Learn these skills to make more | #52

In this week’s YouTube video, I talked about an essential concept that creative entrepreneurs need to grasp. Learning new skills will make you more money.

Entrepreneurship is about growth. You’re leveling up as a person. There are skills that you learn over time, and those skills stack.

Let’s say you’re a photographer. You know lighting, composition, and the technical details of how to use a camera.

If you want to earn money doing that, you need to learn new skills.

Sales and marketing are the basics to start with.

With each new skill comes the opportunity to gain more and more clients. You’re able to help more people and make more money for yourself.

A year into your business, a potential client might ask you if you can do something new. They have a huge budget. Do you say no, or do you go out and train yourself on this?

About half of my clients now ask for hard lighting in their photos. When I first learned lighting, no one was talking about hard light. Soft light was always the goal. No one wanted hard shadows.

Many brands have shifted to using hard light in their imagery these days.

Did I fight this shift? Did I tell clients I only do soft light?

Of course not. I adapted to the landscape so that I could serve my client better. That’s what entrepreneurs do.

Throughout your journey, there will come a time when the landscape around your craft shifts, and you’ll need to adapt or die.

If you’re a photographer looking to learn a new skill right now, consider learning video. Clients are hungry for video right now.

You can create customized packages for these clients and charge a high price point.

New skills unlock higher-paying clients.