Outsourcing as a photographer can be scary. You’ve worked so hard leading up to this point – you’ve been the photographer, the editor, the customer service representative, the marketing guru, the accountant, the email and calendar manager, the designer, the copywriter, and sooo many more — all while trying to keep up with having a life outside of your business. 

In my own business, I started out doing everything and quickly learned just how exhausting it was to wear all the hats. Now, I run a successful 6-figure business, leading a team of associates and interns, and rely heavily on outsourcing as a way to sustain it all.

A few things I outsource currently:

• Admin tasks (blogging, Pinterest, timeline creation, gathering information to send out gifts, calendar management, and some client communication)
• Editing – I currently use Photographers Edit to edit my weddings. I cull through, edit around 50-100 ‘anchor’ images for them to use and send the catalog off to get edited. Once it’s back and fully edited, I go through and thoroughly inspect to be sure everything is up to my likings and then send it off. 
• Accounting – This was something I set up in my business right from the start. I knew I needed professional help right from the get-go and found an incredible accountant who works primarily with photographers – Michael Hendricks. 
• Copywriting – Words can be soooo tricky, especially when you have to talk about yourself + what you offer. One of the best things I ever did was hire out someone to write my copy for my website. Sounds counterintuitive, as you want it to sound like you, but after sending it to many friends and family who know me best they were convinced I wrote it all. 
• Design + branding – After a few years into my business I knew I needed to step up my design and branding to match exactly what I was offering. 

How outsourcing has benefited me, my business, and my people

1. Time – Outsourcing has given me more time. I, now, have more time to spend with my husband when he gets home from work. I have more time to take care of myself. My clients, friends, and family. As we know, life is so dang short and time is one thing in life you can never get back. Outsourcing has been a game changer in giving me more hours in the day to truly focus on what I want. 

1. Growth – By outsourcing tasks, I can focus my energy into growing and scaling my business. Outsourcing does cost money, but it can be a huge return on investment once you start allocating that time you used to dedicate towards those tasks and use it to think of other ways to generate profits.
2. Space – Outsourcing has cleared up space in my brain to think more creatively. As a creative business owner, we all know that brain fog that sneaks in during times of business. Can you imagine having someone take charge of tasks in your business to free up your mind a little ?! Truly life changing. 

I’m eager to see how I can fit batch.ai into my business. After years of editing thousands of images I cannot wait to edit 1000 images in a matter of minutes. Also, the flexibility of being able to choose a subscription that fits my workload and the ability to pause my subscription during slow seasons – so incredible!

Looking to outsource tasks in your photography business, try:

• Upwork.com
• Fiverr.com
• Posting in local photography Facebook groups
• Searching on Instagram (use search phrases like virtual assistant, photo editor, etc.)