A Step by Step Guide to Honing your passion on a shoestring budget

A Step by Step Guide to Honing your passion on a shoestring budget

In today’s society, one income is often not enough to meet all our needs. Many people are being pushed to find a different source of income, and many like myself are tired of doing the mundane job just to get by. I have always dreamed of financial freedom and living a life doing what I love, but the road to get there does not always seem tangible.

Well, I am happy to say that I did precisely that. I found something I loved doing and made a career out of it that gave me an annual income of 70K. It took hard work and focus, but it was worth it. For those of you looking to achieve similar results, here is a step by step guide on how you can generate a sustainable business doing what you love.

Before we get started, you are probably wondering what the nature of my business is. My passion is photography. I love taking pictures! It was never something I thought I was good enough to do professionally or something I had formal training in. But when I sat back and thought of all the things I loved doing taking pictures and exploring my creative side topped the list. So, to start this journey, my first question for you is:

What do you love doing? Starting a business will take a lot of time in the beginning. It will be like a young baby that needs a lot of attention from you to grow. If it is something you love doing, investing the energy into its success will make it a lot easier. So, take out a note pad and write down all the things that you love doing. It can be creative, like taking pictures or doing makeup. It can be shopping, cleaning, or organizing spaces. Or how about something you have always been good at like math, grammar, or excel sheets. You can take any area of strength or joy and make a business out of it.

Take that list and brainstorm services people may need with items from that list. Try to make this specific. For me, I like taking pictures, so I started looking into photography. I then researched different types of photography there was to see and considered, which would most match my personality and lifestyle. I love romance, but weddings were too much pressure, and I did not want to give up all my weekends. I also loved working with women and babies, so I ended up doing maternity and newborn photography. If you are great at organizing, there are probably business owners who need your help, moms who need structure to help with their children or the function of their home. Think about all the ways you can use that skill or passion, who it could help and the problem it could solve. The more specific you can get, the better. Google can be a useful tool in this brainstorming process.

Study this area of business. This stage is crucial. You may study it and realize it is not for you. I studied wedding photography at first and quickly realized it was not for me. I then studied maternity and newborn, and it reaffirmed that this is what I wanted to do. Your research may involve finding someone doing this and offering to help them for a portion of time for free. Look up people online that are doing well at it. Really immerse yourself in this area of business. Look at what they are doing that you like, why you like it, research the income

potential, operating cost, how much time is involved and is this business primarily done on evenings or weekends. Don’t be too quick to get started that you rush through this process. You may have to give up some time working for free, to get the answers and training that you need. No one likes doing this, but it can save you a lot of time and money in the future. Social media, YouTube and google can also be great tools for this.

Study your craft. Even for those who are not creatives, this is crucial. This area of business development will be something you should always be doing. The stronger your skillset, the happier your clients and higher the number of your referrals. I used YouTube and online learning websites to help learn what I needed to about photography. I also used closed Facebook groups where industry professionals share ideas and help each other. This helped significantly in my development and provided a place to ask questions as I needed to. Look up every resource there is to help you grow; study those online who are doing what you want to do and doing it well. Remember that you don’t want to reinvent the wheel...at least not at first. It is okay to use what is working and then improve on it.

After researching this area, take note of what you absolutely need to get started. Using my business as an example, I knew I needed a camera, a place to take my images and props to pose my younger clientele. There are so many other things that I would have loved to have, but those were the essential items I needed. Since I was starting up with a really low budget, I went to Kijiji and found an entry-level camera for $250. I had done enough research to know that with a basic camera if I had good enough lighting, I could still get great images. I shot outside when I could and helped moms with their wardrobe. I used a room in my home that had good exposure to light. Since I did not have a lot of props or money to invest in this area at first, I did a lot of nude shots with simple fabrics for both mom and baby. I became known for this style of photography, and something that was started because of my limitations became my strength and selling point. At the outset, my backdrops and lighting were all second hand, but each time I got a new client, I reinvested in my business. Use what you have to make it work.

Think about your presentation. Even though you may be starting on a dime, it doesn’t mean you should look that way. Today we have access to so many tools to help with marketing and branding. You will need a website, business cards and good images to ensure the face of your business looks polished and professional. There are websites like Wix and Squarespace, to name a couple that has simplified the website design process. Vistaprint is another tool that can provide business card designs and prints at a low cost. Using a smartphone with good lighting to take images or trail offers from adobe stock can help get the images you need to start. If you are not creative and think you may need more help creating a polished look, try other resources like Fiverr or search your local listing like Kijiji or Facebook market place for creatives looking for gigs.

Photo Credit: SABRINA DOMIZE

Spend the time needed in each of these steps. I am a firm believer that you can truly accomplish anything you put your mind to. Just because you want something does not mean it is going to fall into your lap. The old saying ‘action speaks louder than words’ very much applies to business. If you really want it, follow the steps, put in the time, be consistent and persistent. You will get there!

Get the word out about you. You need to market, market, market! When marketing, ask yourself these questions: Who are your ideal clients? Where are they located, what do they read, where do they go, and what are their interests? The more clarity you have about who you are trying to reach.

Sabrina Domize Photography Consultant