Lizzclare Photography: February 2013

What if a single book could turn your photography business around?

Owning a photography business is hard work. That's why the early years of my business were a train wreck. I struggled to make money, clawing at any work I could find to feed my kids and to avoid going back to schlepping wellness products for a living. I was completely exhausted, the bank account always seemed to be empty, I never saw my family, and I once shot six weddings in multiple states in six days. It's only after more than a decade of owning a photography business that I can say I know what I'm doing.

Whether you shoot film or digital photography, FIND: Biz covers the nuts and bolts of operating a profitable photography business.

We'll examine my painful pricing progress, take a closer look at the profitability killers that almost cost me my family, and walk through my fourteen-to-eighteen hour workday, circa 2004. (It was painful, yo.)

I'll open my books, my bank account, and my film archives to highlight all the mistakes I've made in business so you can avoid making them yourself. I'll tell you how I priced my first wedding (hint: a bride's father chose the number) and how I grew my business by leaps and bounds without being any more profitable. That's the fate I want to save you from: business without profitability.

No matter how or what you photograph, the business techniques outlined in FIND: Biz will help boost your bottom line.

I'll show you:

the step-by-step sales methods that have made me over $401,102 with online galleries
the planning step that makes selling more prints as simple as sending a single e-mail
how to get (and keep) a leg up on the competition
the surprising truth about who your ideal client really is
how to attract the right clients for you with simple portfolio edits
my quick and dirty system for taking deposits
the secret to pricing on the fly
my simple trick to help you market your event images better, faster, and with more ease
my method for selling travel images consistently and easily
details of the no-fail, personal referral system that keeps me as busy as I want to be
ninja techniques for taking care of customers at lightning speed
the top 10 hustling activities that consistently bring me business
the organizational lynchpin that allows every other bit of hustle to happen
the hustling activity you're not doing, guaranteed
the free tool that keeps me focused on a daily basis
hiring and firing lessons I learned the hard way

You wedding photographers will get my extra-special secret sauce, like:

how to turn the cocktail hour into at least $500 in print sales
10 quick ways to sell more portraits from your next wedding
how to get wedding guests to order prints within days of the event
how to get more than the bride & groom excited at album-buying time
how to turn waiting-around time at an event into profit

When you put the methods you learn in this book into use for a single wedding or a handful of portrait sessions, you'll have recouped your money and then some.

This isn't a posing guide or a fluffy picture-laden "inspiration" guide. This is making cash coupled with over a decade of experience.

By following the shooting and online sales techniques I recommend, you can easily boost your bottom line by $300 per wedding. If you shoot ten events a year, there's an extra $3,000 inside this book. Shoot 20? Now we're talking $6,000 of found money that doesn't require very much extra effort on your part.

Increased business revenue is a consistent result of people following my step-by-step methods. I've recorded each step of setting up and then rocking your Instaproofs account on video for you. (Instaproofs is the way I've personally sold $401,102.25 worth of prints over the years.) Those videos are included as bonuses with the FIND: Biz guide.

Your FIND: Biz purchase includes:

25,000+ word FIND: Biz guide in PDF format ($300 value)
16 step-by-step Instaproofs videos to help you create, customize, and profit from online sales ($250 value)
Bonus Q and A group call in March to handle your follow-up questions ($50 value)
Bonus 5 Poses that Make Me $10,000 Per Year guide ($30 value)

Total value: $630

Price : $349

I already have the FIND book, Jon. How's this different? The FIND book doesn't mention business, while this is ALL business. From pricing guides to vendor references to screenshots of my website through the years (poke-your-eyes-out alert!), the FIND: Biz guide will get you earning more money with your photography when you put its methods into practice.

I've already attended a Film is Not Dead workshop, Jon. Should I buy this? It depends on whether you're earning as much as you'd like in your photography business. If you're already hitting six figures and have the basics of pricing, marketing, and garnering referrals handled, skip this book. If you have lots of theory but you feel overwhelmed and you haven't put much into practice, this book will take you down the rabbit hole of my own business to help yours thrive. Oh, and the step-by-step Instaproofs tutorial videos are worth the price of the book alone. It only takes about an hour to go from having no online storefront to being ready to accept payments for prints and products online.

How is this business book different from all the other business books out there? First, I've been spending years inspiring film shooters without showing them exactly how to build the costs of shooting film into their businesses. If you've ever wondered how to price your digital photography versus your film photography, my answers are inside.

I've never seen such a complete, no-holds-barred look at a multiple-six-figure photography business that's broken down into manageable, how-to chunks. No complicated theories or watered down generalizations here: just me showing you how it's done.

I think I need this but can't afford it, Jon. I know just how many "broke" photographers find a way to get themselves to WPPI in order to party all night while catching a few classes by day. You could spend over $600 on a hotel room, $167 on assorted meals and Starbucks runs, $369 on new outfits to impress strangers you've never met, and $78 on a killer pair of shoes for a party that includes airhorns. Or you could save $1,000 and learn to send your business soaring with FIND: Biz.

Will this book teach me how to shoot film? No, it won't. There's the Film is Not Dead hardcover book for that! The FIND: Biz guide will teach you how to make more money in your photography business, regardless of your shooting medium.

I've done the math for you. Here are five ways to make back your purchase price and then some.