I’ve had a small photography business as a side-job since 2015, specializing in family, seniors, events, couples, and weddings. As my business gained attraction on social media, simply from posting pictures, I found my “sales” increasing at a steady rate, yet most of my clients were not from around my hometown. What I came to recognize, though, was that the need did exist for photography within my hometown, but the cost to fulfill that need was far greater than anybody in my hometown was willing or able to afford.
My goal throughout business was never to make as much profit as possible, but rather to enjoy what I was doing and do so with a kingdom-minded perspective. I loved meeting and spending time with people, no matter how much I was being paid, so I chose to become what I called a donation-based business, meaning that people “donated” to me what they could, what they wanted, or what they thought I deserved, other than for weddings. I charged a (cheaper) fixed fee for weddings, because of the time-commitment that they required of me. I received checks ranging from anything between $20-$300 for any other photoshoots, whereas a typical photographer would cost between $200-$1000+. My sales sky-rocketed within my hometown and the surrounding areas, certainly due to the minimal costs I charged, but I believe also due to understanding the audience I sought to reach. I think a large part of sales is doing exactly that – understanding the people you’re aiming to serve and meeting their needs in a valuable way.
I have continued to do this throughout college, but have taken much less business and enjoy doing photography as a hobby more than anything!
Check out my Instagram page for a little bit more about what I do!
https://www.instagram.com/purpose.n.pixels/
testacr22
The story of your business brings up an important point that in starting a business it does not always have to be in seeking a profit. You are more focused on the relational side of business over making the most profit. This, however, has attracted more customers to you because of that option that you are straight donation-based. You found a new side of customers and almost a loop hole in the photography business that many other photographers can not compete with.
Hi Bailey,
I love this story about how you wanted to help your hometown by providing cheaper but quality photography services. You found the pain point for people and tried to work with them, to do right by them, until you could make a sale. Well done.