bananasEDU blog

NEW BLOG SITE!!!

2009-08-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Attention BananasEDU Blog-followers:

We have a NEW and improved blog site!! The new blog can be found at www.BananasEDU.com!

You can also search archives over there!

Please change the settings in your RSS reader to this site instead. All of our NEW posts are going there - including updates on Photo Business Boot Camp (new seats released!)

Meet the "Survivors" of Photo Biz Boot Camp in Australia!

2009-06-18T06:26:00.000-07:00

I admit I was nervous about teaching in Australia. Would the way they run business be very different from how things are in the USA? Would the things I teach still apply?

I was blown away by these two amazing groups that I got to know in the relatively short time we were in Australia. While the differences WERE present - it was mainly in the vernacular and lack of tons of labs and album binders available that makes us different. The aspirations, struggles, laughs, numbers, and businesses were strangely familiar, quite similar.

Thank you ladies for inviting me into your world for a brief moment in time. Thank you for sharing with me and each other, and being willing to change your businesses for the better. Last, but not least, thank you to our fabulous hosts, Jessie Broome and Lee Illfield!! They were ever so welcoming and "luvlee!!" ;)

Jessie contacted me over a year and half ago about making this happen and there is NO WAY we could have made this happen without her hard work, continued communications, and follow-up. Thank you Jessie - you're amazing!!

BBC Melbourne, Australia

Holly is soon to be one of the first All-Green photographers in Australia.

Tuesday - how can you not love a gal with a name like that!?

Gemma later modeled her wedding dress for us along with good friend Janet.

Janet was married in March - just two weeks before we tied the knot! They were leaving for an awesome round-the-world honeymoon right after Boot Camp.

Our hostess with the most-ess, Jessie. She's an amazing mother of FOUR little darling ladies. Seriously, I don't think I've seen better-behaving kids! She needs to write a book about how they manage it!

Stacey played the ever-helpful roll of co-hostess with the most-ess!

Kate being fabulous out front

Darling Sarah Black

And Kristin Cook who is soon to be expecting the latest edition to their family. Can't wait to see pics of the little one!

BBC - Newcastle/Sydney, Australia

The second BBC in Australia was hosted by the Luvlee Lee Illfield. Lee is to be married this fall so we had plenty of fun wedding-planning stuff to chat about too.

Cassandra has got some amazing wedding work!

Chantelle Bliss - okay, whoever was giving out last names blessed her with such a fun one! She's known for her beautiful Black and White work.

Renee Bell is such a sweetheart and I got to meet her equally sweet daughter - who just happens to have the same name and spelling as me!! L-I-A-N-A. So cool!

Interesting fact about Cathy Crawley: she was the FIRST Pantene hair model in Australia!

Janine working it for the camera. I love how her necklace matches her fun, punchy brand!

Thank you ladies for an amazing experience and for being so welcoming to me and Mike!! I really do hope our paths cross again before too long. I mean, we didn't get to see the ALL of Australia yet, right!?

18 Boot Camps in 2 Years

2009-06-03T04:18:00.000-07:00

April was an amazing month for us, and also explains my MIA-status here on the BananasEDU blog.

If you've been following my liana's bananas blog, you'll know that I married my leading-man in Beverly Hills on April 5th, 2009 after which we spent a month away - traveling to New Zealand and Australia for our honeymoon. Oh yes, and also to teach TWO AWESOME Boot Camps in Australia!

April also marked the 2-year anniversary of the start of Photo Biz Boot Camp. I'm completely humbled and in awe of the opportunities I've been given over the past few years, including the EIGHTEEN (yes 18! Wow I said it!) Boot Camps that happened in Atlanta and all over the US and even abroad.

So what's next? I honestly never expected that people would REALLY step up to learn about their "numbers" and what I so fondly refer to as the "not fun-stuff every entrepreneur must know." I never expected that two years later people would still gleam insight an those "ah-ha" moments from a DVD we cut on a rainy winter week here in Atlanta, bad videography and all.

2007 was a year of blood, sweat, and tears producing the DVDs and massaging the class notes and curriculum into what they are now. But I'm still doing my Crazy Simple Workflow every day (or having someone do it for me!) I'm still running my numbers 5, 6, 12 times a year. KISS merchandising is something I haven't gotten quite beyond yet because I'm adding a new album company this year, and opening a lifestyle portrait studio that gets it's own set of products. I used the Brand Camp methods to create Ugly Cakes company for someone else to run, and a new brand for the portrait side of things.

So what's next? My mailbox full of requests for Future Boot Camp dates is starting to nudge "schedule for fall/winter 2009" to the top of my to-do list. I long to mix things up a bit, add something new, re-do the DVDs, teach larger groups again. I know that the small group format is what works best though. The feedback is crystal clear. I've got ideas, lots of updates to make, but for once in my life I know something is right. I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

So here's to another two years and any feedback, ideas, insights, suggestions you may have for me. Cheers!

Watch this Video by Zack Arias

2009-02-18T08:13:00.000-08:00

This video was brought to my attention today so I hopped over to Scott Kelby's blog to take a look.

I have to admit I almost clicked off during the intro... we think that photoshop, locations, the latest shoot that made that magazine is SOOOO important to what we do. It makes my head just want to explode!

We talk about these things non-stop, BUT in the grand scheme of things it Just Doesn't Matter. Zack puts into words and visuals in this video what I believe a LOT of us go through as photographers. While I really can't explain how I feel sometimes, Zach says it perfectly, poetically here. Get past the intro. Just watch.

Only a Few Spots Left - Book Photo Biz Boot Camp for January!!

2008-12-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

We've had a few schedule changes but the good news there are still a FEW spots open in our January Boot Camps!!

We have THREE in the US in January 2009... which will be your last chance to attend a Boot Camp for a while! In April 2009, we will be getting married then teaching TWO Boot Camps in Australia, so there will be no other Boot Camps this Spring!

January 13-15, 2009 : Hickory, NC (Charlotte/Asheville/Winston-Salem)
January 25-27, 2009 : Benicia, CA (San Francisco)
January 28-30, 2009 : Vancouver, WA (Portland)

April 21-23, 2009 : Melbourne, Australia - FULL
April 26-28, 2009 : Newcastle, Australia (Sydney Area)

Reserve your spot now before it's too late!! It's only $99/month so you can't afford not to!
***CLICK HERE TO REGISTER***

(Pic from last Boot Camp in PA)

Join Me Tomorrow 7PM EST (4PM Pacific)

2008-12-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

Attention Pictage Users!

Tomorrow night is the Pictage Ask and Learn and I'm looking forward to chatting with a bunch of you about the topic "Money, Lies, and Photography."

Here's the information on the Pictage Blog. Fun stuff!!

Also, if you missed the presentation at the Pictage Conference, you can listen (below) to a quick Podcast that recaps some of what I covered during the presentation.

Two Choices

2008-12-02T23:40:00.000-08:00

In today's flailing economy we have two choices as small business owners:

1. Worry, worry, stop what we're doing because of what "might happen"
2. Plow through. Get Creative. Go where no other businesses dare to go. Capture a narrow niche. Get smart.

What will YOU do??

Make sure YOUR business is in the BLACK! DVD Sale!

2008-11-28T07:33:00.000-08:00

I LOVE to hear great news like this (just in recently)...

Hi Liana,
You are a huge part of my growth as a fiscally responsible person. I gave myself your DVDs for Christmas last year, devoured them during down time, and am now enjoying a 60% growth in my business. Thanks for the inspiration.

I want EVERYONE to experience the same financial-freedom and success that comes when you work ON your business not just IN your business... that's why we created these DVDs in the first place.

THIS WEEKEND ONLY we're giving an additional $50 off ALL of our DVDs in addition to the sale price! ***CLICK HERE*** to take advantage of this and enter the code BLACK50 (or 1227893492) at checkout for the discount.

Why you should NOT focus on the economy

2008-10-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

Times are tough, sure, but what can you and I REALLY do about this economy? Nada!

I believe we all have a CHOICE. We can choose to push through and focus more than ever on how to make our business great: more efficient, more profitable, and find even more amazing things to offer.

OR we can whine about the economy day in and day out and live in fear.

Seth Godin has got a great post about this phenomena on his blog HERE. Never have I seen anyone so right about business and marketing (the NEW way of doing business and marketing) so I'd highly recommend adding this blog to your RSS reader.

"By focusing on the red box, the sore one, and ignoring the other elements of what makes our product or career worth marketing, we cause two problems. First, our attention does no good at all on the problem at hand, and second, the other boxes suffer.

The problem with whining is this: human beings like to be right. If you persuade yourself and your friends that times are really tough and that you're bound to fail, you'll probably do the things you need to do to make that true in the long run."

Today I am teaching a Photo Biz Boot Camp in Phoenix, AZ with a group of women entrepreneurs/photographers who have decided to NOT live in fear and DO something great for their business. Check back soon for updates!!

Quicken Online is FREE now for PERSONAL Financial Tracking

2008-10-14T18:21:00.001-07:00

If you've gone through my Profit Center DVD or Photo Biz Boot Camp you know that we need TWO financial tracking systems. A personal tool and a separate business tool.

It's VERY important to track both of these separately not only for tax and budgeting purposes but because we know that what is watched, improves. If we track our finances, we can make educated decisions quickly about giving, saving, and spending. Cash flow is not as much of an issue if we're smart about tracking and budgeting.

About a year ago I became a bet-tester for Quicken Online and have since paid $2.99/month to track my personal finances there this year. Quicken has been a great tool for me over the years and I was glad that they were coming out with an online version because the best (and I admit nicely designed) alternative, Mint, never worked right syncing with certain bank accounts... and I needed the real-deal for personal financial software.

Last week I received an email that we will no longer be charged and that the program is now free to use online! Yeah!

So if you're not signed up already, go do so and get your accounts all synced in so you can watch them closely. If you're looking for a tool to use for your BUSINESS, check out Quickbooks or Successware for photographers.

Happy tracking!!

What does the Recession mean for small business owners?

2008-10-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

With so much discussion about the downturn of the economy lately, there has been a lot of talk about how this will effect small business owners and the photography industry.

Some observations and predictions I can contribute:

1. No matter how the economy is doing, people are still going to get married. So if you're a wedding photographer, this means that we're not really going to see too big of a slump.

2. This WILL however mean we need to work smarter, not harder. If 50% of small businesses fail within the first five years, times like these are certainly going to call for us to be even more agile and educated about the way we run our business... so we are the ones left standing.

3. Now is the BEST time to be in business for ourselves!! When people are getting laid off left and right and jobs are disappearing in Corporate America, there is MORE security in being a small business owner.

4. This nation has survived TOO long on a spend-not-save mentality and we're going to see this change when people get turned down for loans. This is both good AND bad. Good because people may start living within their means and should have MORE disposable income to spend on things like photography vs payments for a house they shouldn't be in the first place.

