In November 2022, I took what had been a passion project/side hustle, my photography, and turned it into a full-time career. My family thought I was crazy, and frankly, so did I. There have been times I wasn’t sure if I’d make it or not, but here we are, 13 months later and the business is doing very well. It isn’t at its full potential (yet, anyway), but success isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.

To date, I have done about $25,000 in gross revenue this year in my photography business. That isn’t great, but it is ahead of what I projected and predicted. With just over a month left in 2023, I am on pace to finish the year around $4,000 ahead of my projections. It all boils down to the following five tips that I feel are most important to keep in mind when starting a business. Let’s jump in and take a look at each of them in detail:

Just Get Started. The Rest will Fall into Place.

Getting started was slightly forced on my end - the last traditional job I had was a position that was eliminated as a result of a merger. However I spent as much time as I could working on a framework for my photography business from the day I was notified of that decision to the day I walked out of the office. This framework and plan laid the foundation for me to reach the heights I have in 2023, and continues to play a role in the prep work I’ve begun for 2024.

My plan was pretty simple - drive for DoorDash until I had gotten enough clients on the real estate photography side of my business to sustain myself solely through photography, and also work on growing a steady income stream through print sales. This plan evolved over time (more on that later), but it was a strong plan and allowed me to ensure I had something to build on from there.

Be Flexible. Sometimes a Pivot is for the Best

Okay, so maybe something didn’t work quite like you had hoped it would with your initial plan. Guess what? That’s just part of running a business. This may be the first time it happens, but it certainly won’t be the last.

If you allow yourself and your plan to be flexible, you are giving yourself the ability to adapt in different situations. It also means you don’t have to predict each and every eventuality that pops up on your journey. Instead, you have already set yourself up to react and adjust as each situation presents itself.

For example, let’s say you order 100 seasonal products, thinking you’ll sell through them by the end of the year. By the time December 15 rolls around, you find you still have 35 left. Now what? Do you stay the course and hope you sell the remaining 35, or do you adapt to the situation and find another use for that leftover inventory?

I’ve done this on two occasions in my business to great success (and maybe a third in the near future). The first was with DoorDash, like I mentioned before. It is a great, flexible way to make money, so I would recommend it for sure, however I learned it wasn’t the best fit for me due to some issues I personally experienced. In the end, knowing I needed income while I was growing my business, I opted to pursue a freelance partnership with AirBnB in their Professional Photography Network. Not only did this benefit me for getting additional experience for what I wanted to do, but it also gave me steady income as I grew my own client base.

The seasonal product example is actually another real-world example that I personally went through in 2022 (and may again in 2023) with decent success. I print an a calendar with nature photography each year, and haven’t been able to sell through them as I predicted. So, instead of stressing about it, I pivot and use whatever I don’t sell as marketing pieces with local realtors and my best clients - it helps me stay top of mind with them, and shows them another facet of my business they may have been unaware of previously.

Flexibility is one of the biggest assets you can have in your business if you’re willing to work on the skill.

Patience Truly is a Virtue.

I’m sure you’ve heard it countless times before in a myriad of way. Patience is a virtue.

There are probably no truer words when it comes to starting a business. You may be asking, “But Tyler, didn’t you say to jump right in and get started? Isn’t that the opposite of being patient?”

Do You, and Ignore the Rest

This is probably one of the biggest things I can stress to anyone starting a business, and it is something I personally struggle with to this day.

Only YOU know what is best for your business. Only YOU know what will make you and your work stand out from the crowd. That is what you should focus on, otherwise you get so caught up in what others are doing that you begin to feel like you may never be successful. Trust me, I've been there and it sucks.

Do you still need to watch what others in your space are doing and how they’re pricing their products and services compared to you? Sure, that’s part of healthy competition. What I’m trying to say is don’t obsess over each and every little thing they do and how you can adapt it to your business. Just because it worked for them, does not mean it will work for you - only you know what will or will not work for you.

That’s a large reason why, even though I’ve shared some of the details about my plan and my business, I tried not to make that the focus of this post. Yes, those strategies have worked for me and I did well with them, but that doesn’t mean you will. What I think you will do best with are the general tips this piece has offered you - getting started, being flexible, etc. How you interpret them and implement them is completely up to you, though, and if you choose to at all.

One final thought on this as well is to always be receptive of ideas from outside your business as well. Like I said, only you know what will or will not work for you and your business. However you should always be willing to listen to new ideas from people who aren’t associated with the business. They are going to look at it with a more neutral angle and perspective. They’ll view it with fresh eyes and can offer you ideas that, while in the moment may not seem like a good fit, can be adapted or changed in a way that they generate countless new opportunities for you.

Don’t Give Up, Even in the Hard Times

Finally, the last tip I can give you as you embark on your entrepreneurial journey is to not give up even in the hard times.

Even in this short amount of time I’ve been in business for myself, I’ve had some hard times already. The first few months were tough, as I had to work and grind to get work and clients. Once I became more established, things were going strong until the real estate market slowed in the summer. I got through it by continuing to promote my services and doing all I could to get new clients, and in the end, I got through it.

The easy way out is to give up, but pushing ahead and persevering is the only path to success - remember that.

Now, What are You Waiting For?

These five tips are some of the biggest lessons I can share from the last 12+ months I’ve been in business for myself. What you do with them rests solely with you on your shoulders.

I strongly believe these five tips and lessons are what have allowed me to get where I am today from where I started a year ago - and also what will eventually lead me to realizing the full potential of my business.

Each day is a new chance to get started, so what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get started on your journey, and maybe someday I’ll see you out there killing it.

Stay tuned for more content on this blog, and also keep an eye out for vlogs on YouTube featuring this content as well. Until next time!

- Tyler

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