![\"screenshot](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/image6_94bfc0e2-d5c9-48c3-839a-b269f38c62dd.png?format=webp&v=1683464463\")
A healthy work-life balance is important, whether you run your business full time or work 9-to-5 and run your business on the side. With it, you will be able to keep motivated and keep burnout at bay.
\nThe beauty of being an entrepreneur is being able to design your own schedule. You can work when you’re most productive, go to the gym in the middle of the day, and choose your work hours.
\nFinding harmony between work and play is critical to your success, both in business and in your personal life. That’s why creating a better work-life balance can reduce stress and improve your mental health.
\nTable of Contents
\nWork-life balance is the amount of time you spend working on your business or at your job versus the amount of time you spend not working, such as enjoying time with your family, taking part in your hobbies, resting, traveling, and generally being away from your desk.
\nThe more time you spend working on your business, the less time you have to do other life activities, which can lead to resentment and, ultimately, burnout.
\nFifty-one percent of small-business owners say balancing their professional and personal lives has been essential to their success. Taking time off, doing things they love, and stepping away from the wormhole of business activities can bring a fresh perspective and added health benefits. And entrepreneurs are increasingly aware of just how critical it is to maintain a healthy balance between work and life: One study shows that almost 60% of small-business owners take regular vacations.
\nProductivity levels shoot up too. People with a healthy work-life balance are 21% more productive than people with a poor work-life balance because they’re able to come back to their job with an open and well-rested mind.
\nThese detrimental effects aren’t just limited to your personal health and productivity—the stress and the symptoms that accompany a poor work-life balance can also affect your personal relationships with your spouse, family, kids, and colleagues.
\nIf you’re not at your best, your business can’t be operating at its optimum, and if you work a 9-to-5 job while you’re building your online business, your performance there can take a hit as well. There’s a lot at stake.
\nCreating a healthier work-life balance really comes down to recognizing how much is too much, establishing boundaries for work, and setting aside quality time for non-business activities. Here are seven tactics you can use straight away.
\nOne of the best ways to get more done in the time you have (so you can have more time for life) is to be organized and prepare each week with a list of tasks and activities that need to be done. Take some time at the start of your work week to plan out the next five days. Just 15 to 30 minutes of planning can help provide significant gains in productivity.
\n“I plan the week ahead on Sunday nights. I add as little as possible to my to-do list,” says ecommerce professional Marie Stuart Noel. “As an entrepreneur, my time feels scarce all the time. So I think in terms of what must I be present for and what I do not have to be physically present for.”
\nSome of the tasks Marie needs to be present for include personal appointments, networking events, and weekly meetings. She doesn’t have to be present for food shopping, running errands, and doing household chores that can be outsourced to someone else. This is a good time to prioritize your most important tasks and schedule time away from your desk, including exercise classes, social events, and hobbies.
\nIf a task feels huge and overwhelming, break it into smaller chunks. This technique has been dubbed “microproductivity” by the task management tool Trello, and is a great way to add flexibility to your schedule. Start by identifying the biggest tasks on your plate and turn them into a series of smaller tasks—for example, if you’re creating a new website for your ecommerce store, you might turn that into several smaller tasks including:
\nThis is obviously a very basic plan, but you can see how the mammoth task of “creating an entire website” suddenly becomes four smaller activities that don’t seem quite as overwhelming. This also means you can spread each smaller activity throughout your schedule so you don’t end up working for hours back-to-back trying to build an entire ecommerce website in one sitting.
\nIt can sometimes feel like technology is against us, and it can deplete our productivity levels if we’re constantly tuning in to every ping and new message. However, there are some fabulous tools out there that can help you plan and focus better, as well as help you actively balance your work and home life.
\nHere are some tools you might find useful:
\n\n“From the moment I wake up, I’m already mapping out what needs to get done in order of importance and urgency. That way, when something unexpected pops up during the day, it doesn’t end up derailing my entire plan.” —Entrepreneur Aaron Jerez
It’s tempting to reply to every new email and social media notification as soon as it comes in.
\nBut setting boundaries around the hours you work can be critical to your sanity and success. Consider setting boundaries for each work day and, if possible, select one day of the week that you do absolutely no work.
\nWithin those workday boundaries, you can assign dedicated times for checking your email or set aside half an hour at the end of the day to go through your social media notifications. It helps if your team and anyone who needs to get hold of you knows your dedicated working hours and understands when they’re likely to get a reply from you. An easy way to do this is to include your response times in your email signature.
\nEntrepreneur Aaron Jerez suggests prioritizing tasks too: “From the moment I wake up, I’m already mapping out what needs to get done in order of importance and urgency. That way, when something unexpected pops up during the day, it doesn’t end up derailing my entire plan,” he says. “I also have a set time each day when I shut off all distractions, like social media and emails, so that I can focus on one task uninterrupted.”
