Page 26 - B2B Fall19

MAKING A LIVING AND BUILDING A BUSINESS ON YOUR TALENT MARK LaROWE - SPIRIT OF THE SKY
1. How did you get into the business that you are in?
How many years have you been in business and how did you establish it? For a long time I dreamed of pursuing a career as a professional photographer. Though I had spent most of my free time actively involved in the art form, it wasn’t until January of 2016 that I finally decided to leave my previous career behind and venture out on my own. Fortunately the previous years of toiling part-time had resulted in a pretty decent foundation upon which to build the business. So, I was not starting from ground zero. And I had saved a lot in preparation for the day when I would make the leap and knew I would need resources to fall back on.
2. What is your biggest challenge and why? The biggest challenge, I think, is trying to not only survive, but be successful in a market that is absolutely saturated with digital images and inexpensive digital cameras. Competing and differentiating is very difficult. A lot of people don’t value good artwork in any form and the convenience of being able to capture images on a cell phone is hard to compete with. Convincing people to spend their hard- earned money on your artwork is an ongoing battle.
3. How do you get through your challenges as a full-time photographer? Having a background in large construction project management and sales/marketing has been very beneficial to me in terms of understanding how to run a business, market myself and capture sales. Most photographers, and artists in general, don’t have a real good understanding of these important issues and have to learn from scratch. It can be very daunting and overwhelming. So, I’ve been fortunate to be able to put my past professional experience to good use.
4. What are your biggest rewards and why? The biggest rewards are the freedom to create what you want, when you want, and seeing someone’s reaction to it when they really like what you’ve created. Also, being my own boss and managing my own schedule is very gratifying.
5. What would tell other artists, photographers who want to start a business like yours? Be prepared to work harder than you’ve ever worked in your life. If it is truly what your dream is, the rewards upon success are much more valuable than money.
6. What is one thing you wish you knew when starting this type of business? I didn’t know it would be this hard to get the business up-and-running to a point where its self- sustaining. I’ve been at this almost for years on a full-time basis and I’m just now starting to break even. Even though each previous year has been an improvement on the last,
it is taking a long time to get to where it needs to be. Be prepared to sacrifice everything to pursue your dream.
7. What are some creative ways for an artist like you
to make a living full-time doing what they love? You just have to separate yourself from everyone else and make your work your own so it is instantly recognizable as your work. Each person has their own unique quality that they bring into this world. You have to find that quality and use it to your benefit.
8. What tip would you give to someone wanting to
start this type of business? Be prepared for the highest of highs and lowest of lows. Heartbreak and frustration will be something you deal with very often. But the gratification of creating something excellent always trumps the bad. ■
26 | BUSINESS TO BUSINESS CONNECTION