Is your studio getting rewarded for the hours of work you’re putting in? Are those hours going to the right place? How can you get from where you are now, in a rut or a struggle, to the next level of success? 

1. Work On Your Business, Not In It

Business is all about getting clients and getting paid. You need a steady list and a packed schedule; work every day, right? Then when do you take time to make improvements? Do you dedicate just one day, or a few hours, to learning new skills and applying them to your existing techniques? You need to take time off of work to do a different work: on yourself. Learning skills can amount to greater profits in the long run than just taking another quick, easy and middling paycheck.

1. Taking Testimonials

You are the camera, it’s your job to capture everything the client wants - and some extra stuff the client doesn’t know they need quite yet but will kick themselves if they find out it’s not there. If you get a good shoot-in, you want someone to tell the world about it. You don’t have to offer discounts or pay out for good testimonials - if you do a good job, your clients and the people on set will let you know. Take those moments of praise and keep them separate. Different gigs have different highlights, you want to show your best from where it matters most.

1. Get a Killer Portfolio

Your portfolio is the first thing people will look at when considering you as a camera for hire, so you need to make sure it looks good. Don’t just load it with B-roll and compositions. What you need going forward is a mission statement, an ethos of your business that people will understand without needing to read it twice. Be clear on what you offer and who you offer it for, and provide proof (through your portfolio) that you can deliver that quality to them. If you believe in your mission, they will too.

1. Drive Your Niche

Niches aren’t led by innovators. They’re not even led by high-quality creators. They’re mostly led by established names, legacy brands, or low-cost alternatives. You don’t want to be the Dollar Store version of a better service, you just want to be the better, price-appropriate service. Understand what clients in your niche are willing to spend money on, what came about for the first set of creators, and focus on how you improve on that for clients. If you know you have quality, compete for Legacy.

1. Sell Solutions, Not Pixels

Image quality has gone up exponentially. We’re in the 8k range for consumer gadgets now. People walk around with 4k capable phones. You can’t charge for something that’s become ubiquitous. So why should anyone hire you at all? Because image quality isn’t everything - and you can show that. Offer solutions to problems that higher pixel density can’t solve. That’s where your skillset sets you apart. Offer to clients what technology can’t - real human understanding and problem-solving skills for their needs.