5. We're going to need to make it attractive for clients to buy. Sure, the banks and credit institutions are tightening up, but who says we cannot offer payment plans for our products and services?? I've been doing this for years and LOVE it that my clients can order what they want because they can pay for it in installments. I have to make sure my costs are covered up front, but then we also benefit from having a steady income from these installments.

6. Last, but certainly not least, we're going to have to become FINANCIALLY LITERATE. Yep, I said it. We need to understand how to run our business based on the numbers so we're sure we are charging correctly, not getting loaded down in debt/overhead, and have ample cash flow. I thought that this recession would put a halter on people signing up for the Photo Biz Boot Camp but it's great that people realize that now is THE most important time to focus on these things to make it through this.

A Fresh Start / Goodbye lianalehman.com :)

2008-09-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

The FINAL thing we do at Boot Camp is to get out the calendar and make a schedule of all of the things we need to do throughout the year to continue with making changes in our business.

With so much on my plate these past two years, the thing that kept being pushed to the back of the "to-do" list is the evaluation of my websites. Yeah, all SIX+ of them! LOL.

Back in 2006 when liana PHOTOGRAPHY got a face lift, our web presence included a three-part site that includes my main portfolio site (www.lianalehman.com), a site for all the information and extra things (www.liana.tv), and the blog (www.lianasbananas.com). Out of TONS of amazing websites throughout the nation, it won Professional Photographers of America's AN-NE award for marketing excellence.

So now fast forward... two years later.. and WOW things have changed ... with me, my business, AND the industry in general. After spending weeks/months updating and tweaking these three sites, we've decided to TRASH the old and welcome in the new. It's time for something fresh, something that will allow me to post the hordes of information I want online, in one place, while keeping it simple!

Our identity and blog stays the same but we'll be hosting the new site (likely on liana.tv) and lianalehman.com will soon be phased out (I'll soon no longer have LEHMAN as my last name! LOL) We also have a fun new business or two that may be launched in the next year or so... and one is NOT photo related at all (nor would I run it!!) FUN STUFF!!

Planning for and building a website is NO easy task. It takes web usability experience, design know-how, and technical expertise.

A lot of the materials need to be re-formatted for the new site. The above pic is how we're working on the organization and hierarchy of the site. LOTS of information to get on there -- and it needs to be intuitive to find. Check out the little scraps of paper we use to make it easy to play around with the different elements of the site :)

Photo Biz Boot Camp UPDATES!!!

2008-09-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

A few quick updates on our Photo Business Boot Camps:

- Registration closes soon for our Phoenix, Arizona and Fort Worth, Texas Boot Camps! Register now to get your spot! No need to email about if there are spots left or not...we'll take it off-line when it's closed out!

- Our Sydney, Australia Boot Camp will now be held in Newcastle, just about an hour outside of Sydney :)

- The Pennsylvania Boot Camp is almost full already. Book now to get your spot!!!

Also, don't forget about our Complete Business Makeover program which allows you to attend a Boot Camp for only $99/month :)

How Easy Is it For Your Clients to Order?

2008-08-27T10:34:00.001-07:00

Do you have your prices and business policies out there where clients can easily access them?

Can your clients click a few buttons to place their order, or is it a long, drawn-out process?

I think Papa Johns has it right. We've been ordering pizzas online for years now (soooo much easier than calling and being put on hold)... now you can TEXT in your order!!!

What can you do to make ordering much more user-friendly??

10 things to do BEFORE you quit your day job!

2008-08-25T08:11:00.001-07:00

It took two years and a swift quick in the behind for me to loose the "day job" that I'd had gotten comfortable with.

Now I'm living the dream-life immersed in all the things I LOVE (photography, teaching, wedding stuff galore, lots and lots of travel to exotic locals, etc)... but I must say the saying "the grass is always greener" really does have some truth to it.

While my life may seem all wonderful, luxurious, and dream-like to some... the honest truth is there are sacrifices on both sides of the spectrum whether you're working for yourself or trudging through the 9-5 corporate America job.

Thanks to numerous recent emails about wanting to help me fulfill my #56 of my 101 to do in 1001 list.... I'm going to soon share my $0.02 on what an aspiring pro photographer should do to get started. If you want to read part ONE of this two-part post, scroll down for "The Grass Always Greener"

1. Be able to answer the questions: WHO you are, WHY you do what you do, and WHAT makes you different than the 1001 others in your market. If you do not know this or do not communicate it well to clients then you're going to have a hard time getting off the ground.

2. Make a personal budget and have a salary goal determined. You're likely going to have to make some lifestyle changes in the first few years of business. If you're in any kind of debt, consider waiting to take "the jump" until after it is paid off and you have 3-6 months living expenses in an emergency savings fund. Read books like Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover and Your Money Counts for more info. Our personal salary budget calculator that comes with the Profit Center DVD walks you through this step too.

3. Get Educated. There are SOOO many more options out there today than when I got started. If you need to know about lighting go to a lighting seminar. If you need to know how to design albums or use photoshop, go to a Photoshop User training or shadow a designer. You can find out about what types of workshops are offered by checking out forums such as Open Source Photo and the Digital Wedding Forum. If you want to know about the BUSINESS side of things, come join us at a Photo Biz Boot Camp! Get training ONLY in the areas you plan to take on yourself. Do NOT try to do it all!!

4. Practice, Practice, Practice. Go out and shoot for FREE if necessary to gain maximum experience necessary to master your craft. Learn how to use your equipment don't just shoot on Auto!! Most photographers and others in the industry will welcome your help if you can pitch it to them as just that... an added hand during an important event, not a drain on their resources and time!

5. Understand ALL of your business expenses ahead of time. Insurance, equipment, licenses, supplies, adverting, accounting, your salary, employee salaries, and education are all part of what makes up business OVERHEAD that is part of the Big Equation. Image processing, storage, retouching, designing, prints, album binding, image hosting, transportation, time, and 2nd shooter fees are all part of the COST of SALES that make up another part of the Big Equation. You MUST know what these costs are, how they work together, and how to price and budget according to these costs if you want to make sure your business makes it past that 1- and 5- year mark. Most small businesses fail in the first year because they do not understand and account for these things and are not making any $$. Most business schools teach managerial accounting and small business finance or check out classes offered by PPA or our own Photo Biz Boot Camp/ Profit Center DVD to learn the "Numbers" as I so fondly call them :)

6. Be the Brand. Take your answers to #1 and develop a brand that you can stick with for a lifetime and possibly beyond. If you plan to have the business grow and have other staff to hire out, then make sure the brand allows for this. Hire professionals to do the designing and programing for you. If you want to see how involved the process is and how to go about developing your own distinct brand, we put all the info and resources about this on HERE.

7. Have an online presence. Website, blog, links on popular wedding directories and associations so clients can find you and get all the information they need to hire you. Make it consistent with your brand too. As I am now in the process of planning my own wedding for 2009, I'm finding out how IMPORTANT this is to put as much info out there as possible to make it easy for clients to get the info and hire you. If you make it difficult for them to hire you, they won't.

8. Do TEST shoots to build your portfolio and client base. Before anyone paid me to do a High Fashion Bridal session, I had to be able to show them what it is and get the word out about it. The best way to do this? Do a TEST shoot... find someone (model, friend, potential client) that is willing to trade their time behind the camera for some free images. Have materials ready for them to pass on to friends and family and a referral system in place so it's easy to build that word-of-mouth network.

9. Build VOLUME and have jobs on the books BEFORE you take the plunge. When I finally decided to take the jump back into full-time photography, I made a goal of booking 10 additional weddings before I could put in my two weeks. Let everyone in your network know that you're looking for the clients. Be proactive about calling back leads and finding the right clients.

10. Ask yourself the MOST important questions... why am I making this change, how will this make my lifestyle better, and what is my exit plan? If you think this will make you rich quick, give you infinite vacations, or let you retire early without much work put in... think again. It's a rough, very-saturated market and you've got to be good at both the ART of it AND the BUSINESS part in order to be run a successful small business in this industry. Know your true motives before you make any big changes and have those goals in place. Have an end in mind before you start!

I'm sure there is SOOO much more that I could say and would love to hear the advice of others who have been through this as well.

The Grass is Always Greener

2008-08-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

What REALLY Matters

2008-08-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

This just in -- from one of my all-time favorite blogs to indulge in every day: The Simple Dollar. The author, Trent, has got such great APPLICABLE advice as it pertains to finances and in today's entry he hits on a subject near and dear to me... the Bucket List (what I put together in the form of 101 in 1001.)

"Experiences are something that’s easy to overlook in the cut and dried world of personal finance. Tight budgets and careful saving rarely leave room for powerful and life-altering experiences, so we tend to tuck them away, intending to do them someday.

When we look back on our lives, however, it is the experiences that we remember. We don’t think fondly about that iPod we bought in 2003; we think about the night we danced in the backyard with our spouse under the moonlight. We don’t recall all of the things we fritter our money away on, but we remember the big moments, those experiences that changed our lives."

This was a great reminder that I need to update my own "Bucket List" and BHAGs that I teach about often. It's actually the first thing we do at Boot Camp and via the Profit Center DVD. After all, what's the sense in making money for money's sake?? When we have an EXPERIENCE to work towards, life is so much sweeter.

Interview on F-Stop Beyond Podcast: July is for Entrepreneurs!

2008-07-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had an awesome opportunity to chat with Ron Dawson of Cinematic Studios for the F-Stop Beyond Podcast. It turns out Ron went to the same high school (and was valedictorian) as my friend Bryant from church ...and he and his wife are also huge fans of my secret addiction So You Think You Can Dance because they used to dance too!

This month is all about creative entrepreneurs and you can actually listen to a new podcast each week which is a SUPER resource for photographers and other types of entrepreneurs even. My friend DJ is the week after mine so be sure to check out his interview too!!

Anyways... there's plenty of chit-chat on the podcast so CHECK IT OUT HERE or you can listen via the player below :)

F-Stop Beyond

Announcing Photo Biz Boot Camp in 9 Cities !!!

2008-07-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited for this up-coming "tour" as I like to call it of Photo Biz Boot Camps!!! There are so many gracious studios out there helping me make this happen so we can make it easy for photographers all across America and even in AUSTRALIA able to attend a Boot Camp.

We're introducing a new program too this month that gives studios wanting to attend a Boot Camp an AWESOME deal and hooks them up with lots of extras so they can continue with change and info-year round. Only $99/month and that includes a Boot Camp!! Click the picture below for more info.

