More Resources: 3k Mini Sessions Blueprint | Quarterly Calendar | Mini Sessions Playbook

Are you ready to prep for Q1?! I can't wait to share with you some of my best photography business tips for Q1! But before diving in I do have a FREE guide for you. You can build your mini sessions in a way that drive HUGE profits! This guide is a mini session blueprint that walks you through making $3000 in a single date of minis. Start implementing for your spring minis (it's not too early!). Now, I highly suggest all business owners to put together a plan for your upcoming year, starting with quarter 1.

Favorite Tools

This is a game changer. I use Kat Schmoyer's Quarterly Calendar blown up massive in my office. You can grab that and use it electronically or printed out. And the very first thing in planning Q1 is looking back at the previous year and seeing what worked and what didn't. This helps you make changes now to be more successful. Next you need to look at your calendar (January, February, March) and literally brain dump everything that's happening. Maybe that's working on SEO, blogging, revamping your website, etc. Write out all the things you want to see happen! Next, put on your calendar all the BIG events/launches you want to do. You should also look ahead into April to see if there are big events. If you have Blue Bonnet minis in April you count back 8 weeks to know what needs to happen when. I have a resource in my shop called Mini Sessions Playbook that does this detailed timeline for you!

Work Backwards

One of the biggest mistakes I see photographers make is not giving yourself enough time to market. When you put your sessions and key things you want to focus on you can then work backwards to know when to start. Kat's calendars also have a monthly focus. I love this feature because you can really hone in on what your goal is for this month. Maybe January your focus is workflows and you overhaul all your workflows. Then February it's Client Experience and you hunker down to elevate your client experience! Another feature the calendars have is a notes section. I like to put random to-dos there and include family birthdays, etc. This helps me plan in valuable things!

Success Standard

These calendars include a success standard and this is so beneficial in planning because it gives you a measurement for your business. It's easy as photographers to get in our feels about our business and feel discouraged. When you have a success standard in place it tells you where you're at and how you're doing. The freedom in this is YOU get to decide your success standard. So, using our example of January, setting up your workflows can be measurable. Maybe that month you are getting all your workflows set up in your CRM. If you got that completed your success standard was met! My success standard for December was REST. I can accurately look back and see, yes I successfully rested!

Make it Visible

The last of my favorite photography business tips for Q1 is to make ALL this visible. Place this in a spot you see everyday. I choose to blow up my calendars and hang them in my office. You can do digital versions of these calendars or print them out to whatever size you desire. Either way, make sure you see it as a reminder for what you're planning. It helps you measure your business and adequately navigate your way through the quarter!

If you would like to learn more about how to run a successful photography business, check out my blog 5 Things I'd do if I started a Photography Business in 2023!