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**Robert Phillips** · 10-04-2002, 08:13 AM

In your area is NEIPP, Northeast Iowa Photographers group. They hold monthly meetings and the cost to join is minimal. Our Central Iowa Group has our next meeting Oct 28 in Boone on Framing. Just email me for more info.

Our Iowa group is good and the cost is only about 100?? per year.

Of course I would be remiss not to encourage you to join Kirks PDA group with chat room transcripts for only $100. Money well spent.

If you search through the archives there is much general info on these topics. What you have asked about requires a book. Many books are available through Amhearst publications.

In your area is a number of great photographers, although you must not be in CR from your population description.

Gotta Go, but there is some starting points. Good Luck.

**Adam Schmidt** · 10-04-2002, 09:22 AM

Greg,

I only have a sec as a session is waiting on me, but get as many books and videos as you can, and go to seminars and conventions. Talk to other photographers there. We're a very sharing community of people. Your question might be best answered if you ask questions that are fairly specific. I'll be back later to post more. BEST OF LUCK with everything! And remember, attitude counts for a LOT!

**Adam Schmidt** · 10-04-2002, 02:29 PM

By the way, I don't see any debate about film/digital anymore. Digital is definitely IT! No doubt about it. We've been 100% digital for 2 years and are not looking back. Sales are up. Fun is up. Excitement is up. No real down to it other than learning it and perhaps the time involved in some of the digital processes.

4000 sq. ft.? Wow. I'd love to start out with a building that size. I only have about 1400 sq. ft in the downstairs area where clients can be, and about a 400 sq. ft. employee work area upstairs. You've got plenty of room for several shooting areas, several sales rooms, work rooms, storage areas, personal offices, etc. Sounds great!

Kirk has a TON of videos you can rent, you might want to look through his online store here, or e-mail him and see what he recommends for you.

**Eric Leszkowicz** · 10-04-2002, 06:02 PM

Join the pro4um. I have learned more here than I have at conventions.

Go digital. Immerse yourself in photoshop.

Successful studios do not necessarily always take the greatest pictures, but they understand business.

Don't ignore the business side of things.

Did I mention joining pro4um?

**Fred Molesworth** · 10-05-2002, 06:31 PM

You've left out of LOT of very important information.

First, what kind of experience do you have?

Are you now photographing part time, full time, or are you starting from complete scratch.

What kind of studios are already in the area? How much experience do they have? What kind of work do they do? Is there an open niche, or will you have to battle for everything you get?

There is a lot of critical information you have to have before you can just start.

If you're starting from scratch, with little experience, figure it will take you about 5 years to generate a reasonable income. You will need enough resoursces or alternate income to live on for at least 2 years while you are getting started.

Understand that statistically, 80% of all new business fail in the first year, many times due to lack of proper planning, or lack of resources.

Figure that you will have to generate somewhere around $150,000 in business to create $40k to 50k in net income

A 4000 sqft studio sounds huge if you are just starting up. The overhead might eat you alive.

Give us some more info so we can help. But by all means, do as someone suggeted above and join your local Professional Photographers association. In Oregon, ours has a mentoring program for new photographers, assigning you to an experienced person from whom you can learn.

**Gary Leif** · 10-05-2002, 07:02 PM

One thing to ask you is "Why do you want to start your own business"? If it's because you love photography, you may be starting in the wrong place. You can work for a photographer and fill that void of being creative. But the real answer is to "Make Money" ! Took me a long time to learn that, but all the business classes in college paid off. That's where I would start if I were starting over again. Lots of business classes, to understand Profit and Loss Statements, Projections, Ratios and lots more. Then Photography would come last. I've made it 27 years and I can't tell you how many photographers I've seen come and go. Almost all didn't understand one thing about business....

**Greg Fitzloff** · 10-06-2002, 01:47 PM

I have been a photographer since 1993. I've worked in two different studios where I have photographed seniors, weddings, families, children, pets, and am currently an over/full time sports/lab tech/carpenter/digital artist at a big studio in Cedar Rapids working for a master photographer for the past 7 years. I am ready to start working for myself and make money that is going to go into my own pocket and not someone else.

