I ran across a quote from Buddha yesterday: “The mind is everything, when you think you become.”  

It’s a heavy concept, but now take the same thought and listen to Chevy Chase from one my favorite movies, Caddyshack, “Be the ball!”

It’s pretty ironic that there’s a message here.   Chevy Chase refers to a force in the universe “that makes things happen and all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking and let things happen.  Be the ball!”   It’s pretty easy to turn this into a business lesson for professional photographers.

There are some of you who are simply trying too hard.   You’re jumping from one marketing concept to another because you’re not seeing results fast enough.  You’re planting the seeds, but not waiting for them to take hold and grow.  You’re analyzing so many different aspects of your business without having a marketing plan. 

Take some time and just stop what you’re doing and dissect your business into the various components necessary to succeed. 

1) Do you understand photography?  In other words, are your images good enough to stand on their own, right out of the can, or are you spending hours and hours cleaning them up and creating in Photoshop?

2) Do people know who you are?  Are you involved in your community?  Are you working on building your reputation?

3) Do people know your work?  There’s a big difference between knowing who you are and people admiring your images.

4) What are you doing to market your business?  This is about everything from generating publicity,  to creating marketing promotions that get people in the door, to being involved in your community.

5) What’s your long range plan?  How do you want your business to look a year from now?  And what about five years out?

6) Is your website all it could be?  Do your brochures and ads represent the look and feel you want to portray?

Each one of these questions touches on a component of your business.  Each one requires that ”force in the universe” that Chevy Chase refers to – not to go after the challenges blindfolded, but to get in touch with the energy to focus on just one thing at a time.

Okay, so it’s a stretch this morning, but it sure was fun to write!  And, if you haven’t seen Caddyshack, go rent it – it’s a classic!

Be the ball!