A few weeks ago I did the numbers regarding my photo business, and one of those numbers related to how my income for the 4th quarter of 2020 compared to the 4th quarter of 2019.
And that number told me that my receivables were down…a lot.
Not a good number, in fact if it was much worse, it would almost be like being out of business.
And if I was out of business, I thought, I’d have to start over.
And with a clap of thunder and a 1000 watt second flash of light, starting over suddenly sounded like a great idea.
Almost every marketing project has been put-off, every sporting event postponed or played in an empty arena, every convention, fund-raiser, awards ceremony cancelled.
But things are going to come back, and I realized that when they do, it will be a phenomenal opportunity to be there for my old clients and get myself in front of new ones.
There’s a back-log of work waiting to be done, and people are going to be enthusiastic about hiring photographers and writers and graphic designers to help them do it.
I think there will be an avalanche of productivity once life starts to get back to normal, and as independent contractors, we need to wax our skis and check our bindings in anticipation.
Update the website now, start a new promotion campaign now, get your equipment cleaned and checked now.
We have all been forced to hibernate to varying degrees the past year. But when the figurative Springtime arrives, and we all come out of our caves squinting in the sunlight, we have to be ready to perform, get back on our feet, and explore new territory.
Personally, I’m more optimistic than I’ve been in a long time. I’ve re-arranged and cleaned my office, edited, scanned and then thrown away wastebaskets-full of transparencies from another era, and come-up and implemented ways to organize.
I have financial tables, I painted my office, I can see the top of my desk!
It’s time to stop looking back at how bad things have been business-wise, and begin looking ahead to what could be.
When I left my newspaper job as chief photographer/photo editor all those years ago, I knew that I could shoot, but I knew nothing about running a business.
Now I feel that same enthusiasm as when I took that leap, but without the terror. I know how to do this, and this unwelcome interlude has made me realize I’d been slipping into complacency, acting like I’d be able to do this forever.
I’ve looked back over my career and thought about whether I’ve accomplished all I could have…and I definitely have not. I could have done better.
But when we come-through this pandemic, it will be like getting a glorious second-chance,and I’m starting now to make sure it doesn’t slip away.