So why are you so busy anyway?

I imagine that is a question many of you would ask if you didn't have busy lives of your own and more important things to think about. What makes these last days and weeks so much more busy than normal? Well, I'll tell you.

I am not just a stay at home mom (like I always wanted to be.) Nope... I'm a full fledged WAHM (work at home mom). Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad thing. The Proverbs 31 woman was a WAHM too. And I really do love my "job". My Beloved and I have our own photography business. It's ours, though if you look at the sole proprietor paper work, it says it's mine. When we started up, My Beloved already had his own entrepreneurial endeavor, so he gave me this one. Besides, I do most of the behind the scenes stuff. Still, it's ours, and we both get to share in it's successes and failures.

We've been in business a little more than 3 years now, doing mostly high school seniors with other portraits and a few weddings on the side. By about the end of August/beginning of September each year I'm ready, not only to throw in the towel on the business, but to torch the whole thing. The business, not the fabulous equipment that we actually started this business to justify. Things just get to busy, too overwhelming, and I don't like it. I don't like it when there is no time to do the things I am supposed to do as a wife, mommy and home maker. My sweet husband is wonderful and constantly tells me that he would rather I sit at the computer and work on portraits etc and pay someone to clean our house, but I actually miss doing it (not something you will find me saying when I do have time to do it.)

Well, we're done with all that. In order to decrease my busy-ness next year, we've completely changed our business model. First of all, we are raising our prices. If I'm s overwhelmed with work next summer, we will at least be able to afford to have someone else come in and clean the house. Secondly, we are shifting our business focus to weddings. We do enjoy shooting portraits together, but what we really love to do together is weddings! So... now enters why I have been so busy these last weeks. This Sunday is a bridal expo in our area and we've paid $400 for a booth to display our business. In addition to the booth fee, we have been designing and hefting out money for samples and informational pieces gallor. I think there is close to $2000 sitting on this Sunday... and I believe we've decided that we need at least one bride to book us as their wedding photographer to pay it all back. We don't go into debt for anything in this business. If we don't have it, we don't do it until we do. But it would be nice to get this money back. :)

So there you have it. We are in a crunch time, and we've been there since the middle of August. Add to that crunch time the fact that we did a wedding in July and another in August (both of which I've been processing this whole time) and that family reunion/vacation had to fall right in the middle of it all. The count down is truly on... and we are looking forward with anticipation to Sunday night... whether the whole things flops or not, at least we'll be done!... for now.

Labels: As it happens...

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 8:39 AM