New Year, New Goals: Business Planning for Horse Photographers

It's that time of year again.

The time when we start thinking about everything we want to accomplish in the coming year, make ambitious plans, and convince ourselves that THIS will be the year we finally get organized.

Or maybe that's just me.

Either way, the end of the year is a good opportunity to take a look at your horse photography business and decide what you want the next year to look like.

And yes, that means doing some business planning.

I know. Not nearly as exciting as photographing horses. But I'd argue that understanding how you want your business to operate is just as important as knowing how to create beautiful images.

So grab something to drink (I'll be over here with my 64-ounce tumbler of ice water), and let's talk about what you should be looking at before you start filling up next year's calendar.

Start by Reviewing the Year You Just Had

Before you decide what you want to accomplish next year, take a look at what actually happened this year.

Not just how you feel the year went. Look at the numbers, too.

How many sessions did you photograph? How much revenue did you bring in? What were your expenses? Did you meet your financial goals?

And perhaps most importantly, how much of that revenue did you actually keep?

It's entirely possible to have a very busy photography business that isn't particularly profitable.

I'd also look at the different types of work you did.

Which sessions or services brought in the most revenue? Which were the most profitable? Which ones did you enjoy photographing?

Were there certain types of clients you particularly loved working with? Were there services that took considerably more time than you anticipated?

Maybe you introduced something new that worked beautifully. Or perhaps you tried a promotion that sounded fantastic on paper but didn't produce the results you expected.

All of that information can help you make better decisions for the coming year.

And don't forget to look at what you accomplished that wasn't necessarily tied to revenue.

Maybe you earned a photography degree, attended a workshop, improved your editing skills, or developed a better workflow.

Those accomplishments matter, too.

Decide What You Want Your Business to Do for You

Before setting goals, I'd encourage you to think about something that photographers sometimes overlook.

What do you actually want from your business?

I don't mean what another photographer says you should want or what somebody on social media considers successful.

I mean what YOU want.

Maybe you want to increase your income. Maybe you want to photograph fewer sessions while maintaining your current revenue. Perhaps you want to specialize in a particular type of equine photography or spend more time on personal projects.

You might even be perfectly happy with the size of your business and simply want it to operate more efficiently.

There's nothing wrong with that.

Your business goals should reflect what you're trying to build, not somebody else's definition of success.

And those decisions will affect everything else you plan for the year.

Set Financial Goals That Actually Make Sense

Now let's talk about money.

Start by looking at how much your business needs to bring in to cover expenses, pay you, and meet any other financial obligations or goals you've established.

Then look at your pricing and what you're currently earning from each client.

For example, let's say you want to generate $60,000 in annual revenue.

If your average client spends $1,500, you'd need approximately 40 clients to reach that number.

If your average client spends $3,000, you'd need 20.

That's a pretty significant difference in the number of sessions you need to photograph.

Of course, those are revenue figures, not profit. You still need to account for your expenses, taxes, and the time required to serve those clients.

But doing the math helps you determine whether your goals are realistic.

It can also reveal when your pricing or business model needs attention.

And before you decide to buy that shiny new lens you've been admiring, you might want to see how it fits into your budget.

I'm not saying you shouldn't buy it.

I'm just suggesting that "because I really want it" isn't necessarily a complete financial plan.

Figure Out How Many Sessions You Can Realistically Photograph

This is particularly important for horse photographers.

Depending on where you live, your busiest seasons may be spring and fall. Summer heat, winter weather, horse show schedules, and available daylight can all affect when you can photograph.

You also need to account for the time involved in each session.

There's planning, communicating with clients, traveling, photographing, editing, ordering appointments, artwork production, and delivery.

A two-hour portrait session doesn't necessarily mean two hours of work.

And if you're traveling an hour each way to photograph a horse, that time needs to be included in your planning.

Look at your calendar and determine how many sessions you can comfortably accommodate during each season.

Then compare that number with your financial goals.

If you need to photograph 50 sessions to meet your revenue target but only have room for 25, something needs to change.

Maybe it's your pricing, your average sale, your expenses, or the services you're offering.

What probably isn't going to work is pretending you'll somehow find time for another 25 sessions.

Take a Good Look at Your Marketing

Once you know what you're trying to accomplish and how many clients you need, you can start thinking about how you're going to reach them.

Look at where your clients came from this year.

Were they finding you through Google? Social media? Referrals from other horse owners? Relationships with trainers, barns, or other equine businesses?

Which marketing efforts actually generated inquiries and bookings?

And which ones took a lot of time without producing much?

