![\"photographer](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/jackie_jean_photography_shopify_success_stories_banner_0499ffbe-9514-485e-85e6-53160a6e268f.jpg?v=1684515865\")
Photography doesn’t have to be a mere hobby. Professional photographers are needed in fields such as journalism, real estate marketing, and travel reporting. If you have a passion for photography and an appetite to start your own business, it’s worth exploring how to merge the two.
\nAll business ventures require legwork in terms of licensing, financing, and marketing. Starting a photography business is no different. With the right approach, you can draft a business plan, manage startup costs, and start sharing your creative photography services with the world. Here are tips for getting started.
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\nThere are lots of different ways to jumpstart a photography career. Explore the following types to find a photography niche that is both artistically fulfilling and financially rewarding:
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Like any small business owner, a photography entrepreneur can expect a number of expenses as they launch their enterprise. Plan to absorb the following business expenses:
\nA photography career comes with many rewarding upsides, along with challenges.
\nStarting your own photography business lets you embrace your passion. Whether you view photography as a side business or a full-time job, you can get paid to do what you love. Your photo career can lead to travel opportunities, professional and personal networking, and behind-the-scenes access to exciting industries. You’ll also be able to claim photography equipment, software, and startup costs as business expenses on your taxes.
\nThere is no set photography business roadmap, and you probably can’t count on a stable routine. You might go weeks without paid work, and then later have to turn down jobs because you’re already booked. If you’re a wedding photographer or event photographer, you’ll often work nights and weekends. In some cases, you will work for clients who don’t share your artistic vision.
\n\nStarting a business requires effort and discipline, no matter what field you pursue. It doesn’t require a formal business education, just a clear plan and determination. Here are the seven steps that can help you get a photography business up and running:
\nStart your journey with a photography business plan geared toward a target market. Whether you see yourself as an on-set photographer in the film industry or a school photographer traveling from campus to campus, you’ll want to focus on where you fit in the industry. You can use a free business plan template to guide your way through the process.
\nOnce you’ve found your photography niche, it’s time to study the competition and the pool of potential customers. This means diving into market research and market analysis, which may involve third-party reports and industry publications. Analyzing competitors will help you define a unique selling proposition (USP) that makes you stand out.
\nThe best business names offer clues about your products and services. They may also communicate your style or price point. For instance, Red Lobster and Nobu both serve seafood, but the names convey a very different customer experience—one unpretentious and the other elegant. The same applies to photography business names. A photo studio called Actor’s Home Base clearly serves a different client base than Jerry’s Party Pix. Shopify’s business name generator can aid your quest to find the perfect name for your photography business.
\nOnce you’re ready to establish your business in your state, consider whether you would like to legally establish your business as a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation. You may also choose a less formal structure called a sole proprietorship. In all cases, your state will have specific rules for registering the business, obtaining a business license, collecting and remitting sales tax, and periodically reporting business information.
\nNote that, as a photographer, you may not have to collect sales tax on your services, but you might on any retail items you sell, such as photo books or digital images. Shopify offers Starting Up guides for establishing a business in many states, and these can provide further guidance.
\nHaving a strong photography portfolio can help you attract new clients. To keep up with the competition, create a portfolio website that showcases your best work, along with the breadth of what you can do. If you’re on a budget, you can start with a free portfolio website, or use social media platforms such as Instagram or VSCO to showcase your photography.
\nYou can market your business in many ways, from online ads to social media campaigns to word-of-mouth referrals. As you promote your brand, develop elements such as your branding design, logo, brand voice, and brand storytelling. When these elements are consistent, they help potential clients draw subconscious associations between your marketing materials and your business.
\nA business is only as strong as its client base. Your biggest job is to meet or exceed customer expectations. This leads to repeat business and new client referrals. You can do this by operating with the utmost professionalism whenever you pitch your services, create client contracts, show up to take photos, or deliver your final images. If your clients appear satisfied, ask for referrals and online reviews.
\nYou do not need to own an LLC to operate a photography business. Although starting an LLC does offer tax benefits and liability protection, you can also do business as a corporation (with similar benefits but more upkeep) or as a sole proprietor (with fewer benefits but minimal paperwork).
\nYou may need credentials for certain types of photography, particularly photojournalism, which can require access to restricted areas. Other photography niches require no special credentials or certifications, but as a small business owner, you may need business licenses and tax certifications.
\nMany photographers specialize in one type of photography because it helps them focus their marketing and networking efforts. Others find fulfillment in bouncing between different photography niches. In some cases, you may have to venture into different areas. For instance, school photographers may be busy during the fall but need other income in the spring, depending on school photo schedules.
