It has been a couple of months since I decided to quit the corporate world and work full time on my photography. Part of me still doesn’t believe I have done it! The decision has not been easy but I felt it was the right time for a change. So how does it feel to be my own boss?
Since I arrived in the UK 16 years ago I have always been in full-time employment. There wasn’t a month when I wasn’t working for someone. It felt safe and secure. Back then I also never imagined that one day I would become my own boss.
I started my photography business in 2018 and it has been growing ever since. I really enjoyed taking images of friends and family and building my online presence. Photographing people and their happiness felt so special to me. Even now, after a few years, each time I receive an e-mail enquiry I do a little dance (in my head) and my face smiles from side to side 🙂
In 2019 I created my website and start offering my clients a variety of packages and printed products. Back then I was able to carry on with my office job and have photo sessions during weekends and weekdays.
When 2020 came and the pandemic hit us all, suddenly everything stopped. Photographers, like many other businesses, had to simply stop. Suddenly I felt the dream of mine to do photography full time was no longer in reach. However, despite the pandemic I wasn’t going to give up. I had time to be proactive and prepare my business once we exited lockdown.
In between lockdowns, I managed to meet families for family sessions and also offered doorstep photography to memorise the year of the pandemic.
By the end of 2020, I already had bookings for 2021 and I knew the year was going to be a busy one. With many sessions booked I started to wonder whether it would be possible to carry on with the office job, photos sessions, kids and dealing with a new home. The second-quarter of the year has been extremely busy and I felt as if I was working 24/7 without any break. It was at that point I decided to speak to Mike to see whether we could make it work if I was going to quit my office job. After some budgeting calculations, I decided I have to give photography a go and try my absolute best at making it a successful business. Ultimately it was definitely primarily a lifestyle decision than a financial one, particularly with Sophie starting school, however in the medium-run I would love to be supporting our family with my photography.
So here we are, me being my own boss 🙂 I am still getting used to a new routine and finding my feet on the running side of the business such as marketing, planning ahead etc, however, I can definitely say it’s been a great decision and I don’t regret it in the slightest.
I will report on my business running side of things in a couple of months and update you on my progress.
Till next time
Ewa x
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