—the paperwork explodes exponentially. Over time you may be able to pass most of this work to an assistant or an accountant, but in the beginning, it’s all up to you.
I can focus on creating new products and service— Yes, but now that you’re a small business owner you need to be aware of all of the issues that face your fledgling operation. Think about joining a local small business support or leads group and check out the advantages of membership in organization such as the National Federation of Independent Business to keep up to date on how government regulations can affect your studio’s operation—even if it;s located in your spare bedroom.
Even though I tossed around a few caveats here and there, I believe the grass is truly greener on the independent photographer side of the street, but you’ll have to fertilize, mow, and power rake from time to time.