If I could give one piece of advice to photographers – a piece of advice that, I feel, would help them build a successful photography business – it would be to outsource.  I wholeheartedly believe in outsourcing because I know from experience that we simply can’t “do it all”… and admitting this is NOT a sign of weakness.  I remember reading a quote from Mary Marantz a while back that said something along the lines of “you can’t GROW your business if you never get out of MAINTAINING it” – and that’s SO TRUE!!  There comes a time when you need to take a hard look at all of your responsibilities and decide which tasks you NEED to do within your business and what tasks you can let go of.

For me, I feel the need to handle direct client communications because I am so invested in my relationships with each client and I always want to be their point of contact throughout the process.  I also need to be behind the camera because… well, I think that goes without saying.  Currently, I personally edit 300-500 images from each wedding.  These are the images that will be used for blogging, social media, the website, etc. and I feel that these images require my own personal touch because they are the images that will be the “face” of my business.  I still handle blogging because it’s my voice and my vision being put out there.  Same thing with my social media management.  I still do all of that myself.

For everything else, I outsource!  My AMAZING personal editor Emily takes care of all of the rest of my photo editing – and occasionally some culling.  She is simply amazing and I don’t know what I’d do without her.  I have a fabulous album design team that takes care of all of my clients’ album designs.  I have an awesome bookkeeper and accountant who keep track of all of the financials for me.  I have a cleaning crew + lawn care team to take care of my home.  I have three part-time assistants that help me on the wedding day, as well as with computer work and Pinterest posts.  I also utilize several computer programs that make my life so much easier including Tave, a studio management software program that I’d truly be lost without; CoSchedule, a blogging + social media scheduling tool; Later, a program for scheduling + posting content to Instagram; and Tailwind, a program for Pinterest posts.

It’s easy to get caught up in the daily operations of your business, especially when you’re just starting out.  But the only way you’re ever going to have the time and energy to really grow your business is to outsource!  Trust me, you’re not alone if you’re questioning whether it’s the right decision for you.  So many entrepreneurs struggle with outsourcing because they feel like they are giving up control.  It’s scary, but it’s honestly the best thing I’ve ever done – and continue to do – for my business!  Just start small and I am confident that you’ll quickly see just how beneficial outsourcing can be.  Your time is precious, so free up some of it to focus on growth.  It’ll be worth it, I promise!!