Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in photography but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ben Girardi, Founder of Ben Girardi Photography, located in Pemberton, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I’m an action sports and adventure lifestyle photographer. I do work for a variety of brands in the winter recreation world and outdoor space, along with different editorial outlets.
Tell us about yourself
I started snowboarding as a young kid and was instantly hooked and wanted to make it a huge part of my life. In high school, I was introduced to photography, and it wasn't long before I blended the two. I started off shooting my friends, which eventually transitioned into paying clients. I recognized then I could make being a photographer work as a career, but doing this type of work, the only logical path I saw was running my own business.
I'm passionate about creating and coming up with ideas and the follow-through of formulating those ideas through to a completed image. This is my favourite part of running a business, and I get fired up about being able to brainstorm new ideas all the time. At the same time, though, I recognize there are a lot of various aspects of my business that you need to focus on to be successful.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment so far is to be able to live where I want to, raise a family, and still be able to make a living doing what I love to do. I'm extremely proud of the work I've created so far and excited to see where future projects take me and what type of imagery I create going forward.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things about being a business owner is all the responsibility falls on your shoulders. I can't just sit back and get a pay cheque every other week just by showing up to work. It's a constant process of going out and finding new clients. Since I work by myself, if I'm not generating new leads, nobody is, and that means no money is coming in. A lot of this comes down to networking. I'm generally a pretty quiet person, so having conversations with people I don't know is not one of my strengths. Needing to meet people and connect is a great way to find new clients and generate work. While I'm not great at it, I recognize the importance and am striving to get better at it.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- As cliche as it sounds, lots of opportunities are about who you know. Create strong relationships with people and make sure to foster these relationships. Especially in photography, on a shoot, you are going to be around people for long periods of time, and people would rather work with someone they enjoy being around who also produces good work than somebody who is irritating to be around.
- Find mentorship where you can. In the photography world, assisting other photographers is a common practice. This has allowed me to create relationships with much more established photographers and learn intricate parts of the business that would have taken a long time to figure out on my own. Some of these people are also more than happy to help if I do have any questions about photography or about running a business in general.
- Don't forget you are running a business. When starting out, it's easy to just think about the imagery, but it's important to remember that you still need to make money, pay taxes, pay yourself, etc. It's easy to overlook this stuff, especially as a creative person, as it isn't what I want to spend my time thinking about it. I've found the best way for me is to surround myself with people who specialize in these fields. For instance, I have an accountant who I would rather pay to file my taxes than me stressing about it and have to figure it out each year.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.bengirardi.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bengirardi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-girardi
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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