\n\n“I find vacations the best time to make big business decisions—the ones that can steer a business journey in new and game-changing directions.” —Entrepreneur Wendy Maynard
Taking time away from your business and work gives you a fresh perspective when you return—you never know, you might come up with an obvious solution to that problem that’s been worrying you for weeks.
\nSuccessful entrepreneurs bake time off into their hectic schedules as a matter of importance. In fact, one report says the magic number is four weeks of vacation time a year—at least.
\nFor many, taking time off gets the creative juices flowing and leads to some important decisions. “I find vacations the best time to make big business decisions—the ones that can steer a business journey in new and game-changing directions,” says entrepreneur Wendy Maynard.
\nBut we’re not just talking about taking vacations here. Time off can also mean leaving your phone at home while you walk the dog or putting your laptop in a drawer while you spend the holidays with your family.
\nFor Tory Jon, the founder of CamperFAQs, the choice to spend downtime more intentionally was a game-changer. “I spent my off-time more deliberately, focusing on time outdoors with family and off of screens. Once that felt solid, I started to find more opportunities to give space to outdoor pursuits,” Tory says.
\n“The idea of being deliberate with your free time is a game-changer, making your free time more meaningful and engaging instead of passive and numbing. For me, this was the outdoors, but for other entrepreneurs, this could be the arts, sports, cooking—anything that energizes you and brings you joy.”
\nWork-life balance isn’t just about finding the time to hang out with friends and family around your working patterns. It’s also about staying healthy and looking after your body with regular exercise. This might be a simple walk around the block before you start work, or you might schedule an hour at the gym at lunchtime every day.
\nYou can also bring mindfulness into your daily practice, which can work in two ways:
\nThe Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, can be applied to help you find work-life balance. Look at all business activities and focus on the ones that give you the most significant results while removing ones that have little impact.
\nFor example, is your business on multiple social networks and do you spend a significant amount of time on social media? Scale back. Choose just one or two channels that are sending you the most customers and ignore the rest.
\nIt always feels like there’s more to do and not enough time to do it. That’s entrepreneurship. Most entrepreneurs will at some point work too much, too long, and too hard, burning themselves out. While the hustle is important, especially in the early stages of a new business, what’s important is to recognize when productivity, health, and relationships with those around you suffer.
\nWhen you can balance your work and life in an enjoyable way, you can dramatically increase your productivity levels and work on your business while being the best version of yourself. For many entrepreneurs, this balance is the key to success.
\nUse some of the simple methods outlined in this post to stay productive, happy, and healthy so you can keep building your business and not burn out.
\nPoor work-life balance is the result of spending too much time and energy at work so you don’t have enough left to enjoy your hobbies, time with your family, and other personal activities. There are many reasons the balance can shift, including bad time management, not taking time off, and failing to look after your health with regular exercise.
\nThere is no gold star standard of how many hours you should work a week, but past scientific research shows our productivity levels start to drop after six hours a day. To keep a good work-life balance, make sure you’re spending just as much time on hobbies and personal commitments as you are at work.
\n1. Organize your working week.
\n2. Break big tasks down into smaller chunks.
\n3. Embrace technology and automation.
\n4. Designate working hours and set boundaries.
\n5. Take time off.
\n6. Exercise and practice mindfulness.
\n7. Think output, not input.
https://www.shopify.com/blog/33618244-10-secrets-to-achieving-the-elusive-work-life-balance
\nWhen it comes to making videos to promote your business, engage your audience, and showcase your products, professional quality usually demands professional prices.
\nBut sometimes you don’t need Hollywood production value for your videos. Sometimes you just need good videos you can turn around fast and for free (or at least affordably).
\nIf you haven’t thought about incorporating video into your marketing strategy, you should. Video is an incredibly versatile format—after all:
\nAs many as 81% of marketers say their video efforts have helped them directly increase sales. Video has a real ROI—you just have to get out there and create it.
\nThe best part? Just because you don’t have a budget doesn’t mean you can’t reap the benefits of video content.
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You don’t have to leave your professional videos up to a video production team. In fact, with our easy-to-follow seven-step guide, you can create, record, and edit nearly any kind of video for your marketing strategy.
\nEvery video is going to start with an idea. But how do you get the right idea? First, don’t stress too much—you can create multiple videos if you have a number of great ideas. Right now, you just need to start with one.
\nTo get that first idea, focus on one specific topic. Each video should go in depth into a single topic, whether it’s an educational video, explainer video, product video, etc.
\nThen, pinpoint what the goal of your video is:
\nStill stuck? You can also poke around online to spark ideas for your own videos:
\n
When brainstorming ideas, it’s helpful to think about all the different kinds of videos you can make:
\nYou have an idea. We’re still in the very beginning stages of creating your video. Next, it’s time to research and plan how you want your video to go.
