Running a creative business means juggling multiple hats — and, sometimes it feels like you’re wearing that business owner hat 24/7. But by working smarter, not harder, creative business owners can find ways to expand — and push that work life balance more towards life. Just ask Hangatu Wyld, the owner of The Salty Fox, an online boutique for men’s fashion accessories. She’s currently expanding her business internationally. She recently sat down with Australia Post to share with other business owners just how she managed to move from working out of a pantry to an international company. Here are some of the ways she encourages other business owners, such as photo business owners, to work smarter, not harder.
Research to mitigate risks.
While she first started choosing products for the store, Wyld choose them based on what would fit inside affordable packaging for shipping. Now, there’s more research involved in order to launch a product that’s likely to do well. Using Google Keyword, she finds out what online browsers are searching for. She also keeps a close eye on the competition and looks at what competitors are offering.
How does that apply to photo businesses? By continually researching and keeping an eye on the latest trends, photo business owners can pinpoint new services and new types of prints to offer. With research and a close understanding of the industry, the risks aren’t as great.
Encourage more high-volume sales.
Another way The Salty Fox has grown is by encouraging high volume sales with free shipping for orders that are above $50. The concept isn’t an uncommon one (even Amazon uses it), but many customers are easily swayed to buy one more item rather than paying for shipping.
That same idea can be used when shipping out prints to customers online. By including a free shipping with a certain order amount, customers may be encouraged to buy a bigger print or another product.
Automate tedious processes.
While it’s just Wyld and her brother running the business, she’s able to keep the staff small without adding unnecessary stress through automation. She automates tasks that aren’t in her skill set, like automating an Adwords campaign. Automation can also be used for tedious tasks, like confirmation emails and other customer service.
Photo businesses can take a step back and look at what part of their business could be automated. Technology has made it easy to automate online print orders and even send those images directly to your wide format printer. Other tools speed up the process to book a new photo client, for example.
Look for key trends.
Finally, the way The Salty Fox has begun the process of moving to international sales is by spotting key trends. One of those trends showed visitors that weren’t in Australia, prompting the launch of sales in New Zealand and soon, other countries.
In the same way, photographers can keep an eye out for trends that show what tomorrow’s clients may be looking for. Whether that’s a different print product or a new type of session or something as simple as a cute prop, watching the trends can help business owners work smarter, not harder.
Working smarter doesn’t have to mean working solo — Photo Direct’s team is here to help evaluate your business and spot potential for expansion through new tools and products. Contact us at sales@photodirect.com.au or 03 9894 1644 today.