Photography, Proposals & Protection (Part I)

Lily Magallanes is a photographer (http://lilyphotography.org) who is taking her services to the next level. Yay Lily!! She has started writing proposals for her clients and is wondering what information should be in the proposal in order to protect her and the client. Great question! I will answer it in three parts.

The first thing to do is research your industry--not meet with your potential client. Don't get me wrong, you can set up the meeting, but before you talk with them make sure you have done the following:

a) Understand what others in the industry would offer your client and at what price point. Be realistic in this assessment, you should take a close look at who your competitors are. Your competitors are those who have similar training and experience to you;

b) Ask yourself if you can provide a competitive level of service in your current situation. If the answer is yes, then you can meet with the client. If the answer is no, then you should think about what you need in order to provide a more competitive level- experience, equipment, education, assistance, etc. and how you will obtain that. If you are confident that you can provide an excellent final product, but experience is what you need, you might consider performing the services for free or for a below market price (so long as you disclose the level of experience to your client) in order to obtain the experience and get word-of-mouth going; and

c) Set up a meeting with your client. Since you have done a & b above, you should attend the meeting with an idea of what you can provide and at what price.

Phenomenon-Protecting our Parents

It is a common phenomenon for children of immigrant parents to feel that we have to protect our parents and shield them from the challenges we have in our lives. It sounds odd, namely because parents are suppose to shield their children. However, since our everyday life is so different than that of our parents, we feel that sharing our challenges with them will simply be a source of stress for them. In order to avoid being a source of stress to our parents, we choose to share only the triumphs and an occasional simple challenge--- provided it has already been resolved. This situation, of course, only elevates our own stress, since we are trying to navigate life on our own plus make it seem easy (and challenge-free) at the same time.

Yes We Can...

It seems that most of our lives we go about feeling out of place. We place such high standards on ourselves and so little value in who we are-- that we are always falling short. Are we smart enough, trendy enough, thin enough? These might be questions that pop into our mind everyday. It is so easy to have our own thoughts about how we measure up prevent us from deciding to pursue our goals. Our negative thoughts make us feel defeated before we even start down the road that will lead to success. Lets figure out what our goals are and then lets make a road map to achieve them. Let's get rid of such negative views of ourselves and focus on the fact that we are capable of achieving our goals.

Unique & Valuable

We are all born with special talents and skills. Maybe you have never been told that before, or you have, and due to circumstances, self-perceptions or negative influences you have forgotten. I am here to remind you. You are the only person on this earth that is just like "YOU." That is special and valuable. With proper motivation, training and influences you are unstoppable.

Speaking at Loyola Law School

It was such an honor to speak at Loyola Law School today. I shared with the Business Law Students and the Real Estate Law Students about my professional career after law school. Life has taken me through some pretty interesting experiences- the legal, policy and real estate world directed me to where I am today. I understand the anxiety that some law students are feeling as they try to figure things out for "what life after law school looks like." All I can say is that life has a way of working itself out.