\nThere are three main steps to this:
\nWhat are you going to say in your video? Whether you record a voiceover or have your talent actually in the video, you need a script.
\nIf you’re planning on repurposing a blog post or podcast episode into this video, that’s pretty easy—just rewrite the blog post to focus on the main points in a more conversational manner. That’s exactly what Path, a photo editing service, does for its Photoshop tutorial videos. The brand actually has a bunch of Photoshop-related content, some of which have been repurposed into videos.
\n![\"Screenshot](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/path_9b5166ea-088d-4f20-a1d5-77632a71fa00.png?format=webp&v=1683542688\")
But if you’re starting from scratch, there will be a bit more work involved, as you’ll need to outline, research, and flesh out your topic before putting it in script format.
\nKeep the following tips and structure in mind when writing your script:
\nA storyboard is a page or presentation of a video’s planned scenes so your team knows exactly what to shoot when production starts.
\nUsing a template like the one below, teams can either draw out how they’re picturing the scene, or find online stock images that help depict each part of the story.
\n![\"storyboard\"](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/storyboard.png?format=webp&v=1661969562\")
Build out every scene and any dialogue that needs to go with it so you’re completely prepared to start sourcing your video footage.
\nThe final step in the research and planning phase is finding your location and making a schedule for the shoot.
\nThe location will depend heavily on the concept of your video. For example, if you’re shooting a video about skateboarding products, you likely need a street setting. A quiet office with a green screen backdrop or another basic background will be ideal if you’re creating an informational video.
\n💡 Action item: If you need to book your planned recording space, do so well ahead of time so your team can properly prepare.
\nIt’s also a good idea to build a detailed schedule for how you envision the day (or days) to go. Include the time slot, who’s involved, which scene you’re shooting, which props are needed, and where the shoot will physically happen. Distribute the schedule ahead of time so everyone knows when and where they’ll be needed.
\nThere are two ways to make a video: record your own or repurpose existing photos and videos.
\nRecording your own video is often intimidating to new business owners or video marketers, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, when you’re just starting out, you can create great video content with your smartphone’s video camera. This type of video is ideal for your Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels, and other smartphone-based social media apps.
\nWhen you’re ready to step it up, you can rent or buy your own video equipment. Some of the basics you’ll need include:
\nAt the very least, even if you use your iPhone, gathering some lights and a lapel microphone is a good way to create a high-quality video on a budget.
\nOnce you gather your equipment, it’s time to prepare for recording. Get your camera set up with its tripod.
\nThen get your talent or your video scene ready and start recording. If you have someone reading off their script, consider blowing it up to place on a monitor as a teleprompter so they get their lines right.
\nDo some test runs to make sure the visual and audio are clear. Make sure the lighting makes your video look high quality and not like it was shot in a basement.
\nYou can repurpose existing photography, get what you need from stock footage sites, and even shoot your own footage with your phone, if you really need to.
\nThat’s exactly what sustainable swimwear brand Benoa Swim did in this TikTok video celebrating International Women’s Day:
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There are many places to look for great free stock footage, fitting music, and cool sound effects.
\nDepending on how the content is licensed, however, you might need to credit the creator of the footage you borrow or pay to use it for commercial purposes.
\nFor details on how and when to do this, check out the Creative Commons best practices for attribution, and be sure to take a closer look at the conditions for use on each of the following sites.
\nWhile you do have to pay, Audio Jungle and Video Hive are popular places to find sounds, music, video effects, and stock footage to use and sample. They also offer free music, video templates, and more every month, if you subscribe.
\n💡 Action item: Record test footage before recording the real thing to ensure your equipment works and the result will be high-quality and professional.
\nOnce you’ve finished recording or gathering your stock video or animations, it’s time to import your video clips into your preferred video editing tool. Although the placement will vary depending on which editor you use, each one should have a relatively universal Import video button.
\nPlug your memory card into your computer or use a USB connection to access the files from your PC or Mac. Then you should easily be able to select them from either your smartphone or your camcorder and drag them into your video editing software.
\nNow it’s time for the most important part of video production—editing your video. This is where you take your recorded footage, stock videos, and any other elements you want to include and mash them up to create a professional video that tells a story.
\nKeep these video-editing tips in mind to make sure you’re able to create a stunning video your target audience will love.
\nFirst, go back and watch/listen to all of your existing footage. Throw out or trim any video clips that you won’t need. Also be sure to cut out quiet parts, areas that you may have repeated yourself, or as many “ums,” “likes,” and “ers” as you can.
\nDon’t just let your recorded audio do all the work in your video. Incorporate sound effects and background music to provide even more depth to your video content.
