Yesterday I shared with you about the benefits of using web-based applications. Ever since getting my head in the “cloud,” I’ve been on “Cloud 9″ with respect to how it has contributed to the way we run our business. Below is a list of my favorite web-based apps covering everything from sales and marketing to film script writing.

G-mail/Google Calendar: perhaps the ultimate web-based app, I made the switch to G-mail/Google Calendar from Entourage about two years ago. It was perhaps my first real foray into trusting everything to stay on  the Web. I loved the idea of not having my hard drive filling up with tens of thousands of messages, many of which with large attachments. I particularly like G-mail’s threading feature which groups e-mails back and forth among recipients into one thread, only taking up one line in your inbox (so long as the subject doesn’t change). There are dozens of other great features that would take forever to get into. If you have vanity URLs (i.e. me@mydomain.com), no worries. You can set up G-mail to receive and send from those addresses as well. I manage about half dozen different e-mail domains and over a dozen different addresses from my one G-mail account.

I use Google Calendar for not only scheduling meetings, phone call, and events, but to manage my block schedule.

Google Docs: I love me some Google Docs. Simply put, it’s a FREE online word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation program. These online versions are not as robust as their desktop counterparts, but they’re pretty darn good, and I’m sure it won’t be long before they do rival the full feature set of programs like MS Word. Most of the features you will need or want to use are built into the apps. I primarily use the spreadsheet features (for generating budget estimates and as an online library of hard drives). But I frequently use the word processor, usually when a client sends me a Word doc and I need to access it from multiple locations. This is perfect for you event photographers and videographers. Client sends you a Word or Excel document of their schedule, you upload it to Google docs, and it automatically converts. Then, when you go onsite, you can access the document via your iPhone (or any other inferior cell phone you may have that has access to the internet). Log in, then you can read the doc on your phone. In the case of the word processor and presentation features, formatting and images are retained, so the online version looks just about identical to the original document.

The presentation features of Google Docs are amazing. I uploaded an old PowerPoint presentation, and the themes, photos, and everything came through. Unfortunately, it doesn’t yet recognize Keynote files (which is what I  primarily use). But, it’s a terrific alternative (or complement) to PowerPoint.

Screenshot from a PowerPoint preso uploaded to Google docs.

ShootQ: the boys and girls over at ShootQ central have created one helluva program. The brain child of Andrew and Rachel Niesen of LaCour fame, this Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program took the pro wedding and portrait photography world by storm, and is now doing the same in the event video world. It’s designed to make your sales and client management process streamlined and well-oiled. With it you can track leads, send invoices, have clients book you online (and get messages sent to your cell), share files, display packages, send contracts, and more. They’ve also partnered with the popular e-mail management service MadMimi, so you can send e-mail newsletters from your client and lead database. What will you do when the Q works for you?

Basecamp: this is a project collaboration program designed to facilitate client and team member communication and project tracking. Use it to share files, centralize communication, track to-do lists and milestones, and keep project notes. You can grant employees and clients varying levels of security access in order to keep critical information confidential.

Evernote: I just recently started using this online note organizer. But it’s so much more than that. You can scan and upload files as well as create to-do lists. Easily categorize notes to make organization and recovery easy. Evernote does have a desktop version of the software that syncs with your web version. Every phone call I make to a bank, credit card company, or any other non-sales oriented conversation I put into Evernote so as to have a record of communication. (I use ShootQ for sales related notes).

Screenshot from my online version of Evernote.

Delicious: here’s another social media tool I use every single day. At it’s core it’s an online bookmarking program. But it’s also a way to build community among others who have similar interests. I love being able to go to any computer with internet access and gain quick access to my favorite sites. There’s a plug-in for most popular browsers that will allow you to access your bookmarked sites from the tool bar of your browser (vs. logging into your Delicious account online). You can easily bookmark a site by tagging it, and then categorize your tags. By using Tag Bundles, you can group similar bookmarks together. I love using Delicious to bookmark sites I come across that I don’t have time to read at that moment, but would like to read later. I tag them “to-do” and those get grouped in the “Sites to Read” tag bundle (see image below). The number of sites in that bundle is conspicuously large at the moment.

