andrew bryant - Hello Caroline... thanks for your question! Not to blame everything on the economy, but it's definitely taking a hit on most every business owner. That being said, there are many companies that are capitalizing on the downturn by finding creative ways to attract and retain customers. Not trying to dodge your question here, but I would highly suggest you work on setting up a good business plan where you place a bit of emphasis on knowing your target market. Being able to give a quick 20 second "commercial" to anyone who asks what you do, who you target, etc. is very advantageous for you to know. :) Once you have that nailed down, I would suggest that you take cues from companies who target that demographic in the way that they advertise and retain their clients. This is easier said than done as many of the methods are very subtle. I would recommend that you pick up the book Lovemarks (by Kevin Roberts) which will give you clarification in this area... great all around read in general for business! Is a blog necessary? I believe that it is because it allows your clients to establish some connection with you before they even submit an inquiry to your business. A blog allows for you to share the current happenings in your business, share your personality, and is even helpful in boosting your search rankings on Google and Yahoo, etc. 3.24.10 at 11:39am Caroline - Hello Andrew! I'm a big fan of your website and your blog. I am starting a photography business and I already have the website, the SmugMug, and I have invested a lot of money in new equipment. Now...all I need is customers! I have tried using the internet, posting fliers, putting ads in magazines, etc. How do I get people in the door? I have gotten a few customers this way, but I wonder if there is more I can do (and I know the answer is yes). How do I reach people out there? Also, since I already have a website and a SmugMug account, is a blog necessary? Thanks so much for your help! 3.19.10 at 1:27pm Andrew Bryant - Hey Debra, great question. I would suggest that you look into incorporating in some form. Basically staking claim to your legal business name. This can be done through an LLC or S-Corp, even a C-Corp (although this may not be necessary for most photography studios). Once you have legally formed your company (expect to pay upwards of $800, depending on the state you live in) you can move forward with invoicing clients. I would then look into a blog or website (if it's affordable for you) as a means to display your work. Hope this helps... keep the questions coming! :) 3.16.10 at 12:43pm Debra Horst - Hi Andrew! What a wonderful thing for you to do! So fun to see your video too! I do have a question, if I wanted to start a business what would be the first step? Where would you start? A very elementary question, but that's where I am :-) "Hello" to your family! 3.12.10 at 3:58pm andrew bryant - Hey Michael! Great to hear from you. To answer your question, I think that you need all of those avenues (website, blog, facebook, twitter) as all of them help to reinforce you and your brand. There are many companies such as BlueDomain, ShowitSites, Livebooks, etc. which will help with the website side of things (without spending custom design prices) and a Blogger or Wordpress blog are great ways to begin your blog. Linking is key here with your blog and you can even integrate your twitter and facebook into the page of your blog if you wish. As for order of importance, I would say start with a nice clean blog that looks professional and then build business from there until you are ready for a site. There are a handful of photographers that use a blog as their site (called a blog-site) and this may be a great option for you to consider! Thanks for the question Michael... hope all's well! 3.12.10 at 2:32pm andrew bryant - Hey guys! Thanks so much for your questions. Heather- I would have to say that there are many photographers who operate their company as a Sole-Proprietership, (we began that way) yet many eventually make a transition for tax purposes to a S-Corp or LLC. Depending on what state you live in and what your financial situation is for your business (even if you have empoyees, etc) can absolutely play into what you should consider for your business long-term. I believe you absolutely need to look at this long term, therefore it would be best to consult a local CPA who has some knowledge in photography business practices. Also PPA (Professional Photographers of America) is a great resource for this very thing!! 3.12.10 at 2:22pm Michael - thanks for taking the initiative to start something like this. great idea! how do i decide the most important ways to begin. website? blog? facebook? twitter? zenfolio or smugmug? and in which order of importance? thanks in advance. 3.8.10 at 11:27pm Angi Hanzlik - Love it!!! Now, I've just got to come up with some clever questions ;) Hope all is well with you and the family. Talk to you soon. 3.7.10 at 5:15am Heather - I'm just in the beginning stages of starting my company (still working on my site) and wondered if it's better to work as a sole-proprieter, S-Corp, or C-Corp? Any thoughts? I'm just a bit confused, but heard that it's important to know which way to incorporate before the business really takes off. Thanks so much!! 3.6.10 at 2:06pm