\nFor example, if you’re listing out information, you might have a sound effect with the text popping up on your screen to help your audience follow along.
\nAnd you almost always want some kind of light ambient music playing in the background so there are no completely silent parts of your video. Find an audio clip that matches the mood in your video. For example, if you have a more lighthearted video topic, stay far away from somber music.
\nIntro and outro clips make your video feel complete. With an intro, you could include your logo, the name of the video, or even the name of the series if you’re planning to have it be part of an overall series.
\nAn outro gives you the perfect place to promote even more videos or provide your viewer with a call to action, like heading to your website, reading a blog post, or following you on social media.
\nIncorporating transitions in between different scenes creates a better flow throughout your video. However, just because your video editing tool might offer several different transitions does not mean you want to use all of them.
\nInstead, choose one transition you want to reuse throughout your videos to create a cohesive and recognizable look each time a viewer returns to a new video of yours.
\nDo the same with special effects. Don’t go overboard using every special effect in the book, and instead just choose one or two that you think fit with your message and your brand.
\nAnd speaking of your brand, you want to make sure your video content helps your brand to be more recognizable. A few things to match to your branding every time are:
\nThis helps keep all of your marketing content consistent, even your videos.
\nNot everyone is watching videos with the sound on. But also, not everyone can hear your video content, but they still want to consume it.
\nOffer the best of both worlds and put subtitles on all of your videos. Luckily, most video platforms offer an option to automatically put captions over your video—all you have to do is double check to make sure they’re accurate.
\nWhile you can record video natively in most video hosting platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, there are plenty of good video editing apps for producing quick, polished videos for different occasions and in a short span of time.
\nMany of the following tools are free, and some come with their own library of stock imagery and other assets for you to use:
\n![\"screenshot](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/premiere_pro.png?format=webp&v=1683543697\")
Adobe Premiere Pro is what the pros often use. It’s a part of Adobe Creative Cloud and is a robust tool that helps you put together professional videos that look like an expensive production team created them.
\nThis tool allows video editors to access royalty-free sounds and background music from Adobe Stock, add captions, input graphics and visual effects, and so much more. Plus, you can download your video in nearly any aspect ratio to create video content for multiple social media platforms.
\nAdobe Premiere Pro is $20.99 per month for individuals or $35.99 per month for teams. You can also subscribe to Adobe’s full suite of tools for $54.99 per month.
\n![\"screenshot](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/after_effects.png?format=webp&v=1683543768\")
Adobe After Effects is tailored for videos with motion graphics. Features include the ability to adjust transparency, multi-frame rendering, and tons of effects and presets to choose from.
\nIf you’re making videos that incorporate some sort of animation, After Effects is the perfect platform to use. Equally robust to Premiere Pro, it has features tailor-made for your animation needs.
\nAfter Effects is $20.99 per month for individuals or $35.99 per month for businesses. You can also subscribe to the full Creative Cloud suite for $54.99 per month.
\n![\"screenshot](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/filmora.png?format=webp&v=1683543868\")
Filmora is another full-featured video editing platform to make your videos pro-quality. Adjust colors, audio, and effects. It also has AI features to help reduce noise distractions, automatically reframe, and even cut out elements from the frame.
\nFilmora is free to download, but you’ll need to pay to access its features. It costs $7.99 per month for individual users and $155.88 per year for businesses.
\n![\"screenshot](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/movavi.png?format=webp&v=1683543946\")
Movavi is more than just a video editor. Its full suite of tools, including features to help you convert video files, take screen recordings, and create slideshows. With Movavi, you can cut, trim, or crop videos, as well as add filters, titles, intros, and transitions.
\nYou can also access a massive library of stock audio and video footage to add dimension to your own content.
\n![\"vimeo](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/vimeo-create_962f6ef7-10e2-4d87-a244-108e7285efd5.png?format=webp&v=1661969675\")
Vimeo Create is a free video creator you can connect directly to your Shopify store. It uses AI to automatically turn existing product images and text into product videos and ads for your business.
\nJust answer a few questions about your product, choose images or videos to feature, add your logo, and customize styles. Vimeo Create then edits your video in minutes, even making suggestions for colors, themes, music, and fonts.
\n![\"quikbygopro\"](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/quik-by-gopro.png?format=webp&v=1661969728\")
GoPro is famous as a camera company for helping people capture awe-inspiring moments as they happen. Quik is its video editing app that lets you easily import and rearrange images and footage, adding text and music as you like.
\nWhile it’s meant for weaving together memories from your last vacation, it’s also a great way to create simple product videos, especially if all you have is product photos. You can create an engaging slideshow or a short video in no time at all.
