If you're new to the photography business or moving from part- to full-time, PPA's Business Basics Workshop is a great start on the right path. Over two days, you'll learn the fundamentals of running a successful photography business from mentors who run profitable photography businesses themselves.

If you're ready to take the next step in making your business succeed, consider registering for the next Business Basics Workshop with Ann Monteith, M.Photog.Cr. Hon.M.Photog., CPP, ABI, API, A-ASP. It might be the perfect opportunity for you, especially as Ann is an industry leader who has helped hundreds of photographers beat the business blues! The workshop is being held in Atlanta at PPA headquarters on June 9-10, but you'd better hurry - only 2 spaces remain for this workshop!

View other upcoming Business Basics Workshops.

Already have a business established? Consider learning how to improve it with the Business Breakthroughs Workshop.

PPA's got what you need to help make sense (and more than cents) out of your photography business, thanks to the remaining 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 remaining 2012 business workshops below and register for the class that's right for you!

Business Basics Workshops

• April 28-29 - Cincinnati, OH
• June 9-10 - Atlanta, GA
• June 25-26 - Ann Arbor, MI
• November 3-4 - Atlanta, GA

Business Breakthroughs Workshops

• July 15-19 - Shawnigan Lake, BC
• July 16 - 18 - Memphis, TN
• November 5-7 - Atlanta, GA

Working hard, but have little to show for it? PPA's Studio Management Services (SMS) business workshops have helped hundreds of studios, just like yours, gain control of their businesses and become financially stronger and more profitable. And one is coming to Atlanta--with a little something extra--March 12-14!

Our Business Breakthroughs Workshop can help you keep more money and take control. It's all in learning to manage your finances, price right, attract new clients and increase sales average per session to reach the "elusive" next level. 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.

But this Atlanta class also features a special segment you won't get at any other Business Breakthroughs Workshop. Jen Basford of 3 Girls Photography is joining us for a day, meaning you'll be able to glean extra tips on senior sales and marketing specifics!

So, if you specialize in senior portraits (or want to) and have been thinking about gaining control of your studio with a Business Breakthroughs Workshop, this is the class you can't miss. All class sizes are limited, so register now before your spot is gone!

At some point in your life, you resolved to take your love for photography and make it official—you were going to take proper measures to become a professional photographer.  Maybe that day was back in the summer of '71. Maybe it was the last in a series of contemplative moments you'd been having the last few years. Or perhaps, just maybe it was today—on some ordinary Thursday.

But whether you are green to the industry or a seasoned pro, never forget that your business skills are equally as important as your artistic skills. After all, your images can speak for themselves, but are your profits following suit?

Thing is, the business landscape of pro photography is tricky. And as artists, photographers often have a hard time grasping what the numbers mean. That's why PPA has championed business education for photographers, becoming the authority in the industry with our Studio Management Services (SMS). For 10 years, SMS has helped hundreds of studios like yours gain control of their businesses and become more profitable with industry-leading resources (like the Benchmark Survey), education, mentors and other business tools.

Want the best path to success—one that's custom-designed for your unique business? Want to be make smarter business decisions for long-term success? With SMS resources you have access to as a member, you can find the help you need practically every step of the way. Read the complete article here.

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