NEW DATES ANNOUNCED:
October 19-21, 2008 : Phoenix, AZ
October 22-24, 2008 : Fort Worth, TX
November 11-13, 2008 : Lancaster, PA
December 2-4, 2008 : Hickory, NC (Charlotte/Ashville/Winston-Salem)
December 9-11, 2008 : Chicago, IL
January 25-27, 2009 : Norcal, CA (San Francisco)
January 28-30, 2009 : Vancouver, WA (Portland)

April/May 2009 : Melbourne, Australia (exact dates TBD/posted no later than 9/1/08)
April/May 2009 : Sydney, Australia (exact dates TBD/posted no later than 9/1/08)

You can ***CLICK HERE*** to find out more and sign up ASAP as they are super duper small (intense) classes and are already booking up!!

I can't wait to meet all of you out there and get a taste of some places I've yet to be in the US and abroad!!

The Money Answer Book

2008-06-26T05:22:00.000-07:00

I posted earlier about Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover... and here is yet another gem from this money-guru: the Money Answer Book.

It's small, it's concise. It answers all of the important questions about everyday finances. Of course a lot of it has been said before but the format of this book makes it a super quick and easy read for those that may be intimidated (or just lack the time/focus) of reading one of the thicker books in his collection.

I'll go ahead and share two of my own personal take-aways (yeah, stuff I've already known but am actually focusing on during this point in my life):

Take Away One: Buy Used Vehicles with CASH

"Americans have a 'love-fest' going on with their cars. Where else can you find people flat broke, living paycheck to paycheck, with two vehicles in their driveway less than two years old?

The average monthly car payment is $378. If you only have one car payment you're shelling out almost $5,000 in one year. Investing $378 per month in a good growth stock mutual fund from age 25 to 65 will be worth more than 4.4 million!! A one-time investment of $25,000, leaving it sitting for 30 years (same terms) would net you more than $495,000. Hope you like your SUV!!"

Advice: Buy a car 2-3 years old with CASH instead of financing a new vehicle. Ramsey stresses the point that cars loose most of their value in the first two years so only the SUPER RICH should buy new cars.

I grew up thinking only new cars were good because I never knew much about maintenance or cars in general but my car is 5 years old now (it was paid off early) and it's still runs like new! I figure if I can keep a car like-new than other more car-knowledgeable folks must have amazing 1-2 year old cars! Plus thousands of leased-cars are turned in each year often with very low mileage and in superb condition.

Action Plan: I really do plan on driving my current paid-off trustworthy Honda for as long as I can (hopefully another 5 years!?) but in the meantime I'm going to build up that cash-for-car fund so when the time DOES come that it needs some TLC and/or I need to throw in the towel and purchase another ... then I can pay cash for something pre-owned.

Take Away Two: Invest in ROTH IRAs

"Because the Roth IRA growth is tax-free, you'll get to keep all the money in your Roth IRA"

Of course, the benefits of Traditional IRAs vs ROTH IRAs may be different for individuals (for example if you are not self-employed and your employer matches your investment aka Free Money... it may be worth investing in the company IRA before the ROTH).... but in the case for most of us investing in a ROTH IRA is a win-win because it's likely we're going to be in a higher tax bracket as we get older and closer to withdrawal time it would be beneficial to pay taxes up-front instead of on a huge lump-sum later.

The great thing is the government is increasing the amount we're allowed to invest each year so in 2008 we can put up to $5,000 in a ROTH IRA as long as we've made at least that much income. You can even get someone a ROTH IRA as a gift... that could eventually grow to hundreds of thousands of dollars if they leave the $ in there! Now THAT is the gift that keeps on giving!!

Action Plan: Finish rainy-day emergency fund then fully-fund a ROTH-IRA this year and every year following at the maximum amount. Research and think about gifting ROTH-IRAs vs giving gifts that depreciate and do not hold value :)

Well... there's MUCH much more in this little book packed with straight-forward $ advice.... so pick up a copy for yourself and pass it around when you're done!

Back in Business!!

2008-06-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you everyone for the wonderful support and recommendations as we went through through all of our server-issues this week!!

In the end, our best choice to switch to is Lexiconn. It came recommended, is compatible with what we needed, and has some added tools that we'll be able to use with our existing shopping cart. I was told they are a very-expensive, roll-the-red-carpet-out, service-oriented host. I'm happy to report that the new host is everything I was told they would be and somehow ninja-ed their way in to take hold of my files on my old server and got everything up and running again in a matter of 24 hours or so!

Needless to say... the blog, the site, the email, and the shopping cart are all up and running again... yeah!! Thank you for your patience over this past week and please... if you sent an email that has not gotten through/gotten a response.. please resend as it may not have reached us when all of this was going on :)

Now back to fun blogging...

Demon Web Service Providers: Startlogic

2008-06-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

It's seldom if ever I believe in posting issues up on the net regarding customer service and issues with a particular company. I'm afraid though that it is time for a fair-warning.

You may have noticed that:

-I've been MIA
-My regular blog is down
-My sites give "server errors" and "404" and "403" errors
-My shopping cart is down so I cannot get you all products you're requesting (don't worry-- it's not you!!)
-My email has not been working

***WARNING: RANT BEGINS HERE*** LOL

Well, for the past week (yes, it always starts when I'm out of town on business) I've been dealing with my Demon of a Service Provider, Startlogic.com.

Years ago I would have given them glowing reviews but this past year has been filled with nothing but trouble and lost work time because of issues on their end. It makes you realize just how much we rely on companies like this to do what they promise and we often operate our business in the trust that they will complete their end of the deal. This is hardly the case for Startlogic. This is the third week in the past year where I've spent 20+ hours on with Tech Support with no resolution or follow-through on their end. The crazy thing is they are ranked up as #1 on many of the major ranking sites.

Earlier today Sara (who's been here while all of this is taking place) says "you really do have demons after you" and I said I felt like I was being attacked this week. Funny thing is we found this site that reviews other's experience with startlogic and someone quotes "Now I know that there is only ONE startlogic experience. The experience of waking up knowing a demon has your site, your countless hours of work, in its hands. If you are the type of person who would let a convicted child molestor take care of your children then startlogic.com is your ideal host. "

Soooo... I say my prayers, rally up the legal support, file my BBB report, and pray some more....

Oh yes, and if ANYONE has recomendations on hosts that do not give you the run-around and have servers and employees that actually work FOR you not against you, I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE the recs!!

***RANT OVER***

Last Call: Where to go for FALL 08 BBCs? Email us!

2008-05-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

What an awesome response!! Thank you to everyone who's faxed and emailed in information to set up a Photo Biz Boot Camp in your area this fall!! We really hope we can accommodate a variety of different regions and make it easier for YOU!!

As I posted in the previous post, we're looking for individuals/studios to host and there are a few requirements and a bunch of benefits! Right now we're considering the following areas but may or may not have all the info we need from you to set it up:

Arizona
Las Vegas
Northern California
Chicago
Indiana
North Carolina
PA/NY/NJ area
Texas (Fort Worth and/or Houston)
Denver

Of course we're open to hosting other areas not listed as well - just send us your info :)

If you're serious about the possibility of hosting a BBC, please download and review the following PDF and send us the info so we can be in touch. If you don't have a fax, simply review the sheet and email us the info we need from you at info at photobizbootcamp.com :)

***Click Here to Download a PDF with Hosting Info***

We will be contacting studios this week about figuring out dates and logistics so please hurry so we don't miss ya ;) Hopefully we'll have a schedule published next week sometime!!

Thank you all again so much for helping us take this to You! :)

Amazing!! Where to next? Tell us where to schedule BBCs this fall!

2008-05-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

WOW.... WHAT AN AMAZING GROUP OF WOMEN!!!

The April Photo Business Boot Camp was one of the most humbling and amazing experiences.... and I know I'm not alone in saying this!!

We laughed, we cried, we ate lots and lots of food (still recovering from that!), did our # crunching, cried some more, and had tons of fun all the while.

Like any BBC, it takes me a while to "recover" afterwards and I've been busy implementing some of my OWN stuff that teaching reminded me of! LOL. Gotta practice what I preach, ya know??

-----------------------------

Some folks had a BRILLIANT idea on how I can help them going forward with BananasEDU... so we'll have some fun NEW stuff coming soon. In order to reveal the NEW, I need to go ahead and schedule out the FALL BBCs.... sooooo..... here's where I'm asking YOU for input!!

When and where should we schedule BBCs for this fall??

Post up in the comments and/or email me at info at photobizbootcamp.com if you're interested in hosting a BBC or want me to come to YOU!

*Click Here to Download a PDF with Hosting Info*

Above from left to right: Beth Daane, Michelle White, Karen Mikols, Marie Bunke, Ellen McRaney, and Jamie Delaine

Thank you ladies for an amazing week!! I learned so much from you all and am so blessed to have spent time with you all!!

All FIVE Finalists are-a-comin'!!

2008-04-22T06:56:00.001-07:00

This News Just IN: Due to some openings coming available last minute, frantically changing schedules, and a few other factors.... all FIVE of the finalists will now be able to attend the Biz Boot Camp next week!!!

Next week is going to be SOOOO amazing!!

Announcing the Recepient of the Business Boot Camp Scholarship

2008-04-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

I won't lie... the folks that decided this had a VERY VERY difficult time. The votes are clear though... it was so tight at the top with a tie for 2nd. With much consideration, I have decided to invite ALL THREE of these women to our April Photo Biz Boot Camp as recipients of the BBC Scholarship!!

Congratulations Beth, Marie, and Ellen!!

The other two ladies have SOOOOO much going on for them and SUCH awesome entries.... that I feel led to get them started with something too. Many of the lessons that I teach during Business Boot Camp are also taught on our various DVDs. We have decided to award each of these young ladies a $500 GIFT to be used on our online store. Perhaps they can use this towards a BBC eventually, or use this Gift to order the DVDs they need best (or combination thereof).

Congrats Jamie and Karen!!

Thank you again for everyone who participated and wrote in. We've got lots of FUN stuff coming up and ALSO found out that another company will be gifting one or all of the ladies coming later this month something special! Stay tuned for more fun stuff coming up!!

The FIVE FINALISTS are...

2008-04-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

WOW. WoW. WOW.

Over the past five days dozens upon dozens of people sent in nominations... for themselves, friends, family, fellow photographers... even clients and accountants sending in emails! Some were nominated by four or five different people. Some sent pictures and stories and attachments; with others, words were all that was needed.

I read through every one of them, wishing I had the means to take in every one of them. I was feeling utterly hopeless at how to narrow the finalists down from such a large group of deserving individuals. Thank goodness it is not my job to do this!!

These FIVE FINALISTS were chosen because they made us laugh, made us cry, humbled us to the core, and really pulled at our heart-strings. They were completely original and forthright with information and telling us why they NEED this scholarship and told us enough of their stories for the panel to make a decision.

