It's not what you know...

My progression from doctor to photographer has led me down some pretty interesting paths.
Despite my penchant for planning and preparation, I still find myself faced with situations that I had not foreseen.

My biggest disadvantage was having no solid business knowledge - as a doctor it is almost unnecessary. (Who needs to know about marketing when you work in a hospital or general practice?)

Recently I took a month's unpaid leave to sit back and think about what needed to be done to address these deficiencies.
It was during this time that a friend of mine, who runs the local Paper Plus store, spoke to me about attending a BNI meeting as his guest.

And so began my journey down yet another rabbit hole.


BNI (Business Network International) is a business and professional referral organisation whose primary purpose is to exchange qualified business referrals and develop word-of-mouth marketing techniques.

There are thousands of chapters worldwide whose members meet weekly over breakfast to discuss their businesses, network and exchange referrals.

I was warned beforehand that I'd need to speak about myself and my business for 60 seconds (As everyone else does)and that the meeting would last for approximately 90 minutes.

I was prepared to feel quite isolated and intimidated, after all, I'm no business magnate. (And some of the members are quite influential within this town's business community)

However, my trepidation was completely unjustified, and rather than feel awkward, I actually left that morning with work in my pocket. (An occurrence which was to repeat itself at my second and final obligation-free visit the following week)

In fact, Fusion at Work was a direct referral from my second visit.
(Needless to say, I didn't think twice about applying for membership!)

And once again, serendipity came knocking.
During the shoot for Fusion at Work, Jaki took a look at my portfolio, and was impressed enough to push for me to do a 10 minute presentation as soon as my membership was approved.

This happened rather quickly. (Two weeks ago, in fact)
I was adamant that I had to keep the talking to a minimum and focus on the imagery.
So I spent a few nights perfecting the slide-show that prefaces this post, and stepped up to the plate one Thursday morning.

I wowed them.
I hit those 10 minutes right out of the park.
I handed out more business cards in one morning than I have in the past 6 months.

Long story short, I have work coming in as a result of that presentation, that when complete, will more than cover my BNI membership for the year. (And hopefully the breakfasts too!)

I suppose this post is more business centred, and the conclusions I want to highlight sound like common sense, but they often need to be stressed again.

Word of Mouth advertising cannot be bought.

For photographers, who sell a visual product, talking about your work will convince no one - your images need to be out there ready to pounce on hungry eyes.

Investments in advertising and promotion are vital. (But there are smart and foolish ways of doing this)

Always show only the best work you have - Don't let work which you're less than satisfied with see the light of day, or worse, potential clients.

It's not what you know, it's who you know.