I'm not going to lie.
But it also sucks.
You always have to answer to yourself. You always have to hold yourself accountable. You always blame yourself when monies aren't looking right. You always get angry at yourself when things go awry. There's no one else to blame but YOURSELF.
I'm in a creative business. I'm a photographer. There's a lot of heart that goes into my services that I provide and I take a lot of pride in that.
When someone insults my work (with not legit reason) or how I run things, I take it hard. I don't let it break me, but it does make me want to rethink how I do things.
HOWEVER --
When this happens to me, its very few and far. So, that being said - the majority of my clients (the clients I want to keep coming back to me) love my work and how I run my business. I have a ton of positive feedback that proves this. Shit, I've been in business for five years now. I'm reaching that goal mark in my business plan that allows me to say, "I've made it longer than most self-employed business owners."
And I can honestly say, my work speaks for itself. I recently had a message that bothered me and I made a Facebook rant ... I know, I know -- girl stop the drama. But I want y'all to know this and take this into perspective - no matter what sort of business you have:
I'm just gonna put this out there, you can grab it or you can turn away:
When you buy something online, you HAVE to pay the full price for it to get shipped to you. You HAVE to rely on the fact that the pictures speak for themselves and that the company you are ordering from is legit. It may or may not fit. It may or may not be the right color. It may or may not be what you wanted, but you had to pay the full price. You read over the return policy (or not) but either way, the company is not going to say, "Oh sure! Pay half now and half when you get your product." Because of course, you (or other consumers) will definitely pay the rest of the payment once you have the product in hand and love it ....
Same thing goes for photographers people. No, I'm not going to let you put some money down for a photo session "just in case you don't like the images." What an insult to my work. You are paying for a service, and I will be giving you that service whether you like the images or not. But more than likely, you're going to love that service because I care about you. I want you to LOVE your images. I will ensure you're satisfied. So, I'm sorry -- if you don't want to pay up front, I'm not the photographer for you. I'm not afraid to say no, because this is my business and I'm proud of it.
Guys, it's so hard to get people to understand the difference between paying more for a small business than paying less from a HUGE company. You're getting personalize service. I've written numerous "rants" on Facebook. And sometimes, you just need perspective:
It frustrates the hell out of me when people don't appreciate the time and love that goes into creating an image for them. If you simply just want someone to click the damn button, get your mom to do that or set a self timer. Don't question me why I am priced the way I am. It's called making a living and before you go pay $6 for a coffee, $150 for a pair of shoes, or $250 for a dress -- all from businesses that could care less if they got your money or not because they are already banking, think of the small businesses who take the time to personalize their service to Y.O.U.
Small businesses don't just take your money and wave good bye, small businesses ensure that the money you are paying is for exactly what you want -- creative or not. They call you to make sure you got the gallery link, they ensure that everything makes sense when you ordering and even catch mistakes you may have made in the ordering process to ensure you're getting the best deal. They personally review every product you are to receive to ensure quality. They take time away from their own families to ensure your family gets the best and greatest. They sometimes check emails when they are technically aren't within business hours. They check their calendars to see if they could possibly squeeze you in even though they really just want to spend that time with their own family. They ensure you are completely satisfied and they hope you'll be a returning customer again and again.
There's a lot a small business owner does for a client, don't question why they charge the way they do. Every number has been calculated to ensure cost of business, taxes, equipment costs and in hopes there will still be some left over for some sort of income. But really, a small business owner is running his or her own business because they love what the do. If you don't want to pay what a small business owner charges, then go somewhere else, but think before you question them on why they charge the way they do.
If you want Walmart prices, you're going to get Walmart quality. If you like Walmart quality and service, continue to go to them and leave small business owners alone. There's no need to publicly question them in hopes of discrediting them.
thank you.
**steps off soap box**
I take everything to heart guys. I need you to be as proud and confident as I appear on Facebook to be. Yes, I still struggle with doubt and always think I could've done better. I still seek out compliments from people and I still wish I was "as good as so-and-so." BUT I think that's good. You always want to strive for better, because if you already think you're the best - there's no room for growth.
Girl Bosses out there - own your worth! You are worth every single penny!
Stay true to yourselves ladies!
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