Ah, the quest for the perfect company name...it's slowly driving me crazy day by day as I try to get feedback from friends in PR and Marketing, and narrow it down to a name that I'm happy with. I want it to be dpi, that much I know, and I'm getting solid suggestions from marketing and PR to stay away from using a surname as it sounds massively bigger than I want to appear to most of my clients. I don't want to imply a massive company that isn't local and doesn't care about clients, but I do want it to be more than just me as I'll soon be taking people on board. And it shouldn't be a poisonous plant- alas Digitalis was my favorite name and I was set on it until I was warned against it by dozens of UK folks due to it's poisonous nature and use as a heart medicine. Waly!
Here are a few more D word ideas that I'm pondering over...
Dalea- indigo bush
Danaus- type of genus of monach butterfly
Davallia- type of fern
Decagon-
Deft- skillful and quick movements
Delius- composer
Deparia- class of ferns
Devise
Diamond
Digitize
Distil
Delcina
Surely amongst all these is a name that would suit my business! I'm desperate to get this sorted so I can move on with my life- everything is hanging until I decide this and I can move forward with everything else. I've been working my tail off this week- 2 very early am networking meetings, lots of meeting 121 with business people, I joined thebestofCambridge this week and now have a listing there, and I've been working on a few projects that were in motion, with about 30 that are on hold for one reason or another. Very exciting. :) I've decided to take the evening off though as I've worked 10 hours already today....no wait, 11! :)
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
August 18, 2009
Good news- my all nighter Thursday has paid off already! This morning at my BNI meeting the company representative for my client (UK Fixings), who requested the photos on behalf of their largest client, told me that said client loved the photos and wants to deal with me directly to have more photos done! Woot! It really made me feel good that they were so happy with the photos, and it confirmed to me that I am on the right track in this business. I'm expecting business to keep growing, and so the name change is a huge issue right now. I had some feedback that I ought to choose a name which doesn't involve my surname, and one of the guys at Anglesey suggested Digitalis, so I've been gathering feedback on Digitalis Photography International, which would give me the flexibility to go by either Digitalis, or dpi, depending on the market segment and the country. Digitalis is the Latin name for foxglove by the way. :) I've emailed out my BNI folks and after I hear back from them on their opinions, I will proceed on. I have some looming capital investing coming up that is causing me a wee bit of stress, as it's always a big deal to put money out up front. I know that it will come back in, as I'm getting fantastic reviews from tons of local business people here, but still putting the money out is stressful. I need a new website done, and some small scale studio equipment, as well as possibly CS4 and with that a new machine to run it on. Argh. Anyway this business will act as a seed business for us- as it grows and takes off it will bring in money that we can use to start other businesses with in the future.
Enough about business. :) The weather has been very nice here the past few days- mild and warm, which is the best we can hope for in the UK for summer. It's noticeable how early the sun is setting, and just this morning I realized that at 6:30 the sun was barely up.
Enough about business. :) The weather has been very nice here the past few days- mild and warm, which is the best we can hope for in the UK for summer. It's noticeable how early the sun is setting, and just this morning I realized that at 6:30 the sun was barely up.
Saturday, 15 August 2009
August 15, 2009
I spent Tuesday and Thursday out at Anglesey Abbey helping with the eco loo, digging, more digging, a bit of engineering, more digging, mixing soil, and more digging. :) In fact when I look down at my forearms as I type this they look huge (for me anyway!) and I feel fantastic from 2 days of hard labor outside in the sun. I love the outdoors- there's nothing as satisfying as good hard work outside. Sounds funny coming from someone who chose to study engineering, and currently running a photography business- seems like I chose the wrong professions eh? :) I chose engineering for my mind's sake- I wanted a mental challenge, and I got it, and grew through it. But I knew in my last year of school that working inside just wasn't for me. I was thinking back today to those tests they have you take in like 7th grade to determine what sort of work would be good for you, and mine came up as construction worker. :) I was insulted at the time- I thought what a boring job! But now I see the wisdom of that test- I LOVE construction work, and I love gardening and landscaping. So I'm blessed to have my own business and be able to schedule in time for digging, tree trimming, and whatever needs to be done. Being outside and helping other people is like heaven to me- does it get any better than that?
