Yesterday, I was reading my monthly Glamour magazine and came across exactly what I needed. It wasn’t the latest gossip, the latest way to seduce your man, the hottest fashion accessory. No, it was words of inspiration that any lady with hopes of making a go of small business can take to heart. The headline had me interested: “Yes, you can start your own business. And if anyone tries to tell you differently, hit ‘em with these facts:” I was intrigued, so I read on:
- 87 percent of freelancers and entrepeneurs say they’re satisfied with their jobs
- $2,000 – The median cost to women who start up a business — you don’t have to be rich (My thought…thank goodness)
- $143, 726 – The average net worth of a female entrepeneur (I’m not there yet, but wouldn’t that be fab?)
- 7% – The annual rate at which women’s net business income grows (that’s nearly twice as fast as men’s)
- 42% – The rise in the number of women-owned businesses over the past decade. In 1997, there were 5.4 million, today nearly 7.7 million.
Some people might criticize me for being so open about the struggles of having a small business, and that’s fine. Honesty is the best policy, and I’ve learned so much from other people that I think that any glimpse I can give into the realities of owning your own business might help someone out there struggling with the same things as I am.
We’re not alone in this. There are more people than we realize in the same boat. Granted, I just started my biz and I have a full-time job that supports me and my family. But being a professional photographer is a dream I’ve had for some time now. It would be awesome to be able to do that for a living; how much fun would that be?
But on a more serious note, I’ve been a little disappointed lately that my business hasn’t take off faster than it has. I want to be buzzing with business, but right now I’m setting a few shoots here and there. Which, truly, is great because I have some absolutely FABULOUS clients. But I’m the kind of person who likes things to happen at warp speed, so this has been a lesson of faith and patience. I’ve been praying every single night about my business and asking God to grant me patience (I’ve been told that’s a big no-no, but I can’t help it). Specifically, I’ve been praying for awesome people to see my passion, creativity and potential and want to book me. My biggest goal is to book a wedding.
I’ve been doing all of the groundwork for my business, so once the clients start coming in, I’ll be ready. I’ve been researching so much lately that my head is spinning: pose/location ideas, contracts, print prices, album prices, design, accounting. The last one is the worst because I’m horrible with finances, but it’s also probably the most important since it can make or break you in the business world.
Owning a small business is not all roses, but it can be very fulfilling. I hope that others out there, especially women, can gain a little something from the fact that there are others out there going through the same things we are and that many of them, in fact, do succeed.
So as I go to tonight’s shoot to capture the love and happiness of a great family from my church, I’ll go armed with the knowledge that I can do this. Not only can I do this, but YES. I. WILL! Watch out world, here I come….
(Sorry, no picture this time. I think the words in this post deserve the focus instead. It’s all weighed heavy on my mind and heart lately.)