There are two other studios in a 30 mile radius of where I want to locate my business and one of thoes is where I used to be employed for two years after I graduated from college for photography. I'd be right in the middle of his draw area. No one in that area does digital and would be a new and exciting niche to start up in the area. The other studios in the area have been there for a long time at least 25-30 years and haven't changed what they offer or how they photograph but they have a fair product. One of the studios is high priced for the area and the other is a low priced/high volume studio ( that i used to work for). Both do a cookie cutter type of session same poses no originality to their work nothing new. The people my wife and I have talked to when we get back to that ares seem very interested in the digital aspect of photography.

**Gary Leif** · 10-06-2002, 08:55 PM

Greg,

Glad to hear you do have photography experience. I would write up a business plan. In you plan account for what business you project, what your costs will be and what your overhead will be. Include everything from Insurance to Auto to office supplies and 20 other items. If you don't know how to write a plan, goto your local banker and ask for help. A business plan and banker are invaluable for your business growth. I would also make a cash projection, based on your projection. So you have x $ to start and expect x$ first month minus your expenses. A one year cash flow analysis is needed to tell you what you will need. After you have made those then stick with your budgets and plan accordingly. If you want to go into business, then first be a business man, next a photographer. Otherwise continue to work for someone else. In my area I have seen 50 photographers come into business in my 25+ years and only 5 have made it. Not good odds. If it were easy, every one would be doing it!

**Fred Molesworth** · 10-07-2002, 11:04 AM

Absolutely echo what's been said. You MUST enjoy the business part as much as the photography part, or it becomes work.

A business plan is critical. You must define your markets and how you are going to go after them. figure out how you are going to fit into the market given the existing studios. What can you offer that they don't.

You absolutely need to do a cashflow forecast, and have the available cash to get you started, and get you by while you get established. Since you're an experienced photographer, you can shorten the time it will take to start really making an income, but don't underestimate what it takes to get going. Figure at least 2 years that you'll need to support yourself from other means

You must have the resources to market yourself. It takes money to make money. Most of the people I've watched fail as we've gone through our growth had no marketing skills and/or no money to do any marketing.

Let me recommend that you get Mark Till's book "The Lucrative Photographer". This is a must read for any new studio owner. You can get it for about $30 at www.marktill.com

**Eric Leszkowicz** · 10-08-2002, 07:50 PM

Fred. Thanks for mentioning the Mark Till book. I was just trying to decided whether to buy it or not. Might give it a try.

If the high price studio is a cookie cutter operation. CHARGE THAT OR HIGHER. Don't undercut your copetition if they are cookie cutter. Do what your copetition doesn't. Just make sure that it is you.

Sounds like your giving it the right approach. Keep up the work.

**Greg Fitzloff** · 10-09-2002, 01:23 AM

Thank You all for helping me if you have any more suggestions it will be greatly apperciated please feel free to add more

again thank you all,
Greg

**Adam Schmidt** · 10-09-2002, 04:56 AM

Greg, another place to get really great ideas is...

Login Required | Professional Photographers of America

https://www.photovisionvideo.com

Photography Association, Photographers Association, PPA, Professional Photographers of America, Photography Blog, Photography Insurance, Photography Certification, Photography Education, Photography Courses, Photography Classes, Photography Events, PPA website, copyright for photographers

They are just now making it on DVD instead of video. Its like going to several seminars, and you get to watch it on your own computer as many times as you want. We love it!

**Francis Farmer** · 10-09-2002, 07:37 AM

Get your head examined. Take some asprin and go to bed you will feel better in the morning. lol

Develop a thick skin.

FF

**Adam Schmidt** · 10-09-2002, 09:26 AM

Francis, are you talking to ME or Greg? lol.

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Studio startup. What do I need to do? any suggestions?

Studio startup. What do I need to do? any suggestions?

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