Back to the eco loo. :) The loo is NOT totally done yet- alas! We had 2 Goldman Sachs groups out this week- one Tuesday and one Thursday, and even with myself and the community warden digging like mad (I was like 4 of them and he was like 2 of me) we still couldn't finish. The collection bit is in the ground and almost done, but the toilet bowl and the enclosed part aren't. We'll be carrying on next week. :)
I pulled an all-nighter Thursday night in order to finish some photos for a job that had to be to them Friday morning. I edited photos from 8pm to 5am. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, although with each passing hour I could feel my brain getting foggier and less able to be as precise as I'd have liked. But I knew I could still finish it- in fact I had to, and deadlines like that always challenge me to pull out every ability that I have in order to finish the job well and on time. More on that in another blog actually. :) If I never see a 1 inch screw at 3ft size (that's the equivalent in photoshop) I'll be happy. :) I managed to grab 3 hours sleep before I was off to another shoot, and another one after that. G was a saint and delivered the CDs to my client for me Friday morning to buy me a bit more sleep- I was so very grateful! :)
I had intended to take today off completely- after that all nighter Thursday I figured I could use a break...but here I am in front of the computer playing with my new camera (which a friend brought back from NYC for me!!!) and thinking about business and the looming need to upgrade to CS4 so that I can read the photo files on my new camera...and needing some other equipment to use the video function on it...and if I use the video I'll need a new computer....what an expensive business. Expanding the business will be good for me because I can start delegating out jobs and processing to other people. I've already had to hire a virtual personal assistant (Virtual PA it's called here) to help me with card scanning, invoicing, and paperwork.
It's almost 3pm and I've been trapped inside all day- I really think it's time to get outside and finish all this lot on Monday. :)
Back to the eco loo. :) The loo is NOT totally done yet- alas! We had 2 Goldman Sachs groups out this week- one Tuesday and one Thursday, and even with myself and the community warden digging like mad (I was like 4 of them and he was like 2 of me) we still couldn't finish. The collection bit is in the ground and almost done, but the toilet bowl and the enclosed part aren't. We'll be carrying on next week. :)
I pulled an all-nighter Thursday night in order to finish some photos for a job that had to be to them Friday morning. I edited photos from 8pm to 5am. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, although with each passing hour I could feel my brain getting foggier and less able to be as precise as I'd have liked. But I knew I could still finish it- in fact I had to, and deadlines like that always challenge me to pull out every ability that I have in order to finish the job well and on time. More on that in another blog actually. :) If I never see a 1 inch screw at 3ft size (that's the equivalent in photoshop) I'll be happy. :) I managed to grab 3 hours sleep before I was off to another shoot, and another one after that. G was a saint and delivered the CDs to my client for me Friday morning to buy me a bit more sleep- I was so very grateful! :)
I had intended to take today off completely- after that all nighter Thursday I figured I could use a break...but here I am in front of the computer playing with my new camera (which a friend brought back from NYC for me!!!) and thinking about business and the looming need to upgrade to CS4 so that I can read the photo files on my new camera...and needing some other equipment to use the video function on it...and if I use the video I'll need a new computer....what an expensive business. Expanding the business will be good for me because I can start delegating out jobs and processing to other people. I've already had to hire a virtual personal assistant (Virtual PA it's called here) to help me with card scanning, invoicing, and paperwork.
It's almost 3pm and I've been trapped inside all day- I really think it's time to get outside and finish all this lot on Monday. :)
Monday, 10 August 2009
August 10, 2009
I don't know about you, but I am definitely a morning person. There is something almost magical about mornings- I love being the first one out of bed in the house, and sneaking out of the bedroom so I don't wake G and Nelly up. Sitting here at my desk I can hear a ton of traffic- cars whacking their mufflers on the little road that we live on, a plane flying far far overhead, and the traffic of lots of people coming into and out of Cambridge on Histon Road, the major road nearest our house. Very early in the mornings I often hear the dawn chorus of birds outside our window, and even sometimes the frogs croaking in our teeny little pond.
