Category archive: Blogs and Discussions
5 People, 5 Reasons and 5 Clues to Stepping Out on Your Own
Photo from Starpulse.com
Have you ever had that nagging feeling to do something? I mean, that feeling that just does not go away? It sticks in your head day and night, and often reminds you of why you hate your job. While at company meetings you are busy drawing up plans and scheming of how you are going to break away from your mundane job one day. So what is holding you back?
I personally admire those people that have had visions and struck out to make them a reality. Those people teach me that anything is possible. And the funny thing is, they are no more special than you or I. The only difference is that they realized they had to step out of the boat in order to walk on water. Believe me, it is much better to step out of the boat than to be kicked out of it! Well, I put together a list that I hope will motivate you to step out of the boat and follow your dreams.
5 People Who Stepped Out, Got Rich
- Mary Kay Ash-You know, Mary Kay Cosmetics. She originally lost a promotion to someone whom she had trained!
- Henry Ford-No explanation needed.
- Bill Gates-Did not finish college-uh, net worth 40 billion? And now everyone has a computer.
- Rachel Ray-Does not even have formal culinary training! Makes a cool 18 mil a year.
- Mark Zuckerberg-Can everyone say FACEBOOK?
5 Reasons to Do Your Own Thing
- If not, you will always be helping to make someone else rich.
- You will eventually succeed in doing your own thing, because it is YOUR OWN THING!
- You do not want to wake up one day and say “Only if”, or “What If”. Only now, it’s too late.
- You were given those talents and passion for a reason…it is what you were put on this earth to DO!
- You will never be truly content unless you at least try.
5 Clues that It is About Time
- You still have that nagging passion to do something you love to do.
- The chips just never seem to fall in the right place in your current profession.
- People (honest people) are always saying you are good at what you do (your passion that is!)
- You know that what people are telling you above is true!
- There is no feeling of completeness or satisfaction in your current profession (the money is no longer worth the discontentment)
Well, I hope that you enjoyed the lists and that it sparked some interest in following your passion. If there was one last thing I could leave you with, it would be this. Be careful of who you share your dream with, because there will always be those who will doubt and try to curb your enthusiasm. Share it with believers in your dream and with those who have been successful in following their dreams. Remember, a person never asks a poor man how to be rich. Now let me hear your thoughts? Peace and God Bless!
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Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan
How many of us have heard the above saying, plan your work, work your plan? Funny, I first heard it in a song by an underground hip hop group. Who woulda thunk? Nonetheless, I did not know how profound an effect that would have on me until I decided to “seriously” run my own photography business.
Now before I decided to do this, I kind of took my pricing with a grain of salt. I mean, I was doing it on the side and was making decent money in my regular job. However, when the steady paycheck stopped, it was time to get serious. I mean, how else was I going to still afford my Godzilla Maki Rolls? Who wants to give up their current standard of living? Well if it isn’t much to begin with, then I guess that question is answered. But still, given the opportunity, we all still want to improve it, right?
Well first it was Lawrence Chan of Tofurious who inspired me to find my pricing and stick to it. As a matter of fact, he is a skilled professional photographer and marketing guru. You can find a copy of his book about pricing here. For those challenged with pricing their work, I highly suggest reading his book. Secondly, I had to find my pricing that would enable me to still buy my Godzilla rolls ( and of course, feed my family)! Then how about my niche, the mantra of the business, and how I was going to reach those lofty goals that I had set for myself? This called for a business plan!
First of all, I wanted a great template to follow. I chose Business Plan Pro which provided templates and an easy to follow wizard that helped me to define my mission statement, goals, and metrics to measure my progression. Now a third of the way through it, I am feeling good. My business has been defined, objectives set, and yes, my pricing has been determined.
The reason I wrote this was not to teach you how to write a business plan, but to offer a way for us photographers to stick to our pricing and art. Many times people will want us to do shoots for free or for discounted prices, and this may appear harmless when it is done in small amounts. However, this philanthropy will add up in time, and with a business plan you will be able to see how this is diverting you from your goals. Without a plan, you will have no idea what is happening. When it comes to your style of shooting, both people and the money may persuade you to follow a path that is opposing to your goals and even ideals. But the danger of this is forgetting who you are as a “visual artist” and foregoing the very vision that you set out to establish with your art. Having a plan and working your plan will help to keep you on track with your goals, your vision, and help you to avoid the dangers associated with becoming sidetracked!
Frank
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DetailsFollowing your Passion
Following your passion What is it that you think about all day? Is there something which you just cannot wait to do when you get home? Is there this hidden talent that you just wish you could get paid for? If you are the lucky 50% who actually love their jobs, then I congratulate you! But then again, I know that every once in a while we drool over those rock stars or entrepreneurs who have come up with some obvious idea and are now getting paid millions to do what they love….in their slippers!
Ok, so the purpose of this post is just to get the creative juices flowing, and help everyone realize that you can get paid doing something which you love to do. And you are most likely good at it! But no one will know of your hidden talent unless you get it out there somewhere, somehow. I have been in sales for 17 plus years now, and it’s a great job. But there are things I enjoy doing more. I drive around in my car all day doing my sales job, with my eyes always open for a great photo opportunity. Then I cannot wait to get home to process my pictures and show them off. Fortunately, people have liked my photos enough to hire me. I have now done highlight films for sports agents, promotional shots for sports facilities, family photos etc.
My point is this. These days with the internet basically shrinking the boundaries of the world, it is easy to get noticed with a bit of computer savvy and social networking skills. Facebook and Twitter have given you a free audience for your works of art and talents, no matter what they may be. Believe me, those sometimes mundane days at work become much more enjoyable when you have a passion to come home to!
Franklin Rivera
MontageMan Photography
Delano Marie Fine Sports Imagery
DetailsHello world!
Hey, this is Frank! Good to see you. This website will be up and running in no time. I will have many more galleries! thanks for your patience!
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