If you’ve ever dreamed of starting your own photography business, there are a few things you need to do.

Clearly, you will need to study photography. You need at least some skill, but not nearly as much as you might think. It is possible to earn a very comfortable living, just by being competent.

To achieve success, your knowledge of marketing in general and specifically how to find people to buy your photos is far more important. It may seem surprising, but you can learn a lot of good marketing tips at the movies.

“Hello Dolly” was one of the longest-running Broadway plays ever. It was made into a movie in 1968, starring Barbra Streisand. (This was likely before most of you were born.) It’s one of my favorite movies and a terrific source of marketing training.

In this movie, Dolly Levi, is an entrepreneur. She has tons of businesses. Whenever she runs into anyone who has any sort of need, she instantly gives them a business card promoting one of her businesses. One that specializes in that exact area.

Throughout the entire movie, this is a running gag.

Dolly Levi taught me two valuable marketing lessons.

To begin with, you have to pass out your business cards! If no one knows you exist, there is no way they can call you. Before the opening credits even finished, Dolly Levi must’ve passed out over a hundred business cards. In a days time, how many do you pass out? You need to go through at least a thousand a month, or you’re not even trying.

Second, when asked why she ran so many businesses, she replied; “If you have to live from hand to mouth, you’d best be ambidextrous.”

Obviously I’m not suggesting that you start a ton of businesses, but how many of us get caught up doing the same things, the same way, all the time. Try to branch out. Learn new ways of taking pictures. Discover new markets, learn new ways to sell to them. That’s when the money you’ve been dreaming about will start to roll in.

That’s when you will finally have enough money to ___________. You fill in the blank. There must be SOME reason why you want to start your own photography business. Then, go for it – it’s not as difficult as you might think. Check out my website for more information, and a free mini course on how you too can make some money with your camera.