Yesterday I did a product photo shoot for a local company, and I photographed big wall anchors and plastic zip line thingies, and staplers and caulk and all sorts of things. I also went to G's office into their server room to do some sample industrial photos for a job that I have pending- I'm meeting with 2 potentially big clients this week who are having their websites redone by a business connection of mine in BNI. His company is called Realnet, and they do fantastic websites and google analytics for large companies. The sites are not cheap, so clients are expecting to pay for proper photography to put on them.
When you are in business, it's important to know who are the top 3 industries that you are interested in talking to. They tend to be businesses that have the most synergy with yours. So for me, when I am networking I am looking for people in these industries to talk to first:
1. Publicity/marketing
2. Web design
3. Graphic design
That doesn't mean that I don't talk to loads of other people as well. But if I see any one of those 3 on a list I try to identify them and talk to them. Because it is usually one of these 3 people who would say to a company "you need professional photography done." In the process of getting photographs done, they are in the pipeline before me because most companies need photos done for one of those 3 reasons. If I was wanting to do primarily wedding photography it might look more like this:
1. Events manager
2. Venue coordinator
3. Florist
BNI has been fantastic for me- I have learned so much about business from my fellow members. Gd lead me right to the best possible chapter for me- a strong, well established chapter with members who have been in business for on average over 10 years each. I am pretty much a newbie, though I have a decent sense for business since my parents ran one for 10 years. But I still have a lot to learn, and I'm not afraid of hitting some bumps along the way. :)
An update on the camera- we're filing our appropriate paperwork with Citibank regarding the shady dealer that I ended up with, and fortunately a friend of ours from StAG decided to use some frequent flyer miles to get a free trip to NYC so he is there right now, and I'm going to order a new camera as he has kindly offered to bring it back for me. He's done some web design, and like us is interested in starting businesses for platform work overseas. He's spending 2 years working with youth at the ch here and volunteered to redo the website. So if you do a little Google search for StAG Cambridge you'll see my photos on the front page of the website. :)
Well the traffic has quieted down now- it's amazing what half an hour's difference makes. Now I hear the birds chirping outside again, with only an occasional car going by. Tomorrow Goldman Sachs is sending out a big team of people to Anglesey Abbey to put in an eco loo for us- it's a self composting toilet basically that will go out in the forested part of Hoe Fen. It has to be delivered on the back of a truck, so I'm hoping to get photos of that today and I'll be out tomorrow helping with the group, making a path and managing whatever needs to be done. Once I get some photos of the eco loo I'll post them up.
Yesterday I did a product photo shoot for a local company, and I photographed big wall anchors and plastic zip line thingies, and staplers and caulk and all sorts of things. I also went to G's office into their server room to do some sample industrial photos for a job that I have pending- I'm meeting with 2 potentially big clients this week who are having their websites redone by a business connection of mine in BNI. His company is called Realnet, and they do fantastic websites and google analytics for large companies. The sites are not cheap, so clients are expecting to pay for proper photography to put on them.
