This year, PPA announced the new 2025 Financial Benchmark Business Guide for photographers. The guide, built from real data gathered from photography studios across the country, offers photographers a clear pathway to creating a business plan that supports their financial goals. Angela Kurkian, PPA's Deputy Chief Executive Officer, has firsthand experience with how the Benchmark Guide can reshape a photographer’s business.

For Kurkian, the Benchmark Business Guide transformed both her business operations and decision-making processes. Without it, the first seven years of growing her photography studio were filled with what she calls "entrepreneurial terror." It’s a feeling many photographers can relate to — running a business without a plan or goals that leave you stuck in a constant state of uncertainty. 

"I never stopped working or worrying, because I didn't have a clear business plan or certainty about my financial situation."

When Kurkian read the first Financial Benchmark Guide, she felt everything shift into focus. It confirmed what she already knew instinctively; while giving her a structured roadmap improve and take intentional steps toward her new business goals. 

More than anything, Kurkian champions the guide for the ways it helps photographers avoid workaholism and burnout. Professional value, she emphasizes, isn't determined by the number of hours you work. Success should have a definition that’s personal to you.  

The Financial Benchmark Business Guide will help you improve your profitability, build a “can-do” mindset, and release the anxiety that often weighs down business owners.  

Kurkian wants every photographer to know that the benchmark guide is not high finance — it's practical, approachable, and easy to understand. Most importantly, it helps you make confident day-to-day decisions and puts you back in control of your business journey. 

Read the Financial Benchmark Business Guide today and get started building a more sustainable business today!