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SMS Business Workshop Comes to Atlanta, March 12-14

You probably know the importance of adding business smarts to your artistic skills (you need them to keep doing what you love!). So, are you ready to increase your sales? Keep more money? Take back your life? Take the next step with PPA's Studio Management Services.

Our Business Breakthroughs Workshop can help you get to that "elusive" next level. The three full-day sessions teach you to manage your finances, attract your ideal client, get comfortable selling and more...all to help you better run your unique photography business.

The most amazing thing? This workshop includes a private consultation with an SMS mentor and PPA accountant, meaning you'll walk away with actionable business and marketing goals AND a custom financial plan. It's the one-two punch that can push you onwards and upwards!

PPA's got what you need to help make sense (and more than cents) out of your photography business, thanks to 12 business workshops coming in 2012. Need guidance with essential business and marketing questions? Want to increase your sales, keep more money and take back your life? Want to become financially stronger and more profitable? See the entire 2012 schedule to find the perfect class for you.

Your artistic skills got you into this industry, but it takes business savvy to be successful. That's why PPA's Studio Management Services (SMS) offers the Business Basics Workshop. This two-day course will teach you how to run a profitable photography business, so you can keep doing what you love!

But there's only one more chance to get the workshop this year: November 5-6, 2011.

The good news is that there are still a few spots available in that class. So, don't let this chance slip by you. As Emily Mulkey of Emily Mulkey Photography says, "I only wish I had attended this workshop two or three years ago, as it would have saved me many tiresome nights of frustration!"

Benchmarks are exactly what they sound like--marks or measurements that help evaluate performance.  If you've had a check-up in the last year, your doctor probably gave you a benchmark for healthy cholesterol or blood pressure.  By comparing your numbers to that benchmark, you immediately know whether you're healthy or could use a little improvement.  PPA benchmarks work in a very similar way, only they can help you measure the health of your business.  

PPA accountants analyze photographers' finances (through Benchmark Surveys) to come up with those benchmarks--financial targets you should work toward for more profitability. And they are critically important for a number of reasons:

• You can't grow your business until you understand where you are (and fix anything that's ailing). PPA benchmarks give you key performance indicators to help you isolate the most important facets of your financial performance.


• Your doctor wouldn't make the best decisions if he tried to compare you to a 15-year-old.  The same goes for your finances--it doesn't make sense to compare a photography studio to a law firm or a restaurant.  Even though small businesses share many common challenges, photography studios need to stack their financial measurements against other photography studios' finances to see more clearly where they can improve and grow.  And we're not talking about just one or two other photographers--you need to consider how you're performing against an average or range from many studios. PPA benchmarks allow you to do just that.


• PPA benchmarks give you targets for planning.  Once you've looked at specific performance indicators from your business compared to hundreds of other studios, you'll have a much better idea of the changes you need to make to cut costs and increase profitability.

 
Ready to head toward a healthier business? Check out PPA's free Benchmark resources to get started!

• Review all the current PPA benchmark reports and tools. PPA is the only organization that provides Benchmark analysis and resources, so PPA members can have a competitive edge just by using the resources.


• Participate in the 2011 Benchmark Survey (and possibly win some great prizes).


• Check out "The PPA Business Handbook," which just won the 2011 Gold Service Journalism Award from the Magazine Association from the Southeast! This is your primer for building a healthy, profitable studio with expert advice and real-world examples based on the Benchmark Survey findings.

Dear PPA Member,

Wouldn't it be great if life came with an instruction manual? It may be fun to figure some things out on your own, but think of how much time you could save (and pain you could avoid) if you were given instructions on how to buy your first house or avoid a breakup. Someone else has probably gone through those same situations, so why not use that knowledge to your advantage?

This is exactly what PPA's Studio Financial Benchmark Survey aims to achieve--except instead of life lessons, it helps you understand how to run a more successful photography business. And this week's Vital Signs will help you better understand what the Benchmark Survey can do for you.

In addition, preparation for the newest survey is in full swing. In order to gather the most up-to-date statistics, we need fresh information from photographers like you. By participating in the next Benchmark Survey, you not only help to contribute to the Benchmark effort, but you also have the opportunity to win some pretty great prizes (can you say "all-inclusive trip to Imaging USA"?).

Cheers!
Christel Aprigliano
Director of Member Value & Experience

P.S. Looking for a way to leave your clients in awe? Take advantage of PPA's newest member benefit with Animoto and you can create memorable videos and save some money at the same time!

PPA Charities has announced the speaker line-up for their Chicks Who Click conference, June 23-26, at the Firesky Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona. This year will feature the opening reception in the Boutique Show, an early morning Photographic Shoot-Out for attendees, extended Break-Out sessions for hands on learning and as usual plenty of quality time where speakers and attendees can hang out together.

