Meet the "Survivors" of Photo Biz Boot Camp in Australia!

I admit I was nervous about teaching in Australia. Would the way they run business be very different from how things are in the USA? Would the things I teach still apply?

I was blown away by these two amazing groups that I got to know in the relatively short time we were in Australia. While the differences WERE present - it was mainly in the vernacular and lack of tons of labs and album binders available that makes us different. The aspirations, struggles, laughs, numbers, and businesses were strangely familiar, quite similar.

Thank you ladies for inviting me into your world for a brief moment in time. Thank you for sharing with me and each other, and being willing to change your businesses for the better. Last, but not least, thank you to our fabulous hosts, Jessie Broome and Lee Illfield!! They were ever so welcoming and "luvlee!!" ;)

Jessie contacted me over a year and half ago about making this happen and there is NO WAY we could have made this happen without her hard work, continued communications, and follow-up. Thank you Jessie - you're amazing!!


BBC Melbourne, Australia


Holly is soon to be one of the first All-Green photographers in Australia.


Tuesday - how can you not love a gal with a name like that!?


Gemma later modeled her wedding dress for us along with good friend Janet.


Janet was married in March - just two weeks before we tied the knot! They were leaving for an awesome round-the-world honeymoon right after Boot Camp.


Our hostess with the most-ess, Jessie. She's an amazing mother of FOUR little darling ladies. Seriously, I don't think I've seen better-behaving kids! She needs to write a book about how they manage it!


Stacey played the ever-helpful roll of co-hostess with the most-ess!


Kate being fabulous out front


Darling Sarah Black


And Kristin Cook who is soon to be expecting the latest edition to their family. Can't wait to see pics of the little one!



BBC - Newcastle/Sydney, Australia

The second BBC in Australia was hosted by the Luvlee Lee Illfield. Lee is to be married this fall so we had plenty of fun wedding-planning stuff to chat about too.


Cassandra has got some amazing wedding work!


Chantelle Bliss - okay, whoever was giving out last names blessed her with such a fun one! She's known for her beautiful Black and White work.


Renee Bell is such a sweetheart and I got to meet her equally sweet daughter - who just happens to have the same name and spelling as me!! L-I-A-N-A. So cool!


Interesting fact about Cathy Crawley: she was the FIRST Pantene hair model in Australia!


Janine working it for the camera. I love how her necklace matches her fun, punchy brand!


Thank you ladies for an amazing experience and for being so welcoming to me and Mike!! I really do hope our paths cross again before too long. I mean, we didn't get to see the ALL of Australia yet, right!?

Only a Few Spots Left - Book Photo Biz Boot Camp for January!!

We've had a few schedule changes but the good news there are still a FEW spots open in our January Boot Camps!!

We have THREE in the US in January 2009... which will be your last chance to attend a Boot Camp for a while! In April 2009, we will be getting married then teaching TWO Boot Camps in Australia, so there will be no other Boot Camps this Spring!

January 13-15, 2009 : Hickory, NC (Charlotte/Asheville/Winston-Salem)
January 25-27, 2009 : Benicia, CA (San Francisco)
January 28-30, 2009 : Vancouver, WA (Portland)

April 21-23, 2009 : Melbourne, Australia - FULL
April 26-28, 2009 : Newcastle, Australia (Sydney Area)

Reserve your spot now before it's too late!! It's only $99/month so you can't afford not to!
***CLICK HERE TO REGISTER***


(Pic from last Boot Camp in PA)

Join Me Tomorrow 7PM EST (4PM Pacific)

Attention Pictage Users!

Tomorrow night is the Pictage Ask and Learn and I'm looking forward to chatting with a bunch of you about the topic "Money, Lies, and Photography."

Here's the information on the Pictage Blog. Fun stuff!!

Also, if you missed the presentation at the Pictage Conference, you can listen (below) to a quick Podcast that recaps some of what I covered during the presentation.

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Two Choices

In today's flailing economy we have two choices as small business owners:

1. Worry, worry, stop what we're doing because of what "might happen"
2. Plow through. Get Creative. Go where no other businesses dare to go. Capture a narrow niche. Get smart.

What will YOU do??