\nA photography business can be profitable if you build a broad client base, invest wisely in your equipment, and work efficiently when planning shoots and editing images. You may have to charge lower prices to break into a market, but your rates—and profits—can go up as your photography business grows
\nBe open to new opportunities when you’re starting out. For instance, a job snapping ID photos at an office might lead you to meet someone who wants professional portraits of their family. Avoid getting caught with inadequate gear on a shoot; make sure you have a backup for any piece of equipment that might fail, and that your camera has the necessary capabilities. To avoid spending too much on high-spec gear, ask friends and colleagues for gear recommendations. Read reviews and make prudent purchases as you scale up your business.
\nhttps://www.shopify.com/blog/how-to-start-a-photography-business
\nWe all need help sometimes. In your daily life, you may hire a dog walker, employ the services of a house cleaner, or have a tutor come help your child out with their math homework. All these services could be considered outsourcing. Paying for professional help frees up your time to focus on tasks better suited to your skill set. It’s much the same when it comes to marketing: Outsourcing is a way to access new talent, reduce costs, and save time.
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\nOutsourcing marketing refers to hiring a third-party company to complete any variety of marketing tasks. Marketing an ecommerce business involves many different initiatives—coming up with email campaigns, creating SEO-optimized content marketing, and concocting savvy social media marketing strategies. Each of these initiatives requires a different skill set, and you may not have the resources to hire a full in-house marketing team to undertake them. When you outsource marketing, you hire a third-party marketing agency to complete some or all of those tasks. That allows you to access the expertise of individuals who specialize in each area in order to save the time and money it would cost to acquire those skills in-house.
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Hire a Shopify marketing expert
\nAttract customers to your site and drive sales through effective marketing techniques.
\nHire an expert
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Before you commit to outsourcing, consider what you want out of the relationship and what you’re willing to put into it. Although third-party companies can provide the same deliverables you’d receive from an in-house team, they require different processes to manage and use them. Here are some of the benefits and challenges to outsourcing the marketing for your business.
\nBenefits of outsourcing include:
\nMarketing disciplines such as search engine optimization (SEO) require specialized knowledge to operate effectively. Hiring an agency gives you access to experienced marketing professionals with expertise in each area.
\nA marketing agency can help your brand expand into new marketing channels. The agency’s team might help you start a content marketing program, for instance, without the friction of needing to hire and train dedicated employees to manage your blog.
\nWhen you hire an outsourced marketing department, you’ll pay a fixed fee per hour or project. You’ll only pay for the exact services you ask for, and you’ll save on costs associated with full-time employees, like providing benefits and investing in training and development.
\nYou don’t have to outsource every aspect of your marketing strategy. Instead, you can pick and choose which marketing services you need to contract out to an agency, and which (if any) you can handle in house. You might choose to outsource solely the particularly time-consuming tasks or those that require specialized knowledge, for example.
\nChallenges of outsourcing include:
\nAn in-house marketing department is looped into your communication systems and has a deep understanding of your brand, your customers, and your business. An outsourced marketing partner, on the other hand, is not integrated into your business. It may be more difficult to find time to meet with your outsourced team than with an internal team member, and you may also need to devote more time to explaining brand and business fundamentals to the outsourced team. Small things like not having access to shared calendars and working with different software can slow communication and work.
\nInterviewing marketing agencies and onboarding your chosen partner requires an upfront time investment from your team, as you all need to source the right agency for the job. This can take working time from your team and may involve a lot of meetings to align on the scope of the project before the outside agency can begin doing any work.
\nCreating engaging content that reflects your company’s point of view requires in-depth knowledge of your brand. Third-party partners won’t have the same understanding of your brand voice as an internal marketing colleague might.
\nExternal partners require in-house management in order to understand what it needs to do and to operate successfully. A member of your staff will need to manage the relationship by setting expectations, briefing projects, and reviewing deliverables.
\n\nSelecting your outsourced marketing partner is the most difficult part of getting started. Shopify Plus partners can help you find a compatible marketing agency. Use these tips to find a reliable partner and set them up for success:
\nBefore you choose a partner, outline which marketing services you’d like to outsource, and assess how they fit into your overall marketing strategy. You can decide, for example, if you want help developing a new marketing plan or help with the content creation process. Setting the scope will help you determine the size and type of agency you need to work with.
