Photographer, Videographer, Screenwriter

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in photography but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Travis Houze, Founder of Travis Houze Photography, located in Baltimore, MD, USA.

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

Travis Houze Photography specializes in photography and videography services to consumers along with small businesses. In the ten years of working as a freelance artist, I have created photography within the Portrait, Fashion, Artistic, Event, Engagement, and Wedding spaces and have had my work featured across the United States and highlighted on several billboards in Times Square.

Tell us about yourself

The reason I started my business is that I always wanted to work in the photography space and be able to travel to different places and work with clients in a direct manner. Shortly after graduating college, I was able to get the time to sit down and build a foundation and find out how to market my work.

What motivates me every day is the ability to continue to connect with new people and find out unique ways to present the ideas that they have for themselves or the business and elevate them in ways that impress us all.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

The biggest accomplishment I feel I've done was creating the visual presentation and print/digital marketing for a concert at The Howard Theatre in Washington, DC. I worked directly with the artist Devin White on how he wanted his concert to feel, and I coordinated directly with the opening artists and a street team to print graphics I created and post them throughout the Washington, DC, area. By the day of the event, we had over 400 people in attendance for our show, and the venue was so impressed that they scheduled us for future events based on the performance.

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

I think one of the hardest things within the freelance business is the up-and-down schedules. There will be months where I have bookings the entire month and some months where it's only a couple at best. The most important thing I tell people who get into freelance photography is knowing that those months can and will come, and it's best to appropriately make your rates with that in mind.

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

The first thing I will suggest is to love the business you create and show the world how much you love it. The reason for that is because a product and brand that you love, you will shout to the rooftops why it's truly needed for society and what they can get from it.
The second thing is to always remember society is always changing, and so should your business. The things the world needed a few years ago aren't the same as today. It's important to maintain what clients come back to you for, but always keep an eye and ear out for ways to grow your business.
And the last tip is also to give yourself time to breathe in between projects. While it's great to constantly grow your business, it's even better to give yourself time to refresh and look at things with fresh eyes. Allow yourself business hours even if you work at home, so you have downtime to relax and come to the next day ready to go.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.travishouze.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travishouzephotography/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travishouze/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/travishouze
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travishouze/

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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