When I was in college, I avoided business classes like the plague. I chose a major that wouldn’t require much math, no business classes, and no hard science (I’m totally not suited for organic chemistry). I thought that I would never be interested in anything remotely related to business. I had no idea that I would ever start my own business, let alone have a huge interest in it.

Early into my photography business, I would stop by the library or Barnes & Noble and peruse the business aisles. Considering that I had decided to start a business and yet had no background in it, I had to start learning somewhere. I would browse books at Barnes & Noble and borrow books from the library (still do) and just try to learn everything I could.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized how much I do like business. I never thought that I would be an entrepreneur. It’s a little scary taking a risk. Okay, it’s a lot scary, but it’s worth it and so exciting. Yes.

Business is exciting.

Another thing that I find super exciting is helping other creatives figure out and grow their businesses. I find myself constantly thinking about business ideas that I could implement or help other people implement and it’s just so fun and exciting.

One of the things that I’m proudest of in my business in the last two years is how I have been able to switch my niche. I transitioned from photographing weddings to only taking bookings for high school senior portraits for girls. I basically had to start over in my business, begin serving a completely new market, find a new clientele, which at first was really overwhelming, but now I know that it was the right move.

I feel like I’m in the thick of business building. I don’t have all the answers. I don’t have a magic formula. But I know that with hard work and determination, I can build my business into everything that I want it to be.

And I want to help other people. Other photographers. Other creatives. We can build our businesses together. We can learn to market. We can grow together. We can thrive together.

So are you a photographers or creative small business owner? Are you an aspiring photographer wondering how to get started? Do you have a business question you’re dying to have answered? Leave a comment with your question and I will put together answers for a future post!

And, coming soon, coaching for photographers. My favorite thing to do outside of photographing my clients is getting together over coffee or a meal and talk business. Even if you’re not local to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, there’s this awesome thing called Google Hangout! Business ideas, strategies, and coming up with solutions for your burning questions. We can talk marketing, pricing, accounting (yes, I actually like accounting/bookkeeping!), workflow, editing, pretty much the gamut of what it takes to make your business happen. Interested? Send me an email catie [at] catieronquillo [dot] com and we can chat!