Here we go again, I'm starting a new business, well not really new, it's more an ongoing activity.
Starting a new business is never easy - I don't have any misconceptions - most fail and takes years to be an overnight success. Author Malcolm Gladwell talks of the
10,000 hours theory to be an expert or a champion (in any field)
I have about a dozen ideas I'm currently tossing around - some good, some need more work - most will sit on the shelf and never see the light of day.
Each approach has its pros and cons. What’s needed is a plan and focus.
The key difference is that instead of trying to work out ways of making money I've decided to follow my passion and let the money hopefully be a result of the pursuit - you see I've been bitten hard by the photography bug - I've always enjoyed photography but up until now it was like a seed that had not been given enough nutrician and taken root - any creative pursuit had taken second place.
I've also been round long enough to know about cash flow, marketing, customer service and that creating a sustainable competitive advantage are some of the key the things you need to consider for any business - new or existing.
No customers, no cash - it's not a business it's just a hobby!
I suppose, when it comes down the crunch I’d rather spend my limited time left on something I love to do. If you have passion then you’re willing to learn and work through the night, as you learn your skills develop and from a creative perspective you improve your ability to transform a thought into a piece of work.
If you do that process well and develop a unique style (competitive advantage) then it may resonate with an audience and encourage someone to part with their hard earned cash (or at least earn attention).
There will always be a need in helping others transform their ideas into a reality - whether that's photographically, internet video or digital strategy.
Yep, photography is very competitive and creativity is practically a commodity - the question is do I just do something else and add my photography interest into the mix?
I sit down now and begin to map out the path ahead. I think there's an opportunity here to document and share the progress so I don't make the same mistakes time and time again, are hopefully useful or at least entertaining.
Comments and feedback are part of the process.
Tomorrow - where to start
Coming from the digital media space I've already developed the name and logo, built a
website and have began incorporating social media (
Facebook,
Twitter and
Google+) into the marketing process. I'll talk more about these in later blogs.
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We've (The Maxys Band) a gig tonight (Saturday 26th) and need a female vocalist who can fill in with our male vocalist Brett - our usual female vocalist Rachael has come down with the flu and can't perform.
