Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in photography but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with James Maher, a photographer based in Brooklyn, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I run a photography business in New York City that has a few different focuses. I do corporate photography, portraits, and events, along with giving photography workshops and tours around the city. I also create documentary projects, write about New York, and run a worldwide photography Salon with a few hundred members. My customers are either businesses around the city or photography and New York enthusiasts. I split my marketing to appeal to both those groups for the different sides of my business.
Tell us about yourself
I've always been interested in the city, and so my love for photography is based on that. I work on photography projects and storytelling for different issues in the city. I love to walk, get lost, write about the city, and meet and interview new people. I have done interviews with probably around 500-600 New Yorkers over the years, and it's been absolutely fascinating. I find myself very lucky to meet so many people and to learn their stories.
Similarly, with the corporate side of my work, I find it really interesting to pop into a variety of businesses and learn about what they do. I've shot such a random variety of events, from the IPO of Facebook in the Natural History Museum to events for the US Open, where they turned ballrooms into tennis courts with professional players.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment has been creating a successful business that allows me time for personal creative endeavors and flexibility to be with my family a lot. It is a demanding and physical job, but it also allows flexibility in my day-to-day that allows me to pick up my kid from school, be there a lot, and to be able to take a variety of roles in my family.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Marketing and all the day-to-day things to keep a one-person business running. On the one hand, I love it because it allows me to have a job that I love and with this flexibility. But on the other hand, you always have to be on and pushing and grinding for the next job. It takes a lot of consistency and focus.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Start by focusing on one thing you do well that brings in income, and once you've developed that, you can spread your wings into other things. Focus hard on marketing, figure out where to find your customers, and build a mailing list. Don't build your business on a social media platform that can control where and how people see your work. For instance, I stopped using Facebook and Instagram over the last few years and focused entirely on my website, SEO, and mailing list. And think of your business like a rolling snowball; every little bit at first will start to grow more exponentially over time.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://jamesmaherphotography.com/
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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