\n![\"lumen5\"](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/lumen5.png?format=webp&v=1661969829\")
Lumen5 is great for making videos on social media that are simple slides of images or short clips that explain an idea or tell a story. Simply import an existing article, pick the parts of the text you want to include, edit it down so it flows nicely, choose your music, and you’ve got yourself a video. You can even start from scratch.
\nYou can brand these videos and add a call to action at the end to direct viewers to take whatever next step you’d like them to. Best of all, the app is free.
\n![\"DaVinci](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/davinci.jpg?v=1639528198\")
While you can always use iMovie or Windows Movie Maker for editing, DaVinci Resolve by Black Magic is a free video editing software with professional features that let you do color corrections, remove objects, stitch together footage, and more.
\nIt will take some time to learn if you’re new to video editing, but it’s one of the best free solutions out there for editing professional-looking videos.
\n![\"powerdirector](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/Thumbnail_20190909022022474.jpg?v=1661970411\")
If you’d like to shoot and edit videos on your phone, PowerDirector is an app with many useful features.
\nThe advantage of a mobile video editor like this is that you can record new footage and audio straight from your phone and directly import it into your work in progress, making it easy to do things like voiceovers.
\n![\"screenshot](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/InVideo.png?format=webp&v=1683544343\")
InVideo has features and templates to help you add the finishing touches to your video footage. InVideo is all about simplicity and accessibility. Its drag-and-drop editor is easy to use, and you can search and filter templates based on niche, platform, and more.
\nYou can also cut out objects from the background with its AI tool, as well as use AI to convert other content types, such as blog posts or podcasts, into videos. You can try InVideo’s free version or upgrade to Business for $15 per month or Unlimited for $30 per month.
\n![\"screenshot](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/StreamYard.png?format=webp&v=1683544413\")
Ideal for talking head videos, StreamYard was made for livestreamers. It allows you to live stream video across a variety of channels, including Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, and your own website. It’s great for interviews or videos featuring just one or two people.
\nStreamYard has a free version, or you can upgrade to the Basic plan for additional features for $20 per month, or to the Professional plan for $39 per month.
\n![\"screenshot](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/switcher_studio.png?format=webp&v=1683544469\")
If you’re interested in livestreaming and recording with the intent to monetize the video content, Switcher Studio could be the option for you. As an alternative to StreamYard, it includes features to allow for livestreams and pre-recorded videos.
\nSwitcher Studio is $37 per month for individuals, $79 per month for businesses, and $149 per month for merchants who want to connect it to their Shopify store.
\nThe next step is to export your video to share on social media or YouTube. The best file format to use when uploading to your social media platforms is MP4. Give yourself plenty of time to export your video because it can take a while depending on the length and the weight of the video edits.
\nOnce you’ve finished creating and editing your video, it’s time to share it with your audience. You can publish your video on a video-sharing site like YouTube or Vimeo and then embed it onto your website.
\nYou can also publish it on social media, like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter. Just keep your platform’s optimal video dimensions in mind as you create. For example, Instagram Reels and TikTok require vertical videos, Instagram feeds want square, and Facebook and Twitter prefer horizontal videos in their feeds.
\nMeasure your video’s success to see if creating your own video content resonates well with your audience. If so, repeat this process each time you plan to publish a new video online.
\nThe assets and tools above make videos easier to create, but there’s a lot more to know about using these videos effectively in your marketing.
\nFor one, videos that provoke an emotional reaction tend to perform better and have more viral potential, especially on Facebook. Since social videos are often watched with the sound off, captions also greatly increase viewership.
\nThumbnails also matter a lot, as they are essentially the “headline” of your video that entices people to watch. Use Canva to easily create eye-catching thumbnails for your videos if you’re going to upload your videos to YouTube or another platform that pits you against other videos.
\nFinally, since it’s not just how you create the videos but how you upload them too, you should be wary of the specifications for each channel.
\nIf you’re going to embed your videos on your blog or website, make sure they’re responsive on mobile. If you’re struggling to make that work, you can use the Embed Responsively tool to fix the embed code for you.
\nIt’s important to ensure you’re shooting in the right file format. Shoot in portrait for portrait videos, and re-orient to landscape if shooting something for YouTube, for example.
\nBefore creating your videos, research and watch other videos with similar content. Check out the comments section to see what people are saying. Make note of things they like and don’t like, as well as any trends in multiple comments. Be sure to take the feedback into account when executing your creative video ideas.
\nIt’s important to ensure you’re abiding by all local laws when shooting video, either on public or private property. Generally speaking, you’ll want to have release forms for all the people featured in the video, as well as permission from all property owners. You might also need permits or permission for certain video equipment. Always check with the local jurisdiction for the specifics of your shoot.
\nWhether you’re making videos or another type of content, quality is inevitably how you compete. But it doesn’t necessarily have to cost you a lot.
