get it together

Today’s guest post is designed to help you “get it together”. Take it away, Millie!

In the Get It Together Kit, I share the systems, workflow and strategies I used to grow my business from a one-photographer studio that had me feeling constantly overwhelmed to a seven-person studio that has enjoyed exponential growth.

The kit is divided into six main sections (which follow an introduction). They are:

Brain Dump: In this section, I share my methods for clearing my mind, setting goals for the business, creating effective to do lists, and finding ways to accomplish those important goals that aren’t urgent, but are extremely important for growing a business.

Love Your Systems: Here, I give detailed examples of the day-to-day systems I’ve created to run my studio. I cover everything from office organization to tracking workflow to storing archived discs for clients.

Email (I Hate You): I get a few hundred emails per day. At one point, it seemed that email was controlling my life. I found a way to win the battle against my overflowing inbox, and I’ll tell you how. There are examples of how to automate your email, specifics on how to organize folders and subfolders in your email management system, and dozens of tips and ideas that will save you time!

Leadtracker: In this section, I cover my methods for tracking and converting leads. I discuss specifics on everything from the questions we ask future brides to the way we keep in touch with prospects to how we set reasonable expectations with a client once a contract has been signed. Even better, I’ll show you how we continue the sales process after the wedding and boost sales and referrals from our vendors.

Flowstand: What’s a flowstand? One of my proudest inventions. It’s an efficient fool-proof way to organize contracts, travel arrangements, payments, wedding details and more. I show you exactly how I created this system (there are even x-rays of my folders!) so that you can create your own.

Break it Down: This chapter takes you through my workflow step-by-step. I’ll explain the editing and production system we use to edit so many weddings at one time. The process is completely scaleable—it worked when I booked 15 weddings per year and it still works with a studio that handles 90+ weddings. We cover backing up files, rating files, editing, using actions, blogging, designing albums, and assigning tasks to team members to create a workflow chain.

But Wait, There’s More: Throughout the kit, I also share extra tips, resources, discount codes for my favorite tools and equipment, and worksheets that will assist you in starting to….Get It Together.

The Disc: In addition to our 100-page book, you’ll also receive a disc that includes the exact wording we use for simple client communications, the expectations sheet we send to brides, and a 90 Day plan to get you started on goal-setting for your own business.

If you think when you purchase the kit that you’ll just get a 100 page book then think again! The Get It Together Kit Disc has everyone raving about the kit even further. Some have said the information provided on this Disc is worth the price of the kit alone (as if there was not enough in the book itself). Take a peek at what you’ll find on the disc!

I’ve set up a discount code for $20 off the Get It Together Kit (the code is “paperie“). The code is good until July 16th, 2010.

But one lucky reader at Paperie can win the Get It Together Kit! Here’s how to win:

First, follow Get It Together Kit on Twitter.

Next, To win just go to your blog, Facebook account, Flickr account, or Twitter account and post the following:

Get it together now→win “Get It Together Kit” from @GITKIT / getittogetherkit.com at Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog

Post the URL(s) to your link(s) in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 2nd.

Please note: The link you post must direct to a public account. We cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win this item. If we have to subscribe to your feed or page or request permission to see it, you will automatically be disqualified.

You can enter up to four times total – one entry each per public, non-private blog URL / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter account.

You have four chances to win but only one chance PER LINK – please do not post the same link multiple times – duplicate links will be removed. And post your 1-4 separate links in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

Comments are moderated and may be slow to be added today but they will be added by late afternoon or early evening.

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize. Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner has now been posted here – check it out!




And don’t miss our latest offering…

For years, we could not find an attractive dry erase board for the studio. Being a visual person, I work best when I can see everything laid out in grids or patterns. I wanted to see EVERY single client’s job in process at a glance. It was important to me to be able to know when every wedding was shot and where each one was in our workflow process. I also wanted to know just how much work we had left to do.

Ready-made dry erase boards available at office supply stores didn’t serve my needs and looked too institutional. I even tried customizing them: I purchased black tape and made my own grid lines, but the final product was an eyesore in my otherwise cute studio. Because I didn’t like it, I didn’t want to use it. Enter the “Flowboard“. We provide you with a downloadable PSD (Photoshop) file complete with a video link once purchased to walk you through making the Flowboard for yourself for just $75. This will allow you to create multiple copies of the board, print them as large as you would like and frame them however you wish. The options are limitless since you are in control of the finished product.

Thanks so much to Millie Holloman and the Get It Together Kit for such an amazing promo and contest!