Earlybird registration, only $279, (PPA members, until 3/31/11) includes receptions, Saturday dinner, three breakfasts and Girls Night Out.

PPA is also offering an SMS 2-Day Business Basics Workshop immediately prior to Chicks Who Click at the same location. (extra fee)

Speakers and topics include:

• Sandy Puc', M.Photog.Cr.
  How to Make Pigs Fly...and other marketing magic!
• Ann Monteith, M.Photog.Cr., Hon.M.Photog., A-ASP
  Charitable Marketing and Pet Photography
• Jen Hillenga, M.Photog.Cr.
  Seniors and PhotoShop & Other Stuff
• Jenn Hudson, M.Photog.Cr.
  Flying Lessons: An Honest, Unpretentious and Revealing Program About True Living in Photography, Balancing with Prospect, and Leaving Room for You.
• Carol Andrews, M.Photog.Cr.
  Citra-Solv Altered Inks Experience
  
• Susan Michal, M.Photog.Cr.
  Newborns
• Kay Eskridge, M.Photog.Cr.
  Celebrate Sexy Boudoir Portraits
• Cindy Behnke, M.Photog.Cr.
  The Fine Art of Maternity Portraits
• Susan Michal, M.Photog.Cr.
  Wedding Photography
• Vicki Taufer, M.Photog.Cr.
  Finding Joy in Your Journey

Is it time for a business breakthrough? The workshops and mentors to get you started are coming to Arizona, California and Michigan this summer (plus more dates in Atlanta, GA) so don't miss out! Register now for PPA's Studio Management Services workshops...and prepare to push your business onwards and upwards:

2-Day Workshops: Business Basics
Fundamentals for running a successful photography business.
Geared toward new and emerging studios.

• June 20-21, Ann Arbor, MI (at Great Lakes Institute of Photography)
• June 22-23, Phoenix, AZ (Chicks Who Click conference)
  
• November 5-6, Atlanta, GA

3-Day Workshops: Business Breakthroughs
Intensive instruction to take you to the next level in your photography business. (And take the next step by adding a private consultation with a PPA staff accountant and SMS Mentor!)
Geared toward studios with at least $50,000 in gross sales.

• July 11-13, San Francisco, CA
• August 22-24, Cincinnati, OH
  
• November 7-9, Atlanta, GA

Want to grow your sales, keep more money and take back your life? It's all part of running a smarter photography business, and that's what PPA and our Studio Management Services (SMS) workshops can help you do. Start planning now to attend a workshop that can help you take control of your photography business:

2-Day Business Basics Workshops
Get on the right track with this small group workshop focused on the fundamentals for business success. (Geared toward new and emerging studios.)

March 26-27, Atlanta, GA
June 20-21, Ann Arbor, MI (Great Lakes Institute of Photography)
November 5-6, Atlanta, GA

3-Day Business Workshops
Prepare to grow your business with our in-depth program that includes a one-on-one financial and marketing consultation. (Geared toward well-established studios.)

March 28-30, Atlanta, GA
July 11-13, San Francisco, CA
November 7-9, Atlanta, GA

Want to grow your sales, keep more money and take back your life? It's all part of running a smarter business, and that's what PPA and our Studio Management Services (SMS) workshops can help you do. Start planning now to attend a workshop that can help you take control:

2-Day Business Basics Workshops
Get on the right track with this small group workshop focused on the fundamentals for business success. (Geared toward new and emerging studios.)

January 13-14, San Antonio, TX
March 26-27, Atlanta, GA
November 5-6, Atlanta, GA

3-Day Business Workshops
Prepare to grow your business with our in-depth program that includes a one-on-one financial and marketing consultation. (Geared toward well-established studios.)

January 13-15, San Antonio, TX
March 28-30, Atlanta, GA
July 11-13, San Francisco, CA
November 7-9, Atlanta, GA

Who wants to run a more profitable photography business? (Better question might be who doesn't!) Well, if profitability is one of your goals, there's no better place to get on the right track--and learn the needed skills--than with PPA's renowned Studio Management Services workshops. These classes often fill up fast, but here's some good news: There is still room to sign up for the 3-Day Studio Management Services Business Workshop at Imaging USA.

It's the perfect chance to get in-depth instruction and hands-on help moving up to the next level in business success. Plus, you can sign up for a one-on-one consultation at Imaging USA--only a limited number are available, so sign up now! (You can add-on a consultation after Imaging USA if you wish, but don't wait too long.) 

Photographers who've been through this SMS workshop can't say enough good things about how it has changed their business and lives for the better. Want to be counted among their numbers? It's easy!

• Learn more about the workshops during Imaging USA's pre-convention (January 13-15) and register. Itinerary: Day One, Day Two and Day Three.
• Click here to learn more about the workshop and SMS.
• Click here to read others' success stories.