\nEntrepreneurs and creators can always make up for what they lack in resources with resourcefulness.
\nSo if you have a hunch that videos can take your marketing to the next level, don’t let the perceived costs and amount of effort stop you. You can get started for free using these resources and work your way up from there.
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Beginners can easily record video footage on their smartphones, and can even access some basic editing tools as well. Some of these tools include trimming, cropping, or adding filters onto your videos. However, you can also use several phone apps to edit your video, or you can utilize the editing tools inside social media apps like Instagram and TikTok to create a fun video for your audience.
\nhttps://www.shopify.com/blog/how-to-make-videos
\nBranding photography allows you to create a distinct visual style for your brand, showcasing your products against interesting backdrops and introducing potential customers to the team behind the brand. With the help of a creative photographer, you can use brand photography to give your brand a strong visual identity that communicates its values.
\nTable of Contents
\nBrand photography is a collection of professional images that aim to visually tell your brand story. It can include professional headshots of employees, lifestyle images, and product shots. Brand photography can use color, props, models, backdrops, and sets to visually represent your brand. Businesses use brand photography to add depth and personality to websites, emails, and social media.
\nSuccessful business owners use visual tools to help their brand stand out. Here are a few ways on-brand images can help grow your business. They may:
\n![\"Walmart](\"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/Walmart_d34a4eb5-c318-44f3-9a5a-b05fc58350f0.png?format=webp&v=1673445908\")
You can use beautiful brand photos on these channels and more:
\nFollow these steps to have a successful branding photography session:
\nA brand story is a clear narrative that communicates your company’s mission and identity. Begin crafting your story with a branding session—dedicated time with your team to think about what feelings your brand should evoke. Discuss what makes your product unique and why your company was founded. Consider your ideal clients and think about how your product fits into their lives. You can use the same process for personal branding photography—professional images of yourself. A personal branding session will help determine what values you want to communicate and how to position yourself as an industry leader or influencer. Crafting the brand story for both your business and for yourself will help you figure out your visual identity, which is necessary for branding photography.
\nOnce you’ve determined the key elements of your brand story, it’s time to get visual. Start by gathering existing brand assets, like logos and graphics, then choose a theme and color palette for your brand photoshoot. From there, build out a mood board by searching the web for images you feel align with your selected theme. Adhering to your curated mood board when taking branding photographs will help develop a consistent aesthetic.
\nA shot list is a general description of the images you want to capture during the photoshoot. The list can include product or personnel images, as well as any notes about style preferences (like shot framing or depth of field). For example, your shot list could request five employee headshots framed from the shoulders up, four images showing your product in a home, and three images showing your product in an office. Sharing this list with your brand photographer in advance of the shoot will help them plan for the day and will ensure that you get the imagery you need.
\nReview portfolios and references for freelance photographers whose prior work aligns with the aesthetic you have in mind. Some photographers may offer a branding photography package, which includes standard types of images that are typical of brand photography. You may consider setting up a call to make sure the photographer understands your vision and brand story before you decide to work together.
\n\nBrand photography and product photography are both types of business photography, but they aren’t interchangeable. Product photography includes images of a consumer product—often for use on ecommerce pages. Brand photography, on the other hand, aims to communicate the values and story of your company—branding photos may include your product, but they don’t have to.
\nEffective brand photos are clear, well lit, and compellingly composed. They match the overall aesthetic of your brand, reflect your brand values, and leave an impression on the viewer.
\nDuring a brand photography session, you’ll work with a professional photographer to style and shoot a series of images. Depending on the scope of the services you requested, the session could include choosing and arranging props, styling sets, and hair and makeup for staff or models. The photographer may display the images on a monitor while they’re shooting, giving you an opportunity to review the photos and make any adjustments in real time.
\nThe cost of brand photography services varies depending on the number and type of photos you request and your location. A small business might spend less than $2,000 on team headshots, while large companies may spend upward of $25,000 on a shoot with multiple sets, models, and professional lighting.
\nBrand photography is a powerful tool that can contribute to increased sales because it can make your website more appealing, increase engagement on social media, and help build brand awareness.
\nhttps://www.shopify.com/blog/branding-photography
\nIf you are in the trenches of entrepreneurship, unvarnished stories about the entrepreneurial journey—including successes, failures, and overcoming adversity—can be sources of motivation. Thankfully, there are many entrepreneur-centered motivational podcasts, ranging from one-on-one interviews to roundtable conversations among business owners and experts to solo hosts who are industry experts sharing insider tips.
\nWhile one podcast might motivate you to work on self-improvement, another could help you keep your entire team motivated. Podcasts cover a variety of topics that could inspire you to explore a better life, professional development, and even a clearer roadmap to financial success. Read on to discover what you can learn from tuning in to these motivational podcasts.