\nOutsourcing marketing is generally more cost-effective than creating an in-house marketing department, as you don’t need to hire, train, and manage a whole team. Establish what your budget is before reaching out to potential partners. Send out a request for proposal (RFP) to get quotes from different agencies, and rule out any that have a minimum spend above your budget.
\nUse in-person or virtual meetings to describe the services you’re looking to outsource and to get a feel for potential partners. Look for agencies with a history of running successful campaigns or have worked with brands similar to yours, and feel free to ask for references.
\nBring your new agency up to speed on your current marketing program by providing notes about the projects they’ll work on and sharing a set of brand guidelines. Set clear expectations, and provide your partner with timelines and a comprehensive list of expected deliverables so both parties are clear on those elements before work starts.
\nBefore outsourcing marketing tasks to a third party, make sure that there is someone on your team who can manage the relationship. A representative from your team will need to brief projects, approve work, and provide feedback.
\nCheck in frequently. In addition to written communication, it’s a good idea to set up a standing meeting, perhaps a weekly one, where both teams can ask questions and provide feedback.
\nAlmost any aspect of marketing can be outsourced. Some commonly outsourced services include market research, content marketing, and web design.
\nThe cost of outsourcing varies widely depending on the scope of the outsourced services. For instance, the cost of email marketing alone can range from $500 to $2,000 per month. Companies typically spend anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000 per month to outsource marketing services. Once you’ve determined the scope of your marketing needs, ask potential partners to provide you with a quote for their services before you decide which agency to go with.
\nOutsourcing offers the flexibility to choose the services you would like, including hiring an outsourced marketing partner for a short-term project. Note that some large agencies may have a minimum contract duration or require a certain spend.
\nIt is perfectly legal to outsource marketing services to international agencies; many companies already outsource services like IT and customer service overseas. Be sure to interview and evaluate work samples to find a reliable partner, and confirm that your working hours align—time differences can make it harder to communicate effectively with an outsourced marketing partner.
\nShoppers often rely on unadulterated opinions of former customers to judge whether or not they want to make a purchase. This makes online reviews a key factor in people’s purchasing journey—and it’s why there are so many review websites where customers go to share their experiences with both local businesses and national brands.
\nAs a small business owner, collecting customer reviews is one of the best ways you can build consumer confidence and expand your market reach. Here are strategies for getting business listings on different sites and getting as many positive online reviews as possible.
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\nCustomer reviews benefit small businesses through the concept of social proof: The human tendency to base our decisions on the actions and opinions of other people. Specifically, consumer reviews can benefit businesses because they can help:
\nAllow customers to leave product reviews on your store
\nCustomers can rate and review products to help other people decide what to buy, and also provide valuable feedback to you.
\nEvery positive review—whether it’s posted on a popular review site or your own website—has the potential to boost your brand reputation. Still, there are certain third-party review sites worth prioritizing, since they get a lot of traffic and people already trust them. Here are 10 (plus your own) of the best review sites for online businesses.
\nWhen you set up a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), you get placement on Google Maps. You also get a forum for Google customer reviews, where anyone with a Google account can leave feedback about your business. Given Google’s continued dominance in online search and the number of people who rely on Google Maps to get around and find local businesses, it pays to have a presence on its platform. You can solicit Google reviews by directing people to your Google business listing.
\nYelp specializes in local search, so it’s particularly useful if your business has a physical location. But even if you work exclusively in ecommerce, Yelp reviews improve your online visibility. That’s because Yelp devotes a lot of attention to search engine placement, so your Yelp listing might show up in a search result ahead of your own website. Yelp encourages you to set up a business profile and let active Yelpers organically review your company.
\nFacebook is known for connecting family and friends, but it also functions as a review site for businesses. You can create a Facebook page for your business and encourage people to like your page and leave reviews.
\nWhile review sites offer value, there may be no better place to feature positive reviews than within your own ecommerce store. The Shopify Product Reviews app and the Shop App both let you display client feedback directly on your Shopify online store, providing on-the-page social proof to interested buyers. The app lets you publish, hide, filter, and manage reviews quickly and easily. It also lets you add review scores to your Google search results.
\nTrustpilot lets users write reviews about individual products and companies as a whole. This helps it stand out among business review websites, which typically only feature one of these review categories. Trustpilot operates on a paid subscription model, but even its free tier offers Shopify integration.
\nThe Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a nonprofit organization that rates companies on an A to F scale, and it offers accreditation, for a fee, which signals to consumers you’re an honest business. These ratings and accreditations can show whether a business is reliable and trustworthy, and whether it proactively addresses customer complaints. The Better Business Bureau’s own research says 88% of consumers said they were more likely to purchase from a business if it had an A+ or A rating, 78% of consumers said they were more likely to purchase from a business if it displayed a BBB Accreditation seal, and 68% of consumers said they were less likely to purchase from a business if it had an F or D rating.
