2020 was going to be your year. You finally felt brave enough to start your own business. You spent January and February laying out your business plans, setting your pricing, perfecting your craft and building a website. You were just ramping up to start your business this spring and then coronavirus took over our world.
You are a mix of emotions. You are grieving what you thought you would be doing this spring. You are sad and feel like maybe this is a sign that you are not meant to start that business after all. You are pissed at all the money and time you think you wasted getting your business ready to launch. You are heartbroken that your dream is not becoming a reality.
If this is you… If you are walking through this right now, there are 3 things I want to tell you:
-
It is okay to feel all the emotions- You may or may not have heard this before, but whatever you are feeling is okay. And if your emotions are changing daily (or even by the moment), that is okay too. Every single emotion on the spectrum is acceptable right now because we are in completely uncharted territory right now. But the key is not to wallow in the emotions. Feel them yes, but don’t drown in them. Cry the tears. Scream in anger. Be frustrated with our circumstances. But then move on. Take it from me, I am currently battling this same thing. Shaking all the emotions I have is a true struggle daily. The best advice I have for moving past them is this: practice gratitude, get outside, slow down set proper expectations.
-
Go ahead, start the business- Ready for this? Now is actually the perfect time to get things perfected even more and hit the launch button. Use this time to crank out some blog posts to start getting your SEO going. Use this time to start sharing all your portfolio building images on social media. Use this time to start connecting with your ideal clients. Use this time to share yourself with the world. Just start showing up. This is not forever. Covid 19 will pass. We will be allowed to leave our homes and photograph clients again. And now is the perfect time to position yourself to hit the ground running when we get our freedom back. (link to other post)
-
Your dreams can and will still come true- I said this above but it is worth emphasizing, Covid 19 is not forever. This will pass. You will rise on the other side of this. Your dreams have not vanished. They can and they will still come true if you can push through this. Honestly, be thankful that you didn’t have any paying clients already booked- that is refunds you don’t have to send. Be thankful that you hadn’t hired an assistant, that is a paycheck that you don’t have to worry about sending. Be thankful that you aren’t having to order prints or product from a vendor that has shut down. You are in the position to still work hard on your business with very little or no expenses. You are in a good place. Keep your dreams alive because all that has shifted is the timeline.
Before I end this post I want to share a few resources with you:
Sign up for the SGP photographers newsletter for encouraging tips/downloads
I did a short Youtube video to encourage you with things you can be working on right now.
Pic time has a great photography resource round up where most of the things linked are FREE!
Schedule a Skype call with me and we can work on specifics for your business. From now until May 1, 2020, 30 minute Skype calls are discounted 50% down to $150.