When you are in business, it's important to know who are the top 3 industries that you are interested in talking to. They tend to be businesses that have the most synergy with yours. So for me, when I am networking I am looking for people in these industries to talk to first:
1. Publicity/marketing
2. Web design
3. Graphic design
That doesn't mean that I don't talk to loads of other people as well. But if I see any one of those 3 on a list I try to identify them and talk to them. Because it is usually one of these 3 people who would say to a company "you need professional photography done." In the process of getting photographs done, they are in the pipeline before me because most companies need photos done for one of those 3 reasons. If I was wanting to do primarily wedding photography it might look more like this:
1. Events manager
2. Venue coordinator
3. Florist
BNI has been fantastic for me- I have learned so much about business from my fellow members. Gd lead me right to the best possible chapter for me- a strong, well established chapter with members who have been in business for on average over 10 years each. I am pretty much a newbie, though I have a decent sense for business since my parents ran one for 10 years. But I still have a lot to learn, and I'm not afraid of hitting some bumps along the way. :)
An update on the camera- we're filing our appropriate paperwork with Citibank regarding the shady dealer that I ended up with, and fortunately a friend of ours from StAG decided to use some frequent flyer miles to get a free trip to NYC so he is there right now, and I'm going to order a new camera as he has kindly offered to bring it back for me. He's done some web design, and like us is interested in starting businesses for platform work overseas. He's spending 2 years working with youth at the ch here and volunteered to redo the website. So if you do a little Google search for StAG Cambridge you'll see my photos on the front page of the website. :)
Well the traffic has quieted down now- it's amazing what half an hour's difference makes. Now I hear the birds chirping outside again, with only an occasional car going by. Tomorrow Goldman Sachs is sending out a big team of people to Anglesey Abbey to put in an eco loo for us- it's a self composting toilet basically that will go out in the forested part of Hoe Fen. It has to be delivered on the back of a truck, so I'm hoping to get photos of that today and I'll be out tomorrow helping with the group, making a path and managing whatever needs to be done. Once I get some photos of the eco loo I'll post them up.
Sunday, 9 August 2009
August 9, 2009
I just heard from Michigan that the heat index is supposed to be like 100F today there! I hope you are all staying cool and hydrated! It's about 60F outside right now, and tends to be cooler at night. I just had a hilarious conversation with a British friend today about how British people talk about the weather because they feel a bit shy to start conversations, whereas in Michigan we talk about the weather because it's so interesting! :) Maybe my family is an exception but we could watch The Weather Channel all day long. :)
Just to clarify from my last blog- deciding to talk to a relationship professional was something we decided to do proactively to help us sort some issues out with communication and with mutually understanding each other. Not because we want to get a divorce. :) If you talk to a pro, they will tell you that it's always best to seek help when you think you need it, but unfortunately most people wait until too late. We are not those people. The reason that I asked for pr about this is because we do need prs, and because we're not afraid to be transparent and ask for them. And the fact is that it's always easier to just pretend the issues aren't that bad or just figure you can keep putting up with them instead of persevering through the hard work of working on your marriage and improving your relationship. So thanks for pring for us, and I would say to you that if you have issues that need work get help sooner rather than later.
I've just updated the Phanfare site with photos from the past 2 months, so take a look if you haven't done it yet!
Just to clarify from my last blog- deciding to talk to a relationship professional was something we decided to do proactively to help us sort some issues out with communication and with mutually understanding each other. Not because we want to get a divorce. :) If you talk to a pro, they will tell you that it's always best to seek help when you think you need it, but unfortunately most people wait until too late. We are not those people. The reason that I asked for pr about this is because we do need prs, and because we're not afraid to be transparent and ask for them. And the fact is that it's always easier to just pretend the issues aren't that bad or just figure you can keep putting up with them instead of persevering through the hard work of working on your marriage and improving your relationship. So thanks for pring for us, and I would say to you that if you have issues that need work get help sooner rather than later.
I've just updated the Phanfare site with photos from the past 2 months, so take a look if you haven't done it yet!
Saturday, 8 August 2009
August 8, 2009
I can hardly believe that it's Saturday already. It's been an interesting week to say the least. Between my business growth and ideas and meeting with people to discuss that, I've had a group to manage at Anglesey Abbey while the head community warden is away on holiday, and a few networking events to go to and follow up from. My profile is increasing among the business community, and so it's a good time to for me to expand a bit so I can take on new contracts.
On the home front it's been a rough week to be honest. G and I are still slogging through some relational issues (I think I mentioned that before) and of course things always get worse before they get better. We actually decided to talk to a professional which has been very helpful, but do please keep pring for us to communicate better and understand each other. As a result of all of this we've been able to see some of the issues that have been lurking around for the past 5 years really, and have learned a lot about each other on a deeper level, which is great. But it can certainly wear you down, so pr for endurance, perseverance, and patience as well.
