Almost everybody has the idyllic dream of becoming an entrepreneur to be your boss and manage your time as you want. You have this image that everybody sells on Social Media about an entrepreneur who works sitting on a beach having the best time of their life. But nobody talks about:
Time Management:
Especially at the beginning, as a photographer entrepreneur, you have to wear so many hats and learn to organize your accounts, do marketing strategies, make your web page, edit videos, take photos, pitch clients, purchase things, etc. Yes, you are your boss, and you have the flexibility to manage your time, but you have to learn to deal with so many things that you will engage in your business 24/7. Yes, maybe when your company is more consolidated, you can hire help in areas that are not your expertise or do not give you joy.
Self Motivation:
When you work for somebody, you have a responsibility or obligation to attend your job on certain days and hours, but when you are self-employed, you have to be your best cheerleader to wake up and start producing. No procrastinating, or just a little bit, because, let’s be honest, procrastination makes me creative.
WorkSpace:
If you are lucky, you could have a space in your home such as a study, corner, or somewhere to concentrate. But commonly, you will have to work in your room, kitchen or dinner, and you will get distracted by the doorbell, kids around or pets. So, you have to be conscious to embrace the chaos and manage time slots when you can be productive. (we will talk about later in another post)
Build your own network.
I recently moved here to Adelaide. Nobody knows me here as a food photographer, so I have to promote my business in as many ways as possible and try to enlarge my circle as quickly as possible to make my dream feasible. You have to be the ambassador of your brand, and if you are like me, that has moved recently to a new city or town, you have to build a new network.
Learning every day
You have to be open-minded to learn a lot from different sources, so you remain creative and dated to the latest trends of the food and product photography business.
But, don’t get me wrong, I want to talk all of that just to put out all the things you can expect when turning into a creative entrepreneur, but I will not change it back from a 9-5 job. I feel blessed to become what I love even when it has some difficulties in the ways…but tell me one thing that brings you absolute joy that doesn’t come with some downs.