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.