Creating a business is not a simple task; it is not for the light at heart. Customers are ruthless with their expectations and are quick to criticize. For those of us who want a long lasting business and are in it for the long haul, we should concentrate on what it takes to get there the right way. Slow growth is not about making very little money; it’s about only taking on what can be handled by the structure of your business.
Simply said, develop a good lasting product, keep your customer’s happy, hire great employees and have a plan to grow. Ensuring each of those statements stays true, and you will notice a smooth growth that will keep you making money for many years to come. Slow growth companies have a higher percentage of success simply because the management can make decisions changing the businesses focus, structure, or policies before it is too late. Slow growth companies will not lose touch with their customers because as the company scales up, it maintains the strong structure to accommodate their growing number of clients.
We live in a time that making millions of dollars and retiring at 35 is all the rage, but it really isn’t plausible to the large number of entrepreneurs or small business owners that make up this country. This is the trap that so many business owners fall into; spending mass amounts of money to get up and running to serve everyone in the attempt to capture all the business and make a killing. The following article highlights the growth and business policies of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. They started small, grew slow and now we all know them.
Photographers aren’t the only industry storing files remotely; the following article shows how some companies use the outsourcing of storage for security and backup, not just a place to throw all their data.
Photographers have to pay special attention to who they use for this service. A few things to look for:
- How long will they keep your data
- Is it on tape or hard drive, Tape is the best option
- How easy is it to access the data, can you access it on your own
Good Storage options aren’t going to be the cheap ones. Remember, good hardware and an IT team to run it costs money. Choose a reputable company to house your important files.
How do we win over the hearts and minds of all the possible customers out there? How can we do this time and time again with new customers and maintain the old ones?
The answers aren’t simple and it’s going to take work and time. I am not going to tell you that there is a quick and easy answer. Photographers as a group have it hard, dealing with an artistic value and the ever growing demands of a fickle public, coupled with a digital evolution that makes the consumer think they are experts.
Successful marketing plans are exactly that, plans. Create a good plan and execute it. Most companies and small businesses fail in marketing, not because they didn’t have a good plan, but because they didn’t execute it. Photographers have so many directions they can choose for their businesses including weddings, seniors, children, etc… If you have a clear concise message to your, would be clients, they will listen. Entrepreneur magazine highlighted this in February with an article from John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing.