[00:00:00] Have you heard this one before? I don't understand why I can't get clients. Everyone says my work is so good. Maybe your photographer friends have said this. Maybe this is you. This is actually how I felt for a really long time. I couldn't get clients, but all my friends and followers kept praising my work.
So what was the issue here? In this episode, I'm breaking down the limiting beliefs that I had around my photography business. Let's get right into it. The most dangerous belief you can have as a photographer or videographer, or any creative. Is believing that you're owed clients. The world that we live in does not owe you anything.
We're not owed clients. We're not owed business success. We don't deserve anything. It's up to you and only you to go out there and make it happen. Now, this may sound cold and brutal, and maybe you wanna stop listening to this episode right now by promise you if you listen to the very end of this episode, I'll provide a mindset shift that will not only benefit your photography business, but it'll transform your life.
Bold claim. [00:01:00] I know, but please give it a shot. By the way, if this is your first time listening, my name is Chris Peta. I run a prod photography company and I teach creative entrepreneurs how to build their businesses through my education company Creative Biz Launch. Welcome to the Creative Biz Launch Podcast, where we talk about how to grow your creative business and scale to six figures.
Whether you're a photographer, filmmaker, or designer, you'll find something of value here. Okay, let's talk about the entitlement trap. Honestly, most photographers or videographers that complain that they can't get clients don't do much about it. They buy a great camera and they get amazing at photography or videography, and then they create a beautiful portfolio, and that's pretty much all they do at this point.
They're incredible photographers and videographers. They're very, very good. But here's where the disconnect happens. Being a good photographer does not mean you deserve any clients. Being good at photography and getting clients are two very, very different things, but most don't realize this. And when things don't work out, they complain.
They say the [00:02:00] market is saturated. They say there's no money in photography, and these things are simply not true. There's so many people out there that need photographers, so why do so many photographers struggle to get clients to stay in business? Well, if you went to college for photography, the promise wasn't that your education would help you get a job or start a business.
No. The promise was that you would become really good at photography. The promise was that you would become a really good artist, and that's what happens. You go to art school, they teach you art, and they give you a degree, but they don't set you up for business success. That's why I have students inside my own program create a BIS launch that went to college for photography.
Didn't learn any business skills and then came to me for that education. Right? Getting photography clients is honestly 80% business and only 20% photography. I know this sounds skewed, but this is how it is in reality. I know so many incredible photographers that struggle to get clients and their work is truly world [00:03:00] class.
Most of the students that enroll in my program are way better photographers than me, but they join because I guarantee that I'll teach them the business side of it. And I have dozens of success stories that do just this. So why do incredible photographers struggle to get clients? They're focusing on the wrong things.
I also know so many mediocre photographers that are just crushing it in business. Their work isn't world class. It's decent, but their businesses are thriving, and that's because they understand the 80% that matters, the business side of things. Now, this episode isn't about photography business, it's about mindset.
If you need help with the business, go watch all the videos I have on my YouTube channel. Go listen to all these podcast episodes or join Create Biz, launch Link down below before we can even begin to learn the business of photography. When you leave our ego at the door, we need to let go of any notion that we're owed clients.
We're not owed clients. This world does not owe us anything. It's up to us to go out there and make it happen. After we've created [00:04:00] that amazing portfolio, we need to get that portfolio in front of people. Just because you have beautiful work doesn't mean that people are going to just stumble upon it.
You need to present this work to the world. You can do this through cold messaging via email or dms. You can do this through paid ads. You can do this through a social media platform, whichever you choose. It's on you to get that portfolio out there and into the world. And if you're still not getting clients, you need to increase that volume.
Send more emails, post more often. Do the work until you have the number of clients that you want. Increase that volume of your output. Remember that you're not owed clients. You need to do the work to get those clients. When you see someone similar to your skill level, crushing it in business, it's easy to compare yourself to them.
You might say, my photography is better than theirs. It's not fair that they have clients. You don't know what they've had to go through to get those clients. You know how many emails I've sent that have gotten zero responses? Thousands, thousands of emails. I've literally sent [00:05:00] thousands of emails I've never heard back from the prospect.
That's a lot of emails. But sometimes you'll look at some people and you'll seem like they got lucky, and maybe they did. So what? What if they did get lucky with their first few clients? Does that mean you shouldn't try? Everyone's path is different here. Some people have it easier than others. It doesn't mean that you're owed an easier path when you see someone crushing it by seemingly doing a lot less work than you.
Do you become discouraged? Do you say, wow, they have it so easy. Why do I have it so hard? Or do you say, they don't seem that much different than me? I have to overcome more. But if they could do it, why can't I choose the latter path here? Know that it's 100% in your control. When you realize that the world doesn't actually owe you anything, you begin to think that everything is in your control.
The harder you work, the more opportunities you get. The smarter you work, the more opportunities you get. There's that famous quote, I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. This is [00:06:00] 100% true. By putting yourself out there, you get more opportunities. Now, let's shift a little bit here and talk about the continuous learning process and developing new skills.
Continuous learning and developing skills are not optional. If you find yourself lacking in some area of your life, it's on you to improve yourself. Not enough clients. Learn sales. Are your current clients leaving after just one project? Chances are your customer experience sucks. Learn how to improve the customer experience.
If you stop learning and developing skills, you begin to stagnate and stagnation is a slow death. You're either growing or you're dying, and I'm not here to scare you guys. I'm just here to paint an accurate picture of reality to give you the tools to handle that. If you can recognize what reality actually is, we can make better decisions.
We can choose better actions. If you previously thought that all you need is a good portfolio, you probably no longer think that.
You now have a clear picture of reality, and with this information, you can make the right decisions for your [00:07:00] business. You know what it takes. Now you can go out there and take action.
Part two of this episode is the growth mindset. One of the most important mindset shifts you can make is to adopt a growth mindset. This means understanding that your skills, talents, and abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. You're not stuck with the current level of your skills.
You can always improve and evolve. You can get better. Whatever your goals are. You can grow as a person, as an entrepreneur, and unlock a new level of skill. In the photography world, in the creative world, technology and trends are constantly changing. Just look at ai. Having a growth mindset will enable you to stay ahead of the curve, embrace the idea of learning from others, whether it's through online courses, attending workshops, or YouTube videos.
There are so many places these days to learn. There's really no excuse not to improve yourself if that's your goal. Speaking of goals, it's so important to understand what your goals are and take [00:08:00] massive action to reach those goals. It doesn't matter if your goal is to get one client or if it's to build a massive photography company with 10 employees.
Whatever the goal is, recognize where you're at now, where you need to go, and what steps you need to take in between. Once you realize what steps you need to take, attempt to implement consistent action, one of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal is consistent action. Rather than waiting for the perfect opportunity to fall into your lap, take the proactive steps to create opportunities for yourself.
This could involve setting aside time each week for learning new skills and doubling down on what you know works. The key here is to commit to taking consistent action that moves your business forward.
Alongside this consistent action, persistence is vital for success In the photography business, you may face rejection or encounter obstacles, but the important thing to know here is to keep pushing forward. Understand that success rarely happens overnight. In fact, it never does. It's often the result of [00:09:00] countless small steps taken consistently over time by combining this growth mindset with consistent action.
And persistence. You'll be well equipped to overcome challenges, these opportunities, and ultimately achieve the success that you desire in your photography business. Remember that it's all about being proactive here. Embrace growth and never give up. That's the winning formula for a thriving photography business and a fulfilling life.
That's all I got today. Thanks so much for listening. If you have an extra five, 10 seconds, please give the show a rating and whatever platform you're streaming on, I'll talk to you next time.
