STUDIO MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
by Tina Provencher, CGA
Running a studio or any type of business requires planning and management.
You can simply show up at your studio each day and put out fires dealing
with one crisis or another – or you can put some systems in place to help
you run your studio so that it does not run your life.
When we talk about studio management – what are we really talking about?
You do not just need to manage your studio, if you break it down, here is
what you really need to manage in order to run your studio effectively.
#1 – Manage yourself – that’s right, this is where it
all begins. This is your studio and if you cannot manage yourself and your
time, how are you going to manage your business.
Start by getting your personal life organized. Make an effort to plan your
time so that you can get accomplished what you need to in order to have
a balanced life. This includes making sure that you have enough time for
yourself, your family, eating properly, getting enough sleep, exercising,
socializing, and putting in a reasonable number of hours running your business.
Plan your time to make sure that all of these things happen.
#2 – Manage your clients – Have a plan as to how you are
going to deal with your clients and be consistent. From your first contact
with a potential client you must make an effort to give them as much information
as possible about their session and their experience with you and your studio.
As long as you do your job well in informing your client of what to expect
and what is expected of them, you will not have any problems with falling
short of your client’s expectations.
Clients are most receptive prior/during the consultation time, it is at this
time that they should be informed of; prices & session fees, when they will
receive their proofs, when they will order, your payment policies, their ordering
obligations, how long they have to order, and turnaround time on orders.
If you wait until after their session to inform them of these things then
you will be open to objections from the client.
#3 – Manage the studio workflow – Managing the studio workflow
includes; booking appointments, managing the flow or timing of client appointments,
the order taking process, ensuring that orders are delivered on time and as
per client expectations, and ordering of studio supplies.
Allow sufficient times for client appointments to ensure that you are not
rushed, do not compromise on your days off, if you are booking appointments
for babies ask when the child’s nap times are so that you have a happy well
rested baby. Put procedures in place to ensure that client orders do not get
lost and to make sure that client orders get processed in the order that they
are received. When making promises on delivery times on orders allow yourself
extra time so that you do not disappoint the clients.
#4 – Manage your money – Many otherwise viable businesses
have failed because of poor money management. If you are not good with money
then assign this task to your spouse, competent staff, or your bookkeeper.
Make sure that you are recording all of the expenses that you are entitled
to, if you are operating your business out of your home consult with your
accountant to ensure that you are tracking all of the expenses that you can
use to deduct against your income.
Do not pay for your expenses by cash – if these receipts are lost then you
have shorted yourself on your deductions. Use credit cards to defer expenses
for up to a month or more, make sure that you have your bookkeeping done each
month so that you know if your business is making or losing money and if so
in what areas that you are excelling or falling short. Have payment policies
in place for your clients to ensure that you are paid in a timely manner for
your work. Make sure that you collect sufficient client deposits to cover
your costs.
#5 – Manage your staff- Although having a staff (even just
one) can allow you to process more workflow and free up some of your time
it can also be a great headache. As in managing your client expectations,
you must also manage your staff expectations from the time that you interview
them.
They also must know what is expected of them, what your studio policies are
(if you do not have any then take the time to write some up) with regards
to vacation, sick time, overtime, hours of work, time off with or without
pay, appropriate attire, etc. , etc. It you wait until a couple of months
after you have hired an employee to discuss these items with them, it is too
late. At this point you will be more likely to receive objections from the
employee who has now been allowed to carve out their own policies and procedures
based on their personal preference.
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Tina Provencher has worked as a senior accountant
for 14 years before working with me in the day to day operations of our photography
studio. Her management seminars have always been a big hit and her management
manual can be bought at her website: www.photostudioboss.com
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