inFOCUS by APPO by Association of Personal Photo Organizers

inFOCUS APPO’S MAGAZINE FOR PHOTO ORGANIZERS

WINTER 2015

www.appo.org

Welcome | WINTER 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR! A FEW FAVORITES

I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, but I have a very good feeling about 2015!

I believe we are reaching the “tipping point” and the profession of photo organizing is shifting from the unknown to a visible and viable profession. By the time you read this, APPO member Deb Cabral will have been featured in the Better Homes and Garden Storage magazine and Lisa and I will have returned from a speaking engagement at the Photographic Marketing Association annual conference held in Las Vegas prior to the Consumer Electronics Show. The title of our presentation is How the Emerging Profession of Photo Organizing is Reconnecting People with Their Photos. Here is a description of the PMA conference:

Technologies for Digital Photo Fulfillment: The hot track for new imaging products technology at DIMA will explore advances in the photographic market that allow us to create, preserve, share, and visualize our stories. TDPF 2015 will showcase products and technologies that help and encourage people to do more with photos and storytelling, with a broad inclusion of topics covering image capture, digital processing, and both hardcopy and digital viewing outputs. I am very excited to have the opportunity to highlight the work you do, especially to other professionals and brands in the photo industry. Every time I have the occasion to share our mission, I know I am increasing the respect of photo organizing as a valuable profession. This conference is just one of the four speaking opportunities I will be pursing this winter. Yes, my travel schedule is full; but I believe it is worth the time, money and effort to promote the amazing work you do and the difference it makes in the lives of the people we serve. Every time I speak I am amazed by the positive reception from the audience and the number of people who say they need us! And if that isn’t enough, I was approached by Money magazine and USA Today: Home Magazine weekly during the final weeks of December. What a great way to start the New Year! So make yourself a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy the second issue of our inFOCUS magazine for photo organizers!

Winter Wonderland by Nick Kelsh, p.34

“This further illustrates the need for photo organizing services. Many consumers are not interested or feel under qualified to do this important family activity for themselves.” p. 16

Connecting at the APPO conference, p. 8

Cathi Nelson Founder

inFOCUS

APPO’S MAGAZINE FOR PHOTO ORGANIZERS

Lisa Kurtz PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Janet Blunt CREATIVE DESIGN CONTRIBUTORS Ali Craig, Eric Eccarius, Dr. D. Gilboa, Sherra Humphreys, Nick Kelsh, Lisa Kurtz, Jennifer Lee, Lisa Montanerro, Julie Morganstern, Cathi Nelson, Rita Norton, Gary Pageau

FOR INQUIRIES, please visit www.appo.org or call (860) 904-5365 ext. 101

inFOCUS WINTER 2015

Cathi Nelson FOUNDER

Lisa Kurtz

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

PHOTOGRAPH BY NICK KELSH

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Contents 12

Issue 02 WINTER 2015

FEATURES 6_Driving Home Business Success Identify your mission and steer the way to business success. By Lisa Montanaro

8_Making The Connection The value of developing new relationships at conference. By Cathi Nelson

12_Lighting the Way Shedding light on our children’s journey to adulthood. By Dr. D. Gilboa

16 _Photo Market Trends for 2015 By Gary Pageau.

20_Reflecting on Change A new approach to New Year’s resolutions. By Julie Morgenstern.

TIPS & TRAINING

22 _What’s in a Name? Consistency is key when renaming digital photos . By Lisa Kurtz

24 _What Do You Do? Three ways to nail the question every time. By Ali Craig.

26_Scanning Solutions Five simple tips for getting the most out of your PS50 Kodak Scanner. By Eric Eccarius

28_Who Is Your Ideal Client? By Rita Norton and Sherra Humphreys

IN EVERY ISSUE 30_One Sweet Ride Coaster ride reveals entreprenuerial revelation. By Coach Jenn Lee.

34_Winter Wonderland 10 tips for taking your best

winter photos. By Photographer Nick Kelsh.

Driving Home

Business Success Identify your mission and steer the way to business success. BY LISA MONTANARO LISA MONTANARO is a Productivity Consultant, Success Coach, Business Strategist, Speaker and Author who helps people live successful and passionate lives, while operating productive and profitable businesses. Lisa publishes the monthly “DECIDE™ to be Organized” e-zine for success-minded individuals, and “Next Level Business Success” e-zine for entrepreneurs. Subscribe today. Lisa is the author of The Ultimate Life Organizer: An Interactive Guide to a Simpler, Less Stressful & More Organized Life, published by Peter Pauper Press. Lisa also publishes the DECIDE™ to be Organized blog. Through her work, Lisa helps people deal with the issues that block personal and professional change and growth.

RECENTLY, I WAS COACHING a business client and we were having a conversation about success. I asked her to share with me her definition of business success. After a pregnant pause, she admitted that she didn’t really know. Therein lies her challenge -- and maybe yours as well. No matter what stage your business is in, it is important to define success for yourself.

