Don't be a pansy!

Having my own business has been a longtime dream of mine. However, because I've worked mostly at newspapers, and in advertising for a large department store, being my own boss has seemed a bit out of reach. After all, it takes gazillions these days to start a newspaper or open a department store. My love of photography, however, presents itself as a shining beacon to the Entre Pronoir Ship.

The problem: this thought has occurred to a lot of people. There is a ton of competition in my area. The good thing: many of them suck. The fact that even the sucky photogs appear to be making money is heartening to some degree. Another side issue: I know not everything there is to know about photography or operating a business. But I know a good photo when I see one, and more often than not I know how to take one. And that, dear friends, is where the clouds start to part and the sunshine of freedom gushes forth in beams of mismatched idioms.

There are other challenges:
1. Marketing, particularly in the face of all the others, is daunting. Last night I bought a domain name and Web hosting, which will be a good start (I'll provide a link when the site is ready for prime time). But I've got to figure out how to get peeps to my Web site to nosh on my pictorial goodness.

2. Equipment. Although we are living in the cusp of the Golden Age of Digital Photography, buying into that age costs essentially gold. Even starting with a camera that's a notch or two below true professional, the cost to build a worthy arsenal of equipment is daunting. We're talking lenses, flashes, off-camera lighting, brackets, trapezes, a second camera (if not a third) and larger and faster memory cards. This is yet the tip of the iceberg, as I'll probably need some specialized software to go along with it all. Add in advertising costs (see No. 1), and you get the picture. You've got to invest money to make money. Patience has won out so far, although shelling out $3,000 for photo stuff is itching my trigger finger. It helps to have a wife who brings sense to the whole thing: I can invest when I get more work (see No. 1 and reread No. 2, though).

3. Time. I'm a husband, daddy and full-time employee. Where can I get an extra couple of hours a day? Anyone? Help?

4. With a little help from friends. Collaborating with others in the biz will go a long way toward improving my skills and marketability. Also, without fail my friend-photogs have nicer equipment that, when they upgrade, becomes available at more reasonable rates to me.

5. Don't be a pansy! This is hard, because I want to succeed in this, but there are so many opportunes to go astray. By having a written plan, goals and focus (on camera and in brain), I think I can do it. No! I KNOW I CAN DO IT! (sorry for the yelling; i got carried away)

I rode 100 miles in a day on my bike this past July. Having a photography business should be even less of a pain in the butt.