Don’t forget HB Packaging is taking photo box color suggestions in yesterday’s post comments! This is your chance to talk them into boxes and accessories that will match your branding and color scheme!

And check out the new MOOsLETTER—my candy button bags are featured!

If you purchase MiniCards through Sunday you will get free shipping on your order with code A2MEEH.

pick a color – any color!

My recent aqua / aqua photo boxes from HB Packaging have caused quite the Internet stir. The company is actually considering offering that combo as an option now. Raise your hand if you’re interested in the comments!

HB Photo Packaging would also like to know, “Is there a color or packaging item you want for your business but can’t find?” If so, please post about it here in the comments – they are listening! If your branding is centered around colors like grey or orange that are impossible to find photo boxes to match, this is your chance to speak now or forever hold your peace.

HB does offer “print your own” packaging that you can design from scratch using blank templates—but these color suggestions on Paperie Boutique would be for their Standard, and Boutique, and Prestige packaging lines.

So dream it and post it! They’re waiting to hear from you…




And now the follow-up to yesterday’s guest post / photo teaser by Photoumbra Studios. Everyone loves the packaging posts here and this one will not disappoint!

Inspired by so many posts on the Paperie blog, I set out a few months ago to give my packaging, marketing, and price menus a good dose of consistency, simplicity, and of course some pretty! I didn’t venture far from what I had already been giving my clients, but I felt like I could vamp up my look and information a little better. I didn’t change my color scheme nor my logo, which I do think is important because as we all know, it is so crucial to be consistent and it was very important to me to incorporate my website and blog branding into my print and packaging.

Besides staying true to our current branding, it was also very important to me to be able to design tools that could help my clients make smarter and hopefully larger purchases by providing them with an easy to navigate price menu, a wall display design guide, and the ability to choose a portrait collection or build their own. As with any project, there are things I would do differently next time, but also things that I learned work great and I will continue to implement.

First lets start with the packaging. I’ve been using Kraft products to package with for some time, but what was new was some new little cards that I made up that I now include in every order. The cards include a blank “Thank You” card where I can hand write a message, a “Portrait Care Tips” card that is included with any enlargements, a “Spread the Love” card that talks about our referral program, and a “Copyright Info” card.

(If you are interested in purchasing the templates or a copy of our “Portrait Design Guide”) see the bottom of this post.

Our packaging includes:
• Boxes from Rice Studio Supply
• Stickers from WHCC (but I will soon be trying out
  Black River Imaging‘s die cut stickers)
• Bags, Tissue and Ribbons from Nashville Wraps
• Little stickers from MOO
• Thank You, Copyright Info, Referral Info, and Portrait
  Care Tip Cards printed by Overnight Prints

Next up is our “Portrait Boutique Catalog”. The version that I give to each of my clients is 5.5×11 folded press printed card with a 5x5x8.5 insert. The Catalog outlines each of our print and product lines with brief descriptions of each and standard size pricing. The insert features our “Portrait Collection” on one side (5 to choose from) and a “Build Your Own Collection” option on the other side. The BYOC has been very popular and I have found that most of my clients are enjoying the freedom of it.

Our Catalog and insert cards were printed by Overnight Prints.

Finally, is our “Portrait Design Guide”. This guide is given to select clients who are interested in investing in wall portraits. It includes a cover, an introduction to the guide, 14 inspiring designs for wall displays, a card for them to record measurements throughout their home where they would like to create a wall display, and a card where they can jot down any notes, or draw ideas. The cards corners are rounded an they are bound by a single hinged silver ring. Also included along with the guide is a 60″ measuring tape that we had custom branded for our studio with the tag line “Design Away – Photoumbra Studios“, they also receive a pen branded with our studio name and website. Each of these items fit into a nice 5×7 box decorated with our studio logo and a ribbon.

The “Portrait Design Guide” vendors are:
• Cards printed by Overnight Prints
• Wall Display Design purchased from Gradybug Designs
  but altered to reflect our studio colors and I also included
  some other design elements and text into these
• Tape Measures from American Bridal
• Pens from Ink Spot

If you are interested in receiving a digital or hard copy of our “Portrait Design Guide” we are offering them for sale for Paperie Boutique readers.

** Please note that I will not include the actual wall display templates in the sale of the digital copy because I purchased those from another vendor. However, I will include the cover pages I designed myself along with a digital copy of our Thank You, Copyright Info, Referral Info, and Portrait Care Tip Cards. You can order yours HERE. If you say you are a Paperie reader you will get $20 off the digital download price ’til July 4th – making it just $29 instead of $49.**

Huge thanks to Monica Burby and Photoumbra Studios. I learned of new vendors myself with this post, and have a lot of fun ideas swirling around in my head now! Don’t forget to stop by Monica’s website and blog to say “thank you”, too.

