Chances are, if the title of this article instantly resonates with you, then it’s time for you to thing about adding outsourcing to your photography business plan. I hear it all the time from photographers and business owners. You just want to take photos, but running a successful photo business requires you to set aside mental space for all the little ins and outs. You never knew you needed to know so much about marketing, building websites, SEO, systems integration, bookkeeping…the list goes on!

You’re putting on so many different hats that you’re overwhelmed and frozen. We call that analysis paralysis—you can’t move on and do anything, because everything feels like it’s staring right back at you. But friends, one is greater than zero all day, everyday. Doing something is better than doing nothing. If you are frozen or burnt out, hiring help can free you up to pursue that thing you wanted to pursue in the first place: PHOTOGRAPHY!

[Read: Photography Outsourcing Tips to Streamline, Simplify and Optimize]

Over the course of setting up my lifestyle senior photography and videography business in Seattle, there were times I found myself wishing I had a fairy godmother who’d do all of my marketing and operations for me so I could just spend all of my time taking pictures. When she didn’t materialize, I decided to become my own fairy godmother by setting up the tools and systems that would keep the business end of Mary Vance Photography running like a well-oiled machine.

It took a few years of testing and refining different systems, but eventually I got it down to a science. My systems worked so well, I even carved out a niche for myself setting up the same ones for other busy photographers.

In addition to my photography business, I’m also a “business mom” for other creatives. The industry term for this role is ‘integrator’ or C.O.O. (chief operations officer). I’m like a ghostwriter for businesses. If I’m doing my job well behind the scenes, then everything is running smoothly and you’ll never even know I’m there. Hiring an integrator is the highest level of outsourcing. While you may not have that much need yet, I bet you can think of many things you’re ready to pass off.

So let’s dive in with the who, what, when, and how of adding outsourcing to your photography business plan for long-term growth so you can get back into your zone of genius: photography!

It might be time to start outsourcing if you:

• Have reached a plateau in profit
• Are approaching burnout
• Are procrastinating everyday tasks
• Are missing out on time with friends and family

The next question I’m always asked is, “When is the best time to do this?” The ideal answer is before you are overwhelmed. I want you to plan for success in your business by making space for future growth. If you were suddenly gifted with 5 more clients tomorrow, would you have the capacity to handle them? How about 10 more? 50?

Before you outsource and plan for growth in your business, you are a plant in a small container. There’s no more space, your roots are crowded, and you’re starving for basic needs. Outsourcing the tasks you don’t enjoy or aren’t particularly skilled at is like repotting yourself into a bigger container. Your business will have space to grow and so will you as an artist.

So what can you outsource?
There is only ONE thing in a service-based business that you cannot outsource: YOU! You cannot replace yourself as the face of the business. No one is coming to rescue you from that. However, if you have a strong brand with a clear message, it’s easy for someone else to step right in and work within your systems. This means that everything else is outsource-able.

How do you start outsourcing?
Now it’s homework time. I want you to get out a pen and paper or open a note in your phone and start writing all the things that you don’t enjoy doing for your business. Don’t read any further yet—just get that pen out and start writing. Give yourself about two minutes and just let your mind go.

After your two minutes are up, I want you to prioritize your list. If you loathe a task, you will procrastinate it, so these are the first things I want you to consider outsourcing. Chances are, the very first item you wrote down is the thing you dislike the most. Start there. That’s your first priority.

[Read: Quick Portrait Retouching: How to Get Started – WATCH]

Let’s say you wrote down “posting on Instagram.” Rather than wasting an hour trying to think of the perfect caption each day, hire a social media manager who can take your words, repurpose your content, and schedule out all your posts for the month. Hiring out for two hours a week will cost between $120 (at $15/hr for 8 hours a month) and $200 (at $25/hr for 8 hours a month). That cost might seem high, but what if posting consistently on social media brought you even ONE more client that month? Or landed you one new partnership with a sponsor or local business? What if it built your email list enough that you could sell out a weekend of mini sessions? You could earn thousands on that single outsourcing investment.

Maybe you said, “retouching teen acne.” This simple, yet time-consuming task can be easily outsourced to an editor. I’ve even been known to outsource it to my teenagers who are always looking for an opportunity to earn a bit of pocket cash. The time you would have spent carefully removing each blemish can now be put toward taking another client or photo session.

Here are some common areas where photographers can add outsourcing to their photography business plan:

• EDITING: One of the fastest and easiest. Editors are experts working in their zone of genius! They have spent the time to master their process and the apps they use. Why not leave the Lightroom updates to someone who really enjoys it? I love The Image Salon because you can work with the same editor allowing for a real partnership where they know your style.
• ACCOUNTING/BOOKKEEPING: It’s a stereotype, but also usually true! No one becomes a photographer because they love math. Let the accountants keep the spreadsheets and you keep your creative mind free from worry about quarterly taxes.
• CONTRACTS: The definition of disappointment is an unmet expectation. Hiring a lawyer to create contracts not only covers your business legally, but it also serves as crystal clear communication between you and your clients. They know what to expect, so they won’t be disappointed when you deliver exactly what you promised.
• STUDIO MANAGEMENT: A good studio manager is so valuable for portrait photographers. They can do anything from scheduling clients, making sure payments and contracts are completed, hiring a cleaning crew for post-cake- smash recovery, to scheduling studio maintenance, setting up sales appointments or gallery reveals, or even sending out email reminders and client guides. This PTA-president type of personnel can make a HUGE difference in the way your business runs behind the scenes.
• ALBUM DESIGN: Even though they usually turn a higher profit, the problem with selling albums is that they can be time consuming to design. Outsourcing album design is a quick and easy way to increase your sales bottom line.
• SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT: As mentioned in the example above, a good social media manager can adopt your voice and market your business on platforms that are free to use. Let them spend time researching hashtags or creating a story series. You spend time behind your camera instead of staring at a blinking cursor in the empty caption box.
• COPYWRITING: Not everyone is a writer and that’s ok. While this service may be a bigger investment than some of the others on this list, it can also have a big payoff. Copywriters know how to use words to sell. They can give you effective copy for your website that makes readers feel they are connected to you and your brand and subsequently want to hire you!
• PERSONAL, EXECUTIVE or VIRTUAL ASSISTANT: This item for some reason always feels like a luxury for which we have to ask permission. But if asking someone else to oversee your calendar, pick up dry cleaning, or even order lunch for an all- day photo session, frees up an hour of your time, then it’s worth it.
  

Are you seeing a pattern here? Your time as a photographer is best spent being a photographer. While these other tasks may present themselves with urgency and a sense that only you can accomplish them, you are actually losing out by NOT outsourcing. It’s simple math.

And the end result once you’ve lightened your load by adding outsourcing to your photography business plan? Freedom! You get the freedom to get back to doing what you love and building a business that supports both you and those around you. Your mind is cleared of the fog and you have a tack- sharp vision for what you can achieve in the future.

If you’re not quite sure where to start with adding outsourcing to your photography business plan, my team and I (see—I practice what I’m teaching!) have created a resource to help you. It’s a 10-question quiz to gain clarity on what type of help you may need and where to find them. You can find it here.

Mary Vance is a former biochemist and dancer turned wife, mom and photographer. A native North Carolinian, she now calls Washington home and has fallen in love with the beautiful landscapes and moody weather.