The recipient will be announced tomorrow sometime after all the votes are in and tallied. Due to space limitations, we had to shorten what is posted on this blog, but you can click on to read the full story if you'd like.

Without further ado... we present the finalists!! (In no particular order)

Finalist #1: Jamie Delanie of British Columbia, Canada
WEBSITE
BLOG

Her life's aspiration: to worship the Creator by creating.

This talented photographer has not even finished high school and has already been in business for about a year! She believes in dreaming BIG and never giving up... and will be putting herself through college starting in the fall. Probably our most original entry yet... we'll let you find out more and watch the video for yourselves....

-----------------------------------

Finalist #2: Karen Mikols of Kansas
WEBSITE
(NEW site under construction!!)
BLOG

What do socks have to do with Karen and business organization?

She's a wedding photographer on the brink of her own wedding. Yet another original application that tells us in her own words (and pictures) why she needs the biz help... click the picture of Karen to watch the slideshow (it may take a minute to load, please be patient)

----------------------------------------------

Finalist #3: Marie Bunke of California
WEBSITE
BLOG

Linguist daughter of immigrant parents, she found the love of her life (who became her husband and father of their two children) while serving in the Air Force, only to have a brain tumor take him from her too soon. Newly widowed and living in a small town with little opportunity, she finds her light and hope and joy through photography finally... and begins the healing process...

Marie's beautiful bio pic from her site

"...Fate had other plans for our little family and at 39 I found myself a widow with two young children, ages 3 ½ and 9 years old. To say that I was devastated is an understatement. I firmly believed that if we stayed positive, researched all of our options, went to the best medical facilities in the country that we could beat the monster that had taken over my husband’s body, and most regrettably, his brain. I was wrong. Crest fallen and grief stricken, I desperately sought for something to do to support my family...."
***CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE STORY****

One of Marie's pics

------------------------------------------------

Finalist #4: Beth Daane of California
WEBSITE
BLOG

She's got an airline voucher that will get her to Atlanta and a small time frame during which she can fly....

With their second child on the way, Beth (former social worker) and her husband Sam (Air Force) have no control over where they are called to move every 4 years... and now they're in California where the market is over-saturated and their financial resources are stretched... how will Beth make her photography business flourish amongst so much change and opposition? How can they set the example for their children to follow their own dreams?

Beth and her hubby, Sam

"Hello Liana,

First I must tell you that it touches my heart greatly that you are offering a scholarship to your BBC Workshop. Giving back is something very close to my heart, so when I read your post on OSP I liked you even more then I did before! ;) My first encounter meeting you was at WPPI 2007. I went to see you as a Platform Speaker and it was the first time I had ever listened to another photographer speak. You blew me away! I always remember a question someone asked you about why you didn't shoot RAW- and your answer was that you shoot correctly out of the camera the first time so why would you shoot RAW? When you said that, my thoughts were that ...." ***CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE STORY***

Some of Beth's work

------------------------------------------------

Finalist #5: Ellen McRaney of Georgia
WEBSITE
BLOG

She's got a beloved Cat who's had a CAT scan and survived cancer. But that's not the only miracle in her story...

On the brink of starting a Masters in Physical Therapy program at Emory University ten years ago, Ellen suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage that left her with a hole in her brain... unable to read, write, or speak. To say that Ellen is a living miracle and photography has helped her heal might just be an understatement...

Ellen not long after her stroke

"...I was on the phone with my mother and she noticed that I was not making any sense. She asked if I was alright, and I thought about what I had just said. I realized the words I was saying had absolutely no connection to the words I was thinking. I told mom I'd be right back, I thought I just needed something to drink. The next thing I remember, I was spilling the water I had gotten from the refrigerator on myself, I was dragging myself across the kitchen floor with my left arm, my right arm was twisted up and around behind my left side and I couldn't feel my legs. I looked down at myself and knew this was really bad. I'd had enough medical training that I KNEW what had happened, even though it was hard to believe given my age, so I dragged myself over to the front door and unlocked it (knowing SOMEONE was going to have to get in to help me at some point) and then back to the phone..."
***CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE STORY***

In Ellen's own words:

My Hole in My Head. I always joke around that I have a hole in my head, but technically it's in my brain. I remember the first time I saw that scan, about 4 years after the stroke. Up until then, somehow it hadn't really crossed my mind that there would be such a visible dead space. It makes sense, now that I've had time to consider, but I just hadn't thought about it before I saw the scan on the light box. So I took a picture.

And a fun pic she took that we borrowed off her blog:

------------------------------------------------

THANK YOU again to everyone who sent in nominations!! We are holding on to these and will post here when the time has come to open up nominations again, if and when the time comes. Check back tomorrow for the BIG announcement!!

Call for Nominations!! The Biz Boot Camp Scholarship!!

2008-04-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!!

Known but only to a few, the Biz Boot Camp Scholarship has provided for a handful of professional photographers to attend a Photo Biz Boot Camp in 2007 and early 2008. Now it's time to take it public and allow for nominees!!!

Do you know a photographer or other small business professional ready to take their business to the next level, enforce business health and profitability, and QUIT working an 80-hour work week??

We're accepting nominations now until Tuesday April 15th at NOON EST for our April 29th Boot Camp. Finalists will be posted here Tuesday afternoon. The winner will be announced Wednesday April 16 and will be granted full tuition for the April 29th BBC held in Atlanta, GA, a Profit Center DVD mailed in advance, all materials and meals included too!

(Some of our BBC "Survivors"!)

Please send nominations to info@photobizbootcamp.com with subject line: NOMINATION: ______ (photographer's name who you are nominating). Please include relevant information on the photographer (Name, City/State, Contact Info for you and them, Web Address), a story about what makes them different in their industry, what they do when they're NOT running their business, and why they should be chosen for this scholarship.
Nominees should be available and able to attend in April. You may nominate yourself too!

Winners will be chosen based on originality of submission and need by a panel of trusted advisors.

Thanks for all your help - we couldn't do this without you!!

-----------------

Want to know what the Photo Biz Boot Camp is all about? Ready to register online? **** CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ***

Total Money Makeover

2008-04-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

2008 has been an AWESOME year of good reads so far for me ... and here's another one that's going on my Recommended Reads list for sure!!

Many of you already know my story about how I was over 20k in debt and making 22k in salary right out of college... and how I turned that around by applying financial smarts to my life and business. There have been some great resources that helped me through all that... but here's one I REALLY could have used back then. Mainly because it is SOOO completely practical and has actual steps and numbers to go along with it... and lots of encouraging stories of others who have changed their financial worlds around too!

If I hadn't buckled down and learned about Running My Biz based on the Numbers, and being smart with my personal finances too I know I'd be in a completely different place today. Now my car is paid off, I have absolutely no credit card or school debt, and I've moved into a brand new home years and years before I thought I'd be able to. I've got a rainy-day fund so if business is slow, it's A-okay... and I've got a retirement fund, savings, and can give to causes I believe in. Oh, and did I mention I'm doing what I LOVE to do and not running the rat-race?? Live changes considerably when you're not worried about finances!

This one is a MUST read for everyone! Click the picture below to order.

Description:
The success stories speak for themselves in this book from money maestro Dave Ramsey. Instead of promising the normal dose of quick fixes, Ramsey offers a bold, no-nonsense approach to money matters, providing not only the how-to but also a grounded and uplifting hope for getting out of debt and achieving total financial health.

Ramsey debunks the many myths of money (exposing the dangers of cash advance, rent-to-own, debt consolidation) and attacks the illusions and downright deceptions of the American dream, which encourages nothing but overspending and massive amounts of debt. "Don't even consider keeping up with the Joneses," Ramsey declares in his typically candid style. "They're broke!"

Advice on LIVING from a Dying Man

2008-03-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

Such great insights re: following your dreams, etc. It's about 10 minutes long and certainly worth the watch. Enjoy!!

48 HR SALE - COMING SOON!!!

2008-02-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

If you're signed up for our newsletter, keep your eyes open for a quick announcement coming in the next few days!!

Not signed up yet??? ***CLICK HERE***and enter your email before it's too late!

I'm headed to Spain next Tuesday and then off to WPPI in Vegas a few days after my return -- I'll be speaking there at the Pictage pre-event Sunday, March 16th. Hope to see a lot of you out there!! We're planning some fuuuuuuuuuuuun stuff ;)

Cheers!

New Dates!

2008-02-26T19:56:00.001-08:00

I took some emails asking "when are the BBCs for the rest of 2008" for me to sit down and get more scheduled (since we've already had THREE in 30-days!!!)...

New Dates just released for Photo Biz Boot Camps this year!!!
(late April and early August)

***CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO****

Also, if you're a Pictage user, I'll be the "Ask and Learn" person tomorrow at 4pm Pacific Time if you want to chat live come join in on the forums!!

The Momentum Theorem

2008-02-25T20:37:00.000-08:00

While attending to some of the many errands I have to accomplish before I leave for Spain in a week, I minimized my driving-in-Atlanta-traffic-boredom-and-stress by listening to some pre-recorded CDs including one called the "Momentum Theorem" from when Dave Ramsey came to visit last Spring.

-------

Here's an excerpt from this article that explains exactly what the Momentum Theorem is:

"Isn't it funny how most people work their tail ends off for years only to be labeled an "overnight success"? Right now, our team is experiencing growth like never before! But this isn't how it's always been. We've paid an unbelievable price to get this momentum. We've put in the time, the money, the heartache, the sweat, and everything else we had left. And then, everything took off. But it sure didn't occur overnight.

One thing my team and I have learned over the years is that this type of unstoppable momentum doesn't just happen. Momentum has to be created. There is a process to go through before momentum can result. It takes focused intensity, over time, multiplied by God, to equal unstoppable momentum.

( Fi / T ) x G = UNSTOPPABLE MOMENTUM

Focus? Really? In a society where everyone "should be" on Ritalin? Focus? In a time when my teenagers can have five IM screens open while checking their e-mail, talking on the phone, keeping up with VH1, and doing the homework that gets them on the Honor Roll? We live in a world of true multi-taskers and I'm asking for focus! "

-------

You can access the whole talk for free HERE (5/6/07 called "Momentum").

This REALLY hit home and reinforced that I need to keep taking it ONE STEP AT A TIME -- persevere in what we're doing in business and life. I think we all go through cycles where things are exciting, new, and fun -- and a time when things balance out a bit and get to be routine. For us creative folks, the routine tends to get mundane (and that's where I'm tempted to "check out"). Then there's the freak-a-zoids like me that like to think up the ideas a LOT more than they like the execution part. In fact, most of the time the actually-doing-it part is a big feat.

In the past three years, God has opened a LOT of doors for me in areas that I'd been working on faithfully for years and years. After six years in this business, and twelve working in small business, I was a so-called "overnight success" as a destination wedding photographer according to magazines like PPA and such. I certainly do not feel that statement is warranted but heard it enough to know it was a common perception. People talked... gossiped... questioned.