Make sure YOUR business is in the BLACK! DVD Sale!

I LOVE to hear great news like this (just in recently)...

Hi Liana,
You are a huge part of my growth as a fiscally responsible person. I gave myself your DVDs for Christmas last year, devoured them during down time, and am now enjoying a 60% growth in my business. Thanks for the inspiration.

I want EVERYONE to experience the same financial-freedom and success that comes when you work ON your business not just IN your business... that's why we created these DVDs in the first place.

THIS WEEKEND ONLY we're giving an additional $50 off ALL of our DVDs in addition to the sale price! ***CLICK HERE*** to take advantage of this and enter the code BLACK50 (or 1227893492) at checkout for the discount.

Why you should NOT focus on the economy

Times are tough, sure, but what can you and I REALLY do about this economy? Nada!

I believe we all have a CHOICE. We can choose to push through and focus more than ever on how to make our business great: more efficient, more profitable, and find even more amazing things to offer.

OR we can whine about the economy day in and day out and live in fear.

Seth Godin has got a great post about this phenomena on his blog HERE. Never have I seen anyone so right about business and marketing (the NEW way of doing business and marketing) so I'd highly recommend adding this blog to your RSS reader.

"By focusing on the red box, the sore one, and ignoring the other elements of what makes our product or career worth marketing, we cause two problems. First, our attention does no good at all on the problem at hand, and second, the other boxes suffer.

The problem with whining is this: human beings like to be right. If you persuade yourself and your friends that times are really tough and that you're bound to fail, you'll probably do the things you need to do to make that true in the long run."

Today I am teaching a Photo Biz Boot Camp in Phoenix, AZ with a group of women entrepreneurs/photographers who have decided to NOT live in fear and DO something great for their business. Check back soon for updates!!

Photo Biz Boot Camp UPDATES!!!

A few quick updates on our Photo Business Boot Camps:

- Registration closes soon for our Phoenix, Arizona and Fort Worth, Texas Boot Camps! Register now to get your spot! No need to email about if there are spots left or not...we'll take it off-line when it's closed out!

- Our Sydney, Australia Boot Camp will now be held in Newcastle, just about an hour outside of Sydney :)

- The Pennsylvania Boot Camp is almost full already. Book now to get your spot!!!

Also, don't forget about our Complete Business Makeover program which allows you to attend a Boot Camp for only $99/month :)

10 things to do BEFORE you quit your day job!

It took two years and a swift quick in the behind for me to loose the "day job" that I'd had gotten comfortable with.

Now I'm living the dream-life immersed in all the things I LOVE (photography, teaching, wedding stuff galore, lots and lots of travel to exotic locals, etc)... but I must say the saying "the grass is always greener" really does have some truth to it.

While my life may seem all wonderful, luxurious, and dream-like to some... the honest truth is there are sacrifices on both sides of the spectrum whether you're working for yourself or trudging through the 9-5 corporate America job.

Thanks to numerous recent emails about wanting to help me fulfill my #56 of my 101 to do in 1001 list.... I'm going to soon share my $0.02 on what an aspiring pro photographer should do to get started. If you want to read part ONE of this two-part post, scroll down for "The Grass Always Greener"


1. Be able to answer the questions: WHO you are, WHY you do what you do, and WHAT makes you different than the 1001 others in your market. If you do not know this or do not communicate it well to clients then you're going to have a hard time getting off the ground.

2. Make a personal budget and have a salary goal determined. You're likely going to have to make some lifestyle changes in the first few years of business. If you're in any kind of debt, consider waiting to take "the jump" until after it is paid off and you have 3-6 months living expenses in an emergency savings fund. Read books like Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover and Your Money Counts for more info. Our personal salary budget calculator that comes with the Profit Center DVD walks you through this step too.

3. Get Educated. There are SOOO many more options out there today than when I got started. If you need to know about lighting go to a lighting seminar. If you need to know how to design albums or use photoshop, go to a Photoshop User training or shadow a designer. You can find out about what types of workshops are offered by checking out forums such as Open Source Photo and the Digital Wedding Forum. If you want to know about the BUSINESS side of things, come join us at a Photo Biz Boot Camp! Get training ONLY in the areas you plan to take on yourself. Do NOT try to do it all!!

