I promise i'm not coming off as being rude, but I have to put this out there.
This is going to be pretty long so bare with me. Being a small business owner, i've had my share of hardships, but one of those hardships is the lack of respect that majority of entrepreneurs face every single day. This is not just a hobby for us, this is an actual JOB for most of us. This is a passion for us, and we all made a big sacrifice to trade in our time clocks for creative freedom.
People need to understand that people who own their own business are either trying to be their own boss and give up their 9-5, or they gave up their 9-5 already. With that being said i have a couple of questions for you....
- Do you go to walmart and ask the cashier if you can have a discount every time you check out?
- Do you ask the manager of a major department store to negotiate prices with you because the price of those jimmy choo's are too much for you?
- Do you tell a store owner you're gonna pay them half today and "you got them" next week?
If you answered no to all of those questions, then why do you think it's okay to do that to small business owners? It's not right, nor is it fair to those who have to literally wake up and push hard to make money. It's different when you wake up and go to a job and you know you're going to get a guaranteed check weekly/bi weekly. Let's say you're working at your job, and your boss tells you that even though you've worked 40 hours this week, they are only going to pay you half, then they ask you,"is it fine if we pay you the rest next week, or whenever we decide to pay you" or, "We want a labor discount from you because even though you work so hard we don't want to pay you the full amount. can we negotiate?" How would you feel? The same reaction and feelings you just imagined is how we feel. It's a slap in the face.
As a photographer I have to travel a lot, and majority of the time money is taken out of my own pocket for filling my tank, eating, and boarding. If you want my services and you feel that my work is what you are looking for, then I will be more than glad to reach out to you and fulfill your needs, but when you start trying to negotiate, ask for unreasonable discounts, and try to offer me an IOU that's when I get upset.
Speaking for myself, and many other photographers out there, We offer may different packages to fit everyone's needs. If you want to have more included with your photo session, there are more packages that will fit your needs better. The higher the package, the more perks you receive. That is the whole purpose of building packages because it gives you the power to decide what is best for you.
At the end of the day, we all have our own lives to live. We have to provide for ourselves and our families and believe me, persuing a dream is not cheap. The time, money, and sacrifices put into our individual crafts came with a price, and we all have to make a profit. I can not offer you one deal while my past clients were willing to pay full price and we're so understanding. I will not do that. I will not feel bad because I will not negotiate or give out a discount to you. I do however offer promotions throughout the year, and I also offer giveaways very rarely. Other than that, I will not allow someone to demote my brand and myself.
We all have to be considerate to each other, and support one another. That's what really matters.
As a photographer I have to travel a lot, and majority of the time money is taken out of my own pocket for filling my tank, eating, and boarding. If you want my services and you feel that my work is what you are looking for, then I will be more than glad to reach out to you and fulfill your needs, but when you start trying to negotiate, ask for unreasonable discounts, and try to offer me an IOU that's when I get upset.
Speaking for myself, and many other photographers out there, We offer may different packages to fit everyone's needs. If you want to have more included with your photo session, there are more packages that will fit your needs better. The higher the package, the more perks you receive. That is the whole purpose of building packages because it gives you the power to decide what is best for you.
At the end of the day, we all have our own lives to live. We have to provide for ourselves and our families and believe me, persuing a dream is not cheap. The time, money, and sacrifices put into our individual crafts came with a price, and we all have to make a profit. I can not offer you one deal while my past clients were willing to pay full price and we're so understanding. I will not do that. I will not feel bad because I will not negotiate or give out a discount to you. I do however offer promotions throughout the year, and I also offer giveaways very rarely. Other than that, I will not allow someone to demote my brand and myself.
We all have to be considerate to each other, and support one another. That's what really matters.