I don’t know about everyone else, but I tend to get pretty stressed out when it comes to planning and preparing for my busiest season of the year, Christmas. Each year, my schedule fills up faster and bigger. Holiday sessions have become such a huge asset to my business. They bring new clientele each year, as well as create loyal return clients. More than 70% of my yearly income comes from Fall and Christmas based sessions. Not only that, but it’s also my favorite time of year. I love creating beautiful and magical themes for my clients. I wouldn’t trade being able to do this for anything else in the world. However, it hasn’t always been easy. It can be overwhelmingly stressful.
Why do we get so stressed out in the first place? How can we avoid burnout and becoming overwhelmed?
I’m going to break things down to find the why, and then share my thoughts and process on how I survive my busiest season of the year.
Why do we do this to ourselves?
Who can relate? I begin planning for the next year as soon as the current holiday season ends. That gives me a whole year to plan, and you would think that would ease my mind, right? *inner self laughs* Here’s how things actually go:
1. Current season ends. I start gathering inspiration for next year. What themes can I or should I do? Makes a list.
2. New Year. I can take a moment to breathe and decompress. Only a minute though, or so it seems.
3. Begins ordering things like backdrops, props, styling, etc. Check! I’m on a roll!
4. It’s Spring already??? Wow, okay, time to plan my promo shoots, release dates, etc.
5. I’ve got plenty of time, right? Don’t laugh this time. I still have to get everything that I need for my promo shoot. Wait, did I book Santa yet? *checks schedule* Thank goodness, I booked him back in January. Let’s take a step back for a minute. I’m going to plan my promo shoot for mid Summer and release it to my clients in late August. I’ve got this. *theme to Rocky plays in my head*
6. It’s June and other photographers are already posting their promos and talking about booking in July. *inner panic* What??? I haven’t even shot my promo yet! Am I this far behind?
That’s the inner struggle my mind goes through every year. Is that reasonable? No. There’s no reason I should be putting myself through that. It’s a common struggle throughout the photography community. It seems to not matter that we have very intentional and priority based schedules with adequate time to accomplish everything needed to have a successful season. Things like social media can make it even harder on us. Although I still struggle with this unnecessary anxiety, I’ve managed to find ways to drown out the white noise around me and focus on making the best of my season as possible.
Christmas session from 2017
Let me start at the beginning…
My very first Christmas sessions from 2016.
I opened my business in August 2015. I didn’t offer Christmas mini sessions until the following year. I offered them on one date in December. I quickly realized that I loved Christmas sets and I wanted to do even more. In 2017, I booked a Santa and scheduled two Christmas themed sessions. Still being somewhat new in my local market, I wasn’t very well-known. Yet, I booked ten clients. Nine of those clients booked a session with Santa at the Christmas tree farm. One of the clients booked my Polar Express composite-based session.
Boom! That’s when things exploded for me.
People began sharing my work, and I received numerous inquiries from all over my state. I realized the potential that themed sessions, particularly Christmas sessions, could have on my business. The following year, I planned to offer the same two session options. Things were pretty good, but I didn’t notice much of a difference from the previous year. I wanted to grow and become more successful with each given year. I felt a little stuck. It wasn’t a complete flat-line, but I wasn’t seeing the growth I had wanted to see. One thing that did increase though, was my stress level. I began comparing myself to other photographers around me. 0/10 do not recommend doing that to yourself.
How can I fill up my schedule? How can I bring in new clients and more bookings?
I wasn’t about to give up on something I loved so much. Looking to others in my local market and even in photography groups on social media only brought me down more. I had to remind myself, just because one thing works for one person’s business, doesn’t mean that it would or should work for mine. We don’t have to keep up with the Joneses. In order to stand out, you have to do your own thing and structure your business how it works best for you.
I stopped comparing things like my prices to others and stopped trying to rush myself when everyone else started advertising. I stopped trying to keep up with trends and stopped trying to offer the same thing as everyone else. I was already developing my own personal style, and I just had to stop doubting myself. In fact, it was that style and creativeness that people were wanting.
Sessions with Santa.
Tips for planning and preparing:
Start planning early. What are the things that need to happen first? For one, if you plan on booking a Santa, do that first. Most Santa’s book up fast. That’s an easy task that you can check off of your list at the beginning of the year. I personally contact and book my Santa in January-February for the following season. This ensures that I get him on the dates that work best for me. This will save you from some stress that booking last minute can create. Order props, backdrops, and styling in plenty of time. If you plan to shoot a promo, make sure everything arrives in time.
Be strategic with your schedule. Although I see other photographers advertising and booking as early as May sometimes, that doesn’t work for me. I need those extra months to design my sessions and figure out all of the details. I have to take a step back and not let things like that make me feel inadequate, in which, that does happen to me sometimes. I begin feeling like I’m going to miss out of potential clients and that my own clients might see another photographer’s advertisement first. Listen, don’t worry about that. Don’t rush things. If it’s July already and you don’t have your ducks in a row, that’s okay. Here’s what I do… Christmas in July is a common concept. You can still take advantage of that without becoming overwhelmed. I’m not ready to advertise in July. Instead, I start posting throwbacks from Christmas sessions past. Not too much though. You don’t want to overdo it to the point your clients are tired of seeing it by the time you do start advertising. You want to build the excitement for Christmas gradually. Post a couple of throwbacks per week. it doesn’t necessarily have to be a throwback from a previous session. Try throwing in a funny holiday meme. Toward to end of July, start throwing in a few teasers such as an announcement post about a booking date. I typically open booking in my private VIP group the last week of August. Then, I release booking to the public on September 1st. I personally like to do my actual sessions in October and November. I rarely book anything past Thanksgiving.
Prioritize your schedule. This is key to avoiding burnout and becoming overwhelmed. I used to struggle with balancing business with family/me time. When planning my calendar for Fall and Christmas, I make sure that I schedule days off. On your days off, focus on you and your family. Do not, and I repeat, do not feel guilty for taking days off. I used to say I’m taking a day off, yet I would spend it responding to clients and so on even though I wasn’t directly in front of my computer. No, that’s not time off. One great feature facebook messenger has, is that you can create automative responses when someone messages your business page. Let them know what your business hours are and that you will reply during those hours. Once I started putting my phone down and having intentional time to myself, my sense of coping during a busy season became much more sustainable. Schedule office times. This is separate from shooting time. Office time is for editing, client communication, and all of the other bazillion things that you have to do for your business each week. When planning your session availability for the year, be sure to designate enough office time to accommodate office hours and time off.
Christmas sessions 2019
Successful Christmas seasons
The thing that was holding me back from growing and having even more successful Christmas seasons, was myself. My calendar now books up solid. Here’s the best part… I manage to stay stress free, burnout free, and not become overwhelmed at all anymore! *for the most part* There’s always going to be a less-than-perfect situation, but that’s okay. Take things one day at a time. I began to see my own growth when I stopped comparing myself to those around me and on social media, when I stopped trying to be like everyone else, and when I began running my business the way that works best for me. I don’t compare things like my prices anymore. I offer session themes that inspire me and make me happy. I don’t worry when I see another photographer book 50+ clients for their Santa session. I wouldn’t want to work that much. Still, I fill up my schedule and I reach, even surpassing, financial goals, all while creating magical experiences for my clients and providing them with memories that they’ll cherish for a lifetime. We have to stop comparing ourselves. I may sound like a broken record at this point, but do what’s best for you. Once you find balance, you will begin to soar as an artist and business owner.
