Lessons
I LOVE Photography and I Want to Make Money
11:34 2From Photographer to Business Owner
21:15 3Building Your Business To Fit The Life You Want
07:01 4Business Is Business
08:03 5Creating a Simple Business Plan - What To Know And What To Skip
14:29 6Branding And Identity
11:24 7Significance Of Constantly Marketing
11:37 8Social Media Marketing
08:05Internet Marketing
14:04 10Q&A
49:40 11Building Your Own Portrait Space
09:03 12Starting From Scratch - What Matters And What Doesn't
26:26 13Creating a Dedicated Shooting Space
18:00 14Studio Spaces Q&A
15:51 15Money Is A Good Thing
08:27 16Spending Your Money Strategically And Tactically
23:31 17Cash Flow
10:00 18Track Your Margins
07:50 19Understanding Loans
04:41 20Legal, Insurance, Tax
13:02 21Raising Your Prices
12:17 22Investing In This Business
05:22 23Money Q&A With Audience
34:02 24Intro To Websites
01:48 25Building And Launching A Website
11:20 26How To Use Your Website For Marketing
20:19 27Converting Viewers Into Customers
09:56 28How To Showcase Your Portfolio
10:21 29Website And Portfolio Critiques
35:01 30Getting Control Over Feeling Overwhelmed
09:35 31Developing A Workflow For Laser Sharp Focus
23:55 32Maximizing Productivity With Software And Applications
34:47 33The Benefits Of Mono Tasking
05:15 34Setting Expectations For The Shoot
08:09 35Live Shoot: Interacting with the Client During the Shoot
33:44 36A Sales Walkthrough
20:38 37Obstacles To Selling
16:15 38Common Challenges Q&A And Hot Seat
33:32 39The Most Common Challenges In Running A Portrait Business
09:41 40Handling Criticism
17:16 41Persistence and Grit in Running a Portrait Business
07:11Lesson Info
The Benefits Of Mono Tasking
Biggest thing I want you to think about is how important it is to single task. Here we go, when you are doing so much and you're like, I'm freaking working all the time, how come I'm not getting things done? Two answers to that. One, you can have it all, just all not at the same time, and mostly because you're not single or Mono Tasking. So, this is what single tasking does for your psyche, for your wellbeing, for your heart. Multitasking is, I'm working on this, this, this, this I'm jumping from here, to here, to here, all the time. I'm working on a bunch of stuff 'cause I have a bunch of stuff to do, and if you say to me, "Why are you doing all that at the same time?" 'Cause I have to do it all! It has to get done. Which is how I feel about it. I can have it all, but I can't have it all at the same time, 'cause it won't get done. So, I can get, at the end of the day, 30 percent of my downloads done, 15 percent of my edits done, 10 percent of my blogging, I've delivered about 5 percen...
t of what I had to deliver, but I spent 40 percent of the time on social media. I got that done, probably a lot of it. Instead, if I say, you know what? This is a task that I'm going to do in succession, these are my three priorities, I'm going do one from start to finish, I'm going do the next one from start to finish, I'm going do the last one from start to finish. I will get 100 percent of those three priorities done. Do you see the difference? This is my brain crazy. Our brains were not meant to multitask. We make more mistakes, we feel more stressed, we have a lot more anxiety, we feel overwhelmed, and we do our tasks more poorly. We don't do as well at the tasks as we could if we just said, you know what, this is it today. I'll start here, I'm going to move through here, I'm going to finish here, and when I end today, I will have an accomplishment. I will feel accomplished. I will feel better about myself that night and the next day, which means I'm only going to do better, because I'm not going in with this mindset of I've already lost. I just had a win. I feel good about that. That's how we operate as creatives, as sensitive beings. We want to feel like we're making traction. This system allows me to make traction, without it I'm flopping everywhere. I'm like a goldfish who jumped out of my, what it is, bowls. This is my Mono Task kit. It's these three things. My noise canceling headphones. What was life like before we had noise-canceling headphones? It was so much worse. I love noise-canceling headphones. I will invest in the best one I can possibly afford. I will forego other things so I can block out stimulation that distracts me. I will be sitting there, really lost in something that I do and then someone will say something about, did you just check out that vegan recipe? I'm like, arrghh. And I'll get up and walk away and go talk about something I'm passionate about. If I block it out, I can stay focused. So I use noise-canceling headphones. I put some sort of sign up, and I'm going to show you the exact sign I put up, that says "Don't Disturb Me." I have to notify to other people, that I'm in a zone and they can't bother me. And I just crank, crank, crank. It's not like endless work, because I'm building in all this fun little things I want to do. But I move through my day. This is the note I put on my door. Let's get closer. And let's get closer. This is what it says. Hi, I probably like you very much. I might even be related to you. Thanks so much for standing outside my door, looking at me, waving, knocking softly with a you got-a-minute tentative expression. You know that expression, right? Like, ehhh. (laughter) To see if I'm available. It's so nice to feel wanted, in any capacity. Truly. However, at this very moment, sad to say, I am not available. I am probably doing something that requires my full attention, am preparing for a meeting or feeling the pressure of a pesky, maybe even threatening deadline looming. Thusly, I am currently in a concentrated zone of focus. But I do and will stop for breaks often. Can we connect on my next break or at a daily scheduled time? Which I like to set up with people. Thank you. I probably like you very much. I probably still like you very much. This sign enables me to communicate to people like, seriously, don't bug me, but I'm not a jerk about it. It's silly, but when people read this, they kind of laugh and walk away. It's so good. It's so effective. 'Cause they're like, you're not a jerk. You keep concentrating, I'll see you later. (laughter) But that's what happens. It's night and day. If I put up a just do not bug me, I kind of feel, I'd feel uncomfortable with that. But if I put up nothing, they're going to keep coming in all.... the.... time. This idea of setting up a daily scheduled meeting. If we have to go through things here and there and there and here, I want to be able to make sure that I have every Tuesday at two, let's just knock it out. Every Wednesday at three, you and me, we're going to knock it out, five, ten minutes. Don't come in 20 times a day. I want to show you, first and foremost, the people that I will let bug me. These are my people. This is my Boston Terrier, Mugsy, and that's my Boston Terrier, Moose. And those are the only people I let basically change my focus. When I'm in this concentrated zone of focus, I will let in animals, but never people. So what I just told you, to wrap it all up, is hate people. (laughter).
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
a Creativelive Student
This course was fantastic. I learned more on what I need to improve and change in my business. I especially liked learning how she balances all the things in her life. She is a fantastic teacher who keeps you engaged throughout the course. Thank you creativelive and Tamara for producing such a great course!
user-5731db
I thoroughly enjoyed this class, Tamara Lackey is an amazing individual and trainer! I loved what she said about not letting ourselves be diminished by someone else's narrow view... This class touches on many business related topics, I had many "aha" moments and feel excited and committed to tackle various aspects of my business in small steps!! Thanks for sharing so much of you!!!
Heidi Mikulecky
Tamara Lackey is engaging, energetic, knowledgeable and humorous. This two day class is perfect for artists who have creative skills but need development with business skills. I expected this class to be all business, but I was pleasantly surprised that she delved into the physical (studio space), mental and emotional barriers (confidence) that hinder photographers from reaching their goals. Some of my biggest takeaways from this course are not only the business tips but also life lessons. Such a great class!!