Zhura: for those of you interested in taking up screenwriting, but are not quite ready to drop $300 on a program like Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter, I strongly recommend Zhura. It has all the functionality you’d want in a screenwriting word processor: multiple script formats (i.e. film, television, stage play, radio, etc.); tab/enter functionality for creating script elements on the fly; script revisions; index card creation; inserting script notes; and more. The free version will give you all you need to write any kind of script, print it, and share it. For more advanced features, you can upgrade to the pro version for either $6/month or pay annually $60/year.

There are so many more web-based apps out there, your head will spin. I would guess that just about anything you can do with a desktop application, there’s an online counterpart. I even found this nifty online photo editor I may have to add to my list.

What web-based apps are you using?

(Image source: www.infreemation.com)

Yes, you read that right. My head is in the “cloud,” not clouds. By “Cloud” I mean those gi-normous computer databases out there in the World Wide Web that run online software programs that make my life so much easier. Make no mistake: the Cloud is the future of computing. I predict that within a decade, a majority of the work you currently use desktop software for, will be replaced with software on the web.

THE BENEFITS OF CLOUD COMPUTING

There are four primary benefits of using web-based software:

1. Omnipresence: if you’re always on the go, and/or like me, you find yourself using multiple computers frequently, web-based applications allow you to “set up shop” anywhere you have an fast internet connection.
2. Always Current: using web-based applications means that you’ll always be using the most recent and powerful version of the software because it’s updated by the developer then implemented seamlessly. No programs to install on your computer. No upgrades to keep track of and buy. Nice!
3. Collaboration: if you work with a team of individuals located in disparate offices, web-based apps allow you to easily share data and provide centralized hubs of communication.
4. Data Protection: most companies that provide web-based applications all have back-up procedures in place to maintain the safety and integrity of your data. I would hazard to guess that most people do not keep adequate back-ups of the data on their computer (I confess that I fall into that category). The more info you can keep in the Cloud, the less you need to worry about losing it to fire or earthquake. (Note: when you do sign on with a web-application, if critical data is being stored, ensure the company does indeed have adequate redundancies. I used to have my company website with a web host based in New Orleans. When Katrina hit, my website when down and the company had no back up servers to get the site up and running in a short amount of time. My site was down for about a month!

What other benefits can you think of?

DON’T BE SCARED! (OR AS MADEA WOULD SAY, “SCURRED.”)

The common obstacle I hear to adopting web-based application is fear. Either fear that critical data will get into the wrong hands (e.g. identity thieves accessing your credit card info), or that your data may be lost. Well, as I mentioned above, most legitimate companies offering web-based apps have adequate back-up procedures in place.  With respect to critical data getting into the wrong hands, truth is, if you have any kind of access to the internet (which you must if you’re reading this article), then your data is accessible by anyone with the wherewithal to get at it. Your data may actually be safer if stored on the computers of a company that has advanced security and encryption technologies installed on their servers.

GO FOR IT

If you’ve held off adopting web based apps for your business, I encourage you to go for it. Start small then expand. Tomorrow I’ll give you a list of my favorite web-based apps and how I use them for everything from sales and marketing to writing movie scripts.

Laforet's vDSLR gear | Photo by Vincent Laforet

In the summer of 2008, famed commercial/editorial photographer Vincent Laforet heralded the release of Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II with his short film “Reverie”. Both photographers and filmmakers alike were blown away. The release of the 5D has created not only it’s own subculture, but an entire industry was born as companies large and small have entered the market to produce gear and accessories to make shooting video with this camera more effective.

Then, last night at midnight EST, Vincent amazed the worlds of photography and filmmaking again with the release of “Nocturne“, a short film shot on Canon’s yet to be released 1D Mark IV. Shot completely at night, with no external lights, at ASA 6400, and absolutely NO GRAIN!

Marathon Press Webinar Announcement

In today’s economy, if you’re a photographer, you can no longer ignore the viable income-generating potential of adding pro video of some sort to your repertoire of services. Whether you shoot weddings, portraits, or commercial work, the melding of the two media, commonly known as “Fusion”, has opened the door for you (and your competitors) to gain new business. But, how do you do it in such a way that make sense? Marathon Press has asked me to give a webinar on the subject, next Monday, October 26, at 1 pm EST. Whether you’re a photographer or a video producer, I encourage you to sign up for the webinar.

