Comments on: Saying no to grow your business

By: Kcole

Kcole — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 08:55:00 +0000

This is great. Thank you. I’m terrible and yes I can say that about myself at photographing families. I’m not confident enough

By: Business Coach

Business Coach — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 12:19:00 +0000

Great post .Thanks for sharing this post with us.

By: Customer Engagement

Customer Engagement — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 08:42:00 +0000

Well written post.I appreciate your writing skills.Its great.You have made really a great job by sharing this post with us.I like this & would like to read your more updates.Keep in touch with us in future too.

By: elizabethhalford

elizabethhalford — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 15:27:00 +0000

Hello! Ok well you have three options if it’s an inquiry you can’t fulfill:

1. Don’t reply {unhelpful}2. Reply and say no {unhelpful}3. Reply and cheerfully refer them on {helpful}
So, which option makes you look amazing? You’ll stick in their minds far better if you were helpful.

By: Sheri A

Sheri A — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 02:02:00 +0000

Elizabeth,
I’ve seriously been debating saying “no” to newborns for a while. Just like you, I don’t enjoy the process. I LOVE seeing others final products, but I don’t think I do well at it and I don’t enjoy it. Like you, I dread it for days leading up to it.
My hesitation in referring to my friend (who is a phenomenal newborn photographer) is that I wonder what will make them come back to me later? Why wouldn’t they just stay with her?

I want to have clients for life. As cheesey as that sounds, I want to be with them through their senior portraits, engagement, wedding, maternity, and later their baby that sits up :) I enjoy ALL those. I just don’t enjoy newborns.

With that being said, how do you think I should handle that? I don’t want to develop relationships with these people (who become friends!) and then tell them, “Oh, I’m sorry, I can’t take pictures of your brand new baby even though we’ve been through so much”.

Ya know?

By: Shannon

Shannon — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:04:00 +0000

Oh Elizabeth. I read this post this morning after I’ve decided to stop doing weddings. I have two weddings in the spring and besides those two commitments I’m not doing any more. It makes me nervous but I feel liberated. I love meeting the bride and groom, and sometimes their parents, I enjoy the engagement session and bridal portraits, but when the big day is coming up I start getting nervous and this general feeling of “oh no, what did I get myself into… again.” I totally know what I’m doing but I just don’t want that pressure. I’m paranoid the entire time of a huge list of what-ifs.

This post was so encouraging. I have a full-time job as a photojournalist for a large newspaper, which I love. I also love, love, love photographing excited, noisy, giggly children.

Thanks!

By: Dana Romanuka

Dana Romanuka — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 14:33:00 +0000

i always say NO to shooting seniors and adults (well, ladies). You know, once in a while i receive an email or fbook message from a young lady who wants pretty photos of her. I always say no. It was a hard decision too but i dont regret a single bit of it. I position myself as children and family photographer (okay, i do weddings sometimes too) and i do not like and neither i am capable of (because i dont enjoy it, i guess) “pretty girly photos”. I also believe that “Jack of all trades is the master of none” is absolutely true. You cant be good in all fields so you should stick to what you can do best and what you do from your heart. AMEN! :)) .

By: allison

allison — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:11:00 +0000

Thank you so much, again! I’ve struggled with this for a long time too. I finally took the step this year to turn down weddings. It’s funny because you adore shooting weddings and I adore newborns! :) Anyways…I hope more people learn to say no because it helps everyone out in the long run.

Thank you again.

By: Holli Braasch

Holli Braasch — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 14:08:00 +0000

I equate this to saying ‘no’ to your kids, because it’s for their own good. I am still kind of torn between doing everything and finding a niche. I don’t want to be turning down any work, because really, I don’t have much right now, but at the same time I don’t know what to specialize in either. I really enjoy engagements through 1 year (including wedding boudoir newborn), but I am really uncomfortable with older kids through Seniors. Just rambling, but I totally get what you mean. :)

By: Mama Monkey

Mama Monkey — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 13:55:00 +0000

this is something i’m starting to work on in full full force!!! I LOVE newborns, events I do not, yet i was contacted to photograph an event , politely declined, but was kind of bullied into it by the person that wanted me to do it. So I did it and met many potential future clients (YAY!), but i will NEVER do event photography again. It was not enjoyable for me at all. How you described your email for the newborn session is exactly what I needed to hear and will write to those who contact me for work I do not like to do in the same manner! THANk YOU!