Being in the business of Photography

After working for others for 30 years, being your own boss seemed to be a good feeling. I have very often heard my colleagues say that they were also preparing to go into business when they retire, and I doubt many will actually do it.

What have I been experiencing during the past year in business?

1. I am transforming into a people's person now, I am talking to people in ways that I did not do all those years. Very careful not to hurt their feelings ( at least most of the time).

2. Time is not an issue now at all, I keep on working till late at night without expecting any reward or compensations what so ever. Hi! is this called "Passion"?

3. Every cent has to be earned, and every cent has to be saved, at least during the initial stages of being in business. So I have got used to doing every bit of chores, errands, research and execution there is, to see each day through.

4. I am loving what I do now, even though the rewards are practically non existent. Just imagine, I have yet to get paid for a full years work, and yet I can't wait to leave for my studio as early as 7 o'clock in the morning.

5. The compliments that I get from my customers warms my heart and help grow my hope for better things to come. After all I realized that I will have to outlast the gestation period, which I guess will be around two years.

6. Maintaining accounts, marketing and networking are new disciplines that I am working on, my experience in the banking environment is helping me in this aspect, to a certain extent.

Actually, there are neither holidays nor medical leave for me now, and the volume of business does not warrant hiring a helper.

My urgent initiative now, is to let the town know that me, and Lux Me Images are in business, and that we do fabulous portraits and wedding photography.

I guess, being in business for the first two years will be the most toughest part that will have to be endured, and after that I can expect to get paid for the effort spent.

I realize being in business is all to do with discipline, dedication, risk taking, and perseverance. The result will take care of itself, at least I hope so.

Just like you, I too wanted to start my own business and be my own "Boss"

Just after i completed my Master of Technology (M.Tech.) in Applied Geology from the University of Roorkee (presently known as, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee), India, i wanted to start a business of groundwater exploration and well drilling . I was even offered a loan by a CEO of a bank then to start it off. Know what ! I neither had the state of mind nor the guts to take up that offer.

As with typical asian-indian families i too was brought up with the advice drummed into my head, that :-

1. You must study well and get a respectable education
2. You must aim to get a high paying job
3. You start a family early, save your money, buy properties etc. etc.

being more or less an ideal son, i fulfilled all the above wishes of my parents. this is how I did it

Education: Apart from the education as above, I continued to study and upgrade my skills even till the age of 52. I secured - Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) & Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) tags.

Job : yes i started working with a local commercial bank United Asian Bank, my first and 0nly job for 28 years. I retired and the head of IT Security in 2005.

No.3 : To sum it up, i came out of the "salary loop " in one piece. how lucky, i am.

Never once did my parents advised me to explore and dive into or consider business as a profession, although they were in the business of retailing for almost 50 years. I guess this could be one of the reasons why few indians ventured into business in malaysia, especially during the early years of independence.

Just as many of you, who are caught in the "salary loop', I too dreamed of starting my own business, being my own boss, the feeling independence, can go to work whenever we like and sleepover when we feel like it, employ a few staff, make money, go for holidays etc. etc. Such hopes i am sure you too will begin experiencing for several years prior to retirement. But, believe me, the majority will not take any steps towards achieving such hopes and aspiration. I too did not do anything till one year after retirement. Something in me just kicked me and pointed me in the direction of Photography.

Why photography you may ask, but i too, do not know why. I have no other experience in wielding cameras other than occasionally playing with point & shoot boxes. what did I do?, I began surfing websites relating to photography at least 9 hours a day at least, for six months and was amazed at what people were doing in this field world over. Their creativity, technical skills, marketing approaches, the way they satisfy customer expectations were varied and innovative. I realized that our local communities too should have an option to such quality photography with an optimum level of art & craft infused (by art I mean the creative part, and Craft, i mean the technical part).

Having started with zero knowledge in photography, my 1.5 years of self study gave me
a broad understanding of the art and craft of photography,
led me to meet people in this profession in the local scene
the sources and suppliers of related and equipment and peripherals
knowledge of the market that I need to concentrate and target on and
the confidence to begin a business venture.

This is how I began http://www.luxmeimages.com in Klang, from zero knowledge to a rookie businessman photographer in just 2 years. If I can do it I am sure there are thousands more like you who can become businessman, with careful preparation and planning.

There were very few people I discussed my plans with, and my only guides were self confidence, an internal desire to innovate and succeed, careful down to earth planning and a little savings to assist in seeing my venture through for at least two year of its gestation period.

So in closing, let us encourage our children, to go into business as early as possible. expose them to the business environment, let them participate in your business at an early age. Remember seeing children of restaurant owners collecting money at the payment counter? yes it is that feeling of money in their hands, at that tender age, that will be imprinted in their minds, that they too can do business and do it better than their parents/mentors.

So just like many of us dream & hope, I have taken the decision and jumped in & I am in business now i.e. the business of Portrait and Wedding photography. My sight is on building, "the most sought-after Quality Family & Wedding photographers in the Klang Valley." I have learned something about the business world in the past year, which I will be sharing with you in future postings.

Look out for my next posting on how my lifestyle has changed after starting my business as a professional photographer. As I read somewhere, business is like farming.