Do we create what we earn? or is the outcome the same regardless?

Hi Shaun, welcome to the forum, and a fascinating thought provoking post!

Just trying to get my head round your example using your hypothetical numbers.

So 10x jobs at £100 and you get £1000, but if you ramp up to 20 jobs, then your price per job decreases 50%?

I don't really understand why that would be? Obviously a discount for repeat business and regular customers, but you must have a standard price list or package you charge.

I know some old school photographers have been slow to adapt to the digital world, and still charge per individual picture, maintaining they retain copyright. Making professional photography an expensive proposition. I tend to go down the route of doing a deal and paying for your time, ie it's your professional expertise I'm paying for, not the number of pics. So snap as away as many pics as you can, and then just give them to me on a memory stick.

Up sells then tend to be cleaning images up, enhancing, or flogging canvass prints, frames etc.

But it's hard work being a one man band, doing the admin, marketing as well as the work, so fitting that into 40 hours can be a challenge unless you outsource some of the load, leaving you to just generate revenue.

A photographer I know is great at networking, and spends loads of effort in wining new business, but his admin is poor and he never targets or communicates with old clients, missing out on really easy and obvious revenue opportunities.

So I think the key, especially as a small or micro business is to work smarter not harder. Working 50, 60 hours a week isn't good for anyone, health or home-life, especially as we get older. I'm guilty of it and recently have really tried to reduce hours, but sometimes spike up to silly hours when things are hectic. 

Concentrate on revenue, easy opportunities, and free up time and stress by using a VA, getting  a part timer in, or even a £3.50 an hour apprentice 

Another photographer I know does really well with the local schools. He's their go to bod, snaps all the school events, usual class pics, sports days, nativities, etc, and parents download the pics they want. He's also very active in the local community, any local event, Queens birthday party, Halloween parties he's always there doing pics, seems to be a good money spinner and pretty low effort required.

Being self employed and self motivated is the hardest job in the world. This is where forums and networking groups can help, if nothing more than blowing off steam or a bit of banter

Hopefully hear more from you 

Thanks very much for this Steve, really appreciate your reply and input  

Still really don't know whats happened this summer, maybe ive just taken on more than i can chew, but for what ever reasons, i've been able to take on a lot more jobs, turn out better quality than ever before, yet taken and earnt less. 

like the idea of apprentice  thanks for that, i've been hiring experienced people and paying them more than the going rate on basis they're only people i trust will be good, but some of them have lost appreciation for that this year, who've always been good in the past. 

Typically i'm ahead of current trends, but just hasnt paid off. 

the only thing i can put it down to at the moment is maybe ive worked to hard and become tired which hasnt given off the best vibe... or maybe telling everyone i'm extremely busy, just tells them i dont need anymore work lol 

but prom sales for instance this year, have been the highest ever per sale if someone has purchased, so assume the quality is good.  but no where near as many people ordering. i have wondered if brexit has scared some into not spending... ? 

Cheers 

Shaun :-  

A lot of people seem to be mumbling the same thing. Certainly a lot of uncertainty at the moment, with interest rates down again, no one knowing which the housing market will go, and people worried about jobs.

Anyone else got any opinions?

I think your natural ambition declines as you get older, you learn to appreciate the more important things in life. Youngsters are immortal, can change the world and will all be multi millionaires by 25. 

At 40 we are more realistic, full of life experience and more than likely to be settled down with a family. Not saying you can't still be ambitious, and some people will be driven until the day they drop. But if you have a reasonable standard of living, then why not enjoy life instead of punishing yourself to do better?

Angela, 

i'm not sure that comment goes with you being a marketing manager lol are you actually a local photographer to me? lol 

my drives increasing as i get older, 18-30 was just one big party, 30-36 nothing but work, now have a 3 year old daughter though so always game to take as much time off to spend with her, which does mean i earn less, but decided i'd prefer that than miss out on time with her  

but even that doesn't explain why previously great earners have been a lot less this year. 

i'm getting to grips with a few things though, my email account was hacked a few times over the past year, meaning i was on the blacklist. a right headache to sort out, but now know emails hadn't been getting to me and replies weren't being sent. really annoying as i wasnt even getting the reply email saying mine hadnt been sent. i'd advice to stay away from a company called spam assassin, they promised to sort out my spam, but blocked pretty much all in and out going mail. 

would appreciate anymore input  

Thanks very much 

That's why I work part time, gives me the balance I need. I love my work, but kids and home life takes priority 

It is odd though why revenue has reduced. I wonder if you are unknowingly over targeting a particular segment that is less profitable? Are recent jobs all coming from a particular source, like your facebook page, or another channel?