\nIf you sell on Amazon, reviews are of paramount importance. Positive Amazon customer reviews can push your product to the top of a product search page, while negative reviews can relegate you to the bottom. Note that Amazon forbids the practice of offering people rewards for their reviews. One way to get more reviews on Amazon is to make a high-quality product and aggressively price it to gain market share. Later, when you’ve amassed a large number of reviews, you can consider raising your price to improve your profit margin.
\nAliExpress is a Chinese online marketplace with a growing presence in the United States. It is known for rock-bottom prices, which draw bargain shoppers. AliExpress is much like Amazon in that reviews can boost your listing on search results pages. AliExpress reviews tend to be shorter than those on Amazon, which may incentivize happy customers to quickly type a few words of praise.
\nAngi (formerly Angie’s List) specializes in local businesses and the service industry—think contractors, music teachers, and caterers. If you exclusively work in ecommerce, you may not need an Angi profile, but if you provide services or operate within a specific local area, a listing may help. Angi charges site visitors a fee to access its review listings. This means you can only request customer feedback from Angi subscribers.
\nFoursquare allows users to “check in” at a local business. It also provides a forum for customer reviews, which can be given on a scale of 1–10. While Foursquare reviews may not directly boost ecommerce sales, they can definitely improve the visibility of your brick-and-mortar locations. Its default view presents businesses in order of their customer ratings, so keeping a high score boosts your presence on the platform.
\nLong before online review sites transformed the retail market, shoppers found business by searching the Yellow Pages, a massive print directory that was delivered for free to people’s homes. Today the Yellow Pages name lives on in an online directory. Like Foursquare and Yelp, yellowpages.com (also called YP) emphasizes local listings and includes map views. If you’re rated by the Better Business Bureau (see item 6), you can feature that on your YP listing. You can also indicate how long you’ve been in business and how long you’ve been listed in Yellow Pages.
\n\nAsking people to leave you reviews on sites is a marketing strategy in and of itself. Here are four strategies for gaining positive ecommerce reviews.
\nOne of the best review-generating strategies is also among the simplest. Reach out to past clients via email newsletter, text, or phone, and ask them to review your business. Make it easy for them to do so by sending a link that takes them right to your review page.
\nSome clients struggle to summarize their customer experience in written word format, but they may be happy to record themselves talking and leave a video review. Sites like Amazon encourage video reviews, so you can remind your clients that it’s up to them to decide what format they want to use to leave feedback about your business.
\nRather than rely on general purpose sites like Google, you can focus on sites that cover your particular niche industry. Think of musical equipment reviews on Sweetwater, or pet supply reviews on PetSmart. You can also encourage engagement by joining forums like Reddit, where users may talk about your business. Although Reddit does not contain formal reviews, it hosts communities of like-minded people open to recommendations; you may have fans on there who welcome the chance to sing your praises.
\nYou can offer past customers incentives (like a discount on their next purchase or a free item) if they leave you a review. This helps, as 73% of consumers say an incentive would make them more likely to leave a review. Ethically, you should offer the same incentives for any review, whether positive or negative. It’s unethical for businesses to only offer rewards for five-star reviews. Note that some sites, notably Yelp and Amazon, discourage soliciting reviews in any form. But generally, asking for a review—and not dictating what you’d like the review to say—is OK to do.
\nReviews are effective because they offer social proof about your business. Many potential customers rely on reviews from real people who’ve done business with you in the past to gain confidence before they purchase your product or service.
\nAYes, it’s wise to respond to reviews, both positive and negative. Responding to your customers on review sites demonstrates you are actively engaged in your business and care about the client experience. It also helps forge a more personal connection between you and those customers, and this can lead to repeat business.
\nFake reviews are a scourge of small-business owners, and they must be dealt with quickly before they can spread. Immediately report these reviews to platform moderators on the specific review site and follow up with them until the fake reviews are taken down.
\nWhen asking for reviews, avoid asking for specific language or star ratings. Reviews should reflect the customer’s honest opinion, not the business owner’s.
\nhttps://www.shopify.com/blog/review-sites
\nAs the world’s most popular search engine, Google has access to decades of information on what users are looking for online—and that information is accessible via the Google Trends tool. Researchers have used Google Trends search data for everything from predicting the stock market to monitoring the spread of disease. Read on to learn how you can put this powerful free tool to work for your business.