Here's the thing though... there's no way for them to see all the blood, sweat, tears, and focus that goes before the "overnight" part. Do they know about the 4-hours-of-sleep-per-night for six years plus, or the working numerous jobs part, or the studying for three-degrees-at-a-time part, and bar tending before I could make enough in photography part? How about the 20,000k in credit card debt part? Then the smartening up and paying it off part? I look at the hottest people in different industries now and have a little flutter inside when they claim "it's so easy!" "it can happen overnight". Because, truth be told, it may seem to happen overnight... but true momentum only happens with focused intensity and TIME.

So a note of encouragement to all the photo-biz people I've been honored to spend time with this past year... keep on doing what you're doing... feeling uncomfortable... taking it ONE step at a Time... even if it becomes routine... because then you know "time" is taking it's turn in the equation ;)

What will you be focused on during your lifetime???

Day 12: Birds-Eye View vs the Rat Race

2008-01-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

Now this is probably the 100th time you're hearing this from me but here it is again. My #1 tip for that completes these 12 days of tips!

You have GOT to GET OUT OF THE RAT RACE and WORK ON THE BUSINESS, NOT JUST IN IT!

What I'm talking about is the Birds-Eye View we need to take on a regular basis to measure our progress, create and re-evaluate goals, question our vision and purpose, and develop new systems that will make us and our businesses more successful.

I find it VERY difficult to do if I'm in my normal surrounding so this week and in mid-January I'll be removing myself from the "Rat Race" of day-to-day business and TAKING A VACATION :)

If you don't have the funds and time to take a full-blown vacation try borrowing a friend's place for a day or renting a hotel room somewhere and LEAVE your phone at home (and stay away from an internet connection). Distractions must be minimized and you should have an agenda going into your vaca/retreat.

With that, I'm going to practice what I preach and say my ados for a while. I'll be OUT OF THE COUNTRY this week, floating around the Caribbean, with little to NO access to email, phone, or internet. Stay tuned for pics and reviews of the adventure on my photo blog... :)

Day 11: Read More!

2008-01-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

Someone once told me that the only difference between who you are today and who you are a year from now depends on what you read and who you meet.

I can honestly say that I've saved hours, days, weeks, months, YEARS of headache and trouble from the advice and lessons learned through others. One of the best ways to gleam this from people we do not have the honor of knowing personally would be to READ!

Right now I'm reading an amazing book I wish I'd have read years ago. It's the Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews and it's the story of how a man who's down on luck and life goes on a divine adventure back in time to learn 7 secrets of success from people from the past. I'm about 1/2 way through so I'll have to do a review upon completion.

Also, for some more great books that good for business and life check out my BOOK LIST. ***CLICK HERE TO SEE MY BOOK LIST***

What are some of the books you're reading now or plan to this year???

Day 10: Outsource MORE!!!

2008-01-04T16:47:00.000-08:00

This time last year, I scratched out ALL the usual goals, and stuck to just one: let go of more / let others help me more.

In retrospect, I don't think I'd be in business still if I didn't hand over so much to others this past year. Either that, or I'd be in the looney-bin!

A few of the things I've outsourced, "insourced", & generally let others help me with:

1. Housecleaning!! They even make cute roses with the toilet paper and kleenex!!
2. Lawn Care :) I tried once with the lawnmower but prefer only doing the dance, thank you.
3. BLOG Design/Programing. Thanks Mike for a great job on all of mine!!
4. ALBUM design and work. My in-house design team does it all pretty much... a HUGE help as I'm not as design-inclined :) Sara is taking her services public this year so shoot her an email if you want in on this gem of a service!!

What are some of the things YOU have outsourced that have made a huge difference in your life!???

What are you going to let go of in 2008?

Day 9: Becoming a Movie Buff = Good Business

2008-01-03T16:47:00.001-08:00

Friday night, a small group of us went for Mexican food and followed it up with game- and movie- night. I am absolutely HORRIBLE at trivia, but somehow did pretty good at the "Scene It" game where it's all about movie trivia.

This past week, I've been to the movie theater THREE times and watched numerous movies on DVD too.

Man... what a BUM I am... right??

Oh no, my creative-business-owner friends. It's ALL in the name of good business sense. Where do you think all our creativity and eye for a moment comes from? LOTS of places, but if you're like me you probably delight in observing all the different techniques, angles, applications, scenes, setups, backdrops, costumes, casting, and movement in movies.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is we NEED to get out and get INSPIRED on a regular basis to keep those creative-juices flowing!! Movies are a big source for me... people watching, dance, magazines, novels, art, friends, stories, theater, and music are some others.

What are some things you've been inspired by lately??

Day 8: Big and Hairy

2008-01-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

Yep. I said it. BIG and HAIRY. Oh, AUDACIOUS too! That's what we should all be doing right now... making Big, Hairy, Audacious GOALS for 2008!!

We've had a day to re-coup from the New Years festivities, we're finally taking down the decorations, and forced to think about the work and year ahead of us.

It's the time of year where, as small business owners, we owe it to ourselves and our clients to take a step out of the rat-race and STOP to think about our future, and the future of our business.

So what will your BHAGs be for 2008??

Day 7: Shakespeare and Business

2008-01-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

"Above all else, to thine own self be true"

Leave it to Shakespeare to weave advice into poetry!

One thing I love to do during our BBC classes is to take some time out to think about what we love to do the most. It's generally a good rule of thumb that the things we're best at are also things we love to do.

So a few questions for you in this new year:

What makes you the happiest?
Of these things, what haven't you done in a long time, or what do you not do enough of?
How can you integrate these things into your business and life more in 2008?

Day 6: Student for Life

2007-12-31T11:05:00.000-08:00

It’s not infrequent that I’m equated with a freak of nature and asked “how have you accomplished this at such a young age?”

In all honesty, I’ve been extremely blessed, and can say I attribute it to knowing just how little I really know and how little I can do on my own.

I make it a point to take at least four different seminars or classes each year on various subjects and spend time with as many mentors as possible. What I’ve learned from others has saved me from infinite heartache, headache, and provided tremendous opportunities that I never would have had on my own!

PS... Today is the LAST DAY of 2007!!! If you're thinking of attending a Photo Business Boot Camp (or a BBC on a CRUISE to Mexico!!), getting any DVDs or attending any other great seminars next year NOW IS THE TIME to sign up and take advantage of those deductions - remember education for your business is 100% tax deductible!!

Day 5: S-Corp or LLC??

2007-12-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

ATTENTIONAL ALL SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS: If you are thinking of filing your business as a new entity (ie switching from Sole Proprietor to an S-Corp) then JANUARY 1, 2008 is the DAY to do it!

Why? Because then you'll be the same entity the whole year and not have to fill out all kinds of different forms for both entities!

Not sure what you should be? Here's a quick run-down of the differences below.
Not sure how to register? I used The CompanyCorporation and let them do all that for me for a low price. Check em out! ***CLICK HERE***

• Sole Proprietorship - Easy to form, taxed at individual rate, no additional taxes to file (use Schedule C), losses apply against other income, no legal separation between company and personal assets.

• Partnership - We highly recommend against this if you are in business with another individual. Instead, look into filing as an LLC or S-Corp.

• Corporation - We recommend against this for small businesses because of the double taxation (you will be taxed at a corporate level and individual level). Instead, look to filing as an LLC or S-Corp.

• S Corporation - Taxed at individual tax rates, losses can be applied against personal or spouse income, legal separation between company and personal assets, allows you to avoid paying social security on all of your earnings (you can take dividends in addition to a salary), must file a corporate tax return, more paperwork than an LLC

• LLC - Limited Liability Company - Taxed at individual tax rates, losses can be applied against personal or spouse income, legal separation between company and personal assets, easier to set up than an S corp, not recognized the same in all states, single-owner LLC pays self-employment tax. Recommended for businesses with more than one partner for ease of distributing dividends.

Day 4: Be Rich and GIVE

2007-12-29T10:33:00.000-08:00

Did you know that:

and

We are by all standards very wealthy in that many of us are making a good living doing what we love. In the day-to-day rat race, it’s easy to forget this and instead compare ourselves to others and think of what we don’t have!

The remedy? Get out and GIVE. Give of your time, money, and other resources. Get yourself a good dose of perspective!

More on HOW TO BE RICH? Check out the playbacks dated 8/19, 8/26, and 9/2...

***CLICK HERE***

Day 3: The Art of Sales

2007-12-28T10:19:00.000-08:00

If you’ve ever read Robert Kiyosaki, you might remember reading about a conversation he had with an author in Paris. The author was asking why Kiyosaki’s books made more money even though she thought her writing was better.

Kiyosaki points to the cover of one of his books and brings to light “notice it says ‘Best Selling Author’ not ‘Best Writing Author’!!” Perhaps we should take a course on sales instead of focusing only on our photography?

If you haven't read it yet, Rich Dad Poor Dad is a MUST READ!! Want more on sales as it pertains to the photography industry? KISS Merchandising is exactly that! It also helps you put together packages and figure out pricing!

Day 2: Why Photography Isn't Cheap!

2007-12-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

"It's HOW much??!?!?" "My dad is going to FLIP when he hears how expensive the photography is!" "We can't afford it!" "Why would we pay that much for photography?? We can get prints at Walmart for $0.19!"

We've heard it all! All the excuses WHY our clients or potential clients or the public in general thinks we charge too much...

In REALITY, most professional wedding and portrait photographers are hardly making a living at it. The average income is $33,000 per year for a full time pro photographer. And that's if they're averaging 3-5k per wedding!

All the questioners think about is the paper we print on and the equipment we shoot with. The truth of the matter is, there's SOOOO much more to running a business -- so many more costs that contribute to why we need to charge what we do.

In ANY business, there is a general equation that will compute how much we need to make to pay ourselves a salary and cover all of our expenses. It's called the "Break-Even Analysis" ... I call it the BIG Equation.

If you know what your:
- Cost of Sales % is
- Overhead Expenses are
- Asset/Depreciation Expenses are

Then it's very simple to run this equation and figure out how much you need to charge.

The problem is it takes a good deal of time to determine all of the costs. What makes a Cost of Sales cost different from an Overhead Expense? Without going too much into these things (it's much more involved than time allows on a blog post) I'd like to use a simple example:

A restaurant! Simply, a restaurant mirrors a photography business model similarly.

Let's say that each year the restaurant spends $60,000 in Overhead Expenses and Assets. These are things like phone and electricity, rent, the owners salary, other salaried employees, health insurance, business insurance, new equipment (assets), new fixtures and tables (assets), cleaning services, office supplies, website fees, newspaper ads, print costs, and new menus. Of the $60,000, about half of that is for the owners and other salaries. Not much, hu!?

