With the economy in it’s current state, I’ve noticed many people on twitter say they just got laid off and “Now it’s time to start my photography business!”

Insipid routine

So you want to start a photography business?

There are five things that an entrepreneur needs;drive, thinking ability, human relations ability, communications ability, and technical knowledge.

Do you have these traits? Is it in you?

Are you willing to gamble with your own money? Listen, we all make mistakes, but do you also learn from those mistakes? Do you learn from the mistakes of others?

This is where a strong personality comes into play. You must be a doer, not a follower. You must be an optimist not a pessimist. You must be able to accept responsibility when things go wrong. You must have gut feelings about your business. If you can’t “feel it”, you’ll end up faking it, and you’ll fail. This isn’t a 40 yard sprint, this is a marathon.

Can you make it in photography if you were successful in another business venture?

My observations say you can. Even though you may have the same minimal technical skills as the majority of entry-level photographers, within a few years you could be making a good profit and be well on you way to excellence in professional photography.

Here’s the point. Most people that were successful in previous business ventures can apply their business knowledge to photography and be financially successful.

Remember that you have two points on which to concentrate when starting a studio: going into business, and going into photography.

If you are going into a new photography business, you must be willing to commit much of your time to your business. The first year is tough, but it will go fast. You’ll be working a lot of hours, and lot’s of days. Forget vacation and relaxing on the weekends. These things will come, but only with hard work and time. The formula for success is that you add a lot of sweat, love, and time. Your eventual reward will be success, pride, love, and money.

The right mix truly is knowledge of your field (photography) and knowledge of business. Fill your library with the right photography books to suit your niche but also fill that library with great business books.

Here are a few that I have in my personal library that I would recommend to anyone starting a business in any field.

Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller–Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century

Selling You!: A Practical Guide to Achieving the Most by Becoming Your Best

The Ant and the Elephant

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

There are many more, these just happen to be my favorites right now.

Here are a couple specifically for starting a photography business.

The Business of Studio Photography: How to Start and Run a Successful Photography Studio

The Photographer’s Survival Guide: How to Build and Grow a Successful Business

Fast Track Photographer: The Definitive New Approach to Successful Wedding Photography

So now I leave it open to our readers. What advice would you give or want about starting a photography business? Any other books to recommend or best business practices? Use the comments section.

Photograph Insipid routine by Yury Trofimov – find more work by Steeply on deviantART.