Topics I will discuss include:

• What exactly is “Fusion”?
• How to approach the addition of video services from a smart business perspective
• Renting vs. Buying
• The best gear and lenses to use for shooting video
• Things you must know before you begin to edit
• The pros and cons of doing the shooting and/or editing yourself
• Effective strategies for finding shooters and editors to work for and/or with you
• The best resources for learning more in-depth knowledge
• Specific services you can add to your studio to expand your repertoire.

Click here to sign up for the webinar.

A NOTE TO MY FELLOW VIDEO PRODUCERS

This camera is an exciting time for us as well. If you’re an event video producer, how can you not seriously consider a camera such as this when you look at these amazing low light capabilities. Imagine shooting an entire wedding reception, in dark mood lighting, with no obtrusive video light, clear imagery, and no grain!

But, these are also scary times as competition will heat up. Everywhere photogs turn they’re being prompted to consider video. Likewise, the savvy videographers out there are finding some way to add photography to their line-up as well. The lines are blurring even more. Will you join the revolution, or continue to fight against the inevitable?

This was a discussion I started on my F-Stop Beyond Facebook Group that I thought would be great to bring to the blog. In my last “new” episode of F-Stop Beyond we had new media masters Thomas Hawk and Robert Scoble. They each have a very laissez faire attitude about posting their photos online and various sites’ terms of service (ToS) with respect to use of photos/videos posted. Robert even puts all of his photos in the public domain.

Then, on the other side of the spectrum is another new media pro and photographer veteran Scott Bourne. He’s famous for his negative feelings about ToS that seem to give the site owner free reign on the use of any photos or videos you upload.

What’s your take on it? Do you care? Is the marketing exposure you get from posting your photos/videos worth giving another site rights to do what they want with your content? The issue is made a little more interesting by the latest Facebook  fiasco–using a member’s post photo in a Facebook ad (served by a third party) for singles. Oh, and that member is married! (Read about it here). Chime in.

Here’s the episode with Robert and Thomas:
http://fstopbeyond.tv/?p=632

Copyright © Teen Identity Portraits

A few days ago I wrote a post that painted a picture of what portrait photography might look like in some not too distant future. I told the story of Debra, an inspired entrepreneur who launches a very successful pro photo business with advanced consumer equipment and software, savvy social media marketing, and great people skills. The overwhelming response seemed to look at the article as a “dark” future. One person accused it as being just another tired foreboding warning about how technology was going to change everything.

The truth is, nothing in that post suggested it was a warning. I find it fascinating that except for one comment, no one looked at is as a positive. No one saw it as a bright future. The fact that you could process 1500+ raw images in a matter of minutes. The fact that you could book three more gigs, automatically, within just hours of posting images from your last session. The fact that your camera could make it brain-dead simple to create a nice, buttery bokeh with little effort. The fact that technology would make it easy to populate an entire home with fresh new images, in a matter of seconds. All of these things sound great to me. They sound pretty friggin’ cool if I may be so blunt.

So my question is this: why do so many of you think this is a bad thing?

Once upon a time in the not too distant future, there’s a bright-eyed, inspired entrepreneur named Debra. Debra just loves photography. She decides it’s time for her to pursue her passion and take the plunge.

D (that’s what her friends call her) decides to go down to Costco to pick up that new 50 mp “smart” camera. The images are amazing and according to the box, it can go up to ISO 8000. “Wow!” She thinks. “I don’t know what ISO is, but if it can go all the way up to 8000, it must be good). D plunks down her card and pays for the camera. Only $799 + tax.

THE SHOOT

Copyright © Teen Identity Portraits

D’s been in business for three months now and it’s going great. Today she has a teen portrait shoot. She’s scouted the perfect location: the set of railroad tracks out by her house.