I don't think I posted here that I'm planning a trip to Scotland in September for some photography- I've heard that it's a beautiful time of the year to photograph, and I'm after some wide landscape photos, which Scotland is perfect for. I'm hoping to get people to come along with me, but since I'm wanting to camp out (which you can do anywhere in Scotland) it'll be quite rough, with potentially few water sources and certainly no toilets. :) But I'm really looking forward to it. I'll have to be sure to charge up the batteries in the camera before I go because I won't have any power outlets. :) Speaking of new cameras, I'm working on ordering one tomorrow to get it delivered to a British friend who is in NYC on a minibreak- it's backordered, so it may or may not be able to get to him in time. :)
Hello especially to our Living Proof friends- we heard about Margaret's passing and we're pring for you all and for her family!
On the home front it's been a rough week to be honest. G and I are still slogging through some relational issues (I think I mentioned that before) and of course things always get worse before they get better. We actually decided to talk to a professional which has been very helpful, but do please keep pring for us to communicate better and understand each other. As a result of all of this we've been able to see some of the issues that have been lurking around for the past 5 years really, and have learned a lot about each other on a deeper level, which is great. But it can certainly wear you down, so pr for endurance, perseverance, and patience as well.
I don't think I posted here that I'm planning a trip to Scotland in September for some photography- I've heard that it's a beautiful time of the year to photograph, and I'm after some wide landscape photos, which Scotland is perfect for. I'm hoping to get people to come along with me, but since I'm wanting to camp out (which you can do anywhere in Scotland) it'll be quite rough, with potentially few water sources and certainly no toilets. :) But I'm really looking forward to it. I'll have to be sure to charge up the batteries in the camera before I go because I won't have any power outlets. :) Speaking of new cameras, I'm working on ordering one tomorrow to get it delivered to a British friend who is in NYC on a minibreak- it's backordered, so it may or may not be able to get to him in time. :)
Hello especially to our Living Proof friends- we heard about Margaret's passing and we're pring for you all and for her family!
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
August 4, 2009
I have some exciting news from across the pond- I've finally decided to change my business name. It's a huge thing for me- I've waffled about whether to keep it as my name or to change it, and after talking to some business advisors today I was confirmed in my suspicion that a proper name would be best for the growth of my business. Someone suggested Dunlap Photography International (which is dpi for short, and dpi is something often referred to in photography) and I am really happy with that. So now the process begins of registering that as a business name both here and in the US, rebranding, sorting out a new logo, and all sorts of fun stuff. Having a corporate name means that I can bring more people under the umbrella of my business, including generating business in places where I know photographers already, where I could outsource to a local photographer there. When I started thinking about all the quality photographers (and videographers but I'm leaving that as a possible expansion for the future, I have enough to do right now) I know all over the place, I realised that there's a big opportunity for me to expand, and I need to look more like a company and less like a 1 woman band. :)
Pr for me- this is an exciting prospect, that will require quite a bit of work and some capital outlay to get all sorted out. I will need terms of conditions done up, a proper UK accountant to help me set things up, registering as a company, a new logo, website revamping, and even things like setting up a proper accounting system for invoices etc. Fortunately I know people who do all of those things- it has been a real blessing to be a part of BNI Granta, because most people there have at least 10 years experience in business in the UK. If I was in the US this would all be a lot easier because I know how to do a lot of stuff and of course my parents were in business for 10 years as well. But the international component of it (including taxes?!) makes things a lot harder. Since starting businesses overseas has been a vision of ours for ages, now's a good time to give it a try and see if it works- there's no time like the present. :)
Pr for me- this is an exciting prospect, that will require quite a bit of work and some capital outlay to get all sorted out. I will need terms of conditions done up, a proper UK accountant to help me set things up, registering as a company, a new logo, website revamping, and even things like setting up a proper accounting system for invoices etc. Fortunately I know people who do all of those things- it has been a real blessing to be a part of BNI Granta, because most people there have at least 10 years experience in business in the UK. If I was in the US this would all be a lot easier because I know how to do a lot of stuff and of course my parents were in business for 10 years as well. But the international component of it (including taxes?!) makes things a lot harder. Since starting businesses overseas has been a vision of ours for ages, now's a good time to give it a try and see if it works- there's no time like the present. :)
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