4. Practice, Practice, Practice. Go out and shoot for FREE if necessary to gain maximum experience necessary to master your craft. Learn how to use your equipment don't just shoot on Auto!! Most photographers and others in the industry will welcome your help if you can pitch it to them as just that... an added hand during an important event, not a drain on their resources and time!

5. Understand ALL of your business expenses ahead of time. Insurance, equipment, licenses, supplies, adverting, accounting, your salary, employee salaries, and education are all part of what makes up business OVERHEAD that is part of the Big Equation. Image processing, storage, retouching, designing, prints, album binding, image hosting, transportation, time, and 2nd shooter fees are all part of the COST of SALES that make up another part of the Big Equation. You MUST know what these costs are, how they work together, and how to price and budget according to these costs if you want to make sure your business makes it past that 1- and 5- year mark. Most small businesses fail in the first year because they do not understand and account for these things and are not making any $$. Most business schools teach managerial accounting and small business finance or check out classes offered by PPA or our own Photo Biz Boot Camp/ Profit Center DVD to learn the "Numbers" as I so fondly call them :)

6. Be the Brand. Take your answers to #1 and develop a brand that you can stick with for a lifetime and possibly beyond. If you plan to have the business grow and have other staff to hire out, then make sure the brand allows for this. Hire professionals to do the designing and programing for you. If you want to see how involved the process is and how to go about developing your own distinct brand, we put all the info and resources about this on HERE.

7. Have an online presence. Website, blog, links on popular wedding directories and associations so clients can find you and get all the information they need to hire you. Make it consistent with your brand too. As I am now in the process of planning my own wedding for 2009, I'm finding out how IMPORTANT this is to put as much info out there as possible to make it easy for clients to get the info and hire you. If you make it difficult for them to hire you, they won't.

8. Do TEST shoots to build your portfolio and client base. Before anyone paid me to do a High Fashion Bridal session, I had to be able to show them what it is and get the word out about it. The best way to do this? Do a TEST shoot... find someone (model, friend, potential client) that is willing to trade their time behind the camera for some free images. Have materials ready for them to pass on to friends and family and a referral system in place so it's easy to build that word-of-mouth network.

9. Build VOLUME and have jobs on the books BEFORE you take the plunge. When I finally decided to take the jump back into full-time photography, I made a goal of booking 10 additional weddings before I could put in my two weeks. Let everyone in your network know that you're looking for the clients. Be proactive about calling back leads and finding the right clients.

10. Ask yourself the MOST important questions... why am I making this change, how will this make my lifestyle better, and what is my exit plan? If you think this will make you rich quick, give you infinite vacations, or let you retire early without much work put in... think again. It's a rough, very-saturated market and you've got to be good at both the ART of it AND the BUSINESS part in order to be run a successful small business in this industry. Know your true motives before you make any big changes and have those goals in place. Have an end in mind before you start!

I'm sure there is SOOO much more that I could say and would love to hear the advice of others who have been through this as well.

The Grass is Always Greener

It took two years and a swift quick in the behind for me to loose the "day job" that I'd had gotten comfortable with.

Now I'm living the dream-life immersed in all the things I LOVE (photography, teaching, wedding stuff galore, lots and lots of travel to exotic locals, etc)... but I must say the saying "the grass is always greener" really does have some truth to it.

While my life may seem all wonderful, luxurious, and dream-like to some... the honest truth is there are sacrifices on both sides of the spectrum whether you're working for yourself or trudging through the 9-5 corporate America job.

Thanks to numerous recent emails about wanting to help me fulfill my #56 of my 101 to do in 1001 list.... I'm going to soon share my $0.02 on what an aspiring pro photographer should do to get started. Before I go there, today I'll share some of my pros and cons since I've been on both sides of the spectrum already...

The 9-5 Corporate America Job

Pros
1. You actually know what your salary is going to be and can budget accordingly
2. You usually have a job description and know what is expected of you
3. Free training and education!!
4. Benefits, benefits, benefits!!
5. 9-5. Exactly. Generally speaking, you're not working 15-hour days. You can go home and NOT think about work for a while. No weekend work usually.
6. You have a team and infrastructure to lean on when you need guidance, education, and help.

