Business
Get to Know How Food Photographer Jennifer Thompson Grows Her Business
What is your area of expertise, who do you serve, and how do you serve them?
I’m a food photographer, videographer and recipe developer who works with brands in order to drive sales in their businesses.
Why would someone choose you over a competitor?
Aside from the high quality of content that I produce, I work closely with clients to make them feel valued and heard when it comes to their needs. I also live by the rule of “under promise, over deliver”. This has led to my business growing quickly from word of mouth, as well as retain existing clients for long term contracts.
Share a specific time you encountered an obstacle and how you overcame it.
As a freelancer, obstacles are abundant – especially in the beginning. One specific problem I ran into in the early stages of my business was understanding commercial pricing. I had several situations where I was taken advantage of and this ultimately led to burnout. I had to learn the hard way that underpricing services leads to having to work unsustainable hours in order to survive. Needless to say, my rates have drastically changed since coming to this realization.
Share a short story about your best (or favorite) case study.
I’m not sure if this qualifies as a case study, however I was in negotiations with a client who wanted a long laundry list of deliverables with a very small budget.
The quote for the project was nowhere near what their budget would allow, and the client was making all attempts to slash my prices. Since their budget was so far from the cost of my services, there was no way to even begin to bridge the gap. I instead suggested decreasing the deliverables.
The client rejected this idea, to which I politely responded that I wouldn’t be able to take on their project. A few weeks later, the client came back having revised their deliverables and with a substantially larger budget. There’s a lot of power in being willing to walk away.
What advice would you give the “20-Year-Old-You” who’s eager to start in life?
Understand that it’s a marathon, not a race, and that not everyone has the privilege to start with the same footwear.
Please describe a monumental time in your life that you’ll never forget.
The day I purchased my studio space was definitely a monumental day. Up until that point, my business had felt small and subpar to me. I was embarrassed by the fact that I didn’t have a “real” working space and was sure others thought the same.
Imposter syndrome is real, and even though the business was gaining momentum, I felt lesser than. The new studio made me feel like I was a real business.
Oddly enough, as important as that day was at the time, it doesn’t hold the same meaning anymore. I now see that the studio space doesn’t define the worth of my business.
Follow Jennifer on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/cashmereandcocktailsblog/
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