Do I give up my studio?

[big soft moose]

Also possibly share/let out part of the premises to an artist or picture framer?

The only proviso being that i assume she's renting/leasing premises and land lords permission would be required for a sublet and they often arent keen due to thecomplexities that can cause...

 

[KerryPhotoGirl]

The other thing as regards stuff like websites is that proffesionals hire proffesionals they don't try to do everything themselves ... its amazing how photographers will regularly get upset about web designers trying to do their own photography instead of hiring in a pro or buying images, but when a photographer wants a website they frequently go downthe DIY route

I did hire a 'professional' website designer.
I didn't do the website myself.
My website needs lots of work. I know that.
When baby comes I am using my maternity pay to cover the rent on the studio. There aren't many framers in the area and I don't want to let out to other photographers as I know myself that the kids run riot sometimes. If it's not their studio then they won't care if something breaks. Also I don't want them to hire the studio and then undercut me. I like in a small town with only one other decent studio.
Once the children are at school I can spend more time on it. I just need it to tick by for now.
I can't take a break as the set up fees were a lot and I don't think my partner will support me in doing it all over again.
I don't have to pay nursery fees as I open appointment only and ask my mum to help with childcare or book people in when my partner is off work. He doesn't have a regular weekly Rita so I can work it round him. With a contract job I can't do that as it will be set days. My mum won't have him a full 9 hour day and she definitely won't have two so I regular job is no good til they are at school anyway.
If anyone has any recommendations for business courses and/or photography portrait courses I would be greatful and be able to look into them x

 

[shreds]

Hi Kerry,

When I set up in business I found free courses were available via the Chamber of Commerce and the Inland Revenue (!) Really really useful and free. Don't dream of paying for them. Go and ask at somewhere like the Citizens Advice Bureau for leads on where to go.

Similarly with photography courses.

Joe McNally stands out as by far the best free seminar I have ever been to, laid on by Time Inc/Amateur Photographer and Nikon School of Photography. There were so many worthwhile tips and tricks it was difficult to remember them all afterwards.

Worst....well that was a well known magazine contributor/writer, he was absolutely dreadful. Just a journo who was an 'Uncle Bob' really. But impossible to know until you had sat through the first five minutes.

There are a lot which are pants and are only about me, me, me and look how good my pics are. Again you can find good ones, even free.

Maybe mentoring might be better? Ask on here even, there are a lot of experts.

 

[big soft moose]

I did hire a 'professional' website designer.
I didn't do the website myself.
My website needs lots of work. I know that.
When baby comes I am using my maternity pay to cover the rent on the studio. There aren't many framers in the area and I don't want to let out to other photographers as I know myself that the kids run riot sometimes. If it's not their studio then they won't care if something breaks. Also I don't want them to hire the studio and then undercut me. I like in a small town with only one other decent studio.
Once the children are at school I can spend more time on it. I just need it to tick by for now.
I can't take a break as the set up fees were a lot and I don't think my partner will support me in doing it all over again.
I don't have to pay nursery fees as I open appointment only and ask my mum to help with childcare or book people in when my partner is off work. He doesn't have a regular weekly Rita so I can work it round him. With a contract job I can't do that as it will be set days. My mum won't have him a full 9 hour day and she definitely won't have two so I regular job is no good til they are at school anyway.
If anyone has any recommendations for business courses and/or photography portrait courses I would be greatful and be able to look into them x

I think we've established why you arent making much money, you can either run a business or just tick over but not both , and paying for a studio space but then not having it open much or used full time is poor business sense ... and using your maternity pay to cover the rent on something that isnt making any cash is just bonkers - if your landlord will allow it subletting the studio for the term of your maternity period would make a lot more sense. The feeling i'm getting here is that you want to have a studio and that desire is outweighing the cold eyed economics of whether it actually makes money. Its perfectly practical to run a photography business as a part time endeavour , or for limited goals, but it doesnt make sense to have a lot of fixed costs like studio rental in that business model

I realise childcare is restrictive but the point i'm trying to get across i that running a sucessful business is a regular job , its not something you can pick and choose a few hours for here and there dependent on whether child care is available and still expect it to give a decent income or even wash its own face

When you say 'the set up fees were a lot' the set up fees for what exactly ? ... giving up your studio and mothballing the business until you have more time to focus on it doesnt mean selling all your equipment, so the only fees you'd have for restarting would be arround renting a new studio space.