Cons
1. The Silly Politics
2. Generally, these jobs are NOT for the creative, free-spirited types. Things are pretty cut and dry.
3. The feeling that someone "owns" you for the 9-5 period and for most jobs your expected to sit at a desk and BE THERE for that time even if you're an efficient worker and have completed everything you can for that time.
4. Only having 1-4 weeks vacation time.
5. Boringgggg. Yes, the routine tasks get old after 150 times. It's rare to find a Corporate America job that doesn't have the mundane routine stuff as part of your job description.
6. Job security is a thing of the past. With the economy as it is... it's easy to feel like you're walking on egg shells to keep in good favor with the big bosses and NOT be the first one to be cut when things turn bad.


The Wedding Industry Small Business Owner

Pros
1. It can be lots of fun!
2. Infinite room for creativity
3. You can have as much or as little vacation time as you want!
4. You're your own boss!
5. While the rest of the world is locked down to working 9-5, we get to make our own hours!
6. You have more opportunities to make more money and produce passive income
7. If you hire a good accountant and make smart financial decisions, you get taxed less!

Cons
1. No benefits or free education/training. Expect to pay $100-500+ per month for lesser benefits than you'd get at the Corporate job and pay $800-1500+ per each 2-3 day training.
2. Most small business owners work MORE than 40 hours per week. Forget 9 hour workdays... try 16 hr days for the first few years while you get your business up and running.
3. The market is SUPER saturated and the profit margins are not huge. Don't expect to make a lot of $$ in this industry. The average photographer makes less than a school teacher (PPA Studio Benchmark Survey Report, 2005)
4. No infrastructure. While it's great you get to be your own boss and hire who you want, it's difficult to do everything yourself and find good help.
5. Booooring. Yes, even the self-employed small business owners get stuck with the mundane every-day tasks. You can hire someone to do them for you but even the creative tasks may seem mundane when done repeatedly over time.
6. You still end up spending most of your time behind a computer.
7. We work weekends while the rest of the world relaxes... plus most workdays!


Now those are just a few.... I'd love to hear from those of you who can add in their experience on one side or another. Comment away!

Next up: 10 Things To Do BEFORE You Quit Your Day Job

Interview on F-Stop Beyond Podcast: July is for Entrepreneurs!

A few weeks ago I had an awesome opportunity to chat with Ron Dawson of Cinematic Studios for the F-Stop Beyond Podcast. It turns out Ron went to the same high school (and was valedictorian) as my friend Bryant from church ...and he and his wife are also huge fans of my secret addiction So You Think You Can Dance because they used to dance too!



This month is all about creative entrepreneurs and you can actually listen to a new podcast each week which is a SUPER resource for photographers and other types of entrepreneurs even. My friend DJ is the week after mine so be sure to check out his interview too!!

Anyways... there's plenty of chit-chat on the podcast so CHECK IT OUT HERE or you can listen via the player below :)

F-Stop Beyond

Announcing Photo Biz Boot Camp in 9 Cities !!!

I'm so excited for this up-coming "tour" as I like to call it of Photo Biz Boot Camps!!! There are so many gracious studios out there helping me make this happen so we can make it easy for photographers all across America and even in AUSTRALIA able to attend a Boot Camp.

We're introducing a new program too this month that gives studios wanting to attend a Boot Camp an AWESOME deal and hooks them up with lots of extras so they can continue with change and info-year round. Only $99/month and that includes a Boot Camp!! Click the picture below for more info.



NEW DATES ANNOUNCED:
October 19-21, 2008 : Phoenix, AZ
October 22-24, 2008 : Fort Worth, TX
November 11-13, 2008 : Lancaster, PA
December 2-4, 2008 : Hickory, NC (Charlotte/Ashville/Winston-Salem)
December 9-11, 2008 : Chicago, IL
January 25-27, 2009 : Norcal, CA (San Francisco)
January 28-30, 2009 : Vancouver, WA (Portland)

April/May 2009 : Melbourne, Australia (exact dates TBD/posted no later than 9/1/08)
April/May 2009 : Sydney, Australia (exact dates TBD/posted no later than 9/1/08)


You can ***CLICK HERE*** to find out more and sign up ASAP as they are super duper small (intense) classes and are already booking up!!

