Summary:
Do you have a hobby or passion you dream about turning into a business? How do you start? Is it even possible to make money? What if you don’t know how to run a business? There are lots of questions that come to mind when considering if you’re ready to launch your idea and become a business owner. Thankfully, our guest, Amanda Coker, is experienced in doing just that.
David sat down with Amanda Coker of Dash Photography to talk about her journey from photography hobby to thriving business (in a highly competitive market). From taking random gigs to learn your craft, to bringing on team members, and choosing your brand experience…we hope this conversation helps give you the tools and ideas you need to start.
Links+ Resources:
Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Takeaways:
Don’t despise small beginnings.
From inside the octagon at MMA fights, to working under the wing of another photographer, Amanda doesn’t look back at her beginnings as wasted time. The opportunities given to her as a new and inexperienced photographer allowed her to learn her craft quickly and well. Her early experiences also helped turn her hobby into a business as her mindset shifted from a creative to a creative business owner. The lessons learned in the early days of her career were stepping stones to the business she has now.
Making your first hire is scary.
As a business owner, it’s easy to look at a hire as loss of profit. When Amanda finally made the jump to bring on team members, two things happened. The first: With the team’s taking care of the tasks she didn’t enjoy, she had more bandwidth to work in parts of the business she loves. The second: She had a record year in profit. As launchers, it’s completely understandable to fear hiring help. However, when you hire well, having a team makes all the difference.
Create a contagious experience.
Your customers will always be your best source of leads. People love to tell their friends about their good experiences. Amanda created a process to delight her customers and get them excited about working with her. It’s a contagious culture that helps both her customers and her brand. Beyond the product you sell or service you provide, what is your customer’s experience? How could you make your customers’ experiences of working with you even better?
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