journeywabby-blog

[journeywabby-blog]

Week 11 Update

I dont have much to update on this week. I have been extremely busy with school work in my other program and working. I took on one client this week and we were able to take advantage of the nice weather and do an on location shoot. The client wanted a shoot in a farm environment which was alot of fun because we were able to meet out in the farm country and do the shooting. Time management as always has continued to be my struggle as i do consider myself a very busy person. The next week i hope to continue my business as well as completing the final reports in regards to this adventure. 

[journeywabby-blog]

Progress Update

What is working?

This week has been a very successful week. I did two more sessions this week which i had alot of fun doing. Since the weather has gotten nice this week i was able to have a session outside using the nice weather as backgrounds and the promise of spring. 

What is not working?

I had a potential client contact me this week in regards if i had any professional licensing with photography and that they would only consider my services if i attended a post secondary institution solely for photography. 

How do you feel the project is coming?

As we are nearing the end of this adventure i feel like my project so far has been a success, much more so than i originally thought it would be. There are still a couple weeks left and i am looking forward to getting the most possible out of them. 

What are you learning about running a business? 

I have learned that running a business takes alot of time and hard thought and work. If you want your business to succeed you really need to have a original and unique outlook on it and it needs to be different than other businesses alike. It also takes alot of your time which made me think about my future and once im done school all my attention needs to go into making a business for myself if i want it to succeed. 

What are you learning about yourself?

This project has made me learn a lot not just about how to run a business but also about myself and how i do have the ability to do this and to in the future hopefully make a life out of having my own business. It has shown me that my hopes of doing so are possible as long as i give the time and energy into it. 

[journeywabby-blog]

Online Showcase- 

[journeywabby-blog]

Update on Start-Up Venture

What is working:

This week things have been working very well, and i hope it continues to stay this way. The sessions have been going great and sales are up. 

What is not Working:

As always- TIME has been an issue. This week especially there has been alot of assignments due for some of my courses so finding the time to put into this business has been hard. 

 How are you feeling about it?

So far i am feeling very confident that i am going to reach my profit goals. Ive really enjoyed this venture and its been fun but also a good learning experience. 

What am i learning about myself?

I didn't realize how much I would enjoy a project like this. It has shown me that later on in life when i “hopefully” get my paralegal licensing i would like to one day have my own firm and work for myself rather than under someone else. 

[journeywabby-blog]

Progress Update- Week 8

As we are now in week 8 of this course that also means we are in week 8 of the start-up venture. So far i have learned a few things about starting a new business. 

For starters i have realized just how hard it is to get your name and business idea out into the community. Its been hard to get clients who want to use my photography service especially because i am younger and do not have as much experience as some others. However when i finally found some clients who were interested it was nice to be able to make some money from doing something that i love to do and consider to be fun. 

Overall, i feel very confident about this adventure and how it is coming along so far. I am learning that businesses are not easy to start up or run. They take time and commitment- almost like a child. Which has in fact been challenging due to being in a full time program and having a part time job along with starting this business. It has forced me to learn that if i want a business to succeed i need to constantly give it my all. This adventure has also shown me that I do have a genuine interest in photography and id like to continue this business venture outside of this course. 

This adventure has showed me just how big of a goal it is of mine to be able to have a job in a field that i enjoy doing on an every day basis. Its showed me that if i am doing something that i genuinely love to do, it pushes me more to put as much effort as possible into it. 

[journeywabby-blog]

Business Operations Plan

Business Location & Space: The Location of my business is in North York or Newmarket, ON. Since my business is a photography business, I am using my basement as my “studio” where i keep all my photography equipment and props. 

Equipment: To successfully run my business i will need the following equipment:

·        A Camera

·        Backdrops (white, black, etc)

·        Props (flowers, boxes, etc)

·        Lighting boxes

Logistics: Since my business isn’t actually selling a product but instead offering a service to clients, there is no need to spend money in that sense but there is costs for maintaining my equipment, setting up a website and advertising to clients. For example of advertising If I was to choose to advertise my business over Kijiji, keeping my ad on the home page for 7 days costs $24.95.

To keep my business organized I am using Microsoft to do which allows me to keep track of what i need to do in my business and allows me to schedule booking so i can keep track of what i need to do and by when. 

