2020 has been a very 'different' year for us all to put it mildly. And many creative businesses (and of course lots of others) have really struggled! But today I just want to focus on the things I have learnt this year! I'm a big believer in turning the bad around for good. I'm not saying I'm positive all the time and life is rosy, I just love to figure out how I can be thankful for what I do have and how I can learn to be a better, more successful human being through the tough stuff!
So before we go ahead, make sure you join the Georgia-Beth Photography Family so that you don't miss out on any more of this and let's get straight into it.
Be Adaptable
If you didn't know how to adapt before, after this year you definitely do! A lot of people don't like change very much, but this year has seen some of the biggest changes some of us have ever had to deal with in our lives so we've had to be able to adapt!
I personally I am quite used to change. Growing up I moved to several different countries, and I am from a multi-cultural adoptive family whom I love very much, so I quite enjoy change and am probably more used to it than most! However, this year has been the biggest curveball I've had to face since starting my own business and it has taught me to hugely adapt.
Wedding and lifestyle photography is a service-based business that you cannot do without being near people so when lockdown hit the UK in March and every wedding in the country was cancelled I had to think on my feet. I started my own YouTube channel and began to develop products like photo editing presets for your phone that I could sell online.
Once things started to open back up again in June/July time I started to release special offers for Micro Wedding packages and also doorstep portraits.
These are all things that I would've never done if lockdown hadn't happened but they're all things that have helped me expand my business and get my name out there!
There's no time like now.
I've always had big plans for my business and things in my head that I thought "one day I'll do that" but this year has taught me to just GET ON WITH IT! There is literally no time right now like the present. What's past is gone and there's nothing you can do to change it and the future isn't here yet, so let's focus on now! I was putting off starting my YouTube channel until I thought I was 'ready', then lockdown hit and I realised I needed to do everything I could to keep growing my business in some very different circumstances! So I just dived straight in, not knowing 100% what I was doing or where it would go, but now 9 months later I can wholeheartedly tell you it was worth it and I now know what to do to keep growing and learning to become better and better!
Check out our blog on 'What-if Plans' - if you haven't already got one by the end of this year, now is the best time to start!
I also have quite a few other things I'm now working on that I would never have started if 2020 hadn't given me the kick up the bum I needed! So watch this space! If you're waiting to be ready before you launch/start/release something, then don't! There's no time like now.
Connect with other businesses
2020 has also been an amazing year for me to connect with other like-minded business owners and wedding suppliers, I've had a chance to really get to know (albeit virtually) some amazing people who I wouldn't have reached out to in the same way if things had all been go go go as they usually are!
I've been able to join an amazing community of wedding suppliers who encourage and support one another through thick and thin, referring, recommending each other and championing each other along this self-employed journey.
I've organised, planned and executed a beautiful styled shoot with the wonderful Kirsty from The Flower Mill, which is due to be featured in County Weddings Magazines next year and it has given me a chance to work and build links with some amazing businesses, as well as get myself out there even more!
I cannot recommend enough making sure you build healthy genuine relationships with other local businesses so that you can grow on this entrepreneurial journey together and cheer each other on! And if any of you ever want to work on a project with me then just pop me a message and we can chat!
Make-Up Artist - Yvonne Aucott, Florist - The Flower Mill, Stationary - Obi and Co
Stay up to date, but stay you
I always try to keep up to date with the times and keep an eye on current trends etc, but I've also learnt this year to not let that change who I am and what my brand is!
It's all well and good knowing that funny cat videos are what is in right now, or crop tops and sock trainers, but if that's not what you like or what your ideal clients are into, then it's not a good representation of you as a business. So make sure you're staying relevant to what's going on in the world but also true to you!
I am a big advocate of self-care and being confident in yourself so I will make sure I am posting encouraging captions that boost body confidence, this is something that is very current, but also true to what I believe in!
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Save for a rainy year!
If you didn't save before I'm sure you do now! The hubby and I have always been pretty good at being careful with our money, but this year taught us even more to save!
I know that so many people have struggled financially this year with losing work, being made redundant and many other things because of the dreaded rona and I believe that having a good financial plan in mind is so helpful!
Making sure I am putting money aside during the times that I can pay for more than the bills is so important! It means that if something happens in the future where I'm not able to have the same regular income that I usually do, whatever the reason, I can still pay my bills and come up with a reasonable plan in the meantime without having to panic straight away. If you're a small business in need of a financial advisor I'd highly recommend Joel Does Money Stuff he is a financial planner married to a photographer and a musician himself so he fully understands where small businesses are coming from and is the perfect match for a creative entrepreneur!
Be Thankful
My final learning point this year and probably the biggest one is just to be thankful for everything we have! I am so thankful for mine and my families health, my home, the food on my table, the clothes on our backs, this year has been hard for all of us and I am super excited for the day that I can hug people again, but for today I'm going to sit and write down all the lovely things that I do have to remind myself how lucky I am and I challenge you to do the same!
Yesterday morning DJ Mike Readings (go ahead and check him out if you're looking for a wedding DJ!) challenged me to write down all that I've accomplished this year so that's what I'm going off to do right now, you should do it too! Make sure you share your lists with me on social media so I can cheer you on!
That's it from me on here this year, I'm taking a break from the blog on 1st Jan and will be back with some exciting things on 15th Jan so make sure you join the Georgia-Beth Family so you don't miss out on that and I hope you all have an amazing Christmas!
I'm always cheering you on.
Georgia
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Here are some of my favourite images from this crazy year:
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