Vision. Passion, Discipline. Risk. In a life filled with success, these virtues are at once inseparable and inescapable - making one unstoppable. (Anonymous)

inFOCUS WINTER 2015

Not knowing your definition of business success is like driving at night without your headlights on! You and your business may reach your destination, but it makes it a whole lot harder to navigate the journey without a few bumps and bruises along the way. What’s more, you may arrive in an entirely different place than the one you initially set out to reach. Knowing your definition of success is like driving with your high beams on. It guides you in the right direction and assures you will get there safely, quickly, and by the most direct route possible. The New Year is a perfect time to reflect on your definition of success for your business. As you take time to reflect and ponder what new experiences you want to create for your business in the year ahead, ask yourself these key questions:

• How do you define success? • What is it that propels you forward in your business? • What drives you? • What rewards have you set up

for yourself as you meet business milestones? • What is the mission of your business? Far too often, business owners get caught up in someone else’s definition of success. The problem with that is you can waste an awful lot of time being confused, feeling overwhelmed, and hesitant about your next step or path. You also may lose faith in building a business that serves you and your unique goals. All of the above questions are vital and should be given considerable thought. The most important one by far is determining the mission of your business. By mission, I don’t mean the mission statement that you post on your website for clients and the world to see. I mean the internal one that is the driving force behind your business. For example, my mission is to marry my passions with my profits. In my opinion and experience, the greatest businesses are created out of passion and knowledge packaged together in a

way that others see as value. Therefore, I’ve made a conscious choice to step into a bigger purpose to help people around the country and world through my consulting, coaching, speaking and writing. Success to me means taking my business to the next level to reach a wider audience, establish a strong online presence, and to do it without any full time employees. You can make your business whatever you want it to be. But first, you have to know what it is you want, how you define success, and what steps you need to take to achieve that success. I challenge you to create a definition of success that truly works for you. And when you do, be sure to share it with someone that will hold you to it and serve as a powerful accountability partner. You can email me if you’d like at Lisa@LMOrganizingSolutions.com. I’d love to see what you come up with. Copyright 2011. To explore how Lisa can help take your business to the next level, contact Lisa at (845) 988-0183 or by e-mail.

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Making the Connection

The value of developing new relationships at conference BY CATHI NELSON

Pioneer of the Photo-Life Management Industry, CATHI NELSON is the founder of the Association of Personal Photo Organizers, an association that trains individuals who specialize in helping consumers and businesses rescue their irreplaceable film and digital photos, organizing them in a way that makes it simple to share their memories, lives and traditions. Since its inception, APPO has grown to include hundreds of members throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and United Kingdom.

“Working in a small business is often isolating and without exposure to your peers in the industry you may be at risk of missing new ideas and trends that can have a positive impact on your business.”

inFOCUS WINTER 2015

WHEN I STARTED APPO, I knew that the association’s long-term success was dependent on creating a lively, engaging and valuable annual conference. I knew this because of my own experience. Nothing can surpass the unique, personal and insightful conversations you have with other people, live and in person. A chance encounter in an elevator, sitting at

lunch next to someone for the first time, saying yes to a roommate you’ve never met, all of these moments can have an invaluable impact on your business and your life. In our busy, social media-crazy world, we may feel engaged; but we are often missing the synergy of face-to-face interactions. Amazing ideas such as Save Your Photos Day are born when you join with others who bring likeminded passion and commitment to an event. The core value of the APPO conference lies in connections! As a participant, you will connect with us, the staff of APPO; your peers, who are doing just what you do; and our industry partners, who are seeking ways to support you in your business. But, let’s face it. We are all busy, not only with our work, but in our personal lives as well. The demands on our time are varied, but significant. Many

of you are raising families, some work full time, others are the caretakers of elderly parents. The thought of taking a few days away to participate in a conference can seem like another chore on an already full to-do list. I know from experience however, that attending a live conference is often just what you need to uncover new ways to grow your business and develop wonderful new relationships. The first relationship I want to focus on is the opportunity to connect with Lisa Kurtz and me. We value meeting you face-to-face! This is our chance to listen and learn firsthand about the challenges you face. The conversations we have with members at lunch or in small groups give us the direction we need to improve your overall experience with APPO. For example, last year we learned that many of you struggle with digital photo organizing and we have been focusing on ways to help you meet that challenge. Another suggestion was the need for a resource guide with favorite tools and products used by APPO members. Lisa and I take notes and then strategize ways to implement your suggestions. Working in a small business is often isolating and, without exposure to your peers, you may be at risk of missing new ideas and trends that can have a positive impact on your business. It is so much fun meeting people from other regions of the country. They can help shift your perspective and expose you to new ways of thinking. In addition, the friendships you develop will become valuable resources for the future. If I had not attended a Spark & Hustle event, I wouldn’t have met Coach Jenn Lee or Dawn Brolin, who have become valuable resources to APPO. By attending the PMA Conference, I met Julie Morris of FotoBridge, the folks at Professional Photo Albums and Hollywood FotoFix. While attending a NAPO conference, I heard Lisa Montanaro

and Julie Morgenstern speak and I knew I wanted to invite them to speak someday. All of these connections were made in person, not over the phone. When it came time to develop the trade show concept for our conference, I wanted something different than what I experience as a frequent exhibitor. All too often, I notice attendees shy away from approaching a booth because they fear they will be talking to sales people. They don’t realize that the industry suppliers are some of the best people to get to know. Discovering innovative products and services for your business is necessary to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced world. In addition, our vendors can become allies in helping you grow your business and assist you in positioning yourself as an expert. This is why we invite our exhibitors to be in the same room as the conference. They are our partners and enabling you to connect with them is one of the many benefits of APPO membership. In addition to the advantages described above, you will also be learning from industry experts who will share advice and insights for your benefit. I suggest you make a goal to collect actionable tips, statistics, and other useful information to share with your clients and on social media platforms. Plan to compare your notes with others. You can get an entire year’s worth of blogging ideas in a few short days! Ultimately, the value of any conference comes from the effort you put into it. Returning with just one great idea, a new service, a change in procedures, or a new product or app that can enhance your business, will truly make the investment in time and money spent worthwhile. It is my intention that we create a conference experience that does not have an end date, but that serves as a springboard into the future business you desire.

inFOCUS WINTER 2015 9

MEET OUR SPONSORS AND EXHIBITORS

USING PICTURES AND WORDS TO SAY “I LOVE YOU”

inFOCUS WINTER 2015

LIGHTING the way

Shedding light on our children’s journey to adulthood BY DR. DEBORAH GILBOA, MD

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DO YOUR KID’S BIRTHDAYS MAKE YOU FEEL NOSTALGIC? Mine do.

