No Excuses For Being Stuck In Your Photography Business

What in the world is going on with professional photographers? Most days I try hard with this blog to be tactful, but I believe today is not one of those days! It’s time to speak plainly and clearly for a change before we lose yet another talented photographer from our great industry…

The End Is Nigh!

Despite the failed warning that May 21st 2011 was supposed to be the beginning of the end of the world, I get the distinct feeling that many photography professionals truly feel that the end has arrived, especially for their own photography business! This not only makes me sad, but also quite angry!

I’m hearing a lot of things like, “I can’t do this“, “no one appreciates good photography“, “the people here won’t buy“, “I give up, it’s too hard“, there’s too much competition“, “I quit…” and so on… the list of excuses is painful to listen to and almost endless!

Come on folks, there are plenty of people all over the world facing hardships so dire they would make your skin crawl and keep you awake in terror for a month. Yet, many of them are determined and persistent, and manage to prevail. Still more continue on without complaint, believing with utmost certainty that better days are ahead for them. Their faith in the face of adversity is unwavering and unshakeable. Why can’t yours?

I’m seeing too many talented photographers throwing in the towel and quitting their businesses because they’re too afraid to make the changes necessary for them to prosper. Such a willingness to give up is one of the saddest things I’ve encountered.

When I hold a coaching session to help a fellow photographer identify the obstacles and blocks that might be causing them to be stuck in their business, you can imagine how frustrating it is to hear them lay out all their problems only to say, “I don’t know if I need a coach, I guess I’ll wait and see. I’m sure things will work out…“

Are they being serious? Really? How long do they want to remain stuck?

I don’t mean this to sound unkind, but if they don’t need a business coach, then how did they ever get stuck in the first place? If a coach is unnecessary then why haven’t they gotten themselves out of the rut they’ve fallen into? As for waiting for things to work themselves out, I won’t be holding my breath!

The sad truth is this. What they’re really saying is: “I’m too weak to face the inner demons that I know are sabotaging my business from the inside. I’m frightened of change, and even more scared of success, because they both represent the unknown, so I think I’ll just stay where I am, which feels safer, even if it really isn’t. Perhaps if I pretend the problems aren’t there, they will just go away…“

Such thinking is a real travesty; and it makes me sad and furious at the same time!

Why?

Because I sincerely believe we’re all put here on Earth as photographers with the sole purpose of transforming the lives of a specific group of people (our potential clients) through the value provided by the art of our photography. If we deny ourselves the help we need in order for us to be able to serve that purpose, then we’re letting a whole bunch of people down in a really big way:

• Brides and grooms whose photographs lack love and romance
• Childhood memories lost forever
• Families without the comfort of treasured portraits
• Pets, whose devoted lives are but little more than a memory

All of these, and more, will be missed opportunities to make a difference, simply because the photographer couldn’t be strong enough to make a difference in themselves first… what a crying shame.

It’s Okay To Get Stuck

Getting stuck from time to time in your photography business is totally natural. Not only that, it’s to be expected as a part of the price of being in business. But these are the times when you really need the benefit of someone else’s insights and guidance to help you navigate the obstacles you encounter and to put you back on the right path forward.

It’s often next to impossible to see the way out on our own because we’re too immersed and emotionally involved in the problem to see the solution. Most of the time, in fact, the problem is caused by something in our own mind, so how on Earth are we supposed to solve that with any form of objectivity? We can’t.

Complacency is a terrible thing for us to fight, and it requires a great deal of effort. If the photographer who is stuck in their business simply accepts their position as the norm, or becomes despondent or resigned to it, then they’re doing a huge disservice to all the people they could have served had they only taken the time and effort to get themselves coached through the problem, allowing them to move on towards the success they deserve.

The Inner Game Is The New Frontier

Do you realize that the war for success is mostly fought inside our own heads? It is the fight for mastery of our own psychology and the command of our inner game that determines whether or not we will ultimately succeed in the outer game of business.

Technical skills with a camera, or having the perfect marketing campaign, or the best sales techniques are all important things to have in our arsenal, but they aren’t worth much at all if we don’t have the right philosophy and a healthy mindset to begin with.

