What Skill Are You Lacking To Make More Money?

One of the things on my perpetual To-Do List is clean off the kitchen countertops. We could even expand that to "any horizontal surface on which items of indecision are placed." Wow . . . that might be . . . my entire house!

But back to the kitchen for a minute. I probably wouldn't have taken the initiative to do this myself had it not been for the urging of someone else. You see, I was out to breakfast Sunday morning with Kirsten doing some planning for our upcoming Camp David - Taking Control event. During the process, she suggested that I spend just one hour clearing various papers off my kitchen table and countertop that afternoon. Not only would it make future cleaning a lot simpler (and less stressful), it would make my life less stressful by having things in organized places and just plain decluttering. I knew she was right (she usually is!)

During the process, one of the items I found was a tablet on which I'd taken notes from a seminar I'd attended. One of the quotes I wrote on this paper was by motivational speaker and self-help author Brian Tracy.

"Most of us are just one skill away from doubling our income."

Think about it. Most of us already know about our own shortcomings. We can probably make a list of them without skipping a beat. Sadly, we can also rattle off a list of excuses why we "aren't able" to do anything about them.

Our own self-defeating behaviors are costing us money!

Think about it. What's your weakness? Lighting? Posing? Color management? Workflow? Pricing help? Sales techniques? Time management? Something else?

The year is almost 1/3 complete. Where are you in your resolutions? Have you accomplished the things you set out to do?

Sometimes, it takes a little urging from an outside party to get you motivated. Kirsten was my catalyst. We all need someone or something that motivates us, pushes us and helps us to grow.

What one skill do YOU need to double your income? Don't leave money on the table. Plan to do something about improving yourself and acquiring the skills you need to make a great living in this awesome profession!

- David Grupa

PS - Still wondering about that catalyst in your life? We think the Camp David team can be one of yours. If you are serious about doing something to improve those skills today, register for Camp David 2011 today. You get a full day of photographic education in an environment where you can ask questions without feeling intimidated. Call  651.748.8779 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            651.748.8779      end_of_the_skype_highlightingnow to register!

Got Questions? We'd love to help!

One of the things I love about the photographic industry is how open and willing people are when it comes to helping their colleagues. When I got into the profession oh-so-many-years-ago, there were those "go-to" photographers who were confident enough in their abilities and their clientele that did not hesitate to share the things they did. When you had a question that totally stumped you, odds are they either had the answer or knew someone who would know.

Camp David is like that. Not that we have all the answers (we're always learning new things, too), but we love to help when we are able. Sharing only makes this industry stronger and better.


So . . . here's the deal:

Send us your questions. You may either leave them in the comment box below or if you're shy, email us at info@campdavidphoto.com.

We'll give it our best effort and answer as many as we can right here in future blogs.

- David Grupa

So . . . just how DO you eat an elephant?

I was watching my Twitter feed this past weekend when a tweet came across my screen from Kirsten Holscher (aka @FTF_Coach):

Q. How do you eat an elephant? A. One bite at a time. - Overwhelmed by a big job? Break it down into manageable tasks!

We've all heard the Q & A before, but for some reason, we fail to translate it into something meaningful. Kirsten's assessment is simple and realistic.

With a new year comes new goals, resolutions and promises made to ourselves to "change the way we will do it in 2011." The year starts, we've got great intentions, the lists get made . . . and then what? We walk into the office on a Monday morning, sit down at the computer to check Facebook, Twitter and a few blogs we follow, only to realize that half the day has slipped away without accomplishing anything productive. We then proceed to slide back into our habit of looking at the list and making excuses why we don't have enough time today, or perhaps we just do a couple of the easier little things and leave the big ones "until tomorrow". Then tomorrow comes and we do it all over again.

I felt this way myself when walking into my less-than-organized office one day. Knowing that I had to tackle this project, I even resorted to cleaning the bathroom instead of organizing the clutter. It was simply overwhelming. During a phone conversation with Kirsten, I said "I'm not even sure where to start."

Her reply was "at the door and to the right . . . but since you're left-handed, you can go to the left if you prefer." Simple.

This weekend I had an email exchange with another photographer who is struggling with a similar task. Revamping a website can be daunting, but there's no need to fear doing it. Mine is under constant revision. Rather than try to reorganize the entire thing in one evening, I work on one area at a time. Maybe it's a single page. Today, work on weddings. Set aside tomorrow for HS Seniors and plan to tackle families the day after that.

When broken down into easy-to-understand pieces, the task becomes less daunting. Once you begin to see progress, you actually become energized to complete the job and see the final product.

Take a look around your studio and find the "elephant in the room." (Poor elephants get no respect!) Tie on your bib and take a bite; pretty soon, you'll have it well under control!

- David Grupa