DR. G. (DEBORAH GILBOA, MD) is a parenting expert, Family Physician, international speaker, author, media expert and mom of four boys. She developed the “3 R’s of Parenting” for today’s busy parents with age-specific tips and ideas for building character in kids. She is a regular contributor on CBS’ Pittsburgh Today Live, and ABC’s Windy City Live. She also contributes regularly to Huffington Post, Your Teen magazine, Parents magazine and MSNBC.com. Find her on Facebook and Twitter. Her new book is a best-seller, Get The Behavior You Want... Without Being the Parent You Hate! 14

inFOCUS WINTER 2015

I’m not much for reliving the birth story - good news for my boys, I think. That’s probably because I turned into a weeping lunatic for about the first solid week after each of my sons was born! Not my best moments. Birthdays make me think of growth and possibilities. I spoke to a friend recently on the ninth birthday of her son. “It’s half over,” she said. “He’ll leave home in nine more years.” It’s true, almost certainly, and I’m sure that this kind of countdown is inevitable and one most parents consider at some point. That’s just one of the reasons we take so many pictures! More than freezing time, we want to remember. And it’s not only parents who benefit from these reminders, these images of events, hobbies, or even “regular days”. When I do worry about the coming years, I think about the shell of teenagerness. Those years when the bright light that just shines out of our children goes a little dimmer as they focus inward. That time when they will have to do

the hard work of separating from our family to figure out who they are on their own. I think I will miss them more during those years than I will after they leave the house.

Don’t fear the teens. All the people I’ve known and loved through their teenage years have, thankfully, come back. Their development well underway, these late teenagers or early adults break free of the cocoon and show the beautiful soul that was always in there. They show it to the world, and even to their parents. In the meantime, I use my birthday musings each year to build another piece of the support I want to give them to get through that time.

Pictures and words. Every year, close to each child’s birthday (okay, sometime in the three months after, but definitely before we start planning the party for the next year), I write a letter about their year. I describe a little about their schedule and their friends and their teachers. I write some about their activities and interests. I try to include what they currently plan to be when they grow up. Most of all, I talk about their strengths

and challenges, and what they have overcome, with a word or two about our hopes for them. I want them to not only read, but also really see the love and fun and craziness that make up their childhoods. So pictures are integral. And they don’t have to be photoshopped (or Picmonkeyed) to look better than they were. The message here is one of genuine admiration and love. I hope that when our kids don’t like us and don’t believe we like them, they will reread these letters and really look at those pictures. I pray that they will find themselves in these books, an outside but loving view of themselves, so that they can shine some light inside the often painful cocoon of being a teenager. It is never too late to start a Birthday Book. I’ve always thought it would be cool to ask some other people who love my boys to write a letter to include, as well. Haven’t gotten around to it, but I still could. You could, too. Do you have any special birthday traditions? How do you use pictures and words to show your children what you value about them? How can you encourage your clients to do the same, without feeling overwhelmed?

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Photo Market Trends for 2015

by gary pageau

THE PHOTO MARKET has always been in a constant state of change with innovations coming one after another, at a faster and faster pace. In this fast-changing market, sometimes it’s hard to see what’s meaningful and what’s a fad. In the camera hardware market, there’s been a definite shift in the market away from plain-vanilla point-and-shoot cameras to more advanced system cameras. As smartphones have taken the place of the everyday moments camera, camera manufacturers have focused on DSLR and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. More than that, however, cameras come in far more shapes and sizes. Set aside preconceptions. Cameras are now wearable, droneable, submersible, floatable and spherical. It wasn’t too long ago when cameras were discussed in terms of “households”, that is, those households that even possessed a functioning film camera. At best, penetration was shy of 90 percent of U.S. households - that was the addressable market. That’s one reason why one-time-use cameras were so successful. More family members, including kids, could take great pictures easily without the expense of buying a camera for everyone. Later, as digital cameras became more and more popular, old models were handed down to other family members. Now, smartphones pack capable digital cameras in every purse or pocket.

POLOROID MICRO RETAIL: Poloroid Fotobar is breaking down barriers to reach new customers

inFOCUS WINTER 2015

Keeping it all straight With more than a trillion images being captured each year, it’s become increasingly troublesome for consumers to manage the deluge of photos on their smartphones. Some apps, like Snapchat, treat the images as the trivial, ephemeral moments they are, and throw them away. On the other hand, image-enhancement apps are growing in popularity for smartphones and tablets, bringing the full-featured editing suites to a screen fitting into the palm of your hand. As everyday consumers do more with images, they are making images more meaningful to them. That means printing. But to print them, the consumer first has to find them! As usual, as soon as a problem presents itself, solutions emerge. While image-management software has been around as long as digital images, the

recent introduction of fast, seamless cloud photo and data syncing services have created easy solutions to this problem. Startups like Mylio take a cross-platform approach, making all your images available across devices. Other services, like Shutterfly’s ThisLife and Forever.com want to be the online archive of families’ digital history. Cloud storage services, like Google Drive, Box.net and DropBox take the shoebox approach. Whatever the tactic, what’s important is never losing an important image and to have it accessible for sharing and printing purposes. Just storing images isn’t enough. Interoperability between services is becoming more and more important. Just like the old color negative which could be printed at any one-hour lab no matter who developed it, a digital image on services like Google Plus, Facebook, Instagram, and others can

now be accessed by apps, kiosks and websites. This is a vital step towards making photo product printing services even more convenient. According to a recent survey of 1,200 consumers by Suite48AAnalytics and Photogurus.com, 57 percent of respondents believe their photo collections either “need a lot of work” and are “somewhat organized” or are “largely disorganized.” This further illustrates the need for photo organizing services. Many consumers are not interested or feel under qualified to do this important family activity for themselves. Let’s get small Retail floor space is becoming more and more important to the everchanging photo retail landscape. Modern technology has reinvented what it means to be a “retailer.” Mobile

