My Goals

I was reading another photographer's blog, and they had a very long list of goals that they wanted to accomplish, both in their personal and professional life. I thought this was a GREAT idea!

To start, let me tell you a little story. When I was first trying to start my photo business, I knew absolutely nothing about running a business (or even starting one), all I knew was that I wanted to take pictures and be my own boss. I went to several different people I knew, asking how to make my business legit - i.e., what legal or tax documentation I needed to be able to make money from my services. No one would give me a straight answer - I was extremely frustrated. People kept telling me that I needed to come up with a business plan first, that I needed to set goals. My mindset was "I don't want to set goals, I want to just start this business already!" Everything was finally made official in the fall of 2006, and I'm now at a place where I think goals are a great idea, and could really help me see the vision of where I want my little photography business to go - I've got big ideas!

So here starts the list of my goals. I may update this every so often and then re-post it, just a warning. Also, I've added some in here that I've already accomplished (for motivation), they're marked in bold.

1. Have a photograph featured on a magazine cover.
2. Have a wedding featured in a bridal magazine.
3. Own a house that will accomodate my ideal studio/office setup - comfy couches, multiple computers, meeting area for clients, possibly a projection screen, large canvas prints mounted on the walls (which will be painted bold, rich colors), cool decor like zebra print rugs and 5 foot vases filled with long-stemmed grass, etc.
4. Marry the love of my life. :) June 3, 2006
5. Organize my workflow to be more efficient.
6. Learn to be a better businesswoman.
7. Book a destination wedding (preferably on a beach somewhere - Mexico or Hawaii would do).
8. Pay for and go on a 2nd honeymoon with Adam - we want to go back to the exact place we went on our first honeymoon in Hawaii because it was amazing.
9. Keep normal office hours. Maybe something like 9-3 or 9-4.
10. To accomplish number 9, I must get up earlier in order to get my workout done and be ready to open the office at 9 am.
11. Hire some help! Another photog, or an office manager.
12. Book more than 10 weddings in one year. 2008
13. Buy my dream camera - a Canon 5D. Or maybe two. May 2008
14. Learn to charge high enough prices to make a living at this.
15. Have a booth at a bridal fair, which means I must print literature about GDP.
16. Become an LLC.
17. Book a full year of weddings - for me, this means around 25. I would ideally like to do 2 per month so that I still have somewhat of a family life. :)
18. Change proofing system - possibly use a projection screen in my office?
19. Get to 20,000 hits on my blog (you guys can help with this - tell your friends to look me up!).
20. Start a photo workshop to help people learn more about their cameras and also to learn some tricks in Photoshop.
21. Buy a motorcycle for my hubby, though I would enjoy it too.
22. Have a family (two babies - one boy and one girl, to be exact).
23. Start a weekly date night with Adam - a night set aside for just the two of us to spend time together. This means NO photography (for me), and NO radio-control planes (for Adam).
24. Go on a cruise.
25. Go on any kind of vacation.
26. Learn to be better with money (saving, investing, NOT eating out).
27. Learn to cook.
28. Learn to play the drums.
29. Achieve a mental state where I don't crave pop.
30. Revamp my closet of clothes so that I have enough clothes to wear without having to wear stuff I bought in HIGH SCHOOL! Though, maybe I should be happy I still fit into it.
31. Stop being addicted to checking my email and facebook. My business email is an exception. :)
32. Drink more water.
33. Design branding for my business. Early 2008
34. Drive a Jeep. March 2007, and again February 2008

I'm sure I'll think of more right after I hit the Publish Post button, so this list may be edited soon! Make a list of your own - it's kinda fun!