Abby 

[journeywabby-blog]

Creative Advertising

15 ways to use a safety pin:

1) Tooth Pick 2)  Key Chain 3) Super Tiny Mirror 4) Necklace/Bracelet 5) Earrings 6) Taking out Splinters 7) Use instead of Staple 8)Use to hang laundry on a line 9) Keeping socks and their mates together 10) use to help zip up your dress 11) Finding a Drawstring 12) Stitching up a wound 13)Belt hole creater 14) Mail opener 15) Replacement for buttons

Top 10:

1) Earrings 2) Mail Opener 3) Finding a Drawstring 4) Replacement for buttons 5) Taking out Splinters 6) Using to help zip up your dress 7) Stitching up a wound 8) Use instead of a staple 9)Necklace/Bracelet  10) Keeping socks together 

Top 5:

1) Mail Opener 2) Finding Drawstring 3) Keeping Socks together 4) Replacement for buttons 5) Using to help zip up your dress 

Friends Choice: Keeping socks together.  Every Christmas comes around and your stockings are filled with new socks but then mid January you find yourself searching for a match from your sock. When you use safety pins to keep them together that is never an issue. Whenever you go looking you'll always find them as a match. 

Statement: Keep your socks safely together.

[journeywabby-blog]

Customer Persona

[journeywabby-blog]

Local Competition

With the idea of starting a photography business there is a lot of competition out there, even big companies such as Walmart and their photo studio. With living in Newmarket area I did some research on photographers that were part of a much smaller company that offered similar ideas to mine. Heres what I found: 

1) “The Loft”  http://www.theloftstudio.ca/hire-the-loft#who-are-we

This company has a very “simple” and easy to use website that links to their social media which shows that the company is incorporating social media into their business in the same way my business is. The services that they offer include similar services as mine and provide a personal one on one experience. However the website itself may be considered too simple as all that is listed is their services and the photographers themselves. Nothing about pricing or what their goal as a business is. 

2) “Three Treasures”  http://www.threetreasures.ca/index2.php?v=v1#!/HOME

This business is based solely on family and children/newborn pictures which is something that my business also offers. Their website was very informative and provided all the necessary details you would need to understand how the business works and the pricing. One thing that i noticed that i thought was a good idea was that beside each service it has the price and approx. how long the session would take. However as a photography company I would think that there would be more actual photography incorporated into their website and less full pages of text. 

3) http://www.marandaelyssephotography.com/blog/category/family/

This business is very similar to mine as this business is run by “Maranda Elysse” and is much more of a “one man run team”. Her website has information on what kind of photography she offers and even includes past sessions so you are able to see what kind of thing you are hiring her for. The website provides alot of information and photo evidence of these sessions but there is no pricing or approx time each session will take.  I also thought the website lacked any connection to Social Media and in this society I believe social media is a huge part of everyday life now and as a business I think its important to advertise your products over social media. 

All of these websites were missing an aspect that i always look for when visiting a new business website, a review page. When your looking to hire someone to provide a product or service you want to know how other people thought about the business and a review page is really helpful to get an inside look on the business. 

[journeywabby-blog]

#messagemap 

[journeywabby-blog]

Strengths and Weaknesses

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to my blog!

Recently I have looked into my personal strengths and weaknesses in regards to entrepreneurship. Here are some of my findings:

My Strengths include:

1. Self-Motivation- Through both highschool and post secondary i have chosen to take online courses which many people find more difficult because it has to do with motivating yourself and actually pushing yourself to sit down and do the work because there is no one forcing you to come to class and spend the time on the course work. 

2. Social Media- As I am only 20 years old i grew up in a generation where social media has become very popular. Its become part of everyday life, schools and businesses use social media now. I think that its an advantage to know and be as comfortable with social media as i am to allow my future business to be active in the social media world. 

3. Leadership/Hardworking- Throughout all my part time/full time jobs and through school I have grasped the concept of working hard to get what you want. I have always believed in the saying “Hard Work Pays Off” Leadership and hardworking i believe go together as one because when you show good leadership and show that you can be a leader at whatever the task given is, it shows you really want to succeed and motivate others to succeed. 

Weaknesses:

1. Managing Stress

2. Time Management 

3. Decision Making

4. Staying focused for long periods of time

I look forward to improving on these weaknesses!

Thank you everyone!

-Abby