It’s been quite a trip. Back in February 2011, we moved from a home-based business to a brand new (to us at least) 1400 square feet studio at the West Bottoms. Thinking back, it’s been quite a trip. Aside from all the stories and very interesting people we’ve met, our whole life has changed and is way richer than before.
I wanted to recap all the things that have changed, starting from the sets. Back then, we had about 4 different sets that we provided to our clients. Now, at the very least, we have 16 readily available sets, which we can use in a blink. We’re also working on new and fun sets, announcing them as we get them ready, to be tested by our brave boudoirettes (Yes, I made that word up). We have added classy seamless paper, black and white, custom made textured ones, played with water (and got in a lot of trouble with that!) and have also got rid of the least popular ones, such as the giant sand box (which is a bummer to my wife!).
We added two custom- made computers to our work flow, totaling three and improving the editing process, both in time and quality. We also added custom made furniture by local artist Ian Peters.
We have added in house printing with our spanking new Epson Dye based ink printer R2000, which allows us to improve the presentation of our CD’s with customized images printed directly on them and ad-hoc paper prints, all with calibrated equipment and a controlled source of fine art papers.
We expanded our network of friends, joined business networks, worked with four different make up and hair artists and learned how challenging it can be to try to merge two businesses together, which at the moment, we’re still working on.
We tried having two different apprentices, who helped us greatly and went on their own way, pursuing their dreams.
We have improved our client experience, in many different aspects, from the temperature during the session, which was a challenge when we started, due to the old building we’re located in, to the improved changing area, which is now more comfortable, has more room for outfits, better light and a cozier feeling. We also now offer refreshments to all customers during the session, making the experience more fun and relaxed.
We drastically improved the number of sample books available on site, having books for boudoir, pin ups, couples images, very edgy images, as well as more traditional books for weddings, portraits and children photography. Now you can get a full feeling of the many options, sizes and styles you can get when ordering a book.
We improved our workflow, now adding more and better editing to all our images.
Including new gadgets, interfaces, and even adopting technologies from other fields, to be able to keep up with the huge volume of work we have.
We learned how hard is to build a name for your brand, how it’s a real challenge to work with the big companies to improve your business. We have been trying to work with Google for months about their maps been inaccurate. We’ve been repeatedly ignored by Yelp about their rankings for our business, which we believe are biased since they hide all positive feedback provided by clients.
We ran specials with many companies, bringing our innovative product to many clients who otherwise would’ve never had a chance to fulfill a long time wish.
Groupon, Living Social, Deal Saver, Google Deals. We did them all.
We heard our clients suggestions, now having easier to see proofing galleries, adding extra steps to our post-process to make the viewing easier for you!
We have learned so much about expectations and how important is to be clear about all processes and time frames. We have served over 371 clients and have about 150 more already booked, having a long waiting list that keeps us busy and very energized.
We have improved our pre-session communication process, having very detailed information sent to clients so they can prepare and squeeze the last drop of enjoyment out of their sessions.
When we look back, we see lots of changes, improvements and great times. When we look forward, we see a thriving future, with lots of opportunities and great friendships to be made.
We see new and exciting concepts, maybe some new partnerships, new lines of business and different models to make our product even more accessible, all while supporting our growth.
We are excited to be able to make a change in people’s lives, by showing them how beautiful they are, and the things they’re capable of doing. Empowering, inspirational, thrilling, life-changing are words we repeatedly hear from our very satisfied customers, many of whom return over and over for second and third sessions, or just stop by for a cup of coffee and a nice chat.
And this is just the beginning.
We definitely look forward to it.
Thank you.
Adrian and Michelle