P.S. If you are interested in advertising with Paperie Boutique, please contact todd @ this domain. If you are a photographer and are interested in having your packaging featured – or are a vendor and are interested in having your business packaging, marketing ideas, or photography-related products featured – please contact robyn @ this domain to be added to the posting schedule.

she’s kraft-y

You might remember the recent “PAWS for CAWS” pet packaging guest post by Monica Burby of Photoumbra Studios. Now Photoumbra is back for a gorgeous quick-teaser of their new design guide along with a teaser-peek of the amazingly elegant Photoumbra Studios packaging.

More to follow soon. Stay tuned—you won’t want to miss it! Have a great week!
Robyn

gratitude. journal.

When word got out from a recent post, I can’t even begin to describe the response. My brain, and heart, are overflowing with joy and amazement. How do you truly say thank you for something like this? Or the forum posts full of concern? Or the vendor notes of support (like the one when Moo‘s Vice President alerted several colleagues on staff to make sure I was taken care of just because he could). Or surprise gifts in the mail. Or Tweet DMs to check in – one from Pixel2Canvas on vacation in the middle of the Grand Canyon. Or the dozens of e-mails we’ve received. Or a note from a photographer who had just lost her husband and the father of her 5 children, worried about MY FAMILY. (We are so ok by comparison.) Or the little surprises in our PayPal account just because. I mean, it’s more than the human mind can really wrap around.

You go through life trying to do good and just make it day to day. You stumble. Sometimes you stumble hard. Sometimes you even hurt people. You dust yourself off eventually, regroup, reprioritize, remember you’re not really all that (well maybe all that, but often minus the potato chips), and promise yourself that if you don’t learn from those past mistakes what’s the point of the future…so buckle down and get to it… That’s been my 2010. I’ve buckled down and got to it. I had another such gut-check / perspective experience on a CT-scan table just over a week ago to make me even more focused on what’s really important.

In my recent Rangefinder piece, I wrote about the photographer community and my close relationship with my vendors. While being interviewed about this website, the article opened and closed with the following:

I let ‘Fit to Print’ evolve into Paperie Boutique, a standalone blog, through which I’m paying it forward to those who helped me along the way…..What has this experience taught Robyn? “I’ve learned to never underestimate the generosity of people and their willingness to teach and share,” [Robyn] says. “Just when you think you couldn’t possibly be more proud of your professional community, something as simple as a ‘thank you’ or ‘I can help with that’ never ceases to amaze.”

I’m used to being on the organization and donation collection end of things. It’s been humbling to be on the receiving end to say the very least.

Then yesterday the latest ‘random act of kindness’ showed up on my door step.

It’s no secret that I love HB Photo Packaging, but this was just beyond unreal. This was a surprise just for me, just because. You can read more of the details over here at Flickr – please make sure to add to the comments and thank them on behalf of our professional community!

And shop their weekend sale—HB Packaging is having a 10% off summer sale!

And speaking of vendors, we have a winner in the recent Design Aglow contest! It’s Silvine Designs / Silvine Photography:

Congrats to Michelle and another huge round of THANKS to Design Aglow for being such big supporters of this site, and for donating such fantastic prizes! Thanks to everyone who participated as well, and have a great weekend!

EXTRA! EXTRA!

We’re back in limited capacity! Thanks so much to everyone for their well-wishes and support! To our new advertisers, welcome! We’ll do our best to get you added in the days ahead.

I’m happy to announce we have an awesome Design Aglow giveaway this week – their new Studio Newsletter Collection magazine-style marketing tool. Read on and see more!

Want to get in front of your target market and stay in touch with your best clients in the most beautiful way? Our quarterly newsletter collection is a must for the studio who wants to stay at the top of their market!

Pre-designed, pre-written, yet 100% adaptable, we offer up a bounty of fresh ideas for topics that easily market all aspects of your studio. Show off new products, your most current images, and inspire with fab session ideas while you keep in touch with clients and prospective clients.

Four quarterly issues used for marketing with a luxury feel, printed as quadfold and mailed to best clients or used in high-tech yet cost efficient way, online. We have included instructions to make sideways scrolling online newsletter to blow your clients away via the web.