I can't wait to meet all of you out there and get a taste of some places I've yet to be in the US and abroad!!

Last Call: Where to go for FALL 08 BBCs? Email us!

What an awesome response!! Thank you to everyone who's faxed and emailed in information to set up a Photo Biz Boot Camp in your area this fall!! We really hope we can accommodate a variety of different regions and make it easier for YOU!!

As I posted in the previous post, we're looking for individuals/studios to host and there are a few requirements and a bunch of benefits! Right now we're considering the following areas but may or may not have all the info we need from you to set it up:

Arizona
Las Vegas
Northern California
Chicago
Indiana
North Carolina
PA/NY/NJ area
Texas (Fort Worth and/or Houston)
Denver

Of course we're open to hosting other areas not listed as well - just send us your info :)

If you're serious about the possibility of hosting a BBC, please download and review the following PDF and send us the info so we can be in touch. If you don't have a fax, simply review the sheet and email us the info we need from you at info at photobizbootcamp.com :)


***Click Here to Download a PDF with Hosting Info***

We will be contacting studios this week about figuring out dates and logistics so please hurry so we don't miss ya ;) Hopefully we'll have a schedule published next week sometime!!

Thank you all again so much for helping us take this to You! :)

Amazing!! Where to next? Tell us where to schedule BBCs this fall!

WOW.... WHAT AN AMAZING GROUP OF WOMEN!!!

The April Photo Business Boot Camp was one of the most humbling and amazing experiences.... and I know I'm not alone in saying this!!

We laughed, we cried, we ate lots and lots of food (still recovering from that!), did our # crunching, cried some more, and had tons of fun all the while.

Like any BBC, it takes me a while to "recover" afterwards and I've been busy implementing some of my OWN stuff that teaching reminded me of! LOL. Gotta practice what I preach, ya know??


-----------------------------

Some folks had a BRILLIANT idea on how I can help them going forward with BananasEDU... so we'll have some fun NEW stuff coming soon. In order to reveal the NEW, I need to go ahead and schedule out the FALL BBCs.... sooooo..... here's where I'm asking YOU for input!!

When and where should we schedule BBCs for this fall??

Post up in the comments and/or email me at info at photobizbootcamp.com if you're interested in hosting a BBC or want me to come to YOU!

*Click Here to Download a PDF with Hosting Info*





Above from left to right: Beth Daane, Michelle White, Karen Mikols, Marie Bunke, Ellen McRaney, and Jamie Delaine

Thank you ladies for an amazing week!! I learned so much from you all and am so blessed to have spent time with you all!!

Announcing the Recepient of the Business Boot Camp Scholarship

I won't lie... the folks that decided this had a VERY VERY difficult time. The votes are clear though... it was so tight at the top with a tie for 2nd. With much consideration, I have decided to invite ALL THREE of these women to our April Photo Biz Boot Camp as recipients of the BBC Scholarship!!

Congratulations Beth, Marie, and Ellen!!




The other two ladies have SOOOOO much going on for them and SUCH awesome entries.... that I feel led to get them started with something too. Many of the lessons that I teach during Business Boot Camp are also taught on our various DVDs. We have decided to award each of these young ladies a $500 GIFT to be used on our online store. Perhaps they can use this towards a BBC eventually, or use this Gift to order the DVDs they need best (or combination thereof).


Congrats Jamie and Karen!!





Thank you again for everyone who participated and wrote in. We've got lots of FUN stuff coming up and ALSO found out that another company will be gifting one or all of the ladies coming later this month something special! Stay tuned for more fun stuff coming up!!

The FIVE FINALISTS are...

WOW. WoW. WOW.

Over the past five days dozens upon dozens of people sent in nominations... for themselves, friends, family, fellow photographers... even clients and accountants sending in emails! Some were nominated by four or five different people. Some sent pictures and stories and attachments; with others, words were all that was needed.

