I never have to ask anyone for a raise.
It didn’t take me long in the working world to realize that I REALLY wanted a job where I could make my own schedule, and be the one receiving the most benefit from my labour. My desire to sleep in in the mornings and work later in the evenings also didn’t fit with traditional employment opportunities. Photography allows me to work on a flexible schedule and I create my own price list, and I never have to ask anyone for a raise.
Now with the pandemic I see lot of people seeking out work-from-home opportunities with more flexibility to be able to help their kids with school, or take time off to care for family members.
Most photographers make the majority of their income from actually taking photos and selling them in various forms, but this last year has shown me that I can’t rely on that alone, and I’ve found other ways to supplement my income, while still being home, and not being attached to a workday schedule that takes away from family time.
Here’s a look at what I’ve been doing when I’m not taking photos!
Working on my business
Okay, so there isn’t a direct or instant income from doing this, but updating my website and branding, refining price lists, and revisiting all that educational material I’ve paid for over the years but never looked at, it will all help increase my bottom line when I’m able to shoot again, increasing my skills and productivity.
If you already have a business, see where you can make improvements and create efficiencies. Maybe it’s time to finally invest in that CRM you’ve been talking about for forever 😉
Mentoring
In 2020 I worked with a few photographers via screenshare to help them improve their editing and workflow skills, and I discovered this is something I really love doing! After nearly 20 years using Photoshop and proficiency with Lightroom, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks along the way. If you are a newer photographer and looking for help in this area – send me a message, I’d love to chat!
You don’t need to know everything there is to know about a topic in order to teach. If you have any skills that you could teach someone that is a couple of steps behind you – this is a great opportunity!
Network Marketing
This one tends to divide people, but let me tell you, I got big time FOMO seeing one of my photographer friends having huge success with Monat, and jumped in during the summer, building my hair and skincare biz alongside rebuilding my photography business after the 4 month shutdown in 2020.
During that first lockdown, I saw so many of my friends in network marketing thriving, as their businesses continued online while so many friends with more traditional jobs were scrambling suddenly finding themselves with no income, or trying to figure out how to balance working from home with no childcare options, and/or trying to help their kids navigate virtual learning.
This is a job I can do mainly from my phone during small increments of time throughout the day, and it’s growing and adding to our family’s income and supplementing it during the times when our other businesses can’t operate fully. Plus this month I will be fulfilling the requirements to earn a paid-for trip to Vegas, after just 6 months building this business!
If you’re at all curious, send me a message. The initial investment is low and includes a whole product pack, and you never have to buy anything else, or even sell anything unless you want to, there’s no penalties or fees or losing your account if you don’t meet sales targets, like I’ve heard with other companies.
If you have any questions about any of these options, please reach out!