This beautiful product includes:
• four sets (winter, spring, summer, fall) of professionally written and designed pages complete with patterned backgrounds, design elements, and space to insert your own images
• A full tutorial

PRODUCT DETAILS:
• Fully customizable, consisting of unflattened .PSD files to customize all colors, text, fonts, and images
• Each brochure contains 8 – 4 x 5.5 inch pages – easily print as an accordion at your favorite lab
• Includes product images, but not portraits
• Contains directions to make an amazing online pdf with Photoshop, Acrobat and Bridge, and a slideshow with Lightroom
• Compatible with Photoshop CS or newer, Windows and Mac

How do you win? It’s simple! Leave a comment here with a positive testimonial why you love Design Aglow.

Then go to Twitter or Facebook and post:

I love Design Aglow / @designaglow – visit Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog to win a new Studio Newsletter Collection

One lucky reader will be picked at Random by random.org from the numbered comments. Contest ends at 11:45 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 25, 2010. Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner has now been announced here – check it out!

Made in China.

We have kept something from a lot of people for a long time because we weren’t ready to talk about it until the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed. But quite a few of you know I’ve been very, very ill for months. I quit shooting in April and recently had to cancel all of my shoots for May and June. My processing is currently backed up through February. I have clients who are more understanding than they should possibly ever have to be. Every month I continued to be worse and no one could explain why. The ER became my second residence. The doctor’s office my vacation home. The migraines were blinding. The vomiting and nausea made me drop two sizes in a matter of days. My heartbeat became irregular. I had ghostwriters doing a lot of my “time” online to keep appearances. Then…my children got sick. One developed vomiting. The other a cough that sounded like a creature from Sea World and rashes.

Wait a minute. My kids.

So we talked with friends. Did more Googling that we’d previously done before. And bingo. We found out our home has Chinese drywall. This time when we researched it, our builder had homes with it, unlike the last time. Not only did our builder’s homes have it, WE. HAD. IT. The Florida Department of Health Environmental Health inspector said to get us and our children out…NOW. (CDC .pdf on symptoms and physical damage from the toxic chemicals.) So we did. We walked. Our dream house it took us 11 years to get into. We’re no longer in it. All our furniture. Toxic and can’t come with us. My beautiful office I designed from scratch. Crickets chirping. We’re starting over and I’m typing this from the floor on a TV tray.

We do not need sympathy. We are in a gorgeous house in the Orlando metro (NOT built during the Chinese drywall phase) right now and we have each other. This was not a fire, hurricane, flood, tornado, or earthquake. We walked out with more than the clothes on our back. Unlike families in Arkansas last weekend, we have each other. We’re hard workers and we believe in working for what we have.

(edit: paragraph deletion on 06.26.10 – thank you for the response, support, and well-wishes regarding the moving promo that was here!)

I never thought in all those years protecting our boys from Chinese toys, the very walls of their bedroom would end up being the thing that poisoned them! If you ask me how we’re doing, I’m not sure I can answer that. We’ve got each other. So I guess in shock, but thankful, pretty much covers it for now. Thank you for getting this far!

it’s in the bag

I’m excited to announce the winner of the Kelly Moore Bag / Abie Camera Strap contest…and it’s Gillian Ottaway:

Congrats to Gillian, and another HUGE thank you to Kelly Moore and Abie Camera Straps for such a fantastic prize combo! Thanks to everyone who participated as well – have a great weekend!

Don’t forget we’ve got one more contest that ends on Monday – good luck!

You say boo-tique.
      We say bow-tique.

I recently made a purchase from eBay, that I swear caused an ovary to burst when I opened it. It was just. that. cute. So I immediately begged the seller to do a guest post post here, and thankfully she obliged. Introducing Stacy Murphy of The Girlie Girl Bowtique…

My name is Stacy Murphy I am a a full time mommy and wife. My daughter Robyn is 16 and my son Colin is almost 5. They keep me very busy and I love it.

The Girlie Girl Bowtique has only been in business for a year! I’m an Interior Designer by profession, but chose to stay home with my kids so that had to put that on the back burner for now. As some time passed I really needed a creative outlet. As full as my life was I felt something missing.

On that day I happened to be going through my Grandmother’s old picture album. I have a natural love and obsess over anything vintage whether it be a piece of Jewelry, hats, or a pair of vintage Channel shoes . I love all vintage things… The next picture was of my Great Grandmother wearing a swim cap, You know the kind women use to wear back in the days as to not get their hair wet. This particular cap caught my eye. My Great Grandmother had stuck a bunch of daisies in it. She told me that she did that to catch the eye of this man – and she did. That man was my Great Grandfather. They laughed over this cap for many years until they both died on the same night. My daisy cap was inspired by my great grandparents. I one day decided to make these caps for photographer session props. Took some time but they caught the eye of many, MANY photographers and they and all my other flower caps have been HUGE hits.

