034. Setting Photography Goals for 2023

Setting photography goals is always a popular topic this time of year.  We’re all setting our goals for 2023 and are excited about what’s to come in the new year. 

But the thing I don’t want you to do is set those goals and then fail to achieve them. This leads to a huge disappointment come December 2023.

To avoid this “goal setting trap,” you need to not only set these photography goals, but make sure they reach them by putting a strategy into place. 

Tracking your goals throughout the year will guarantee that you are on track to actually hit those big goals you’ve set. 

In this podcast, I’m going to tell you exactly what goals you should set in your photography business AND why plus I’ll break down a little bit about tracking these goals so you can stay on track.

You need to know four specific numbers. 

The four figures that you need to know to make sure that you hit or exceed your photography goals are: 

1.  Salary
2. How often you want to work
3. How many weeks off you want per year
4. How much time you spend on each client from start to finish

These four numbers will give you:

1. What your revenue goal should be 
2. Your sales average goal
3. The number of clients you actually have time for throughout the year without working ridiculous hours

You have to know this information because these three numbers are the numbers your 2023 goals and business strategy will revolve around.

Let me break it down a little more.

Your salary is not your revenue goal.

If your photography goal for 2023 is hitting six-figures, that’s awesome. I want you to! But it’s not that simple. 

I want you to think about WHY you want to bring in six-figures. 

• Is it because that’s what the cool kids in the industry are doing?
• Maybe it’s because all the industry leaders talk about six-figures?
• Or is it because you actually need to bring this number in to run a sustainable business?

I want to let you in on a little secret. Just because you bring in six-figures, this does not mean you will be paying yourself six-figures. 

Did you know that the average photographer only keeps 35% of their total revenue? 

That means if you revenue $100,000, you’re only paying yourself $35,000. 

If that’s all you need, great. But if you need $70K/year, then you actually need to revenue $200K. 

Something to think about.

Your mental health is important.

In a Facebook group I’m in, I see all these photographers talking about $100K months. 

(I did a reel on instagram about this very topic. Check it out here.)

Maybe you think that’s so cool. “I want that!” 

I want you to stop and think about this though. Even with a $5000 sales average(which is high for most photographers), these photographers are photographing at least 20 clients–most probably more–to hit $100K+ months. 

And their Facebook Ad spend must be astronomical. 

I had a 1:1 client come to me after being in a different program. She was spending $35,000 a year on Facebook ads and revenuing $120,000/year.

She was only paying herself $20,000 a year.  Facebook made more than her salary.

So before you get FOMO, I want you to think about what YOU truly want. 

• How often do you want to actually be working? 
• How many weeks do you want off per year?

These are two very important questions you need to ask yourself when planning your photography goals.

You have to know your time spent per client.

The average photographer, according to PPA Benchmark, spends about 8 hours per client from initial contact to delivery of their product. 

This is important because you need to know exactly how many clients your schedule can handle. 

My 1:1 clients actually are spending on average 5 hours per client from start to finish.

I’m in the 2.5 hour range after photographing over 800 clients since 2016 because my workflows are seamless.

Plan your photography goals with your ideal life in mind.

I want you to really think about what you want out of life and business without the outside influence of the photography education industry. 

They are throwing out those big numbers to make you want to join their programs… not because it benefits YOU. 

I’m here to help you create a life YOU want to live, not the other way around.

I want you to avoid burnout and LOVE your job, not look at your schedule and dread stepping into your studio.  

Use this strategy to plan your 2023 to be the best year ever… and if you need a little help, check out Momentum Minimind OR Six-Figures Simplified. 

Be sure to tune into next week’s episode to get all the details on my Set it and Forget It System so you know exactly how to book out your schedule with the exact number of clients you need!