Ref the point about not wanting people to hire the studio then under cut you .. the answer to that is to position the studio rental as available to amateurs rather than aimed at fellow pros - plus you either insure for breakages or charge a bond or both.

Also I don't want to be unkind but if you paid a proffesional designer for that website, you were robbed. The trouble with web design is like photography its easy for any tom dick and harry to set uop and say 'i'm a web designer' but only offer about the skill level you see in DIY websites, the real key then becomes sorting the wheat from the chaff and making sure you have a good designer who's going to be worth the expenditure.

Course wise it would be worth checking out your local chamber or commerce or FE college for small business courses .. on the photography side theres so much on you tube and indeed on forums like this that it mayu not make sense to pay for it.

 

[KerryPhotoGirl]

I think we've established why you arent making much money, you can either run a business or just tick over but not both , and paying for a studio space but then not having it open much or used full time is poor business sense ... and using your maternity pay to cover the rent on something that isnt making any cash is just bonkers - if your landlord will allow it subletting the studio for the term of your maternity period would make a lot more sense. The feeling i'm getting here is that you want to have a studio and that desire is outweighing the cold eyed economics of whether it actually makes money. Its perfectly practical to run a photography business as a part time endeavour , or for limited goals, but it doesnt make sense to have a lot of fixed costs like studio rental in that business model

I realise childcare is restrictive but the point i'm trying to get across i that running a sucessful business is a regular job , its not something you can pick and choose a few hours for here and there dependent on whether child care is available and still expect it to give a decent income or even wash its own face

When you say 'the set up fees were a lot' the set up fees for what exactly ? ... giving up your studio and mothballing the business until you have more time to focus on it doesnt mean selling all your equipment, so the only fees you'd have for restarting would be arround renting a new studio space.

Ref the point about not wanting people to hire the studio then under cut you .. the answer to that is to position the studio rental as available to amateurs rather than aimed at fellow pros - plus you either insure for breakages or charge a bond or both.

Also I don't want to be unkind but if you paid a proffesional designer for that website, you were robbed. The trouble with web design is like photography its easy for any tom dick and harry to set uop and say 'i'm a web designer' but only offer about the skill level you see in DIY websites, the real key then becomes sorting the wheat from the chaff and making sure you have a good designer who's going to be worth the expenditure.

Course wise it would be worth checking out your local chamber or commerce or FE college for small business courses .. on the photography side theres so much on you tube and indeed on forums like this that it mayu not make sense to pay for it.

I know it's not good to not be open all of the time, I know I should be running it full time and i know it's crazy to spend my maternity on rent (it's what we did with our last baby), but I have worked hard for the last 3-4 years at getting this up and it seems so unfair to have to give it up. I love it their-it's my dream job and my sanctuary. If I give it up I might not get it back. I just can't put into it what I need to at the minute but to go from something I love to nothing would break my heart. And what happens in four years time if we want another? Close up again and then start fresh again 1-2 years later.
It's so hard-I want a family but I don't want to put my dreams on hold (without sounding insanely cheesy this is what this is to me).
Having said that it's stressful not knowing if I'm gonna make rent and obviously I'm not doing it right x

 

[big soft moose]

While I understand that its all about want , not need - yes you want a studio, its yourdream its your sanctuary etc ... which is fantastic if you are so rich that you don't need it to actually make money ... assuming you're not (as we wouldnt be having this conversation) , you need to take a cold eyed look at your business plan and determine a) is it viable , and b) what you can do to improve it

From where i'm standing based on the limited information here, i'd say that a fixed studio is not the model best suited to the life you have (and want) - you could for example do weddings/events etc , or lifestyle portraiture either in your clients homes or on location and still have the 'dream job' but without the £xxx pcm mill stone ... that would also enable you to put your maternity pay either into your living costs or if you want to invest it in the business to invest in equipment etc ...