D and the teen (named Samantha) have a blast. For the first 30 minutes they just hang out at the local soda shoppe chatting away. Sam thinks D is so cool. Even though she’s kinda old (shes, like, 24 or something), she doesn’t seem like it. It’s like D’s one of her best friends. As they laugh and talk fashion and boys, D grabs candid shots here and there. They then head off to the tracks.

D’s getting a bunch of great shots. She’s already up to 1,216 with plenty of room to go on her card. She wants to do a cool shoot with the background blurred out, so she tells Sam to run down the tracks a few yards. D holds up the camera and takes aim. She looks on the back of the camera then presses the menu button. She navigates to the settings and hits the digital button marked “BBB” (stands for Blurry Background Button). There’s a little pic of a woman with a blurred background to visually indicate what this feature does).

D hits the BBB button and she hears the lens and camera motor adjust focal length and aperture to give her the blurry background. (It measures the distance between the camera and the subject and the subject and the background). It’s not quite blurry enough for her. So she double-clicks the BBB button to bring up the blurriness scale. It’s set to 10. She increases to 11. (One of the reasons she got this particular camera is because BBB buttons on most other cameras only go up to 10, but this one goes up to 11.)

After increasing her BBB setting, the camera instructs her to take five steps back. She does and the camera beeps when she’s at the appropriate distance. She looks in the view finder and it looks perfect. Snap!

After the 2 hour session, D tells Sam the photos will be uploaded online by tomorrow. Sam gives her a big hug goodbye and they go their separate ways.

POST PRODUCTION

When D gets home, she hooks the camera up to her iMac G10 and launches iPhoto. The large beautiful images quickly fill up her 36″ screen. The 1,565 RAW images download in 32.3 seconds flat. Once they’re all ingested, she begins putting together her collections. She enters a set of key words: fun; movement; close ups; touching. She then enters the number 60. Using a set of advanced algorithms, iPhoto looks at collections D has created in the past, uses face recognition technology to study this new crop of images, and within a minute, it selects the top 60 photos which fits the key words she entered. She spends about 10 minutes going through those, tagging about 5 photos she really likes. She then hits the “Genius” button, and iPhoto goes through the process again, choosing a next set of 60 photos based on those five. “Perfect!” D exclaims.

DELIVERY

She types up a short caption for some of her favorites, tagging the ones she wants to put on her online accounts. She then presses the publish button. Instantly those tagged photos are uploaded to Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, ThisMoment, and her blog. The photos are automatically universally tagged with Sam’s name so her online friends will see the photos in their respective favorite social network feeds. D then presses another button to upload all 60 images to her password-protected client review site. She presses the slideshow button and the Animoto powered slideshow maker (now part of iPhoto) creates an amazing slideshow which she also automatically uploads to her online accounts.

Sam’s mom is sent an email with a link to access the password-protected sites. She approves the images, makes her payment, and they are all instantly downloaded to her copy of iPhoto. (Cloud computing image from the Infreemation blog.

Sam’s mom absolutely LOVE the photos. D has done such a fabulous job capturing the spirit of her daughter. She goes through and separates the photos into collections labeled Fun, Serious, Sophisticated, and “Daddy’’s Little Girl“. She sends the Fun collection wirelessly to all the digital 5×7s in the house. They are set to a rotation iteration of 36 hours (i.e. each photo in that set will rotate ever day and a half). She sends the Serious collection of images to the three 30×24 digital wall portrait mahogany frames with rotation iteration of 3 days.  She sends the Sophisticated set to her iPhone (no one uses paper wallets anymore), her daughter’s 36×24 in her bedroom, and the 8×10 in the master bedroom. The “Daddy’s Little Girl” set is sent via internet to her husband’s digital 5×7 on the desk in his office.

A JOB WELL DONE

D has already booked gotten an email confirming 3 more bookings made online via her ShootQ account from friends of Sam’s who saw the photos online. Life is good. A total of about 4 hours work yields another $1000. Not bad.

In the next installment, the future of event videography.

A few years ago, when blogging was just starting to make its way into the visual arts community, there was a lot of talk about whether or not it made sense to have a blog. They were considered a waste of time. Something for people who didn’t have anything better to do. Fast forward to today, and just about everyone has a blog. In fact, many photogs have abandoned their main website in favor of JUST their blog.

