A list of documentary family photography business owner tasks
I've been building a list of all the things I do in my business and figured it would be fun to share. I bet I've forgotten a lot, so I will keep adding to the list as I remember more things.
CLIENTS AND INQUIRIES
Phone calls
Reply to inquiries
Schedule video calls with inquirers (through calendly.com, eliminates back-and-forth)
Video calls
Client emails
Send contracts
Send contract reminders
Send invoices.
Send invoice reminders
Write and send welcome letter
Drive to and from session
Session
Download images onto computer from memory card
Back up images
Cull images
Pick a few to edit for sneak peek
Send sneak peek email
Order gift print
Post-process all images
Export images
Upload to online gallery
Send online gallery
Mark images that need to be kept private
Design and order photo book and prints
Photograph photo book and print products when they come
Package photo books/prints
Send off photo books and prints
Send thank you letter with gift print
Follow up with questionnaire about the family's experience
MAINTENANCE
Charge camera batteries
Empty memory cards
Clean lenses
Clean monitor, keyboard, laptop.
Sending gear off to be cleaned
NON-CLIENT EMAILS
Collaborator emails
Read informational emails
Purge emails
Go through spam/junk folder
Email series updates
MARKETING
Record, edit, publish promotional videosEmail newsletter to past and current clients (once a month)Write, plan, analyze, tweak Facebook ads
Design business cards, postcards
Order business cards, postcards
Client session and pricing guide updates
Portfolio sessions to fill in gaps in portfolio (with almost all steps described for client sessions + finding the families, picking the families)
BLOG
Plan blog post schedule
Write blog post copy
Blog post title
Optimize blog post title and meta description for SEO
Link to applicable past blog posts
Pick photos in Lightroom
Export photos from Lightroom with SEO optimized file names, at the right size, through compression software
Add photos to blog post
Pick featured image for blog post
Add categories and tags to blog post
Schedule blog post
Share blog link on Facebook
Share blog link on Instagram
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook posts
Facebook Live videos
Instagram posts
Comment on other people's posts
Be active in photographer groups
Be active in small business owner groups
NETWORKING
Keep in touch with local business owners with same target market
Face-to-face meetings
Sessions with collaborators
WEBSITE
Optimize for SEO
Update website copy
Update portfolio images regularly (with SEO optimized images)
Update any changes to pricing, process
Pay for website hosting and management, domain, security
BOOKKEEPING
Monthly check of profit and loss
Monthly categorizing of expenses in 17hats
Store digital copies of receipts
Adding print product sales from online gallery into 17hats
Setting aside collected sales tax
Paying sales tax
Evaluating and updating pricing of sessions and products
Gather and send information over to tax professional
EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Business coaching/mentoring
Listen to podcasts
Online classes
Participate actively in online courses
Conferences
Workshops
Books/Ebooks
SYSTEMS
Planning goals
Planning weekly/daily tasks
Creating workflows and systems for client experience
Creating systems for different parts of work not related to client session
Writing/updating email templates
Updating contracts and invoice templates
MISC
Travel and drive time
Pick up rental gear
Take photos of client products
Post-process photos of client photo books and prints