EPISODE #125

With Allison Tyler Jones

Owner | ATJ Photo & The ReWork
Gilbert, Arizona
atjphoto.com
dotherework.com

DATE: September 5, 2024

Fall is in the air, and although you may be way past your school days, this season always gets me excited to refocus, organize, and reevaluate!

That’s exactly what this episode is about – taking a step back to give your portrait studio a “report card” of its own! 

😱 Are you hitting your financial goals, or are you afraid to take a peek at the numbers? Don’t worry; I’ve got your back. It’s time to take a closer look at your revenue. Are you growing, or is it time to make some adjustments?

In this episode, I’ll walk you through a few key areas to check in on like:

💰 Revenue: How’s that top line looking? Are you meeting your goals for the year or has it been slower than previous years?

📈 Profit margins: Bottom line is where the rubber meets the road. How much of that top line are you keeping? Have you raised your prices lately? If not, inflation might be eating into your profits.

📋 Average sales: This is THE number you should have a laser focus on in your business. I’ll share my favorite tips on how to increase your average sales with new products or pricing strategies that might just give your bottom line a boost.

So grab a notebook and pen, and let’s get to work! By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clearer picture of where your studio stands and how to make positive changes that will set you up for success!

Let’s Do It!

In this episode, you will learn

• How to conduct a self-assessment of your portrait business using an A-F “Report Card” approach
• The importance of tracking revenue growth, stagnation, or decline and grading yourself based on financial performance
• Strategies for maintaining or improving your profit margins, including adjusting prices or lowering costs
• Tips on how to boost average sales by adding new products or refreshing existing ones
• How to track session counts by type and evaluate if they’re in keeping with your business goals

Here’s a glance at this episode:

• [1:43] – ATJ challenges listeners to use a report card to identify strengths and areas needing improvement in their portrait businesses.
• [3:26] – Evaluate your revenue by comparing it to last year’s numbers.
• [5:04] – Assess your profit margin by examining costs and adjusting prices.
• [7:46] – Review your average sale, comparing it to last year, and listen to episodes 24, 25, 26, and 27.
• [11:02] – Evaluate year-to-date session counts by type and grade based on desired session trends.
• [14:50] – Track repeat versus new clients’ percentage, grade tracking effort, and refer to episode 55 for tips!
• [16:50] – Assess your workflow efficiency and identify areas causing stress.
• [18:07] – ATJ encourages listeners to outsource accounting to avoid overwhelm.
• [20:53] – Review challenges like anxiety, confidence, and recurring problems to improve your business.
• [22:32] – Identify and address fears, like raising prices and self-doubt, that prevent success
• [25:54] – Evaluate your readiness for change and set clear business goals to move forward effectively.

Click here to listen! [LINK TO THIS EPISODE]

PRETTY PLEASE: Rate, Review, & Follow Us on Apple Podcasts

“I love ATJ & The ReWork!.” <– If that sounds like you, please take a minute and rate and review the show! This helps us support more portrait photographers — just like you — move toward building the PROFITABLE, sustainable businesses that they really want. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let ME know what you loved most about the episode (and any topics you are dying to learn about). 

Also, if you haven’t already, FOLLOW the podcast. We’ll be adding some bonus episodes to the feed this season, and if you’re not following, you’ll miss out. Follow now!

You can also email me directly with your suggestions at: support@dotherework.com – OR DM me directly on Instagram @atjphoto or @do.the.rework 

We’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions and ideas! 

Links and Resources:
Download a Transcript
ReWork Episode #024
ReWork Episode #025
ReWork Episode #026
ReWork Episode #027
ReWork Episode #055

Reading:
Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear

Do The ReWork
Website | Instagram

Allison Tyler Jones
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn

Quotes:
“I want you to use this information that you gather today to empower you to make positive and long lasting change for yourself and your business.” – ATJ

“We might not like math, but numbers can be our friend because they tell us a story about the health of our business… instead of sticking your head in the sand, I want you to take a look and see how you’re doing…” – ATJ

“More isn’t always better… if it’s going in the direction that you want, give yourself an A.” – ATJ

 If you’re ready to kick your Fall Season into High gear..

Consider this your invitation to join me for my brand-new FREE MasterClass: Client Upgrade: 4 Secrets to Attract Better Clients

Wed 9/11 @ 1 pm Pacific/4 Eastern

Th 9/12 @ 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern

Th 9/19 @ 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern

I want to share with you how I’ve built a successful, sustainable business doing what I love for clients I love. 

While that sounds delightful (and it is!), building this business didn’t happen overnight. It wasn’t that long ago that I was paralyzed about my pricing and afraid to make changes for fear of losing all my clients. 

After making ALL the mistakes locked up in my own fear, I developed a repeatable process that attracts loyal, high-paying clients.

When I say “attracts,” I mean PRESENT TENSE, as in, these strategies attract clients right now. 

This isn’t information I learned back in the day, these are current, relevant strategies that I use to attract premium, loyal clients who return to our studio year after year.

As a working portrait photographer who shoots and sells my work to high-paying clients, I practice what I teach, every single day in our portrait studio, and I want to share that process with you in my brand-new FREE MasterClass: Client Upgrade: 4 Steps to Attract Better Clients open for registration NOW.

Because these strategies literally changed my business (and my life), I’m sharing them with portrait photographers now, no matter what stage they’re at in their business (and no, you don’t have to have a retail location to make this work for you – I started in my basement!)

The process is so simple that you can start using it to attract premium clients WITHIN the next 30 days or less. 

In this brand-new training, I’ll walk you through: 

🤯 The Major Mindshifts that all successful portrait photographers must make to clarify their unique style by ignoring the competition & focusing on what you do best.

🚫 Simplify to Sell More; a clear way to talk about your work that educates your clients instead of “selling” them. 

👥 The Most Simple & Effective Marketing Strategy that costs no money and will have your clients buzzing about you to their friends. 

💰 The Single MOST Effective Way to Increase Your Profits and why you MUST know this before you change anything else in your business.

Choose the FREE Masterclass That Best Fits Your Schedule I’m offering multiple days/times.

Wed 9/11 @ 1 pm Pacific/4 Eastern

Th 9/12 @ 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern

Th 9/19 @ 9 am Pacific/Noon Eastern

So here’s the deal…

If you are willing to invest just 60 minutes to dig deep and look closely at your own business in a new way…

…I promise to reward your commitment with only my most effective strategies, which have made a HUGE difference in my own portrait studio. 

Strategies that will have your clients loving you more than ever and bragging about you to their friends. 

Sound good?

Can’t wait to see you on the FREE Masterclass

This Masterclass is a MUST if:

😱 You’re Discouraged. You have clients, but they’re KILLING you,  you’re overworked and not earning enough money.
Yep, that’s me. Show me your ways…

👀  You don’t want to have to hire a bunch of staff to grow your business. You have a hard enough time managing yourself let alone a bunch of employees.
Are you reading my mind? Help me grow without turning into an HR manager!

📉 Sales are slow this year and you really need to book more sessions.
Yes, but I don’t just want ANY clients, I want clients who’ll spend!

You bring you and I’ll bring the 🔥.

And speaking of 🔥…

I’ve got something extra special for you if you show up live…

Introducing my Brand-New:Client Upgrade Tool Kit: The Behind-The-Scenes Texting and Email Scripts We Use to Book Our Calendar Full of Great Clients—this Brand-New Bonus is packed with the exact WORDS (texting and email scripts) we use to fill our calendar with high-paying, dream clients (and to train them to our ways!). Don’t miss out on this game-changing bonus—join us LIVE and upgrade your client communication immediately!