We've all heard the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words", but it's also worth a thousand dollars.

Being a great photographer doesn't guarantee that you'll make money. Yes, it's important to be a skilled photographer, but to monetize it you need more than skill. Let's dive into a concept I call "skill stacking".

Photography as Art vs Business

There are so many incredible photographers who struggle to get clients. And at the same time, many mediocre ones seem to land job after job.

So, what differentiates these two? It's how they view and approach the business side of photography.

If you're into photography to create great art, then you should focus all your energy on your photography skills.

But, if you're trying to make a business out of it, you don't need to be in the top 1% of photographers.

You don't even need to be in top 10%.

Instead, you should focus on developing business skills.

Skill Stacking

We all start somewhere. We work for years to develop our skills. The first skill we learn is how to use a camera. Then you learn lighting principles, composition, directing people, posing models, and styling a scene.

All these skills that stack together help you become a great photographer.

But to go from a great photographer to a successful business owner, you need to keep stacking other skills. Business skills.

Being a good photographer doesn't automatically mean you'll make money from it. That's where sales comes in. Now, we're not talking about door-to-door selling or being aggressive. It's about matchmaking.

Sales involves identifying potential clients who can benefit from your services and making them aware of how you can help.

It's about reaching out, addressing their concerns, and sealing the deal. This way, your photography skills are matched with an ability to sell your services.

By the way, my program Creative Biz Launch has an entire module devoted to sales. This is just part of the 90+ videos you get when you enroll. Join the waitlist here.

Adding sales to your skills list can provide a comfortable income.

But if you want to increase it, you need to stack more skills. This could be learning marketing to attract more clients. Maybe you're ready to become a leader and build a team to scale rapidly. Each skill increases your income potential.

Let's say you started off as a photographer earning a modest income. By adding sales, marketing, business operations, and video skills, your income can easily cross six figures.

The Power of Skill Stacking

The best part of skill stacking is that you don't need to perfect each new skill. You'll find more success by being decent in several areas than by trying to become the absolute best in one.

There are so many photographers out there who think they're not making money because they're not good enough at photography.

That's not the reality of the situation.

What they don't realize is they need to learn new skills to make money.

So, my advice is to embrace the concept of skill stacking. It's your ticket to transforming your love for photography into a thriving business.

Avoid the mistakes that many others have made and diversify your skillset to improve your income potential.