SOURCE: SUITE48AANALYTICS

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“Mylio … it just may change your life.” — OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHER

The photo world is buzzing about Mylio, the first lifetime photo memory keeper. Mylio helps you organize, protect, access and share your photos across all your devices, anywhere you go. All your photos. All your devices. Always protected. MAC PC iOS

Everything, everywhere, safe. Mylio helps you gather, organize and access all of your photos so you can enjoy them on your Mac or PC and all your devices, with or without the cloud. (Android support coming in 2015).

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payment technology such as Square, have made conventional POS systems less necessary, especially in highservice environments where sales staff roam the floor. Opening up the retail space is important to encouraging customer interaction. This trend is exemplified by the “popup” store trend, where seasonal retailers set up shop in vacant areas of a mall or shopping center. For example, Polaroid is taking the Fotobar to a new level, bringing out seven micro-stores in Westfield mall locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose, California. These 300-square-foot stores provide a limited product selection, especially when compared to the Fotobar superstore in Las Vegas, but still provide enough of the printing “experience”

to introduce shoppers to the joy of photo printing. Another way for mass merchandisers to deal with this is to subdivide their floor space with themed areas, structured around product categories or brands. Best Buy recently upgraded 43 Chicago-area stores to feature Microsoft Windows Stores, Apple shops, new Camera Experience Shops and a Dyson in-store experience. That’s in addition to the Samsung Experience stores already found inside Best Buy stores. It’s like a mall-within-a-store-within-a-mall. It’s too early to gauge the success of this experiment, but this type of micro store is part of an overall retail trend. Pop-up stores and open kiosks are among the fastest growing retail concepts. That’s one way to combat high mall occupancy rates!

GARY PAGEAU, a 25-year veteran marketing communications and publishing executive, is principal of InfoCircle LLC, a content-marketing company serving local and national clients. Prior to starting InfoCircle, he was Publisher, Content Development and Strategic Initiatives, of PMA - The Worldwide Community of Imaging Associations. His primary responsibilities include overseeing the Association’s editorial department, marketing research unit, education and corporate relations department.

“Many consumers are not interested or feel under qualified to do this important family activity for themselves.”

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Reflecting on Change

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION time is here - that annual ritual most studies (and cynics) say is destined for failure within two to three weeks.

A new approach to New Year’s Resolutions BY JULIE MORGENSTERN, New York Times bestselling

author of TIME MANAGEMENT FROM THE INSIDE OUT

inFOCUS WINTER 2015

But does that mean don’t bother? Our intentions are noble - the start of each year (and each season) provides an opportunity for a new beginning. The main distinction between people who successfully make changes and those who get derailed boils down to a single behavior: Reflection.

As an organizing and productivity expert, I’ve observed that it’s human nature to focus on the changes we want to make to our lives (ever the self-improvers, we). Yet, we rarely stop to acknowledge the changes we’ve successfully completed—however big or small. Stopping to acknowledge and reflect on our successes is essential to building new habits—positioning us to mindfully, and incrementally sculpt our lives. Before you go charging into the improvements you want to make in 2015, one of the best things you can do is reflect on the concrete changes you made in 2014 that had a positive impact on your life. Identify the changes in detail and reflect on how your life has improved as a result. Keep it concrete. Define at least one specific activity that you added to your schedule, and one activity you eliminated from your schedule in 2014 that enriched your life in some way. It doesn’t matter if the additions and deletions are large or small—it’s important to be specific. While I could fill pages with the concrete changes my clients made in 2014, I’ll share a personal example to illustrate: ACTIVITY ADDED: I began swimming in August, at the encouragement of a dear friend who is a swimming addict. Having been in a total exercise rut for years—going to one Pilates class and the gym once per week, I have come to love swimming, and now go 3-5 times per week. The benefits have been many: Swimming is meditative, being immersed in an element totally different than air. I feel good about myself by 9am, which gives me confidence as I tackle the challenges of work each day. I’ve also lost weight, my body feels stronger and leaner, and my energy is boosted. ACTIVITY DELETED: I eliminated watching daytime talk shows before bed. They were actually work related research—and I realized it wasn’t true relaxation. My sleep had become fitful

and I was exhausted in the morning. Benefit—I’ve found more effective ways to relax at night (reading, music, conversations with friends and family), my mind unwinds naturally and I sleep longer, deeper and am more rested in the morning. Changing habits and behaviors is not easy. We can get better at it if we become students of our own process. Think back to the concrete schedule shifts you made in 2014 and identify what the specific change was, what triggered the change (meaning what finally motivated you to take decisive action), and all of the benefits you realized from that change. When we recognize the positive impact, the new behaviors become self-reinforcing, and before long, we have integrated a new habit deep into our consciousness. But without that acknowledgement, it’s easy to slip back into old habits or to feel defeated—not because you didn’t do something significant, but because you forgot you did. Examining how we spend our time is a core part of a dynamic, everevolving and improving life. If we skip the mindfulness and reflection, we cheat ourselves out of the selfknowledge, sense of accomplishment, and confidence that comes from knowing we are capable of change. Looking back to your wins of 2014--there is no better preparation for succeeding with your resolutions for 2015 (and proving the cynics wrong).

“Stopping to acknowledge and reflect on our successes is essential to building new habits.”