Everything else in my Cute Bowtique is all made and designed by me. Every week there is a new design as my mind never stops. This is my outlet my hobby my passion. I love what I do and I would do it for free! (Although making some money for myself is nice too!)

I sell quality crochet flower hats , four different styles of headbands , clippies, and of course my famous flower caps — lots of MOMS shop in my store but I mostly sell to photographers as they love to use my designs for session props. I am proud to call myself a “Photo Prop Designer”. No longer the Interior Designer…which is perfect.

As a special treat for Paperie Boutique readers, if you will mention that you found Girlie Girl Bowtique on Paperie Boutique, you will get 10% off your purchase in my store. Just please make sure to contact me before making your final payment during the checkout.

And one lucky winner will get the thing that started this all – a daisy cap! Here’s how to win:

First become a fan of The Girlie Girl Bowtique on Facebook. You’ll get in on Facebook-only giveaways and promotions there.

Next, To win just go to your blog, Facebook account, Flickr account, or Twitter account and post the following:

I want a daisy cap from Girlie Girl Bowtique / etsy.com/shop/girliebowtique – win at Paperie Boutique / paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog

Post the URL(s) to your link(s) in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, June 14th.

Please note: The link you post must direct to a public account. We cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win this item. If we have to subscribe to your feed or page or request permission to see it, you will automatically be disqualified.

You can enter up to four times total – one entry each per public, non-private blog URL / Facebook / Flickr / Twitter account.

You have four chances to win but only one chance PER LINK – please do not post the same link multiple times – duplicate links will be removed. And post your 1-4 separate links in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

Comments are moderated and may be slow to be added today but they will be added by late afternoon or early evening.

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize. Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner has been announced here – congrats!

Thank you so much for today’s guest post, Stacy! Make sure to visit the Girlie Girl Bowtique on Etsy and also stop by her personal Facebook page to say “hi” and “thank you” as well!

Don’t forget the big Kelly Moore bag giveaway is going on through Friday night at 11:59 p.m. EDT!

But wait, there’s Moore!

Joshua Smith of Loktah was awesome enough to share this video he shot of the new Kelly Moore bag promo. You know you want to win one now!

So what are you waiting for? Hurry up and go enter! (Thanks for sharing Joshua!)

P.S. New Moo.com customers can get 10% off with the code AS3JC3 through June 30th!

tell me Moore, tell me Moore!

Today’s guest post / giveaway is what those of us in the industry refer to as “hitting the jackpot”. Not only is there a Kelly Moore bag up for grabs (yep, you heard that right) – but the lucky winner also gets their choice of a custom Abie Camera Strap (and they haven’t even hit the market yet)!

Kelly Moore bags sell out almost the instant new stock is replenished and it’s no big secret why. They’re a roomy, stylish, and fashionable way to protect your gear. And with the release of Kelly’s new hobo, there are more choices than ever before.

But wait. There’s more! In addition to their choice of camera bag, the winner will also get their choice of custom Abie Camera Strap.

Professional Photographer Magazine recently featured Abie Camera Straps in a web exclusive. Available soon, they will retail for $145.00-175.00.

You can see one on my Nikon above – they are absolutely beautiful, and I love the suede backing. You can even request a custom design for an additional fee that features your own logo.

To win, go to your Facebook and Twitter accounts and post the following:

I need a camera bag from kellymoorebag.com / @kellymooreclark and Abie Camera Strap from @EllenLeRoy at paperieboutique.com by @shutterblog

Post the URL(s) to your link(s) in the comments for THIS ENTRY. Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 11th.

Please note: The link you post must direct to a public account. We cannot verify links on private, friends & family only, or passworded accounts and they will not be eligible to win this item. If we have to subscribe to your feed or page or request permission to see it, you will automatically be disqualified.

You can enter up to two times total – one entry each per public, non-private Facebook and Twitter account.

You have two chances to win but only one chance PER LINK – please do not post the same link multiple times – duplicate links will be removed. And post your two separate links in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

UPDATE: If you want two chances to win, MAKE TWO COMMENTS. One comment with your Facebook link to your entry there. And one comment to your Twitter link with your comment there. If you leave one comment with both links, you are only entered once.

Comments are moderated and may be slow to be added today but they will be added by late afternoon or early evening.

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize. Thank you so much Kelly & Ellen – and good luck!

And don’t miss fADtastic that just kicked off yesterday for vendors and Paperie readers!