If you've been posting on social media three times a week and haven't booked a single client from it, that doesn't necessarily mean social media is useless.

But it does mean you should take a closer look at what you're posting, who you're reaching, and whether your content is giving people a reason to inquire.

And if most of your clients come from referrals, perhaps strengthening those relationships deserves more attention.

You don't have to change your entire marketing strategy every January.

Sometimes you need to do more of what's already working.

Other times, you need to stop spending so much time on something that isn't.

And please, have an actual marketing plan.

Posting "Look at this adorable horse I photographed! Book your session!" every few days and hoping for the best isn't much of a strategy.

Does Your Website Still Work for Your Business?

While you're reviewing your marketing, take a look at your website.

Can potential clients easily understand what you offer, where you work, and how to contact you?

Does the portfolio reflect the kind of photography you want to book?

Are your service descriptions accurate? Are there outdated promotions, broken links, or information that no longer applies?

If you've changed your pricing structure, session experience, or the types of photography you offer, your website needs to reflect those changes.

That doesn't mean you need a new logo, new colors, or an entirely new brand every year.

Sometimes the most valuable website improvement is simply making it easier for potential clients to find the information they need.

And if you've been putting off updating your website for the last three years, perhaps this is the year it finally makes the list.

Set Goals You Can Actually Work Toward

Once you've reviewed your business, you should have a better idea of what you want to accomplish.

Now you need to turn those ideas into specific goals.

I like SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

For example, "I want more clients" doesn't tell you very much.

"I want to book 12 horse-and-rider portrait sessions between March and June" is considerably more useful.

You know what you're trying to accomplish and when you want to accomplish it.

But don't stop there.

What will you need to do to book those sessions?

Maybe you need to update your portfolio, write several blog posts, create a marketing campaign, or establish relationships with local equestrian businesses.

Those are the projects that support the goal.

And each project can be broken down into smaller tasks.

Personally, I love checking things off a list. There's something deeply satisfying about looking at a page full of completed tasks.

Occasionally, I've even been known to write down something I've already done just so I can check it off.

Don't judge me.

The trick is making sure those little tasks are actually helping you accomplish something important.

Put Your Plans on the Calendar

A goal without time set aside to work on it has a pretty good chance of remaining a goal.

Before the year starts, look at your calendar.

Block out your known commitments, travel, conferences, personal time, and the seasons when you expect to be busiest with client sessions.

Then make room for the projects you've decided are priorities.

If you're planning a spring marketing campaign, don't wait until spring to start creating it.

If you want to improve your editing skills, schedule time to practice.

And if you know October is going to be packed with sessions, that's probably not the ideal month to plan a complete website redesign.

Be realistic about how much time you have available.

Your calendar should reflect the life you actually live, not some imaginary version of yourself who has unlimited energy and never encounters an unexpected problem.

Don't Forget About Education and Personal Projects

Business planning isn't just about revenue, bookings, and marketing.

Think about what you'd like to learn or experience during the coming year.

Maybe there's a photography workshop you want to attend, a new technique you want to practice, or an image competition you'd like to enter.

Perhaps you want to spend more time creating images for yourself instead of always photographing for clients.

Those things deserve space in your plan, too.

You might even discover that something you learn outside your usual photography specialty gives you ideas you can use in your equine work.

And if attending a conference or workshop is part of your plan, remember to include the registration fees, travel expenses, and time away from your business in your budget.

Your Year-End Horse Photography Business Checklist

Before you put this year's business files away and start working on next year's plans, here are a few things worth reviewing:

• Review your annual revenue, expenses, and profitability.

• Evaluate which services and types of sessions performed best.

• Review your pricing and average client sale.

• Determine how many sessions you can realistically accommodate next year.

• Review where your clients came from and which marketing efforts worked.

• Update outdated website information and portfolio images.

• Set financial, business, and personal development goals.

• Break larger goals into projects and schedule time to work on them.

• Review your contracts, business registrations, insurance, and other applicable requirements with the appropriate professionals.

• Back up important business records and client files.

• Schedule equipment maintenance and check your backup equipment.

• Add important dates, commitments, and personal time to your calendar.

• Set aside time for education, creative projects, and anything else that's important to you.

Make a Plan That Works for Your Business

You don't need to reinvent your photography business every January. And you certainly don't need to set 25 ambitious goals just because a new year is starting.

Take the time to understand how your business performed, decide what you want from the coming year, and make a plan that fits your finances, your available time, and your priorities.

Some years, that might mean growing your business. Other years, it might mean improving what you've already built. Either way, the goal is to run a business that works for you.

And preferably one that doesn't require you to spend every waking hour working in it.