I read through every one of them, wishing I had the means to take in every one of them. I was feeling utterly hopeless at how to narrow the finalists down from such a large group of deserving individuals. Thank goodness it is not my job to do this!!

These FIVE FINALISTS were chosen because they made us laugh, made us cry, humbled us to the core, and really pulled at our heart-strings. They were completely original and forthright with information and telling us why they NEED this scholarship and told us enough of their stories for the panel to make a decision.

The recipient will be announced tomorrow sometime after all the votes are in and tallied. Due to space limitations, we had to shorten what is posted on this blog, but you can click on to read the full story if you'd like.

Without further ado... we present the finalists!! (In no particular order)





Finalist #1: Jamie Delanie of British Columbia, Canada
WEBSITE
BLOG


Her life's aspiration: to worship the Creator by creating.

This talented photographer has not even finished high school and has already been in business for about a year! She believes in dreaming BIG and never giving up... and will be putting herself through college starting in the fall. Probably our most original entry yet... we'll let you find out more and watch the video for yourselves....



-----------------------------------



Finalist #2: Karen Mikols of Kansas
WEBSITE
(NEW site under construction!!)
BLOG


What do socks have to do with Karen and business organization?

She's a wedding photographer on the brink of her own wedding. Yet another original application that tells us in her own words (and pictures) why she needs the biz help... click the picture of Karen to watch the slideshow (it may take a minute to load, please be patient)




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Finalist #3: Marie Bunke of California
WEBSITE
BLOG


Linguist daughter of immigrant parents, she found the love of her life (who became her husband and father of their two children) while serving in the Air Force, only to have a brain tumor take him from her too soon. Newly widowed and living in a small town with little opportunity, she finds her light and hope and joy through photography finally... and begins the healing process...

Marie's beautiful bio pic from her site




"...Fate had other plans for our little family and at 39 I found myself a widow with two young children, ages 3 ½ and 9 years old. To say that I was devastated is an understatement. I firmly believed that if we stayed positive, researched all of our options, went to the best medical facilities in the country that we could beat the monster that had taken over my husband’s body, and most regrettably, his brain. I was wrong. Crest fallen and grief stricken, I desperately sought for something to do to support my family...."
***CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE STORY****


One of Marie's pics


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Finalist #4: Beth Daane of California
WEBSITE
BLOG


She's got an airline voucher that will get her to Atlanta and a small time frame during which she can fly....

With their second child on the way, Beth (former social worker) and her husband Sam (Air Force) have no control over where they are called to move every 4 years... and now they're in California where the market is over-saturated and their financial resources are stretched... how will Beth make her photography business flourish amongst so much change and opposition? How can they set the example for their children to follow their own dreams?


Beth and her hubby, Sam



"Hello Liana,

First I must tell you that it touches my heart greatly that you are offering a scholarship to your BBC Workshop. Giving back is something very close to my heart, so when I read your post on OSP I liked you even more then I did before! ;) My first encounter meeting you was at WPPI 2007. I went to see you as a Platform Speaker and it was the first time I had ever listened to another photographer speak. You blew me away! I always remember a question someone asked you about why you didn't shoot RAW- and your answer was that you shoot correctly out of the camera the first time so why would you shoot RAW? When you said that, my thoughts were that ...." ***CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE STORY***

Some of Beth's work








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Finalist #5: Ellen McRaney of Georgia
WEBSITE
BLOG



She's got a beloved Cat who's had a CAT scan and survived cancer. But that's not the only miracle in her story...

On the brink of starting a Masters in Physical Therapy program at Emory University ten years ago, Ellen suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage that left her with a hole in her brain... unable to read, write, or speak. To say that Ellen is a living miracle and photography has helped her heal might just be an understatement...

