I just looked and it’s been six months since I posted a Tuesday Tip! What in the world? Where have I been? Buried under my laptop apparently! So here it is, part nine of “Tuesday Tips: Starting a Freelance Business.” If you missed the last posts, click on the titles below or just scroll down.
Disclaimer: I am NOT an expert on everything and every person is different. These are just my thoughts and opinions, which don’t always work for everyone. Here are the topics I plan on discussing.
1. Know Your Market
2. Know Your Competition
3. Know Your Stuff
4. Build a Brand
5. Develop Correct Pricing
6. Target Your Market
7. Smart Advertising
8. Create a Unique Experience
9. Keep Improving
10. Develop Balance
So this week, we are doing to discuss…
Keep Improving
Whatever you are doing, you can always be better. I think a good sign of a successful company is a leader who is striving to become better, do more and go farther. I am totally an overachiever, which can be bad or a good thing. But it can never hurt to keep improving.
Push Yourself
It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut doing the same thing over and over again. You get in your way of doing things and you get comfortable. You don’t want to change it up. Come on now…when’s the last time you took a unique route to Starbucks? I haven’t! To become better, you have to be willing to change. You have to get uncomfortable, step out of the comfort zone and try something new! When’s the last time in your business you tried something new? Learned a new technique? Or did something that made you uncomfortable? If you don’t push yourself, you’ll never be more than you are right now! You can do it! Let’s chat about some ways to learn something new…
Go to Events
Being around people that do things differently is a great way to get motivated! Go to a convention, a workshop or a social event in your industry and get to know some new ways to doing this? How can you make what you are doing better? Better customer service? Better techniques? Better workflow? Learn from other people, ask them questions and feel free to share. The more you share, the more they will too! Look up some conventions, classes or workshops that you could attend! Take notes and put it into practice!
Learn Online
Really, everything you need to know can be found out there on the internet! You may be shocked to learn that I didn’t go to school for photography, I never worked under someone and I never paid for a workshop. I spent a lot of time reading blogs, listening to podcasts, watching videos and googling anything I didn’t know! People share information so freely that is a great resource. I still soak up anything I can to learn new techniques and ways of doing things!
If you love photography, here are some of my favorite blogs that really helped me learn when I was starting:
http://www.thebschool.com/blog/
http://www.jasminestarblog.com/
http://www.melissajill.com/
http://www.pictage.com/blog/
Check the blogs of people you follow for an FAQ section and read it all! 
Find a Mentor
One of the fastest ways to learn is having someone do hands on training with you. If you want to learn more and become better, find a mentor and work under someone you admire. Just watching how someone works is awesome and you can learn so fast! A lot of people will teach if you work for free. 
Offer to second shoot and shag bags even if you can. It’s so worth it!
Keep Pushing
Lastly, don’t stop! You can always be better, work harder and reach those goals you never thought were possible. Work, work, work and keep learning and pushing yourself to try new things! Don’t give up!
Put This To Use:
1. What can you still learn? What areas could you be better in?
2. Plan to attend some events or workshops this year!
3. Spend some time on blogs or listening to podcasts.
4. Find someone you want to work under or with.
5. Make a list of goals for this year and start knocking them off!
I hope this post was helpful and gave you some things to think about! If you liked this and want others to learn, please share this link on your blog or Facebook!
***Friends and Family: 
***Friends and Family: 
Love this shot below that Clint got while I was running down from the balcony!
***Friends and Family: 
***Friends and Family: 
***Friends and Family:
by Kayla
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