Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in photography but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jason O'Donnell, a Photographer & Founder of Infinite Eye Photography, located in Sherwood Park, AB, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Infinite Eye Photography is a B2B Photography Studio that focuses on Headshots, Commercial/Corporate Photography, and Sports groups ranging from young kids up to professional athletes. We are visual connection experts helping small businesses, organizations, and CVOs better connect their company/employees to their target market through visual means. As the saying goes, a picture is worth 1000 words. Well, we ensure they are the correct 1000 words.
Tell us about yourself
I have been in the photography business for 15+ years and have been fortunate to be involved in some very interesting Sessions. I have been a part of small and big weddings, done family photos, travel destination shoots, documentary productions, and magazine articles, photographed the Stanley Cup and the Grey Cup, and been the photographer for 2-time CEBL National Championships Edmonton Stingers complete with confetti cannons from the roof and craziness all around. All of these experiences have been great and taken me down a path of focusing my energy on sessions I really enjoy doing and love to focus on – I love it when my work creates connections.
I find it interesting that I find freedom not by doing all different types of photography as I did in my start-up days but instead by focusing on businesses and their needs. Headshots connect people when they are not around. With Commercial Photography, the images we take work for our clients by connecting individuals to their brands and, ultimately, to their businesses. Sports photography is the same; be it portraits for trader cards or action shots of professional athletes, images connect an audience to a team or individual. Images connect us. Connections are key.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
This may sound a bit corny…. Yes, I am proud of building my company from the ground up, creating processes that make it easier, surviving COVID still intact, and keeping things together with positivity and a smile, but really the thing I am most proud of is when a client responses to our service we provide in a positive way. After a session, when a client says something along the lines of "Thank you, we love the images!" it makes me so happy. The amazing thing is they have not even seen the final images yet! They have already decided that they love them. I believe this is because of the positive experience we created for them.
We work very hard to ensure every client of ours has an amazing experience. We like to say to staff, "Smiles every step of the way!" Positive experiences each step, from looking at our website to booking a session, shooting the session, and delivering images, edits, and all, everything needs to be a simple and positive experience. Check that does not "need" to be; we "want" it to be. That is what I am most proud of.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Knowing when you need to hold true to your dream or to adapt it, change it – or completely forget it. On one side, you have your idea, your dream, your goal that you want so bad you can taste it. Then on the other side, you have reality, nay-sayers, negativity, and misunderstanding. Where do you draw the line? Where do you let in the information that might say that your idea may not be perfect? When do you hold the line and take your idea that no one else seems to see and make it a reality?
This is a classic battle that I have gone through many times throughout the years of running my business. I am "Creative," which means one of my strengths is "visualizing an idea" or "seeing what the end could look like." This is great, and I love this aspect of myself. But what I don't do as well is see all the in-between parts needing to get it done. This is when I bring in others with different talents. For me, I brought in others who are good at systems and planning the in-between parts. We now have amazing systems that we can run, making our client's experiences even better.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Just three! LOL OK – Connect, Listen and Do.
- Connect with your potential client. A great idea is just that, an idea – it's not a complete business. What you think might work most likely will not, at least in its current form. You need to connect and be a part of your target market to better understand their needs, their wants. Also, connect with other business owners. This is huge when family/friends "just don't get" and you need someone to run things by someone over a beer or coffee.
- Listen to input. Even when you have a client that is not happy with you, this is the perfect time to shut up and listen – truly listen. I am not saying let them abuse you, but by staying calm and being open to what their concerns are, this information can be gold for your business – if you let it.
- Do. If you wait until things are perfect, you will never get there. Get going on your ideas, connect with others to hear what they have to say, actually listen to what they are saying, then take action and build your idea! Test out what they call an MVP – minimum viable product/service. Test it, fix, test again, fix again, etc.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.infiniteeye.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InfiniteEyePhotography/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infinite_eye/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/infinite-eye-photography/
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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