\nJust as there are numerous types of entrepreneurs, motivational podcasts vary and come in different styles and formats. Whether you’re seeking motivation to spark creativity and business ideas, practical advice for how to address a specific challenge, or insight into self-improvement, mental health, and healthy living, adding these 11 additional motivational podcasts to your to-do list is a start.
\nHosts: Shuang Esther Shan and Adam Levinter
\n\nTheme: Entrepreneurship
\n\nShopify Masters is a podcast that every entrepreneur can appreciate—not just those who use the Shopify platform. Hosts Shuang Esther Shan and Adam Levinter interview business owners who tell inspiring stories about their entrepreneurial journeys.
\nListeners might gain new perspectives on their own businesses by listening to entrepreneurs discuss how they learned to embrace risk or why they launched a startup with social impact. Listeners also learn about the more granular aspects of small businesses, such as the importance of brand identity and how to use a subscription business model effectively.
\nMany women entrepreneurs have been featured on Shopify Masters, including Jing Gao, the founder of Sichuan food company Fly By Jing, and Nancy Twine, founder of the clean hair care brand Briogeo.
\nHost: Guy Raz
\n\nTheme: Entrepreneurship
\n\nHow I Built This with Guy Raz is a classic entrepreneur podcast that consistently educates listeners. This podcast features interviews by host Guy Raz with top founders who talk about how they built their companies in nearly every sector, from consumer packaged goods (CPG) to technology.
\nThese candid conversations reveal the professional highs and lows that most entrepreneurs experience at the various stages of growing a business. Listening to other entrepreneurs discuss the obstacles they’ve faced and their decision-making process (now with the benefit of hindsight) can be helpful to business owners, even if you’re operating in a different sector.
\nFeatured guests include Paul English, co-founder of the travel platform Kayak, Bobbi Brown of the eponymously named Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Philip Krim, co-founder of the direct-to-consumer mattress company Casper, and Tobias Lütke, Shopify’s own co-founder and CEO.
\nHost: Debbie Millman
\n\nTheme: Creativity
\n\nIf you’re in need of an uplifting podcast, consider listening to Design Matters with Debbie Millman, which launched as a radio show in 2005. Host Debbie Millman is an award-winning designer, professor, curator, and author who interviews guests about living a life of creativity.
\nCreativity is an essential characteristic of entrepreneurs. It helps you stay competitive and relevant, make improvements in products or services, and solve problems—whether it’s how to import goods from a conflict zone or ensure that all packaging is biodegradable.
\nMillman’s guests work in a range of fields and include actors, photographers, writers, activists, restaurateurs, musicians, and designers, among others. Millman has discussed creativity with everyone from astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson to music producer Rick Rubin, known for producing early hip-hop groups like the Beastie Boys and Run-D.M.C.
\nHosts: Alison Beard and Curt Nickisch
\nTheme: Business
\nThe HBR IdeaCast is a weekly podcast that touches on timely workplace topics like mental health, attracting and retaining talent, the complexities of artificial intelligence (AI), and how to lead effectively.
\nHosts Alison Beard and Curt Nickisch, seasoned business journalists and senior editors at Harvard Business Review, interview a variety of academics, entrepreneurs, and authors, with a focus on technology—but not to the exclusion of other industries. Past guests include former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, who discussed the need for workers to adapt and learn new skills, and actor/director Ron Howard, who offered insight into career longevity and collaborative leadership.
\nWhile discussions typically center on corporate-level instead of small business issues, entrepreneurs of all types can benefit from listening to experts talk about their areas of focus and how they relate to current business and social trends.
\nHost: Jonathan Fields
\n\nTheme: MotivationGood Life Project, a popular motivational podcast, poses and discusses the big questions surrounding what makes life meaningful and fulfilling. Host Jonathan Fields talks with guests about topics like the science behind motivation, what happiness means, and the value of empathy—sometimes giving actionable advice along the way.
\nMost entrepreneurs want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, but it can be challenging while juggling the many responsibilities, daily decisions, and sometimes stressful problems of entrepreneurship. Listening to Good Life Project can help break down daunting business and personal challenges into smaller manageable tasks.
\nGuests include academics, celebrities, and spiritual leaders, as well as speakers like researcher, podcaster, and author Brené Brown, who focuses on characteristics like vulnerability and empathy. Between Fields and his guests, expect practical strategies that can help with creativity, decision-making, and finding bits of joy amid the challenges of daily life.
\nHosts: Ramon Berrios and Blaine Bolus
\n\nTheme: Direct to consumer
\n\nPerhaps the only people jazzed by listening to conversations about product sourcing, profit margins, supply chain trends, affiliate programs, and data-driven marketing strategies are direct-to-consumer, or DTC, entrepreneurs. If that’s you, DTC POD: How The Best Brands Are Built is an informative listen.