Then, every year, they spend $35,000 in food and food supply costs. This is the Cost of Sales.

Let's say that they bring in a grand total of $100,000 in income (aka sales on food in the restaurant).

Given those numbers, we can look at the profits:

$100,000 = Gross Sales
- 35,000 = Cost of Sales
= 65,000
- 60,000 = Overhead/Asset Expenses
= 5,000 = Total Profit for Business

WOW - a whopping $5,000 that goes back into the business as profits or that the owner can take home as return on investment. Not such a great investment for a whole TON of work, hu? The photography industry works the same way.

So the next time someone questions why we charge what we do, know that it's a bit easier to constitute your prices when you know what goes into them. If you want to go more in-dept and REALLY figure out how much you're making in a salary, how to categorize and account for expenses, how to set up your business legally, how much you're making out of every dollar, and how to put together prices and packages that actually make a profit... it's all in the Profit Center DVD. It's FOUR hours of DVD and can take a few weeks to put together if your numbers aren't already well-tracked.

SO my big question for Day 2 of the TWELVE is:
Do you know how much $$$ you need to make next year in order to pay for all of your expenses and take home a modest salary??

Clue: It's likely to be between $250,000 - 150,000 if you're a full-time pro!!!

Twelve Days AFTER Christmas: Day 1: STOP!

2007-12-26T21:03:00.000-08:00

There's nothing more difficult in small business (in my opinion) than transitioning from work-to-play and play-to-work. The lines are VERY blurry in this business because work for us as professional photographers is very often our "play" times but what our clients don't see a lot of is all the BEHIND THE SCENES stuff we do that really does feel a lot more like work:

- taxes,
- purchasing,
- budgeting,
- pricing,
- packaging,
- database management,
- inquiry management,
- meetings,
- training,
- education,
- testing the latest equipment,
- a zillion meetings,
- another zillion and 1/2 calls and emails,
- piles and piles of legal paperwork,
- contracts,
- model releases,
- equipment repair,
- file management,
- storage solutions,
- learning new software,
- editing, editing, editing,
- design,
- branding,
- merchandising,
- marketing,
- web design,
- slideshow development,
- forecasting,
- sales,
- retouching,
- vendor relations,
- and so much more but the list is already TOO long!

I often find I'm trying, in vain, to get the the bottom of my to-do list before I leave town to go visit family or go on an actual non-work vacation. Always stressed out and missing flights. I know there is a much better transition. Just STOP. AND SAY "NO"!

S-T-O-P

(ah, doesn't that feel better now!?)

Put the computers and lists away, and enjoy life!

Personally, I'll be leaving the country for a week in January during one of the largest photography conventions of the year. I spoke at it earlier this year (Imaging USA) but when it came down to it.... I just had to say "NO" for a change. Two weeks later, I'll be flying across the country to cozy up do a WORK STOP... an annual work-retreat of sorts. More on that perhaps when the time is right.

So my question for you for DAY 1 of these TWELVE:
When will you be taking time to STOP these next few weeks/months? What will you say NO to in order to do so?

Who's Your Santa??

2007-12-26T08:07:00.000-08:00

Without further ado... I give you our THREE FAB SANTAS!! These three awesome photographers fell subject to being on the OTHER side of the camera this December ... doing their very best SANTA :)

The only thing is... I'm having trouble coming up with the right captions for them! SO here's the deal: anyone who identifies all THREE Santas and comes up with quotes for them will be in the running for either a FREE DVD from our BananasEDU collection or $100 off a Business Boot Camp! I have an impartial judge standing by that will choose the most original, fun, awesome captions and we'll announce the winner sometime on Friday!

You can put your submission in the comments field or email them to us at info at photobizbootcamp.com !

The deadline is this Thursday (12/27) at 11pm EST. Quote away!!

Santa 1

Santa 2

Santa3

Meet the "Survivors"

2007-12-20T07:51:00.000-08:00

... of the Photo Business Boot Camp!

There are actually quite a few more but this slide show includes a handful of individuals who have made it through a BBC in 2007. Check for additional pics at the end too!

For Love or Money? ("LOVE" part IV of V)

2007-12-05T02:56:00.000-08:00

note: The "LOVE" series is posted on www.lianasbananas.com - I felt strongly about posting this here too so here goes:

Love. Money. Our dreams. Client needs. Security. Freedom. Purpose. Budgets. Jobs. Costs. Sacrifice. Questions. Lifestyle. Opposition. Freedom. True Love.

“Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.” - Margaret Young

Sunday afternoon, on my way home from sunny West Palm, the couple in the seats next to me started asking about Amy & Joel’s wedding pictures and commented “it looks like something from a magazine ... you can tell you really love what you do.” I smiled my thanks to them at that observation and we chatted about life and photography and the difference LOVE had made when this woman had her favorite portrait taken years ago. A few hours later, on my way out the door, I received a heartbreaking call that one of my clients passed away. I spent the rest of the evening at a church holiday event trying to keep my eyes dry in the dark auditorium, failing miserably.

My world has been a bit of a roller-coaster the past few years and the question that has been in the heart of it all is “for love or money?” I spoke on the topic at five major conventions this year... as it relates to photography and doing what we love through our work. I wasn’t prepared for how amazing it was to hear the different reasons some of my peers do what they do. I have my own reasons... some that I shared with them... that I will share with you... soon.

There’s something unbelievably cathartic about finally being hit over the head with the realization of what your purpose is. I don’t think our purpose is ever very far off from doing what we LOVE to do... for all the right reasons. Doing it NOT for money but for the LOVE of it and how it touches the lives of others.

I have a little problem though... here’s where I got the roller coaster ride.... my purpose is not simple. I did not celebrate in the epiphany that I am only to be a full time photographer and to help others experience the beauty that is around them always. God didn’t put a period there -- he put a comma. It’s taken me YEARS of heartache, headache, bad jobs, good jobs, right jobs, wrong jobs.... to finally put in words what I know I’ve been put on this earth to do. I’ll tell it to you now, because I know you’ll start seeing and hearing it everywhere in what I do: “To help others achieve the impossible AND experience the beauty that is about them always.”

To tell you the story of how I came to this conclusion and how I know without a doubt what my purpose it... would take 500+ words. I know this because I typed it up recently. Perhaps a story to share another day ;)

Regardless, it hasn’t been an easy pill to swallow... because doing what I LOVE not only involves the fun, exciting part of my job called photography.... but it deals with money. It deals with sacrifice and facing necessary evils no creative person in their right mind wants to tackle. I’ve been charged with the challenge of helping creative entrepreneurs be better stewards of their money, and being able to actually make a living off of doing something they love. And it’s one difficult industry to do it in. I'm in Boston now with 8 amazing photographers who are making that sacrifice and doing what they need to do to lay the financial foundation for their businesses. I'm so proud of what they're doing, it hurts our brains, but it's so worth it. It will allow us to move forward and focus on doing what we love.

So I guess that is my question for you. Why do you do what you do? Is it for Love or Money?

Photographers biggest problems... tell me!

2007-11-15T15:06:00.001-08:00

We just wrapped another awesome Photo Biz Boot Camp and I finally have time to get to some of the hundreds of things I seem to have on my to-do list.

We were talking the other day about some of
- the issues photographers face and
- what we're looking forward to working on this winter

I have a feeling many of us photographers are in the same boat on this - and am interested in hearing what YOU think?????

Brief thoughts on album design software options and workflow...

2007-10-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

After a year and a half of use, I too am convinced that Photojunction is the slow (though good) choice if you want a template/official album software...

....with that said, I'm now convinced that there's a MUCH better option out there... thanks to Kevin's quick tutorial... on using Adobe's InDesign.

I called Adobe a while back and upgraded my misc. Macromedia and Adobe products to the Web Premium Creative Suite (CS3) for less than the price of InDesign alone. Downloaded the free 30-day trial to try it out while it ships.

Opened up Kevin's tutorial on one computer, InDesign on the other and Sara was able to get through a pre-design in record speed (and while she was learning it!) Now she's got the wedding edited, shipped to Pictage, slideshows prepared, and an album draft design complete sometimes by Monday after the wedding using my Crazy Simple Workflow and the Album design in InDesign.

Here is the album she did for the wedding we photographed this weekend. The bride & groom had the slideshow link by Monday afternoon:

Also check out a Guestbook she designed from a recent engagement shoot we did up in North Carolina a few weeks ago...

PS... we design EVERYTHING square so we can print in multiple album types after we design it. After all, our time is $$ so if we can help our clients out by offering duplicates at a lower price it's a win-win for everyone (because we don't have to redo the design, just resize and submit the order).

PSS... We've also designed in Photoshop and using Pictage's tool... so far InDesign is the quickest as it allows the most "organized fluidity" as I like to call it... without adding unnecessary steps that drag the process out....

PSSSSS +++++..... Album design is NOT for everyone. I'll design every blue moon and the clients love them but when it comes down to it I'm just not as good as others are... if you're weary of album design, OUTSOURCE it! In fact, I think Sara will be offering up her services to others soon too so post here if you want her to email you with info once it's up ;)

Go Fishing -- Enjoy Life!

2007-10-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

A little story my dad sent me sometime last year - he and my mom are good about warning me to SLOW DOWN and enjoy life. I found this while rebuilding my email after the crash and can't help but share...

This picture is from a tiny port on the island of Kefalonia in Greece ... we took a ferry from here to the island due south this summer.

A boat docked in a tiny Greek village. An American tourist complimented the Greek fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Greek.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the
American.

The Greek explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with
my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends,
have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs . . I have a full
life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

And after that?" asked the Greek.

With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers.

Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own
plant.

You can then leave this little village and move to Athens, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Greek.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting, "answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Greek.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the
coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta
with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

And the moral is:

Know where you're going in life....you may already be there.

Free Resources: Make it Personal & Goal-Oriented

2007-10-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Back by popular demand (I know it got lost in the blog-shuffle) - the "Make it Personal & Goal Oriented" audio and downloads are available again - for FREE!

The resources includes the audio from Lesson 1 of the Profit Center DVD and click and save to disk the PDFs that go along with it. Whether you are a pro photographer or really ANY small business owner this is step one on pretty much EVERYTHING we teach about creating strategies and running a successful business. We recommend listening to the audio then taking the time out of your busy schedule (away from distractions!) to brainstorm and fill out the sheets with your own information.

DOWNLOAD 1st PDF HERE

DOWNLOAD 2nd PDF HERE

***CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AUDIO****

The BIG Secret to Financial Freedom ;)

2007-10-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Watched this one (great SNL skit) a long time ago and we looked it up again tonight @ our PUG meeting. Enjoy!

(Had to take the video down as it was crashing - check out SNL "don't buy stuff" on YouTube or Google ;)

Whadya think?? Should I order the book now with my AMEX?

