The 5 joys of a launching a new business
On July 1st, 2019, I decided to launch a brand new image-making business, PENNMANN, with another photographer, Rod Penn (geddit?). We had both been self-employed for some time as individual photographers, building our portfolios and client base over several years, finding our styles, our creative voices...our feet in general.
We hadn't met yet. We were going about our business completely unaware that the professional decisions we'd make would eventually lead to our partnership.
I had been running my own ship as a fashion/beauty/commercial photographer in Scotland since the day I left high school at 18 years old. I'd never done anything else, worked in any other field, nor been employed by anyone other than my own self. I'll be honest, it was a lonely venture. After 6 years of tremendous highs and lows as a very young business-owner, I decided to take a short break - for my mental health more than anything - and take up my first employed position with one of my old freelancing clients.
I'd landed a full-time job as Head Photographer with a booming Makeup Academy in Scotland in 2018. I was essentially still fulfilling the same sort of tasks as I had been as a freelancer: production, planning and co-ordination of all photography & video shoots. Directing, conceptualising, developing & shooting the campaigns, promo materials & advertisements. I was even still shooting the same style of imagery I'd always done; fashion & beauty. The main difference was it was for just one company, rather than several...and of course, I was no longer in charge.
Just 5 months later, the load increased enormously & we took on a second photographer to work with me; say hello to my, now, business partner Rod Penn.
I think you just know when you know. You know, when you're meant to be a business owner. Once you do know, you realise you simply can't go back. Although I am incredibly grateful for the experience I had with that position, I knew within a few months that it was going to be a stepping stone towards the next venture. Having had the experiences of both owning a business and being employed by another, I knew exactly what I would do differently if I had another bash at freelancing. This time, I wouldn't be alone, I'd make sure I teamed up with someone like-minded, with the same principles, equally passionate, motivated and driven. When you work alone, you tend to get stuck in your own head, going round and round in circles with a multitude of random ideas that somehow make their own tangents before spiralling off into the abyss off crippling unproductiveness. It was almost as though the moment I made that realisation, the opportunity had presented itself. 9 months after Rod joined the team, we left the full-time position and registered our company under the conjoined-surname-title of PENNMANN.
I'll be the first to put my hands up and say MATE. IT AINT EASY. I'm sure Rod would agree. You work harder, longer hours. You may not get paid for quite a while, so be ready to make beans on toast your friend. You don't have anybody to guide you, and you can feel constantly unsure of yourself.
BUT, all of that stuff is no more than a mildly stubborn greasy stain on the conveniently already dark-coloured jumper of joy. For those of you who are passionate, independent, always thinking, and feel a need to help people, this one's for you.
1. You do You.
Who doesn't love living a flexible life? I can set my own hours, write a stonkingly good email pitch in my pants, prioritise the things that are the most important to me, set up my own environment wherever I may choose, react immediately to anything without waiting for approval, and ultimately, call my own shots.
When we launched our business, we realised, you know what, we can make this whatever we want. We decided to start hosting retreats because we loved providing education. We made our own podcast because we want to be able to continuously provide value and entertainment from our own homes. Rod decided he wanted to pursue his dream of working internationally for NGOs to provide ethical imagery, because it's a cause important to him. I decided I wanted to direct, produce and showcase a short film all about the group of incredible female powerlifters I train with, because it was a cause that was important to me. And guess what, the beauty of what we do is we know how to tell stories. So we can use our skills for good. Which brings me onto my next point....
2. Purpose, pride & fulfilment
If there's one thing I promised myself I would maintain in my business, it was purpose. The moment I started feeling like a machine, churning out imagery without ever taking a moment to ask myself "am I making a difference here" would be the moment I lost my passion and drive. Creatively, I'm really able to give something my all, my absolute best, when I feel like what I'm doing will be really great for someone else, be it their personal existence or their business. I take enormous pride in solving problems, or creating opportunities for others in the form of bespoke, captivating visuals that are designed to work hard for the brand.
3. You take the risk, and reap the reward.
I like being in charge of my own mistakes. If something goes wrong, I'd rather have to deal with the egg on my face than have someone wipe it off for me. Equally, I like that my future is my own responsibility. I believe that the better you are at managing mistakes, the more you can grow and be better. You learn how to create exit strategies for bad decisions, and how to beef up the good ones. Successes are sweeter, failures are raw. You have an increased vitality for life. Once you've experienced this, its impossible to go back.
4. Yup, you can say nope
The word 'no' often has negative connotations, and I am definitely someone who considers herself to be a 'people pleaser', making using this word difficult. In doing so, I've gotten myself into situations in the past that have made me very unhappy. I have the freedom, and the right, to say no to work that I believe does not align with my professional morals, ethics or principles. I get to do more of the things I love, for more people who really want it, whilst maintaining my working relationships.
5. You discover so much more about yourself...
...and self-education could make you a fortune. Character-building is one of the best things you can do for yourself in life. This is, without a doubt, the fastest way to develop you as a person. You discover what's important to you, what you're willing to sacrifice to reach your goals, what you're willing to do to go the distance, your personality and how you can utilise it to maximise your potential. Sometimes its not about what you want, but what you're happy to put up with. You're relying on yourself to make the right decision, whilst making yourself into something you can be truly proud of. And all of this, is up to you.