\nHosts Ramon Berrios and Blaine Bolus delve into the detailed decisions that DTC business owners make. Guests include startup founders in industries ranging from food media to technology. Expect DTC experts to share their professional experiences in consumer markets, addressing topics such ranging from wellness trends to Instagram influencer marketing.
\nAny entrepreneur who needs information about shipping, venture capital investment, product design, public relations, manufacturing, and accounting, among other essential facets of running a DTC business, can gain insight from this podcast.
\nHosts: Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft
\n\nTheme: Happiness
\n\nAuthor Gretchen Rubin co-hosts this podcast with her younger sister, television writer and producer Elizabeth Craft. Discussions between the siblings center on, yes, happiness.
\nEntrepreneurs listening to Happier with Gretchen Rubin can pick up strategies for managing anxiety, using the sense of touch for tough conversations, and finding joy in life’s little luxuries, to name a few. These practical insights are designed to take listeners toward personal growth and professional success. The hosts’ “Happiness Hacks” can help you boost focus and spark ideas, or teach you how to best network with industry professionals or declutter work spaces.
\nHost: Chris Guillebeau
\n\nTheme: Side hustle entrepreneurship
\n\nIf you’re currently employed full time but have an ecommerce side hustle—such as making and selling small-batch hot sauces or making candles—you can gain numerous useful tips from Side Hustle School with Chris Guillebeau. The daily podcast is formatted into easy-to-digest, bite-sized six- to eight- minute segments, perfect for entrepreneurs-on-the-go.
\nHost Chris Guillebeau covers side hustle case studies from listeners, giving solid advice about transitioning from a side hustle to a full-time business, raising funding, and finding new customers, among other challenges of maintaining a side business while employed. And don’t miss the Failure Friday segments, where select listeners relay their own entrepreneurial disasters—from an Airbnb flop to a fashion blogger’s failed attempt to go viral by wearing lettuce hats. Listeners of Side Hustle School can learn from others’ mistakes.
\nHosts: Amanda Aronczyk, Mary Childs, Karen Duffin, Jacob Goldstein, Sarah Gonzalez, and Kenny Malone
\n\nTheme: Global economy
\n\nEntrepreneurs benefit from a deeper understanding of the global economic landscape; learning about new tariffs, shortages, or tax regulations helps business owners stay a few steps ahead of possible disruption. Planet Money delivers economic and business news in concise half-hour segments with analysis and personal stories through interviews in the field. Listeners might learn how race plays a part in who gets audited by the IRS, the lifespan of high interest rates, and other financial-forward news.
\nHost: Kimberly Rhodes, with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
\n\nTheme: Management and worklife
\n\nWhen an entrepreneur’s scrappy startup starts to blossom, they often find themselves managing one or more teams and being responsible for running aspects of a business they barely even knew existed (think: creating a company culture policy). Questions you may have been afraid to ask—How do you build a diverse team? How do you balance a professional life and personal life while working no more than 40 hours a week?—are answered on the Rework podcast.
\nHost Kimberly Rhodes is joined by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, a software company known for building project management platform Basecamp. Rhodes encourages listeners of the podcast to call, email, or tweet any workplace-related questions they wish to ask.
\nHost: Dr. Laurie Santos
\n\nTheme: Happiness
\n\nYale professor Dr. Laurie Santos hosts The Happiness Lab podcast and delves into all aspects of happiness, which is beneficial for business owners who often slip into having a tunnel vision mindset about work. Santos’s happiness research is based in science and sociology and expressed in accessible podcast form. Guests include academics and wellness experts who talk with Dr. Santos about everything from self-improvement to the perils of diet culture to the benefits of yoga and spiritual practice. While The Happiness Lab doesn’t exactly give out “happiness tips,” it does offer practical life advice about how to operate with a more fulfilled mindset.
\nHow I Built This with Guy Raz is a classic entrepreneur podcast that consistently educates listeners. The HBR IdeaCast is a weekly podcast that touches on timely workplace topics like mental health, attracting and retaining talent, the complexities of artificial intelligence (AI), and how to lead effectively. Hosts Alison Beard and Curt Nickisch, seasoned business journalists and senior editors at Harvard Business Review, interview a variety of academics, entrepreneurs, and authors, with a focus on technology—but not to the exclusion of other industries.
\nThe best entrepreneurs think beyond business school topics and dive into broader questions of happiness and a life well lived. Among the best podcasts for all entrepreneurs are:
\nComedy, music, or riveting narratives can often be the best source of motivation for entrepreneurs. A few podcasts to try:
\nPhotography 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.
\n✂️ Shortcuts
\n![\"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\")
There 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.
\nTable of Contents
\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.
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