Studio

[Jeff Lane]

Depending on your business plan (you HAVE written a real business plan, right?), there may be other creative ways to meet parts of the needs of your business.

For example, Brad and Holly are right about the air of legitimacy attached to having a nice office space to meet with clients. There are places, however, that operate business suites/office sharing arrangements where for a small fee (often less than $350 per month), you get a receptionist to answer your phone in a professional manner, someone to collect and sort your mail and do minor clerical stuff for a small additional fee, and conference rooms or temporary shared office space to meet with clients for a few hours a month. Then, you can either shoot stuff on location (weddings and sports will always be location shoots, and I'm sure most other things could be, as well), or rent time at one of the many co-op studios around. (If your home is spacious and in a nice enough neighborhood, AND you keep it and the lawn a lot nicer than I do, you could even set up a studio in your house, but there are lot of other issues related to this option, and I've already gotten more long-winded than you probably want to read.)

In sum, you can get a business-like image and some clerical support for far less than the $2,500 to $4,000 it would cost you each month to maintain the space alone for even a small but classy enough place to run a respectable business, by the time you add up rent, utilities, taxes, etc.

Especially when you're a start-up, it pays to think creatively about resources like this, but it also pays off big time to capitalize well before you start, and spend what it takes to do it right and set up a good image from the get-go.

[HotHolly]

OK, here is my big secret. When I 1st started, I had no studio and was still able to side step the legit thing. Meeting at Taco Bell with people dropping $1K didnt fly with me. So I thought of where we could go that was posh, respectable, and would allow us to meet with clients and possibly shoot there...and it needed to be cheaper than rent. For less than $300 per month, I joined a country club. Bingo. Fulfilled all 3 objectives AND I had an instant client pool too. That was awesome.

I'd think about WHY you want the studio. There are lots of reasons why a photog might want a studio. Then see if there is a less expensive means to go about doing it. If you are going for photo mill, mass amounts of people in and out all day, there may not be another option. But the average photog isnt set up like that. And one thing my early country club thing taught me was that when you are new, you need to bring the clients to you. They dont usually wander in. Being at a CC did exactly that. Of course there was a little more to it - like you have to fit in and all that. But you get the idea.

Other options like folks already said - rent a studio as needed, rent an office space, warehouse space, you can also sublet and artist loft - those are usually big empty and cheap, country club, other social clubs who have nice meeting spaces, etc.

[pbyd]

"I joined a country club. Bingo. Fulfilled all 3 objectives AND I had an instant client pool too. That was awesome."

That is the best in creative thinking Holly. Very good idea.
Wayne

[HotHolly]

Originally Posted by pbyd

"I joined a country club. Bingo. Fulfilled all 3 objectives AND I had an instant client pool too. That was awesome."

That is the best in creative thinking Holly. Very good idea.
Wayne

I mentioned this at one our workshops a while back. One of the guys there joined a boat club and it pretty much did the same thing. Plus he had a boat, so it made sense.

When you can get everything you want, plus its cheaper - yeah, Im all over that.

[blazinphotography]

Thanks holly, excellent Idea. You all are awesome, thank you

[Jeff Lane]

And THAT, folks, is what makes Holly Hot. Creative problem solving at its best.