Have a BACKUP Plan: Thoughts on Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery

2007-10-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

From Liana's Bananas Blog :

As you may have guessed from the post below... my "baby" (NO, I don't actually have kids thus I must refer to my precious Powerbooks as such instead) crashed/died/bit-the-dust today. This computer was my "workhorse" from 2005-early 2007 and I still use it as my main file/email computer.

The Good News:

- We are OCD about backing up all client files so NONE were lost in this crash. We still have back-ups from this weekend's wedding, though not the edit.
- We'd done a COMPLETE backup of the computer as of August 29th and various other back ups that happen regularly overnight, every night

The Bad News:

- The Past 72 hours worth of work (Wedding edit from this weekend, complete library/favorites selection of 2007 images, and various documents may or may not be recoverable. We're slowly trying to recover these files by transfering them over to another computer. We may have to go through the wedding from this weekend again. But thanks to our Crazy Simple Workflow... only hrs were lost instead of days.
- This computer was "born" in 2005 and some of the applications were transfered from a now-retired G4 TITANIUM powerbook from 2001... needless to say, we'll loose a lot of grandfathered applications when the computer gets wiped out and reformatted.

The Ironic:

- I was out dropping off two back-up hard drives at a safety-deposit box at the bank when the crash happened. Go figure!

Lesson Learned:

- Just Like Tires: Computers will fail, directories will corrupt, and hard drives WILL fail. They are like tires... will wear out over time... you can count on that!

- Plan for IT: When I worked in Corporate America I spent my first year there helping out people that put together Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery programs for a living (for big companies). They taught me a few key things like the importance of having a full plan for recovering your important files and programs ... so if a computer crashes or the whole office goes up in flames today, we can be back in business in a few days.

- Learn from others before it happens to YOU!: Nothing like this has happened to me until now... and I knew it was a matter of time... so I'm glad I took these steps BEFORE vs AFTER a crash happens.

I have an appointment with a Mac Genius tomorrow afternoon (oh yes, that AppleCare comes in handy here!) and will probably be up half the night pulling as many key files off the HD as possible. Sarah will be able to continue our work on the other two computers so all will be okay... just a few days behind....

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

Step 1: Imagine the WORST possible scenario.
Your office goes up in flames. All your files, equipment.... GONE.

Step 2: Make a LIST of what you need to be back in Biz. Okay, you only need to be depressed for a millisecond... so your biz is up in flames... what would you need in order to get up and running again? What equipment (computers, cameras, etc), software (ie LOTS of expensive Adobe stuff) and files (client images, tax info & receipts, client communications, agreements, legal forms, etc) would you need to be up and running again in 24-72 hours?

Step 3: Insure the obvious. Business insurance, equipment insurance, legal protection. If you're a pro photographer you should have ALL of the above. A GREAT place to start is by joining Professional Photographers of America. If you shoot even ONE event per year, their Indemnification Coverage is priceless. I know people personally who's biz has been saved by it. PPA will also be able to point you in the right direction for all sorts of insurance and protection. Pay attention to what is covered and not covered... if your equipment is stolen or destroyed, will you be covered to be able to buy new equipment/get it fixed right away?

Step 4: Invest in extended service/warranties/protection plans. I ALWAYS get the warranty with new lenses/camera bodies. I've had to use them MULTIPLE times already and it's so nice to not have to fork out the $$ for replacements when they'll be repaired under the warranty. I also have the AppleCare plan for my computers... they've repaired hard drives, and done Thousands of $$s in parts and labor for me thus far in my 7-8 years as a Mac user. A $100+ upfront sure beats 1,000 later.

Step 5: Get your files OFF your hard drives, backed up multiple times in multiple ways. I have FOUR copies of all of my client files. We back up to disk TWICE - one disk goes Pictage... which is backed up FOREVER! The other disk we keep in the office to burn a copy for clients if they purchase it after everything has been ordered. We also back up to TWO different external hard drives. Lacie is the hard drive of choice.... been using them for years! Essentially, we have two identical eternal hard drives - one stays in the office and one goes off site (to a safety deposit box at the bank). We also wait to format the CF cards until Pictage receives the disk and everything is backed up. The important thing is to have copies in different places in different forms so if one fails, then another fails... then there are still backups!

Step 6: Don't forget your operating files! It's easy to remember to back up client files... what about email, calendars, contacts, agreements, contracts, legal docs, and other important stuff?? Well, you can back them up to disk & external hard drive (like above).... but you use these files a lot and may forget to do that regularly. So make time to do the above but also utilize some great programs that keep it simple! Here's where having and using a .MAC account comes in handy! With a little programing, it can all be done without you having to think about it! Every night, every computer connects to our .MAC account online and syncs up all of the information :) Not only is it safe online backed up, but it's in-sync too! Super cool! There are also tons of external applications you can use to back up other documents and programs such as iBackup and SilverKeeper. I'm sure I'm missing TONS of great programs too so if you use a great one post it up here!

Step 7: Get a Safety Deposit Box and make an Emergency Kit. Back-up drives, start-up disks, application disks, serial numbers, warranties, emergency cash fund, etc... put it all in one place with instructions, passwords, etc ...so it's there if/when you need it!

Pheww... makes me exhausted just thinking of it! But with a little planning ahead of time, you'll save a lot of money and headaches later!

Bananas FAQs

2007-09-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

Pheewww.... this week is Fan-tas-tic! Mainly, we're all caught up with the major back-load of work that's been pending for quite some time and there is finally time to go through old emails, files, and do some major organization.

I must start this post win a personal apology to anyone who's emailed without hearing back yet. In response to so many of the same requests we get each day for answers on all kinds of things from business to photography to stuff like "can you send me that secret recipe?" we'll be starting a "Bananas FAQ" section of this blog. We'll be tackling a back-log of questions and requests and then move on to any additional FAQs so feel free to post any new ones below :)

Fun stuff!!

The first comes from Cindy in Arizona:

"Hi Liana,

I enjoyed your session at the Chicks conference. I have a couple of questions:

~ what software do you use to design your albums?
~ how do you market and/or how do client's find you as a destination photographer?
~ what software are you using to make your movie shows in?
~ you mentioned showing your movie shows at the reception - are you using your own portable projection equipment?
~ did you mention something about adding video to your new Web site? If so, what video editing software will/or do you use?"

Album Software:
Like I do with most ventures, we've tested out what is know as the http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif"best in the industry" and made our minds up after some use with each. I started using Photoshop but then turned to Photojunction and got great use out of that for some time. After a few constant quirks, we started looking for something with more flexibility and tried out Adobe's InDesign which is our favorite by far! It's MADE for design :) Kevin Swan has a GREAT, quick tutorial available for download/purchase that will tell you get you started real quick. We still use Photojunction for the old albums and they've been super helpful on the phone whenever we need help - so that's a good option too, just not for us now that we've tasted the ease of using InDesign.

How Clients Find me To Photograph their Destination Wedding:
Most of my clients have heard of me through someone they know and then checked out my site online before contacting us. Some hear of us via the WPJA, the Knot chat forums, via Industry publications and forums, and random web searches. I think updating the blog with pics helps a lot too - we have a lot of inquiries come in after I've photographed & blogged about a destination wedding or trip :)

Movie Shows:
I'm not sure if you mean my slideshows that are posted online? For that I use ShowIt Web - it's available at www.ShowItFast.com. Literally thousands are able to enjoy watching pics from a wedding I photographed only days earlier. I've booked jobs off of these alone when my site was under construction.

If you're asking about the actual movies on my liana.tv site we use FinalCutExpress and Apple has a built in iMovie which is easy and quick to use (much easier than any other program out there, in my opinion!)

Slideshows at Receptions:
I hardly ever project a slideshow at a reception unless a client specifically asks us to. We DO however do a slideshow on a laptop at almost every reception. Downloading, sorting, using the "quick collection" function, and slideshow function in Lightroom makes the process SOOOOO quick and easy. I actually go through the exact process in detail on our workflow/Lightroom tutorial that just came out. You can check it out HERE.

Video in New Site:
We're SUPER excited for the new www.liana.tv to premier later this fall :) It's been a work-in-progress for over a year now and will be stock-full of content-rich videos to help clients out. Most of the video is produced in Final Cut but we've got some stuff on YouTube and hidden on our sites now to help in the meantime that is produced on programs that are easier to use like iMovie.

Brand Camp field trip

2007-09-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

We are on day two of the Photo Biz Boot Camp and went for an
inspiration field trip ... Here is Amber from Arizona and Dana all the
way from Bahrain scouting their new brand colors, textures, and
patterns.

The BananasEDU site is LIVE!!

2007-09-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

We finally have v1.0 of the BananasEDU site up and ALIVE!!

Check out the DVD section for the SAME GREAT SPECIALS we ran at the Pictage Partner Conference this past week. We'll be running these for a limited time - stay tuned for more!!

KISS & SHOWit

2007-09-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

We're here at the Pictage Partner Conference this week (much more on this coming soon) and Sara put together a fun photo collage from the KISS & SHOWit party last night. It got a little crazy with all of us doing our best to get the NON-dancers to dance - and it worked!! More soon because I have to run out the door now....

The TRUE Cost of Photography / PPA ABI

2007-09-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

Archive: Originally Published June 7, 2006

WOW. For the past two days, I had the opportunity to participate in a very new and VERY enlightening training at the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) headquarters here in Atlanta. It was awesome because there were another 19 photographers there who came from all over the country and a pretty diverse crowd as far as what we do too (MANY portrait studios there).

Scott Kurkian (CFO of PPA) and the legendary Ann Monteith (previous president of PPA and ABI guru) led us through tons of materials, questions, and methodologies to equip us with becoming Approved Business Instructors for PPA. What these two have done for our industry is amazing and it's awesome the charge they've set forth in helping photographers with their businesses.

On Sunday, class was scheduled from 9am to 9pm so I had the pleasure of dinning with Scott, Lori, and Julia for both lunch and dinner.

Julia Woods, me, and Lori Gragg in class

Thanks gals for all the stimulating conversation on pricing and biz in general!

One of the most interesting things about the past two days is when they shared the results of a financial survey that was just completed (and isn't even published yet!) They surveyed and analyzed financial statements on over 180 photography businesses and this is the FIRST time the industry has qualified, in-depth data in this area... which means we will FINALLY be able to analyze and base our financials on an industry-standard!! AWESOME!

Ann and Scott are making sense of these numbers so that they can be published over the next few months, but a few stats that stuck out to me are that:

- On average, a photography studio needs to have 150,000 - 250,000 in net sales to be profitable (enough to make a living off of) !!! The exceptions they showed were few and far between when someone was able to keep the cost of sales, overhead, and asset depreciation down considerably. These numbers are especially shocking when I think about all the small businesses out there that have no idea what their numbers are or where they're at with their numbers.