\nGoogle Trends is a website that shares anonymous, aggregated data about what people search for on the web. Using a random sample of billions of daily searches, Google Trends measures the relative volume of search queries over time, stretching back to 2004.
\nTake note: Google Trends only provides relative search volume, not absolute search volume—or the total number of Google searches a term received. Google Trends data is indexed to 100, meaning that the maximum search volume for a particular query over a set timeframe is 100. If you look at trends over time, 100 is the day with the highest search traffic for your keyword. If you explore Google Trends by region, the location with the most search interest within a set timeframe has a value of 100.
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As a business owner, you can use Google Trends for more than just staying on top of the zeitgeist. Here’s how it can help you with keyword research, competitive analysis, and more.
\nIf you use Google Ads, you know that Google provides you with the monthly average search volume for search terms on the platform. The difference between Google Ads and Google Trends is that Trends provides real-time data rather than a monthly average, so you can use it to pinpoint searches around particular events or to see how searches change over time. These insights allow you to plan ahead for seasonal marketing campaigns that promote products during the time when searches for related keywords spike.
\n“Hiking sandals” is an example of a seasonal keyword. Every year from 2004 to 2022, search interest for the term “hiking sandals” in the US peaked in June and dipped in November. To capitalize on this pattern, you can increase your ad spend in late spring and early summer, when most people search for hiking sandals.
\nYou can use Google Trends to see if your search term performs better on certain days of the week. For example, both “hiking sandals” and “walking sandals” receive the most traffic on the weekend, so consider running more ads and leaning into content marketing campaigns that land on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
\nYou can get more specific with search volume data by selecting a location and narrowing your parameters from, for example, worldwide to the US—or even further to just California. If you select California, you’ll see search volume sorted by metro area. For example, in 2022 the term “hiking sandals” had the highest concentration of searches in the San Diego metro region. You can use this information to localize advertising and to improve the targeting of your content marketing efforts. For instance, you might consider publishing a blog post on the top hiking trails near San Diego to promote your walking sandals.
\nUse Google Trends to conduct keyword research for SEO by viewing related search topics. When you use Google Trends to explore a term, you can scroll down past the “interest over time” and “interest by region” data to a section of related search topics. Toggle between “rising” (highest increase in search frequency over a given period of time) and “top” (highest overall search frequency) for a clearer picture of each term’s performance.
\nIn 2022, rising related topics for “hiking sandals” in California included “ankle” and “backpack,” while some of the top related topics were “sandal” and “hiking boot.” If you sell hiking sandals, looking at topics can help you brainstorm what other products your customer may be looking for—such as hiking boots and backpacks. You can click on those topics to assess if they are worth pursuing. Exploring trends by topic can give you additional information about search interest that you may not have discovered otherwise.
\nRising related queries usually have a percentage next to them, indicating how Google search volume has grown. However, some queries and topics won’t show a percentage increase in search volume. Instead, you’ll see the word “breakout,” which is Google’s way of indicating that search volume for this term grew by over 5,000%. For a search term to experience that much short-term growth, it likely initially had very low search volume. These newly popular keywords can be an important part of your SEO strategy.
\nGoogle Trends’ “compare” feature can help you choose the perfect phrasing for your search term. For example, in the US in 2022, “walking sandals” got slightly more interest than “hiking sandals”—except in Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, where “hiking sandals” was the preferred term. This feature can help you decide which keywords to prioritize in your marketing efforts. A brand selling sandals might use the term “hiking sandals” in the Southwest and “walking sandals” elsewhere.
\nGoogle Trends gives ecommerce store owners the option to refine search volume data by type of search. Web search is the default, but you can also see trends in image search, news search, shopping search, and YouTube search. Benefits include seeing how the trends for shopping search and image search differ from web search. For example, popular web searches for “walking sandals” include the word “best,” while image and shopping searches are more likely to contain the words “for women.” If you want to rank for web search, consider compiling a list of the best walking shoes. If you want to make sure your product page ends up on image and shopping pages, know that searchers are looking for products that work for their body and gender identity.
\nOne handy feature of Google Trends is the ability to compare up to four different search terms at once. Once you’ve decided on a region and time period for your first search query, click “+ compare” in the light blue box to the right of your original search term to see how these two terms compare. You can add up to two more terms, which can be helpful when conducting competitor analysis. Compare your brand name to your three biggest competitors to better understand your niche and improve your marketing efforts.
\nYes, Google launched Trends in 2006 as a free tool for the general public.