Ellen not long after her stroke



"...I was on the phone with my mother and she noticed that I was not making any sense. She asked if I was alright, and I thought about what I had just said. I realized the words I was saying had absolutely no connection to the words I was thinking. I told mom I'd be right back, I thought I just needed something to drink. The next thing I remember, I was spilling the water I had gotten from the refrigerator on myself, I was dragging myself across the kitchen floor with my left arm, my right arm was twisted up and around behind my left side and I couldn't feel my legs. I looked down at myself and knew this was really bad. I'd had enough medical training that I KNEW what had happened, even though it was hard to believe given my age, so I dragged myself over to the front door and unlocked it (knowing SOMEONE was going to have to get in to help me at some point) and then back to the phone..."
***CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE STORY***

In Ellen's own words:

My Hole in My Head. I always joke around that I have a hole in my head, but technically it's in my brain. I remember the first time I saw that scan, about 4 years after the stroke. Up until then, somehow it hadn't really crossed my mind that there would be such a visible dead space. It makes sense, now that I've had time to consider, but I just hadn't thought about it before I saw the scan on the light box. So I took a picture.


And a fun pic she took that we borrowed off her blog:





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THANK YOU again to everyone who sent in nominations!! We are holding on to these and will post here when the time has come to open up nominations again, if and when the time comes. Check back tomorrow for the BIG announcement!!

Call for Nominations!! The Biz Boot Camp Scholarship!!

Happy Friday!!

Known but only to a few, the Biz Boot Camp Scholarship has provided for a handful of professional photographers to attend a Photo Biz Boot Camp in 2007 and early 2008. Now it's time to take it public and allow for nominees!!!

Do you know a photographer or other small business professional ready to take their business to the next level, enforce business health and profitability, and QUIT working an 80-hour work week??

We're accepting nominations now until Tuesday April 15th at NOON EST for our April 29th Boot Camp. Finalists will be posted here Tuesday afternoon. The winner will be announced Wednesday April 16 and will be granted full tuition for the April 29th BBC held in Atlanta, GA, a Profit Center DVD mailed in advance, all materials and meals included too!

(Some of our BBC "Survivors"!)



Please send nominations to info@photobizbootcamp.com with subject line: NOMINATION: ______ (photographer's name who you are nominating). Please include relevant information on the photographer (Name, City/State, Contact Info for you and them, Web Address), a story about what makes them different in their industry, what they do when they're NOT running their business, and why they should be chosen for this scholarship.
Nominees should be available and able to attend in April. You may nominate yourself too!

Winners will be chosen based on originality of submission and need by a panel of trusted advisors.

Thanks for all your help - we couldn't do this without you!!

-----------------

Want to know what the Photo Biz Boot Camp is all about? Ready to register online? **** CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ***

48 HR SALE - COMING SOON!!!

If you're signed up for our newsletter, keep your eyes open for a quick announcement coming in the next few days!!

Not signed up yet??? ***CLICK HERE***and enter your email before it's too late!

I'm headed to Spain next Tuesday and then off to WPPI in Vegas a few days after my return -- I'll be speaking there at the Pictage pre-event Sunday, March 16th. Hope to see a lot of you out there!! We're planning some fuuuuuuuuuuuun stuff ;)

Cheers!

New Dates!

I took some emails asking "when are the BBCs for the rest of 2008" for me to sit down and get more scheduled (since we've already had THREE in 30-days!!!)...


New Dates just released for Photo Biz Boot Camps this year!!!
(late April and early August)


***CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO****


Also, if you're a Pictage user, I'll be the "Ask and Learn" person tomorrow at 4pm Pacific Time if you want to chat live come join in on the forums!!

Day 6: Student for Life

It’s not infrequent that I’m equated with a freak of nature and asked “how have you accomplished this at such a young age?”

In all honesty, I’ve been extremely blessed, and can say I attribute it to knowing just how little I really know and how little I can do on my own.



I make it a point to take at least four different seminars or classes each year on various subjects and spend time with as many mentors as possible. What I’ve learned from others has saved me from infinite heartache, headache, and provided tremendous opportunities that I never would have had on my own!



PS... Today is the LAST DAY of 2007!!! If you're thinking of attending a Photo Business Boot Camp (or a BBC on a CRUISE to Mexico!!), getting any DVDs or attending any other great seminars next year NOW IS THE TIME to sign up and take advantage of those deductions - remember education for your business is 100% tax deductible!!

Meet the "Survivors"

... of the Photo Business Boot Camp!

There are actually quite a few more but this slide show includes a handful of individuals who have made it through a BBC in 2007. Check for additional pics at the end too!