When I started off as a family photographer there is no denying that I was bombarded with so much information! It’s insane how many tools are out there for something as “simple” as taking pictures! I soon realized that only 10% of what my business entailed was photographing clients and editing. The other 90% goes to marketing, accounting, client communication, session preparations, bookkeeping, and other miscellaneous tasks that are business related. Within this blog post I’ll be sharing my favorite business tools as a family photographer, that I have found helpful during my career.
CRM
CRM a.k.a. client relationship management
There are so many CRM softwares to choose from, my personal favorite- Dubsado. A CRM allows you to:
- keep track of all client communication
- contract and forms
- track your leads
- prepare/send invoice
- collect payments
- create proposals
- track financial goals
- schedule Sessions/Consultations
- track year to date financial information
It is filled with so many tools beneficial for an entrepreneur. I personally like to use it to keep track of all my client communication. I have set up my lead forms and financial goals. I am able to create invoice and have all them in one spot. You can create questionnaires so you can to know your clients better. It’s full of a lot of potential! There are other CRM’s similar to Dubsado such as honeybook, 17hats, Sprout Studio.
QuickBooks
Ain’t nobody got time for that!
QuickBooks helps you keep all your financial stuff in check. Think of accounting and taxes when you see QuickBooks. You connect it to your bank and it keeps track of all your transactions. Within there you can attach receipts for all your transactions, categorize each transaction, and track mileage to and from session. It also gives you an estimated outlook to how much you might owe for taxes. This is a very tedious aspect of owning your own business and quite frankly it’s a task I’d rather not mess around with. You can always go the route of having a personal bookkeeper or accountant to handle all of this, but QuickBooks has been extremely helpful and an investment that has been highly worth it!
Showit
Website designing made easy
Showit allows you to design the website of your dreams! I will admit that it takes a bit to get used to. But, once you become familiar with all the aspects, it’s a piece of cake! I highly recommend you either start with a free template or buy a template from the wonderful designers that Showit has. Starting off fresh can be extremely time consuming. Showit allows you to have total control of your website and your creativity can really shine through! It gives you the flexibility to change layouts, add fonts, create brand colors, and provide a great user experience. It also displays both the desktop and mobile version of your website so it allows you to scroll through and experience your website firsthand.
The Motherhood Anthology
Education!!!
Although this isn’t a tool and more like an education platform. There is nothing better than being part of a group with likeminded motherhood photographers whose main goal is giving you the tools to become a sustainable and profitable photographer! The Motherhood Anthology Membership is by far one of the best investment I have done for my business when it comes to education. There are so many educators out there to choose from in the photography world. My tip for selecting one is choosing someone you admire and look up to, choosing an educator that’s in a position where you see yourself being in, years from now. Put yourself in a group with likeminded entrepreneurs and watch yourself grow!
I certainly hope that my favorite tools as a family photographer blog post was helpful for you! My goal is to create blog pieces here and there that can help any photographer grow into their business. As well as get answers to questions I had years ago when I decided to make my own business! If you’d like to connect please reach out to me through my contact form, looking forward to talking with you!
All my best!
xx
Rina