\nGoogle trends data is accurate, but it doesn’t provide absolute search volume. Since Google performs billions of searches daily, including every single search in its data set would take a long time. So, Google Trends uses a sample of searches. Google notes that its Trends data “is not scientific and might not be a perfect mirror of search activity.” Some searches will report with a search volume of zero, but that may mean that the search volume was too low for Google to consider it significant; the actual volume may be higher than zero—but still low.
\nGoogle Trends data shows global search queries, so it’s a solid option for international data. Depending on the region, you can search for data by country, state, or metro area.
\nGoogle Trends determines search popularity by taking a random sample of daily searches for a particular query and then translating that sample into a number out of 100. The term with the highest search volume at a particular moment in time is the benchmark for 100, and every other query’s popularity is shown relative to the most popular search.
\nIf you see the number “100” next to a search term, that doesn’t mean it has an absolute Google search volume of 100. Since Google uses normalized values, a score of 100 means the term in question has the highest relative search volume.
\nWhen you think of the word “pitch,” you may think of the TV show Shark Tank. There’s a carpet, a line of potential investors, and glaring lights as someone presents their idea in 90 seconds. However, pitching goes beyond seeking funding for your business—it also applies to communicating with potential customers, partners, and team members.
\nIf figuring out how to connect your business to these audiences seems like a tall order, know there are fundamental tips that can help you pitch your business—and yourself—with confidence. Here are a few to get you started.
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\nA business pitch is any opportunity for you to present, within a limited timeframe: who you are, what you do, and what problem your business solves. It can take place in person, over the phone, or even via digital channels such as your website or email.
\nAt the end, include an effective call-to-action (CTA), which is the action you want listeners to take after your business pitch, depending on the specific audience to which you’re speaking. Common CTAs encourage someone to buy from a business or to join as an investor or employee.
\nThe purpose of a general business pitch is to generate excitement and persuade your target audience to be involved with your endeavor. The perfect business pitch explains the problem your business can solve and the impact it will have on a market within an industry. From there, the hope is that your audience will want to join your business as an investor or employee, or become a loyal customer. Any relevant business information—such as the problem your product or service will solve and the business’s future financial outlook—included in your pitch may be the same across multiple audiences.
\nBusiness pitches take various forms, depending on your goal and target audience. Regardless of the type, each typically includes similar strategies, such as incorporating stories and stats to sell your business idea. Some of the most common types of business pitches are:
\nAn elevator pitch is a concise statement that can be the building block for other types of pitches. The idea behind an elevator pitch is that you can explain your business in the time it takes for a single elevator ride, or about 30 seconds. It’s considered a short sales pitch that is one to three sentences, including the value statement summarizing the value of your business and unique selling proposition.
\nIf seeking to employ top talent, you want to show that your company has promise. A business pitch that highlights the value of your business can persuade others to want to join your team.
\nA sales pitch happens when you’re speaking to a potential customer about a problem they have with their own life or business. An effective sales pitch convinces a potential client that your business could help fix their unique problem.
\nA partnership pitch highlights to another company how your business can benefit theirs, and vice versa. It usually occurs between businesses with shared markets or products. For example, if your business sells direct-to-consumer coffee, a partnership with a company that sells sugar or cream would be a good pairing.
\nThis is one of the most common types of pitches for small businesses because it combines an elevator pitch, employment pitch, sales pitch, and partnership pitch. Investor pitches sell the value proposition of your company and explain its financial future through a successful pitch deck. If successful, they help you secure investors or venture capitalists who inject funds into your business in exchange for an ownership stake, and they become part owners in your company and can impact business operations.
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Pitching skills are an art, not a science. They most often start with a personal anecdote, but there are other core skills that go into an effective pitch. These tips are some of the best methods to create a pitch that can clinch the deal:
\nAt the core of any business or product pitch are a variety of numbers that tell the financial story of your business: your customer base, cost of goods sold, annual sales, monthly website traffic, profit margin, previous investments, and start-up capital.
\nDepending on your business model, you may need other supporting figures. For example, as an ecommerce business, you need to know what your customer acquisition cost is between your advertising budget and sales so you can better assess what type of financing you might need.
\nA 2020 survey by Harvard Business Review found senior investors aren’t solely focused on the numbers behind your business—they’re also interested in whether you have the right experience. For example, if you’re trying to sell a new hose to fire departments, having some type of experience in the firefighting industry (and highlighting that in your pitch) can be more important to investors than how cheap you price your water hose.
