by Skip Cohen If only there was a button you could push to grow your business! There's no button, but there is an outstanding conference coming up to help you achieve your goals. ​ ​When it comes to building our business, we're all in the same "boat." Everyone is looking for answers to the same kinds of questions: How can I increase business, as well as revenue? I need new customers, but where do I find them? How do I expand my skill set? Am I the only one with this kind of challenge? Who's out there that I could work with to develop a partnership? I need more diversified friends in my ..read more

by Skip Cohen It's Marketing Monday, and as I think through what might be helpful to you, I'm stuck on finding something new... something I haven't written about before. So, with the clock ticking down to Mother's Day, it seems like the perfect time to remind you to stop thinking you have to do everything alone - STOP FLYING SOLO. The upcoming Mother's Day is the perfect example, with so many different opportunities for partnerships to share the cost and expand your reach. With every partnership, you increase your reach and expand the potential for brand awareness for your business.  ..read more

by Skip Cohen It's Sunday morning, and as usual, I avoid writing about business and marketing. Reflections is just that—whatever's on my mind when I sit down at the computer. Whatever I write is more personal, but I do my best to make it relatable. I've written in the past about a habit Sheila and I got into many years ago - reading something inspirational each morning. She tends to like things more spiritual, while I go to more of a positive thinking trend. The thoughts we share from various authors are always worthy of an "a-ha" moment. The other day, Cyndie Spiegel in her book, A Y ..read more

Click for more info by Skip Cohen If photographing seniors is already part of your business, then you already know we're getting down to the wire to support this important specialty. May and June are the two most popular months for high school graduations, but the revenue benefits happen in two stages—the original sittings for the portraits themselves and, second, happening now, support with products like grad cards. As I've written before, the class of 2024 has had a lot to deal with over their years in high school. Most of them were freshmen when the pandemic hit. Coping with the challeng ..read more

by Skip Cohen ​ ​It's a new year, and what everyone thinks of as the "slow season" is over. With Mother's Day, graduations, proms, and Father's Day all just around the corner, Spring seasonality is in full swing. But today's post isn't about seasonality but the diversity of your skill set. For those of you who are struggling as one-trick ponies – it might be time to diversify. Having a primary specialty is excellent, but it's time to grow if that's all you can photograph confidently.   Think back to the height of the pandemic – when events were all canceled, people were pa ..read more

Click to register for 10 complimentary 8x10s by Skip Cohen ​ Typically, timing is everything, and while it's pushing the envelope for a three-part mailing for Spring seasonality, it's NEVER too late to plant the seed for later in the year.  You're all looking for ways to make your business stand out in the community. Competition is fierce, so how can you cut through the noise and attract attention to your role as an artist and the ultimate storyteller?  Marathon's Power of 3 marketing for families is a simple and cost-effective way to market to families in your area. Plus, th ..read more

​by Skip Cohen It's Sunday and Reflections is rarely about marketing and business. It's my time to get a little more personal than usual, and it's even become therapeutic. This morning, I'm doing a short brain dump on one way to deal with life's challenges...when the timing is right. I've written about "Slug Days" in the past. It's an expression I picked up from Sheila that is defined as a day when the only priority is to chill and pretty much do whatever you feel like. It's just a lazy day with time to pause and appreciate life. The need for a "Slug Day" is always based on those periods w ..read more

If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan.  And guess what they have planned for you? Not much! Jim Rohn Click to learn more by Skip Cohen It's Marketing Monday, and I saw the quote above and loved it. It makes the point about planning, although I'm going to scale it down a little. It's April 1, and so many artists are still procrastinating about going after spring seasonality. Except for wedding photographers, most of you only have two major stretches of seasonality—the spring and the fall/winter holidays. There's so much you can be doing ..read more

Customers don’t want to wait. Specifically, they don’t want you to waste their time. If you do make them wait, you risk losing them. Making your customers wait sends the message that you don’t respect them or their time. Shep Hyken by Skip Cohen One of your best marketing tools for building your business is responding quickly to customer requests. There's no such thing as getting back to a client too soon, and response time is even more important when it's with a potential customer! Here's a great example with two different consumer companies: I called the company that fertilizes our lawn ..read more

My muse is creating new worlds with toys, just to see what life is like at the edges of my imagination.Dave DeBaeremaeker Click for more info by Skip Cohen Dave DeBaeremaeker joins me in this new episode of "Why?" This series is all about introducing you to some of the most creative and respected artists in photography.  The process usually starts with a phone call and me asking the featured photographer to pick one of their favorite images to later talk about. The common denominator that often comes up is the response, "That's like asking me which of my kids I love the most!" It ..read more