I'm not necesarily saying give up the business (although i think you do need to take a step back and look at a better business plan), but give up the studio which is nothing but a drain on limited resources ...and don't take another one on until your business turnover warrants having it (if you need it ocassionally in the interim period renting one might make sense , or looking at whether you can use a spare room/ garage/ garden building etc)

 

[HoppyUK]

While I understand that its all about want , not need - yes you want a studio, its yourdream its your sanctuary etc ... which is fantastic if you are so rich that you don't need it to actually make money ... assuming you're not (as we wouldnt be having this conversation) , you need to take a cold eyed look at your business plan and determine a) is it viable , and b) what you can do to improve it

From where i'm standing based on the limited information here, i'd say that a fixed studio is not the model best suited to the life you have (and want) - you could for example do weddings/events etc , or lifestyle portraiture either in your clients homes or on location and still have the 'dream job' but without the £xxx pcm mill stone ... that would also enable you to put your maternity pay either into your living costs or if you want to invest it in the business to invest in equipment etc ...

I'm not necesarily saying give up the business (although i think you do need to take a step back and look at a better business plan), but give up the studio which is nothing but a drain on limited resources ...and don't take another one on until your business turnover warrants having it (if you need it ocassionally in the interim period renting one might make sense , or looking at whether you can use a spare room/ garage/ garden building etc)

Agree. First rule of an underperforming business is to cut all fixed costs. An empty studio is madness.

Go mobile, in-your-own-home. Lots of good and portable kit available for this, at the cost of a few weeks rent. Mobile may not be the preferred option, but with the millstone of the studio lifted and some profit coming in, things will look different.

 

[shreds]

Fully understand the 'sanctuary' feel of the studio, Kerry, and it is difficult to let that aspect go, but ask yourself whether this is just for you or is it for the business?

Removing the financial burden in what ever way you finally choose to do so will make you feel good nevertheless.

Some twenty years ago, my then brother in law had just financed himself up to the hilt buying, extending and renovating a beautiful hotel, but was struggling. A trade magazine was looking to do a business analysis on a number of different sized businesses and how they were performing. Their external view having gone through everything was to give up, sell up and do something else. That was published and was a real kick in the guts. However, it proved to be the motivator to ensure it succeeded and he made some changes but would not give up the hotel.

He still has the hotel, it is incredibly successful and now is cornerstone of the area, with both tourist and business guests. But he did have to fight like hell and worked 24/7+ literally, to make it work. No doubt when he eventually retires it will sell for a tidy sum, but the trauma was massive to get to where he is today.

So talk it over with your other half, you need his support. If he has any sense, then he will allow you some respite and assistance when you have had kids to get the business prospering again.

Sometimes these decisions are hardest when they are at the end of your nose rather than at arms length.

 

[ancient_mariner]

I ran my own (science-based) company from 2009 to 2015. Initially it was great to be doing that, and we minimised our lives to cope with no income for the first 2 years, £500/month for the next 2 years and finally £1000/month for the final 2. We decided to close because although it was ticking over, it simply wasn't going to make real money compared to what I should have been earning, and at that point we had no debts.

There is nothing wrong with having a business that doesn't do much more than break even, but as pointed out, it's really a hobby. There is also a danger that mediocrity - as in not trying too hard because 'it doesn't matter' - can take over, and so one ends up just drifting along somewhat aimlessly. There's no reason you can't drive yourself half to death keeping the plates on sticks while you have your second child, but if you could find a way to extract your investment from the present business, so that you could re-invest it in another later then that might provide a better future.