\nThe talking points and messaging for your pitch may vary depending on the audience. For instance, angel investors may be more concerned that you have passion for your product or service when proceeding your business pitch, while a potential customer might be focused on how you address customer pain points.
\nJust as you would customize your business pitch, you too must tailor your CTA for your respective audience. The more targeted your pitch, the more persuasive.
\nPart of the pitch process is selling your team and emphasizing each person’s expertise. That’s why having multiple voices—instead of one—doing the pitch can make for a well-rounded presentation. If you have a partner, customer, or spokesperson who can amplify your message, try to include them in the pitch itself. Keep in mind: Any partner should uplift your brand.
\nConduct a competitive analysis to understand your competitors, the target market they serve, and key differences between their business and your own—so you’ll know what makes your offering unique. By understanding your competitors, you are better prepared to underscore what makes your offering unique in case this comment and question come up, “Your business sounds great, but this product already exists. Why do I need yours?”
\nMany pitches open with a simple, basic problem told through a personal story that’s easily relatable. Using storytelling to pitch your business can make it easier to connect with your audience and keep them engaged throughout—increasing the likelihood they will follow through on your CTA.
\nMaking eye contact with every person present during the pitch makes a positive impression and facilitates a stronger sense of connection. Practice by looking someone in the eye—whether it’s your partner, a friend, family member—even a pet, or watch yourself in the mirror.
\nMany businesses, as part of their pitches, prepare a pitch deck with key statistics and information about their company, especially if they’re pitching to potential investors. That way, an audience member can glance up and see key data points throughout your entire presentation instead of trying to jot down information as you speak.
\nInteracting with your audience, for example, by distributing your product to everyone in attendance to let them try it, can make the presentation more engaging. You could also act out a problem your product solves with an audience member, or include an interactive quiz or poll in the pitch deck’s slides and videos.
\nIt’s easy to focus your entire pitch on why your innovative solution is the best in the market. However, if a listener doesn’t understand why your product is needed, you’re less likely to have success. Instead, try focusing on the problem you solve. Answer questions such as, “How pressing is this problem?” or “How many people encounter it?”
\nIt may be tempting to explain every detail you know about your business’s market competitors, demographics, history, goals, and more. Know this information if questions arise, but be mindful of what to share about your business. If listeners feel overwhelmed, they may be more likely to tune out, back out, and say no to your pitch.
\nAfter your initial pitch, open up the floor for questions, which can give you a chance to show how well-informed and prepared you are. This is also an opportunity to receive comments and feedback, which you can use to improve future pitches.
\nDuring a pitch, your voice should be warm, exciting, and welcoming, with enthusiasm that engages listeners. According to a 2022 Harvard Business Review article, increasing the volume on your voice during a presentation “supercharges” the message you’re trying to send—and what accompanies that is knowing when to accentuate certain words.
\nPresentation skills come naturally to some. For others, it takes practice to be able to deliver the most effective message smoothly and confidently. Practicing limits the chance that you’ll blow it on the big day. Practice explaining your business in a brief, straightforward way and start getting comfortable asking for what you want—whether it’s an investment or a sale. You can practice pitching to a friend or family member, or record yourself in order to give yourself feedback.
\nWhen you’re in the middle of your pitch, you may observe a change in your audience’s body language signaling your presentation is going well—or that you may be losing their attention. If you notice nonverbal cues such as shifting in their seats or glancing around the room, it may be time to bring your pitch to a close with an inspiring CTA. Otherwise,you risk boring and alienating your audience.
\nActively listen to your audience during the pitch process to give thoughtful, value-added (instead of canned) responses to their questions. Doing so can show that you have prepared and that you respect the unique differences of the group to which you are speaking.
\nPrepare for the pitch by memorizing facts and figures about your company, including its cost of goods sold, gross profit margin, price point, market research, and competitors. If possible, fine-tune your pitch by practicing on another person. Alternatively, practice in the mirror or record yourself.
\nYes, you should practice your pitch in advance. You could even consider a dress rehearsal the day before a big pitch to test the technology, ensure your clothing suits the type of pitch meeting, and confirm you have all your pitch information and materials.
\nFollow-up is crucial after pitching your business ideas, especially if potential investors have an interest in your business and want to move forward. Typically, email or contact potential investors within one to two days after your presentation to maintain momentum. Thank them for their time, and address any outstanding questions.
\nEvery business pitch should end with a call-to-action, or CTA, that states what action you want your target audience to take. Make the CTA inspiring and concrete so your audience knows exactly what you’re asking of them. Common CTA variations include: “Join our team,” “Buy now,” or “Learn more.”