JULIE MORGENSTERN is an internationally renowned organizing and time management expert, New York Times best-selling author, consultant and speaker. Her work spans the distance between individuals and work forces homes and corporations. The “Inside Out” philosophy that is now synonymous with her name results in customized solutions that are innovative, practical and ensure long-term success. For over 25 years, Julie and her staff have transformed the way individuals and companies function around the globe, including American Express, Hearst, HARPO, Deloitte, Microsoft, GlaxoSmithKline, FedEx, the NBC-Newsroom, the NYC Mayor’s Office, State Farm Insurance, Sony Music, and Viacom/MTV.

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Tips & Training | TECHNIQUE

What’s in a Name? Consistency is key when renaming digital images

LISA KURTZ is the Director of Operations and Training at APPO and a seventeen-year veteran in the photo industry. Prior to APPO, Lisa owned and operated her own Photo Organizing business. Formerly a top-level leader in the Canadian market for Creative Memories, Lisa provided sales training and leadership coaching for a large organization that reached 2.5 million dollars in annual sales and was a frequent speaker and trainer at numerous National and Regional Conferences.

THIS PAST YEAR, I’ve become a serious student of digital photo organizing. Although I’ve always taken great pride in this task, managing my own photos came to a halt a few years ago when I moved from a PC to a MAC. With 25,000 images already organized on my PC, and a growing collection building up in iPhoto, I knew it was time to consolidate my collection. I also began to realize that iPhoto was not a great solution! Why didn’t anyone tell me about all those pesky duplicates and the perils of photo stream? What. A. Mess. Over the next few issues, I’ll share some lessons learned, resources I’ve found helpful, and tips and strategies to tackle any photo mess! I’ve also interviewed successful photo organizers and taken several courses so I can share these strategies from the stage at our APPO National Conference in Orlando this April. I never had a naming convention for my images. The photo organizing software I used had some great sorting features that allowed me to easily find any photo with a few clicks, so I didn’t see the need to rename all my images. But this software, although very powerful, used a catalog to organize my images. Once I exported those photos out of the program, my organizational structure was gone. I was left with 25,000 images named something like this: dsc_0225.jpg dsc_0226.jpg dsc_0227.jpg With a consistent, intuitive naming convention, I could have saved myself a lot of time!

inFOCUS WINTER 2015

BY LISA KURTZ

Important Tip: Rename all your images, regardless of the photoorganizing program you use. Even though there are varying opinions about the best way to name photos, experts agree that consistency is the most important detail. Decide what makes sense to you {or your client} and then be consistent. Let’s take a look at my naming convention and why I use this method. I incorporate the need-to-know details for identifying any photo: who, what, where, when: 1945-1950-beach-clark-grandbend_026.jpg 2011-03-11-vacations-kurtz-florida_0011.jpg 2013-08-17-weddings-giosa-guelph_006.jpg 2014-01-28-birthdays-chelsey-thekeg.jpg

When: I begin with the four-digit year followed by a 2 digit month and, if possible, by the 2 digit day and use a dash (–) or an underscore (_) instead of spaces or any other symbols. These two characters are universal symbols on any operating system. You can also use this method for the date, 20110311, but I find this easier to read 2011-03-11. By starting your file name with YYYYMM-DD, your files will always sort in date order. What: I follow the date with a theme, knowing that all my images have some sort of theme associated with them. And I probably have about 30 different ‘themes’ I use consistently. If I use my search bar to find .jpgs on my computer to find photos with the word ‘birthdays’, then I can quickly isolate a group of birthday images. I can narrow that search down even further by adding a year or a name to that search.

Who: Speaking of names, I think ‘who’ is an important part of your naming convention. I keep this as specific as possible. Our family vacation photos have ‘kurtz’ as the name. But when our daughter went on a trip with friends, those photos were identified as vacations-chelsey.

“If I did nothing else with my images, I have the most important details identified and I am no longer restricted to any one photo organizing program.”

Where: Important, but not always necessary, I like to include a one-word identifier that identifies the location the images were captured. That could be a city, country, park, a person’s home, restaurant, or any other place that I feel is an important identifier. This naming convention provides each of my photos with a unique file name. When several photos contain the same file name, you will notice a numerical appendage on the entire group. This numerical sequence always begins with 001 or 0001, depending on the total number of photos in that group. Some of my vacation photos total more than 1,000 images. With this sequencing, the group of photos remains in the order I

took them. I find this especially helpful when I am uploading a collection of photos to make a photo book or create on online album. If I did nothing else with my images, I have the most important details identified and I am no longer restricted to any one photo-organizing program. If you don’t have a consistent naming convention in place, today can be the first day of the rest of your life! Start now with your next camera upload, and use built-in tools on your photo organizing software or your operating system to rename your images. Or you can use a great tool like Photo Mechanic to batch rename! While it may not be suitable for your average client, it’s a priceless tool in a photo organizer’s toolkit! You can find more great tips and client processes for photo organizers in Digital Photo Organizing 101 at www. myworkflowstudio.com. So, what’s in a name? EVERYTHING!

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Tips & Training |

TECHNIQUE

Scanning can be a tedious task that many wish to avoid and that creates a new revenue stream and high volume scanning opportunities for us. Armed with the Kodak PS50 (or a PS80), you can become a scanning professional. Here are 5 simple tips for getting the most out of your Kodak Scanner.

