How many hats do you wear?  Sure you are a “Pro Photographer”, but are you also an accountant/marketer/manager/designer/customer servicer?  Lets examine the difference between someone who wears one hat and someone who wears many hats.  They are metaphorical hats, so lets not get stuck on the size or shape of hat or whether or not it looks good on you.  We can look at how well you are wearing those hats.

Wearing Many Hats: Specialism Vs. Generalism on the Consumerism Commentary site explores and encourages generalization of skills.  The idea being that people with generalized skills are better business people because they can better handle the wide variety of tasks involved in an entrepreneurial start up.  In our photographic world we tend to think of specialization in terms of wedding versus portrait versus commercial photography.  I am speaking in broader terms.  A specialist will tend to be very good at only one thing.  If you are the world’s best photographer that won’t matter if you can’t create an invoice to get paid for the world’s best photography you have provided.

How well are you wearing all those hats?  As you hang up your new calender this year think about where your non-photographic skills are.  If they aren’t where they should be consider taking a business class or two at one of the upcoming conventions.  As much fun as the camera may be and as hideous as those spread sheets are, you won’t get to keep making money with that camera if your business falls apart.

BTW you can totally buy the hat shown above over at Zazzle. I need one!

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