\nYes, visuals like a slide deck, video, or PowerPoint slides can summarize helpful details about your business during a business pitch. You can provide figures on your company’s history, operations, financials, and growth in ways that are easy to digest. Be cautious, however, about sharing visuals that are too busy. Instead, focus on making all information clean, straightforward, and to the point.
\nhttps://www.shopify.com/blog/tips-for-pitches
\nWhile wellness has achieved buzz-level status, fueled by an estimated $1.5 trillion global market, it’s by no means a new concept. Upon its formation in 1948, the World Health Organization defined “health” to include mental and social wellness—not merely the physical.
\nThe wellness trend has brought more light to this facet of overall health. And that’s a good thing.
\nGlobal rates of anxiety and depression surged during the pandemic. For entrepreneurs, a group that already reports higher instances of certain mental health issues, the past few years have taken a toll on wellbeing.
\nHere, we’ll dive into mental health and wellness resources specifically picked for entrepreneurs. Use this list to explore community health services, podcast recommendations, and self-directed wellness strategies.
\nWellness conjures up images of yogi Instagram influencers and tiny $80 bottles of skin oil, but this is merely the commodification of a more basic concept. Put simply, wellness is the state of being well, and includes the act of maintaining healthy habits that care for all facets of well-being, from physical to mental.
\nAccording to the National Institute of Health, wellness is commonly split into eight components, or “dimensions of wellness”:
\n![\"A](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/wellness-resources-fotness-nutrition.jpg?v=1683731071\")
Busy entrepreneurs often face stress, wearing many hats as they launch and grow businesses, often on their own. Stress is the enemy to wellness, as it often impacts not only mental health but physical as well. Business owners surveyed in one study reported that work-life balance and “more resources” were the top two things they needed to combat stress.
Tap into these resources before stress triggers more serious problems like anxiety or depression. This list contains both free and paid resources to help cope with the pressures of life and running a business.
\n![\"Three](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/wellness-resources-community-support-friends-families.jpg?v=1683732408\")
A strong tie to community is often cited as one of the best resources to prevent and manage mental health symptoms. These are incredibly important for entrepreneurs who may lack the built-in networks that often come with typical workplaces. Seek communities that contribute to multiple levels of wellness and offer support through group activities. For example:
![\"A](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/wellness-resources-online.jpg?v=1683732453\")
There are plenty of resources online to help you learn ways to prioritize your well-being and mental health. Explore a number of Shopify articles to inspire and educate you on everything from sleeping well to managing burnout. Here are a few to get you started:
![\"A](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/wellness-resources-alltrails_3e40fffe-89f7-47d6-a416-d2705caa75a5.jpg?v=1683732477\")
Sticking to your wellness goals can be challenging if you don’t have a lot of time or a community to keep you accountable. There are several apps—some free—that can help you develop wellness practices and transform them into healthy habits. Here are a few top-rated wellness apps to get you started:
\n![\"Portrait](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/wellness-resources-podcast-host.jpg?v=1683732514\")
Podcasts and audiobooks can teach you to manage your well-being, get in touch with your mental health, or incorporate wellness practices into your life. For busy entrepreneurs, auditory learning can pair with mundane tasks like driving or housework to maximize your time. Here are some of the top wellness and mental health podcasts:
\n![\"A](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/wellness-resources-bestself-co_fa178458-5f82-4aa4-8bf0-f035e06cbe8a.jpg?v=1683733060\")
Enterprising founders have jumped on the trend of wellness to offer miracle cures for any ailment. Do your research to ensure that what you’re using and buying has reputable data backing it or extensive user reviews to validate the claims. Of the wellness products on the market, here are a few tried and true goods (all powered by Shopify) to try:
\n![\"Two](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/wellness-resources-counseling-services.jpg?v=1683732447\")
The financial cost of seeking professional mental health and wellness services can be a barrier for many. If you don’t have the benefit of accessing an employee assistance program—as many entrepreneurs will not—the onus is on you to foot the bill for your health care. In many regions, however, there are public programs or social assistance opportunities for those who qualify.
Search for resources in your area similar to these examples:
\nStart your wellness journey by taking time to connect with your emotions and having awareness of the world around you. How can you create space for wellness? Where do you need support?
\nYour ability to show up for your business, your customers, and your employees relies on your well-being. Carve out time to pay attention to the needs of your body and mind so you’ll have more energy, focus, and support to strive toward your goals.
\nhttps://www.shopify.com/blog/wellness-resources
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