Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in photography but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mark van Dam, Founder of Images by van Dam, located in Tiny, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My business is Images by van Dam Photography. I offer a mix of photography, including wedding, portrait, studio, commercial, and editorial photographs, for a large range of customers. I work closely with each client to understand their project goals and vision so that I can deliver images that meet or exceed their expectations.

Tell us about yourself

For me, photography started as a hobby. When I was younger, I loved taking landscape photographs while on interior canoe trips. In university, I hung some of these images on the walls of my residence room. It was only because people told me I should sell them that I even considered photography as a business possibility. The first place I tried selling was a farmer's market in Peterborough. Before long, I had sold a bunch of prints and had been talked into taking portraits for some customers. It turns out I loved portrait photography and was pretty good at it, and I haven't looked back since. To this day, I still love taking photos. It's not hard to be motivated when you are getting paid to do something you love.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I think my biggest accomplishment as a business owner is consistently providing an extremely high standard of work for over 20 years. I work tirelessly for every client, and their complete satisfaction is my number one goal.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things about being a business owner is finding a balance between all the menial parts of your business, i.e., marketing, accounting, editing, equipment maintenance/repair, ordering supplies, etc., and actually doing the job that you love which, in my case, is taking photographs. As a sole proprietor, all of the roles in a business fall on you, and that leaves less time for doing what you love. This also creates a constant challenge of trying to balance life and work.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Do something you love. Someone said to me: "Life is too long to do something you hate." I think it is very true. Finding joy in your work is vitally important.
  2. Believe in yourself and learn from your mistakes. Every time I've made a mistake in my career, I have learned a valuable lesson. I think those mistakes have made me a better photographer and a better businessman as a result.
  3. Work hard for your clients and do the very best that you can do, and do it with a smile. Those things are easy to do if you're passionate about what you do and proud of your work.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: http://www.imagesbyvandam.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imagesbyvandam/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imagesbyvandam/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-dam-b6488963/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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