Stay Home | Business to-dos
We have all been put on a forced slow-down with our businesses and creative journeys, but we know the day will come when life will return to normal and the busy will resume. When you are self-employed, there is a never-ending list of tasks to complete– things you put off during your busy season and then don’t want to dedicate time to in your off season. We have compiled a list for anyone who is looking for a welcomed distraction with a deep dive into your business.
You can also download this list below as a PDF checklist.
Stay Home | Business to-dos
Download this list as a Checklist PDF.
LEARN at the Unraveled Academy!
We have over 300 courses to help master the technical portion of your photography, harness your creativity or make the business side of things less complicated.
Client Questionnaires.
You can easily create forms and questionnaires on your website that clients can fill out and you can connect to your Google Drive. Imagine having all of your clients information in one easy to search place!
New Year’s Do Over!
We all had the best of intentions to stick to our New Year’s goals, but life has been crazy lately and if you want to hit RESTART, we don’t blame you! Sit down and set both business and personal goals for yourself in this upcoming “new” year.
Invoice System.
Always losing track of payments or trying to remember who has paid and who hasn’t? It’s probably time to finally set up an invoice system that works for you and your business!
Who Are You?
Go through and update the About Me section on your website and Facebook, as well as your bio on Instagram.
Show Us Your Face!
Take a self portrait to update your headshot. If this one scares you– we have some AMAZING self-portraiture courses from Jessican Rasmussen, LeAnna Aazzolina and Angela Doran for you to check out!
Make It Fast!
When all this is over, your clients will be flocking to your website– let’s make sure it loads as fast as possible! Speed up your websites load time by using Cloudflare! (NOTE: It’s free!)
Make it Fast(er)!
While we are talking speeds– use JPEG MINI PRO to resize all of your websites images to ensure even faster loading! First 200 images are free!
Gallery Refresh!
Update all the pretty parts of your website– new pictures and galleries of your most up-to-date work!
Online Calendar!
Consider integrating your schedule with an online calendar to help your booking process become streamlined! Acuity is our current favorite!
Share Your Work!
Whatever format works best for you– continue to share your work and don’t be afraid to revisit old sessions! You can blog them, share them to stories, post them to your grid or share them on your Facebook! Make it a goal to share at least 5 different sessions!
Sample Products!
Ever wanted to dabble in the world of IPS or offering clients a few hand-selected products? Sample products are a great way to allow your clients to tangibly connect with the products you offer and is proven to increase sales!
Your Print Shop!
Create a print shop through your gallery delivery system! This is the perfect way to get your images printed for your clients at the best quality and make additional income!
Show us YOU!
Share an image of yourself, either that self-portrait from earlier, or one you already have, with your followers on social media. Pair it together with your thoughts from the heart or a simple list of things you love or are grateful for!
Contracts!
Maybe you’ve never had contracts or maybe you’ve been using the same ones forever– this could be a great time to update or begin the process of using them!
Email Templates.
When the busy strikes again– you will be flooded with emails and instead of writing out the same email time and time again, create email templates to help streamline your work and cut down on communication. Examples: Introduction to Pricing, How to Navigate your Website, What to Expect, How to Prepare, Follow Ups, etc.
Start a Project!
Since we are pushing back the “New” Year– why not start, or pick back up, on one of those projects you wanted to do, like a 365 Days Project, a 52 Weeks Project, or even just starting to dream up creative sessions you want to do when life returns to normal.
What to Wear.
Put together a blog post or dedicate a section to your website of your best suggestions on outfits and what clothes pair best with your work! Clients will eat this up!
Create Some Double Exposures!
Did you know you can create awesome double exposures in post-processing? Check out Anna Caitlin’s lesson, “The Fine Art of Double Exposures” to learn how! Consider offering these to clients as add-ons or just doing these to let your creativity run wild!
Organize Your Files.
Whether its your images on hard-drives, contracts, expenses or other miscellaneous admin work– it’s time to finally get it all nicely organized!
Thinking of You Cards!
Sending out a handwritten or thoughtful card to all of your clients right now will definitely bring a smile to their face and keep them thinking about you!
Business Check-Up.
Go through last years books and see what things helped your business soar and see where you struggled. Make a game plan to make this upcoming year better than the last!
Create Your Own Presets!
Whether you use presets as a base, or you edit by hand-- create some presets to make your workflow easier.
Yoga Nidra for Stress Reduction.
We have made this e-course free for all of our students to help get us through this crazy time. We believe in the power of meditation. None of this matters if you are not taking care of YOU.
Prompt Guides.
Struggle with prompts, poses or ways to keep your session flowing? Make yourself some prompt cards that you can print out or save digitally to quickly reference back to once you’re back to shooting!
Custom Cards + Announcements!
When life goes back and the busy returns, your clients will have a lot of things to celebrate. Create custom cards and announcements you can sell, or give to clients to display your images in the best light possible!
Thank You’s!
Create personalized Thank You cards to send to clients after sessions or for referrals! Our favorites are from Moo!
Make it a Business.
If you have not yet officially set up your business, check out our course: “Taking Care of Business” and get all of your ducks in a row!
Update Your Boards.
Whether you use Pinterest, Amazon wish list or have your own way of displaying inspiration, colors, wardrobes and styles-- it’s time to go through and clean house on the old to make room for the new!
Gift Cards!
Maybe you want to consider pre-selling a few sessions, run a special deal or people are constantly asking to buy gift card-- create a custom one that fits the needs and style of your business! Check out our own templates in the UA Orientation Course!