- The average home studio makes $32,977 (this is net profit / owners income) WOW. WOW. WOW. (and who said photographers were overpaid!!??!)

A final interesting consensus (the class made) is that in the middle-market, a studio needs to be bringing in around $5,000 per wedding to be a profitable wedding photography business, given the average Cost of Sales, Overhead, and the Assets needed to run the business. Again there are exceptions but it's so interesting to see these numbers spelled out finally - it's going to make a huge impact to those who take advantage of this information and get their businesses on-track financially.

UPDATE: The results of this study were published in July 2006 in a report titled "PPA's 2005 Studio Benchmark Survey" that can be downloaded from PPA's members-only section. If you haven't already check it out ASAP!

Breakfast with Rudy Giuliani

2007-09-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

Archive: Originally published May 18, 2006

This morning I had the awesome opportunity to join a bunch of other Atlanta area business people at the AJC's 100 Best Georgia Companies Awards Breakfast with former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

We had killer seats right up front and it wasn't until 15 minutes into breakfast that I realized Giuliani was parked at the table diagonal from ours. He talked with us for about an hour about six qualities that strong leaders all have in common. It was interesting because just before he went on, they had a panel of 5 CEOs from the top-ranked Georgia companies for this year answer the question of "what is the most important quality a CEO must have to lead their organization successfully."

I would love to go in depth about "Rudy's Six" but fear that time is not on my side today so here they are:
1. Strong Beliefs (devote time to thinking and making goals)
2. Optimistic - focus on solutions and remain calm and positive
3. Courage - does not mean a lack of fear, it means recognizing fear and overcoming it. We MUST be willing to take risks.
4. Relentless Preparation - If you prepare for everything you can think of, when the unexpected happens you will still be prepared because it will be a variation of your practiced scenarios. He used specific examples from 9/11 how they had not planned for a disaster of that magnitude, but all the other plans (like triage and evacuation procedures) allowed them to move forward.
5. Teamwork - A leader asks themselves 'what are my weaknesses and how do I balance them with strengths of others.'
6. Communicator - A leader is able to communicate all of the above. i.e. A coach of a football team does not do a thing on the field but is a teacher and a motivator and leads the team to victory because they can communicate effectively with the team.

In the end, Rudy says: "You can do all of these things but none of it matters unless you CARE about people. Organizations are comprised of people. People with emotions, personal lives... you can not ignore these things. If you are successful in this area, you and your organization will be successful too."

If you ever get a chance to hear Rudy in person - go! - He's a phenomenal speaker and quite the comedian too!

LinkedIN Myspace : A New Era in Communications

2007-08-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

It took my friend Christina about eight emails before I finally gave in and signed up. I had not idea why this "myspace" and "facebook" and "linkedin" were so the rage. Perhaps it's because I'm already on communication-overload and this just adds to it, but looking back it HAS reunited me with many and connected me with many more. Times they-are-a-changing for sure!

Who's IN?

MySpace Page

Best Books

2007-08-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Last week I sold one of my plasma TVs as it was never watched but merely a temptation to put down my books to watch something mindless. Granted, the TV stood on a bookshelf that hosted a handful (okay, 50-60) of my favorite books.... and now the shelf is being used elsewhere. With a pile of books all over my floor now and a new shipment in from Amazon last week, I've been inspired to update my "Best Book" list online. (I'll update periodically so feel free to bookmark)

Here ya go...

***CLICK HERE TO SEE MY BOOK LIST***

August BBC - Day 1

2007-08-14T19:28:00.001-07:00

It's the end of a long 12-hour boot camp day and we just got home
from a lovely dinner after a full day of discussing goals, vision,
numbers, and lots of other biz stuff. It's a difficult day because
the number part is mind-boggling and we're all exhausted by the end
of it and have "homework" at night.

The group here is awesome. Here's a shot Kevin Swan shot of us during
our "wine and cheese" break before dinner.

Kimberly, Nicole Kent, Sara Harper, me and KT Merry. We'll have to
get some with Kevin tomorrow...

Shoot for the Moon

2007-08-14T19:24:00.001-07:00

Just a quick reminder why we should never stop at creating big goals for ourselves. We should take it a step further and make Big Hairy Audacious Goals!! (BHAGs!) After all...

Any Day Now...

2007-08-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

...we'll be unveiling the BananasEDU site. We have a crazy week coming up with a PhotoBizBootCamp here in Atanta this Tuesday - Thursday, then a bunch of shoots on Friday.

The Crazy Simple Workflow will be in duplication starting this week so pre-sales will start soon ;)

KISS your Ads

2007-08-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

If you've taken a biz class you've probably heard the importance of "KISS" before: Keep It Simple, S____ (fill in the blank)

I'm not an advocate of traditional advertising but there are a FEW - VERY FEW - exceptions I make. I don't want to go too much into this controversy right here and now because it's a long discussion.... and I could talk forever on it...

... but an exception presented itself and today we were charged with designing an ad to send to the publication ASAP.

The thing is, there's a lot of clutter out there already. The "enemy" is no longer the competition - it's the clutter! So how to combat this clutter? KISS!!! The simpler, the better. It's not an easy thing to do though. Being a visual artist.... it's easy to want to clutter my ad with lots of photos and text and graphics. It's so much easier to pick a few favorite photos and slap them up there with a logo and call it an ad.

So I opted for a more daring approach - strip it bare. Simplify. Completely simplify. Advertise my photography without showing a single photo.

I dare you to apply this principal to your next ad, marketing peice, or even something less visual in nature. Think about what your goal is too! For me, it's to spark intrigue; present my business as timeless, classic, fresh; give them a glimpse of my vision; and ultimately get them to go to my web site.

In the essence of KISSing, I'll close with this:

Crazy Simple Workflow

2007-08-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

Without further delay...

We finally are ready to share a little bit about a project we've been working on for the past few months. One of the most expensive things about wedding photography is the time it takes us to process the images and get them to the client. As professional photographers these are just a few of the many decisions we face:

- How to organize files?
- How to back up files to ensure they are secure?
- How to view images?
- How to take the best photos straight out of the camera?
- Should we show a slideshow on-location or online and how should we do that?
- How to spend less time in front of the computer and more time doing what we love - shooting pics!?
- How to get images and products to clients as soon as possible with top quality?
- What software to use and how to use it?
- What shortcuts and templates and tricks will help us use the software better?

All I knew is that There Has GOT To Be A Better Way! So we tested, experimented, researched, designed, and incorporated basic business smarts to our workflow. It's about working smarter, not harder; taking better photos straight out of the camera; starting with an end in mind; and Keeping It Simple.

Watch the video for a quick peak:

The awesome thing is we also added a quick shooting lesson as well and it shows all the key things you need to know about lightroom so the DVD lesson ended up being two hours instead of one. We've got our production time (including blogging, slideshows, AND albums) down to record times ...so that clients can see everything in as short as hours!

I think the DVD ("Liana's Crazy Simple Workflow") will be out in the next week or two with pre-sales starting this weekend. Hop over to BananasEDU.com to sign up for the update and site debut :)

Fighting Writersblock

2007-08-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

... (continued from below)... So how to beat this Procrastination and Perfection problem? The answers, as usual, did not come from me.

Before my re-emergence into full time photography, I was charged with being a voice within corporate America... namely a big four accounting firm. To say I was in over my head was an understatement. My poor boss had to repeatedly correct my on my technical mistakes in particular... let's just say "hooked on foniks didn't werk for mee!" I was sent to training like all the others except this training was special... it was with the company known for being the leaders in communications training. I still look back and know their workshop was one of the most valuable ones I've attended... if even for this advice alone....

It was the president of the company, Mark Ragan, that solved my problem. He didn't believe in writersblock.... only in a) not having enough information and/or b) trying to be perfect the first time around and never getting anything down on paper because of it.

Thus, the solution is simple...
a) brainstorm and gather additional information. Let the ideas flow freely... do not dismiss an idea until you've dumped everything out on paper. Make google your friend. Seek advice, input, facts, and examples from others. That should solved the lack-of-information problem.

b) then ... in Mark's words... "Write Cra*!" Yep, he says the best way to fight the perfection problem is to try to write garbage... something not perfect... something you'd never think of showing another living, breathing organism. Some people call this "free writing." The thing about this is you have to keep writing until the whole story is on paper... THEN, and only then do you go back and edit, edit, edit. You have to have a chunk of clay before you can sculpt it into something beautiful or worthwhile.

Over the years, I've seen that this concept work in other areas as well. If it's taking forever to get an album design complete, we simply let go of perfection and finish it. It's the editing process that will bring it to it's perfect form... and that comes with the help of many others including the client.

I bet there's some piece of work (ahhem... like all the original bios missing from websites) that's been neglected because you can't find the words or inspiration... I dare you to try Mark's method. Try gathering more information, write cra*, then edit, edit, edit. I dare say that even if it's far from perfection the world will be a better place because of it ... because it's REAL.

But that's a whole other topic....

Perfection Leads to Procrastination

2007-08-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

I have this problem. It starts with a capital "P."

I *love* to Procrastinate. I also love to do things right and do the best possible job ... or not do it at all. Yes, sometimes I'm guilty of being a Perfectionist. For months, the emails, notes, scribbles, articles, quotes, inspirations, facts, stories, reviews, and recaps have been piling up on my desk, kitchen table, filing cabinet, inbox, and finally in a so-called-designated-email-folder-titled-"blogstuff."

This new shiny blog has been prepped and tested. It still has a few tweaks but is functional and awaiting my use. But now I don't know where to start. If I had posted about the aforementioned "blogstuff" when I was going through it, it would have been so much easier. Now it's difficult. What to do?

"Why do today what can be put off until tomorrow."

LOL. That one cracks me up. I'm pretty sure it belongs on one of those Demotivator posters that I discovered when working in corporate America. A group of us spent an entire lunch hour one day laughing at all of these until we were crying, all the while contemplating which ones to gift to each other.

Well... it would be more PERFECT to talk about how to solve this "P" problem in another post... perhaps I'll procrastinate until tomorrow on this one....

In the meantime, I'm going to know that sometimes giving up on perfection is necessary - in all areas of life. Otherwise, I might not press the "publish" button just yet...

Photo Business Boot Camp

2007-07-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered what a BBC is like? Here is a short clip of a few recent participants!

New Biz Blog!

2007-07-15T23:19:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone!

LOTS of new exciting stuff coming up - we decided to move a lot of the behind-the-scenes photo and biz tips over to a blog dedicated to those things specifically so feel free to post up questions here and this is the place we'll be answering them :)

Lots of tips, tricks, reviews, and industry-happenings comin' in the future.

Off to Greece now but stay tuned for more!!

Cheers!

Liana