We must stop blaming every external factor we can think of (the economy, too much competition etc.) for our own failings, not when there are plenty of other photographers out there who are making a good living at what they do, some of them in areas and economies that are far from ideal. It’s so easy to look at successful people and rationalize to ourselves that they must be lucky in some way; the right location, all the best connections, an enthusiastic market, better photography, less competition, more established, and so on… But these are nothing more than easy excuses for us to justify our own laziness, which prevents us from beating the one thing we do need to conquer – ourselves!

Win the battle against these monsters in your own mind, and you will win the war!

Fortunately, there is a way for you to assure victory …

Are You Ready To Step Up And Fight For Your Success?

Hiring a coach is not a sign of weakness, as some might believe, but really a demonstration of strength of character. It shows that you understand the need to seek help when needed, and that personal pride doesn’t interfere with your desire for success. Most, if not all, of the most successful people in history have become so because of their willingness to accept the help of others, and to utilize the power that comes from surrounding oneself with a team of experts in areas where they are weakest.

So, what are you going to do? Are you going to stay where you are? Remain stuck? Are you going to come up with every excuse you can think of to not hire a coach to help you master your inner game?

“No money, no time, I can’t, I’m not…” – take your pick, there’s enough of them!

If so, then just stop reading now and go waste your time elsewhere. You’re more than welcome to come back when you’re ready to get serious and mature about saving your business but, in the meantime, there will be plenty of other photographers (some of them in your local community) who do “get it“, who do understand the need for someone to help them, who are not caught up in their own pride or deafened by the plaintive wailings of their own subconscious mind that stop them from taking action NOW.

These will be the photographers you really have to worry about as competitors, not the soccer moms, Uncle Harry or the local photography student, none of whom understand the principles of success in business. No, your true competition will be the photographers who have beaten their inner demons and are 100% committed to unleashing that power through their marketing, sales and technical abilities…

Right now, you have a choice… You can choose to remain stuck in the vain hope that “something will come along…” or you could choose to join the other proactive photographers to enjoy the success you deserve… here’s how:

Get the Business Breakthrough You Need…

If you’ve been working to grow your photography business for a while now and things aren’t happening as fast as you want, then I’d like to help you create a MAJOR business BREAKTHROUGH. Here’s the scoop…

I’ve heard from a lot of photographers who are having an especially difficult time getting their business to grow fast these days. After hearing about so many photographers’ struggles, I decided to do something about it…

NEW, For a Limited Time!

I’d like to invite you to take advantage of a special, “Business Breakthrough  Coaching Session“ during which we’ll work together to:

• Create a crystal clear vision for your ‘ultimate photography business success‘ and the “perfect lifestyle” you’d like your business to provide…

• Uncover hidden challenges that may be sabotaging the growth of your business and keeping you tied to your computer or working too many hours…

• Leave the session renewed, re-energized, and inspired to turn your photography business into a highly profitable, revenue-generating machine that practically runs itself…

If you’d like to take advantage of this very special, very limited, and totally FREE 30 minute “Business Breakthrough” coaching session, you can sign up for one here…

Since I’m making this offer for the first time right now and I don’t know how intense the response will be, I can’t guarantee a business breakthrough coaching session for everyone.

I’ll take as many people as I can and then start a waiting list. You can expect to be contacted to schedule your session within the next 3 business days.

If you don’t hear from me, it means I’ve received more requests than I can handle right now and if something opens up I’ll get in touch with you at a later time.

Again, to take advantage of this offer, simply click here for your free coaching call.

Warmest Regards,

Nigel

“Let’s Get Photographers Moving To Create Peace In Their Business!”

PS: The sooner you apply, the more likely you are to get a session. So head over to the site to sign up NOW for your free coaching call!

Connect With The Photography Coach On Google+

Share these photography business ideas with others:

Tweet

Take A Second To Share Your Thoughts - Add A Comment

Photography Business Ideas business breakthrough, business coaching, business success, photography business