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1. Take your time. Don’t rush the job. Figure out your plan of action before you start. It will make the process go much smoother. Do small batches at a time. Fan photos carefully so they don’t stick. Try to keep similar size photos together. Wipe dirty and dusty photos gently with a microfiber cloth. 2. Be realistic. Sure, these scanners will scan up to 50 photos a minute. 50 photos a minute or 3,000 an hour! Wow! That is a lot! However, it does not mean that will actually happen. Something like that would only happen in an ideal perfect situation. Don’t forget to figure in time for image rotation, image quality at 600 dpi, using best or superior quality, using Kodak Perfect Touch Software, redo’s, sticking photos, etc. 3. Problems are typically consistent. If you have a problem with your PS50, chances are, others have had the same issue, which means there is a solution. These machines are all designed the same and perform the same functions. For example, I recently discovered a cropping issue with the default settings for the PS50. This has been a top issue recently for so many people. The issue

has been resolved and there is a fix. You can find a fix for this issue and more great tips at ezphotoscan.com/ resources/tech-support-tips. That leads us to our next tip. 4. Troubleshoot in your community of support. If you have an issue, search for solutions. You paid how much for that scanner? It is definitely an investment. This machine has one purpose and one purpose only. Scan. Scan. Scan. You are losing time and money if it isn’t working properly. And it may be something as simple as a setting, a cleaning, or a software update. So if there is a problem, ask your APPO community or contact tech support where you purchased your scanner. There are many resources that can help you. Persistence and patience, and a little bit of digging will help you resolve any issue. 5. Utilize all features. Don’t forget that your PS50 has other additional, high value features as well. You can scan documents to .pdf, scan double sided, black and white, etc. Hope these tips are helpful for scanning with your Kodak PS50.

“Persistence and patience and a little bit of digging will help you resolve any issue.”

ERIC ECCARIUS founded Organize Those Photos, LLC in 2012, a full service photo organizing and media preservation business located in Chicago, IL. Through his work, Eric helps people with their memories, specializing in both printed and digital media. He has been doing photo organization and working with various media and technology for over 20 years. In fact, his first photo organization project was organizing a collection of school events slides in a slide viewing cabinet back in high school. Eric resides on the north side of Chicago with his wife and daughter.

Five tips for getting the most out of your PS50 scanner BY ERIC ECCARIUS

Scanning Success

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Tips & Training |

MARKETING

What Do You Do? Three ways to nail the question every time BY ALI CRAIG

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One of the hardest tasks facing many entrepreneurs is the dreaded, “So, what do you do?” question. A little question, I know. Seemingly innocent, but many people fail this test time and time again because for many of us to accurately describe what we do, how we are unique, and how we can help people requires paragraphs, not just one cute little sentence. The interesting thing I have noticed over the last 15 years of branding the solo entrepreneur, just starting out, to the seasoned international speaker is that if you can master this simple “What do you do?” question, everything becomes clearer. From the type of clients you take, to what you talk about on Twitter, to your web copy and the overall esthetic. Your brand “magically” becomes easier to understand. The veil is lifted and exactly what you are about and what you offer is crystal clear. Here are three easy ways to answer this feared question accurately, completely, and powerfully for your business. 1. You are not a task. No matter what you do, it can never be defined as only one task. Photo organizing is a task. Bookkeeping is a task. To answer the question as “I am a photo organizer” or “I am a bookkeeper” doesn’t define what you really do. It is only a description of a task you may do. It is like having a mom describe herself as a shuttle service. Shuttling the kids to and from events may be a task she does, but it is not all she does. 2. Add the word “because”. There are a few reasons the word “because” works so well in this situation. Most of the time, what people want to know is the “why”

behind what you do. Adding the word “because” allows you to concisely add the “why” to your sentence. Also, neuroscience studies show that the word “because” naturally triggers the brain to listen. This way people actually hear what you are saying, making you and your business way more memorable. You could say something like, “I help you gather your most cherished memories and make them easy to share with your family because, in the end, it is our memories that matter.” 3. Do you “help” or do you “do? In the last example, I used the word “help”, but is that the right word for what you really do? We all want to “help” and, yes, we all do in some way. In this situation, though, “help” gives the idea of coming along side, working together, laughing, and sorting photos over coffee. If this is what you do, then keep the word “help”. If you coach people on how to start their own photo organizing business or lead groups where you teach specific skills and the participants do the work, then please keep the word “help”. But if you do the work for your customer, then remove the word “help” from your description. To really hear and experience the impact this difference gives to your audience, read the following two sentences out loud. “I help you gather your most cherished memories and make them easy to share with your family -because, in the end, it is our memories that matter.” “I gather your most cherished memories and make them easy to share with your family - because, in the end, it is our memories that matter.”

relationship when we use the word “help” and when we do not. Take some time before the conference and work on answering the question you know we will all be asking each other in a few short months. It will make you eager to share your business and help you quickly find collaborators as well. P.S. Make sure to seek me out at the conference. I would love to hear your answer to the dreaded “What do you do?” question or help your refine your response if you haven’t quite nailed it.

“for many of us to accurately describe what we do, how we are unique, and how we can help people requires paragraphs, not just one cute little sentence.”

ALI CRAIG, of Ali Craig Brand Group, blends science, psychology, and savvy design to create award winning and extremely profitable brands for her countless clients. Her company mission is to get you, your business, and your brand noticed by the people that matter- your customers.

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Tips & Training |

MARKETING

We believe one of the most important components of starting your photo organizing business off strong is to identify who your ideal client will be. Often we’ve seen photo organizers launch their business by telling everyone what they are doing. Great! It’s good to share your new business with people who may hire you or may connect you with people who will hire you. However, you want to make sure that ultimately you are attractig your ideal client.