 

[Wissel]

I agree with others (get rid of the overheads associated with having a fixed premises). Doesn't mean you can't still pursue your dream job, just makes it far more affordable.

I'm just a hobbyist photographer, but I own a few businesses.

When the recession hit in 2008, I had large, expensive premises that cost a lot each month. I changed the business over to online and now work from home. I now have far more free time and flexibility, and a lot more disposable income. Don't see getting rid of your studio as failing - see it as an opportunity to re-create something that fits your life better.

 

[ABTog]

It's difficult when your heart says one thing, but your head says another.
You like shooting studio work, but the studio is a big drain on the finances and you're not open all the time so you're not making enough money for the amount you're paying out.
You have a £25 sitting fee for portraits and then charge for prints. If you only have 2 bookings in a day, does that fee cover the cost of the studio and your time, equipment, etc ?

What if you give up the rented studio and then convert a garage or build a flatpack studio in your garden at home? This would give you the studio space without the huge rental costs and you'd be on-site with your kids. So you'd spend less time away from them.
The cost of this would be easier to absorb in the long run. £10k on a loan at £200 p/month, is probably cheaper than your current studio costs. Or you could add it to your mortgage.

I would:
1) Get on a business course to learn how to manage that better
2) Learn/improve your skills
3) Build a studio at home - either convert a garage or build a home studio in the garden (something like this: http://www.extrarooms.co.uk/garden-studios/)
4) Close down the rented studio, move all your gear, props, etc to your new home studio
5) Keep the business going in the home studio
6) Take time off to have baby
7) Enjoy being at home with kids, use the time to bond and also to try things in your new studio space without client pressure
8) Ease yourself back into paid shoots.

I think they key thing is making the most of your family time, not spending money on a studio that you're not using, keeping the passion for photography.

Good luck.

 

[Pookeyhead]

Just read the whole thread, and would like to make some observations.

I live just down the road in Cleveleys/Bispham.... why have I never heard of you? Are you not advertising?

I walked past your studio this last Sunday, during Tram Sunday... Fleetwood's busiest day of the whole year without doubt... and you appeared to be closed. Why were you not set up outside handing out flyers and talking to people?


Fleetwood is a deprived town, and if you're not advertising, you're not going to survive on walk-in trade, or the local residents because few people there have any disposable income. You need to reach out to the wider area where there is wealth.. Thornton-Cleveleys, St Annes, Lytham and over Wyre.

You need a way of reaching a larger audience. Voucher schemes, or a stand at local events and shows or in supermarkets etc... anywhere with a high footfall. The "Build it and they will come" way of working doesn't work in a place like Fleetwood. Oxford Road, Manchester... maybe.. but Fleetwood? Nope. You need to be contacting local event organisers and putting up a stand and meeting people. A stand in Fleetwood Asda? You may not get the highest quality leads from Fleetwood, but you'll get quantity.


While you've been snoozing... this lady moved into your patch last year and she's not just sitting there waiting for walk-ins either. Seen her about at local events, and out and about promoting herself despite her website being a bit crap I've not seen you doing that. I've got no idea how she's doing, but I've heard of her, and I hadn't heard of you.

I'm not having a go here, I'm just making you aware of what you need to do.

Unless you're prepared to get out there and promote, or at least advertise, you're going to tick over, meeting your overheads... maybe, and never make any money, especially as there's stiff competition on the Fylde coast. You've got the one I just linked to, a few streets away from you. There's Essensi in St Annes too. There's also Cat's Dogs in Preston who has the local pet photography scene stitched up. Hidden Gem, Essensi, and Cat's Dogs are all ex-Venture, and they know all the marketing tricks and understand the value of promotion.

 

[alexhales]

That might have been a good idea to close your photo studio and work as a freelance photographer, It may really help's you in this situation.