What if you created a strategy right from the very beginning to determine what your ideal client looks like? For some photo organizers, they love to teach. DIY clients are ideal for them - those clients who want someone to teach them how to organize their photos. Teach them to use software. Teach them to make photo albums. You get the picture. Another ideal client profile is someone who does not want you to teach them. They prefer not to learn about all the details that go into photo organizing and they may or may not be low tech. They want someone to do everything for them. They are willing to pay for services that give them more time. They want someone to organize, backup and archive all their photos and memorabilia. They want someone to create photo albums for them. The more traits you determine about yourself and how you like to work with people, the more clear your ideal client

profile will become. You also will be able to see if your ideal client profile matches your income goals and will help you determine your pricing for profitability. Check your income goals with our free income calculator. Here are some questions to get you started identifying your ideal client: 1. What five adjectives best describe your ideal client? Be crystal clear on this. If you can clearly identify your client, it will help you with referrals and strategic partnerships. TIP: Think of who you don’t want to work with – we like to refer to this as a PIB (Pain in the Butt) customer. 2. What are your ideal client’s biggest frustrations? Consider their “pain” points, challenges, and needs. The key is understanding their problems. 3. What is the biggest problem you solve for your ideal clients?

BY SHERRA HUMPHREYS & RITA NORTON

Who is your ideal client? 28

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4. Identify reasons why you would work with a client that is a subset of your ideal client. An ideal client description does not preclude you from working with any other clients – you can work with those who meet a portion of your profile. 5. What are your ideal client’s key decision-making factors? Learn them and then use this language in your sales conversations, on your website, blogging, etc. Take some time to actually write down your answers. This exercise will help you when you are sharing about your business and what services you currently offer. It’s worth it to do this annually. Sometimes your services and client base can shift. Use this alongside your financial goals so you can grow your business and be more profitable. We’ll be sharing all our insider tips at the 2015 APPO conference in Orlando. (You are registered, right?!) We’re looking forward to seeing many of you there!

In the meantime visit us at our blog myworkflowstudio.com/blog for business tips, ideas & resources. A note from Cathi and Lisa… Join Rita and Sherra at their breakout: “Insider Tips with APPO’s Authorized Trainers” Learn how to present yourself as a pro even if you don’t feel like one yet! We’ll share how to start strong with your very first client. We’ll cover these key areas: • • • • •

Creating your ideal client profile Marketing with tools you already have Pricing for profitability Choosing your vendors Using technology in your systems & workflows

We’ll show you how to invest your time (and less money than you think!) to launch your photo organizing business. You’ll leave with a list of essential components of building a strong, successful and profitable business!

SHERRA HUMPHREYS has built a career based on helping women succeed in small business. Her philosophy is to learn the business, do the work, and then help others do the same. Her comprehensive background in business coaching, training, and website design means you get real life experience from this business owner. She has been helping women for over 20 years find their passion and turn it into a business that gives them freedom and flexibility. Her life’s work revolves around storytelling through photographs, so she is passionate about the photo organization industry. She currently operates two businesses in tandem: Big Picture Coaching and Simple Photo Stories. She and Rita Norton are APPO authorized trainers and they are co-founders of My Workflow Studio, a premium training resource for photo organizers.

RITA NORTON has built a career based on helping people share stories with their photos. Her creative talents resulted in a very successful on-line business designing custom photo invitations. Her next adventure took her to the professional photography industry where she primarily photographs youth athletes in both indoor and outdoor sporting events. Keeping the camera in one hand, and staying true to her passion, she expanded her services by working in the photo organization industry. She has 16 years of photo and storytelling experience and operates two businesses: Digital Picture People and Photovation. She is also co-founder of My Workflow Studio, a premium training resource for photo organizers.

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COASTER RIDE REVEALS ENTREPRENEURIAL REVELATION FOR COACH JENN

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ONE SWEET

RIDE BY COACH JENN LEE

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HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE SAYING, “YOU’VE GOTTA RISK, IT TO GET THE BISCUIT?” Hearing that quote the other day got me thinking and it took me back to 7th grade and the day I went to Disney World with my Girl Scout troop. Before we get any further, let me paint a picture of me for you. Young, full of spit and vinegar, and a green vest jammed with badges! (Seriously, did you expect anything less from me?) Top Cookie Seller, check! Most Resourceful, duh! I was even an overachieving entrepreneur back then. On that particular day, we dominated the park until we got to Tomorrowland and the entrance of Space Mountain. Suddenly, my feet were heavy, unable to move even an inch. My joy for life was sucked out of me and all I wanted was my mommy. My palms were sweaty and there was an unexplainable lump in my throat. What the heck was going on?

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You know this feeling, the struggle your brain plays with you. Half of you is excited, ready to kick ass and conquer that ride. While the other half of your brain is reminding you that you could possibly, um… die. My badges were weighing on me as my fellow Scouts urged me to come with them. They had no clue how terrified I was (even thinking about it now makes me jittery!). They assumed because I was a complete bad ass in Girl Scouts that I would be a boss in all aspects of life. Don’t get me wrong, I was… but I hadn’t conquered roller coasters just yet. As they held my hand and urged me forward, I got in line knowing that it was now or never. When it comes to your business, I know you can relate to that feeling. That first step I took towards conquering Space Mountain is very similar to the first step you take in challenging yourself in business. When it’s time to up the ante and put your feet up to the fire, you tend to move forward when those around you are urging you that you can do it. Their belief in you is what propels you forward. Now, believe me, I know that putting one foot in front of the other can be very nerve wracking. It’s exactly like the line at Space Mountain. It’s dark in there and as you wind through the queue, screams of riders’ get louder and louder and creep into you. Despite the churning of your stomach, you inch closer to the start line; not because you really want to, but because you have no choice. Everyone around you moves, so you move. And just like you, they’re crazy. They are all faking it just as well as you are! (Come on, who hasn’t said they know MAC when all they’ve ever worked on is a PC?) Don’t panic, remember:

EVERYONE IS SCARED! But they, like you, are also curious and that’s why you keep inching forward. Once we reached the front of the line and strapped ourselves in, I still wasn’t confident that I could do it. Even as we left the station, I was planning an escape route. Hands gripping the sides of the car, relief flooded me as I noticed a bright red exit sign in the distance. It was like a beacon to my nerves! ESCAPE! Frantically, I charted a path from where I was to the sign and when I saw the dimly lit stairs by the emergency lights, I felt saved! It wasn’t too late! All I need to do was rip off my safety belt, jump to the platform ten feet (and growing by the second) and bolt through the door! The same goes in business. There are glowing red exit signs everywhere! And we can justify ANYTHING we want. I can’t find my first client, there’s no time to scan that many photos, and the classic: there’s no money. It’s quite easy to convince yourself that you need an exit strategy. We are all looking for an exit sign; however, just like my escape plan on Space Mountain, bolting isn’t the answer! Although I had convinced myself my escape plan was completely feasible, it wasn’t. As the first bend approached and the tram was picking up speed, I had no choice but to hold on tight and ride it out. And you know what? IT. WAS. AWESOME! Yes, it was terrifying, but the awesome experience trumped my terror because I fully committed to it. I had one heck of a ride complete with ups, downs, twists, turns, bumps and surprises! (Sounds like an APPO conference, huh?) You can have one sweet ride in your business if you only do the same. If you are going to do it, just do it! You will

never really know how much you can do, until you do. Bonus! At the end of the ride, you always end up in the gift shop. After my triumph, there was only one way to really seal the deal - a badge! I bought the pin, the t-shirt, and the commemorative picture of me screaming my head off. I walked around that park owning it and boasting about how easy it was! When you decide to tackle that perverbial “roller coaster” in business, reward yourself! Eat as many biscuits as you can get your hands on! Share your experience! Let the world know that you conquered your fear and landed that first client and wear that badge with pride! You never know who you may inspire to go for it because you did! If you are having trouble getting on that ride, reach out to me! I have a badge that will show you how to make that jump and go all in. Heck, let me take a commemorative photo of you screaming with joy! No two steps forward, one step back anymore! Give me a ring and we’ll make this ride the time of your life in no time.

COACH

JENN

entrepreneur’s

LEE world

marketing

madness,

speeches

and

rocks

the

through high-energy

money-mindset

maneuvers! Small business owners are booming from her insight shared on Fox Business News and local stations across the country, and national publications, like Success Magazine. Get more @coachjennlee. inFOCUS WINTER 2015 33

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BY PHOTOGRAPHER NICK KELSH

WINTER WONDERLAND 10 TIPS FOR TAKING YOUR BEST WINTER PHOTOS

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Photography by Nick Kelsh.

It’s probably in my genes. I grew up in Fargo, North Dakota and I actually love snow. One of my all-time favorite movies is Lawrence of Arabia. It left a big impression on me when I was a young boy and I think it has to do with the fact that a desert look like a prairie covered with snow. I digress. I hope you have a chance to get close to some of it this winter. The photographic possibilities are enormous. Snow turns the world into all kinds of graphic shapes and compositions. Here are a few thoughts that went through my mind as I shot some of my favorite snow-related photographs.

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1. Buying a Christmas tree: I listened to the weather forecast and scheduled the tree shopping around a winter storm. This Christmas tree stand is only a few blocks from our house and the boys are old enough to pull the wagon now. Falling snow, and boys, and Christmas trees are an unbeatable combination. Dozens of people have used the words “Norman Rockwell” when they reacted to this picture. 2. The snowman: People don’t have to be in every picture. And you don’t have to show both arms of the snowman. Being playful with your compositions can make a breaker photograph— regardless of the season. 3. Cookies: Photographing seasonal food that someone lovingly prepared is a nice way to recognize their efforts and say “I love you”

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4. Teddy on a green sled: It’s not easy to bring along my big boy camera when we go sledding. I shot this with my iPhone. The birds-eye view aspect of it takes advantage of all that white creating a bold graphic shape. I love Teddy’s little red nose in this picture. 5. The two boys: I knew I was going to put the two boys on our family Christmas card, so once again I waited for the appropriate snowfall. If you plan to shoot a snowfall photograph you have to be ready to drop everything in your life and run outside with your camera when it starts to

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happen. Snow waits for no man or woman. A few snowflakes on their heads and shoulders made all the difference here. 6. Anne pregnant: I had her dress all in black for this prebirth profile shot. We had talked about it and planned it and when the snow started coming down we went for it. The photographic differences between a winter day with snow on the ground and a winter day with snow falling are enormous. Falling snow adds life to any situation. Viewers can just feel the energy and imagine what it was like to be there.

Photography by Nick Kelsh.

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“You have to be ready to drop everything in your life and run outside with your camera when it starts to happen.”

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Photography by Nick Kelsh.

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7. Cabin: I intentionally underexposed this photograph to make the sun pop through the haze. Sometimes getting creative with your exposures can do wonderful things with snow. 8. Red berries: I always have my camera at the ready when I’m driving in the wintertime. You just never know. 9. Deer: Whenever we visit the in-laws on the farm in upstate New York, I plan to spend a few hours driving around alone on the snowy days. These deer and I spent about ten minutes analyzing each other. 10. The cornfield stalks: Snow turns the most mundane objects into graphic shapes that are just begging to be played with compositionally.

“Sometimes getting creative with your exposures can do wonderful things with snow.”

NICK KELSH is a nationally renowned photographer and the author of nine books, including the bestselling Naked Babies and Siblings. He has appeared numerours times on Oprah and The Today Show. Nick lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Anne, and is the father of three sons. For more information visit www.howtophotographyourlife.com.

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Photography by Nick Kelsh.

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