Well, a similar conversation is going on about social media resources like Twitter, Facebook, etc. I’m hearing people say things like, “Why in the world would any care about what I’m having for lunch.” I have two answers to that question (as it relates to Twitter):

• First, if you think that’s ALL Twitter is good for, you have a gross mis-respresentation of the scope of Twitter.
• Second, many people may care what you’re having for lunch because it gives an insight into you as a person. A personal look that may touch a nerve with a potential client. (Say, for example, if you’re a vegetarian like Jasmine Star).

The truth is, social media is an extremely important aspect of today’s business environment. So much so that Twitter was on the cover of Time Magazine of all things. Other major business mags like Fast Company, Inc, Wired, Entrepreneur, and even TV Guide, have all had cover stories related to social media and/or video on the web.  It, and all the other social media outlets, can NOT be ignored.

GETTING DOWN TO THE NITTY GRITTY

This August at Skip’s Summer School, I’ll be addressing the topic of social media and video, and how the two combined can be a powerful 1-2 punch in your marketing mix. I’ll get into some very specific ways of how to use various social media resources, and the supporting tools like TweetMeme, ShareThis, Digg, StumbleUpon, Delicious, etc. I’ll also go into detail on how to conceive, produce and distribute a video podcast and a promo video effectively on the Web. And how to create one that caters to YOUR clients, as opposed to something that just gets other photogs to say “cool video man.” (Who cares what other photogs think of your video if it’s not moving the clients you’re marketing to. We’ll address this issue.)

And for the record, I will cover new topics that go beyond what I covered in WPPI this year. So, it will be a fresh learning experience for all who attend.

I hope to see you there. Register today.

Here’s a little commercial I threw together for my class. Enjoy.

Ever since Vince Laforet’s “Reverie” hit the Net last fall, there’s been a whole lotta talk about the blurring of the lines between photographer and videographer. Just this past Thursday I had the pleasure of being the guest on Jack Hollingsworth’s Toginars podcast. One of the questions that came up was where I see the photography industry going with respect to the adoption of video. Since I’m relatively active in both industries (as a speaker, writer, coach, video producer, podcaster, and now co-owner of a photog business) I think I have a unique take on what this all means.

THE VISUAL ARTIST

We’re already seeing some high profile photographers starting to refer to themselves and or their business as visual artists. Vincent Laforet is now Laforet Visuals. Celebrity wedding photographer (and fellow Skip’s Summer School speaker) Charles Maring is now Maring Visuals (with the subtitle Photography | Digital Cinema). If you check out commercial photog Chase Jarvis’s website and click on the Studio link, you’ll see a cool video of his studio, and the shots that clearly stand out (to me anyway) are the three or four shots of the off-da-hook RED camera set-up he got going on (I think you see him hold an SLR for a couple of seconds. In fact, if one were to watch this video separated from his website, it would easily pass as a promo for a video director, not high profile commerical photographer. I also notice he made a point to showcase a box of Final Cut Studio, not Photoshop). My good buddy Zack Arias recently made a lot of waves with a video he produced for Scott Kelby’s blog. Friday on my podcast F-Stop Beyond, celebrity commercial and music photographer Jeremy Cowart talked about shooting his first music video and the fact that in addition to his regular photography agent, he has a music video agent as well. Celebrity wedding photographer Robert Evans, along with his partner Curt Apanovich, are shooting music videos and pushing the “fusion” of photos and videos. Editorial photog Doug Menuez is wrapping up post production on a documentary he shot about New York immigrants. And the list of photographers I know who are getting into film and video, or have expressed an interest to do so, continues to grow.

More and more photographers from all aspects of the industry are embracing the video revolution. But they’re not doing it in the way that I think many people expected. That is, they’re not looking to be “videographers” in the strictest since of the term. But instead, directors. They’re creating a vision and directing it. Many times they’ll be holding the camera themselves for sure. But they’re also using DP’s and audio guys, and in many cases they’re passing the footage off to a talented editor to cut it.

The comment I made on Jack’s show was that  I think we’ll definitely see more pro photogs getting into some form of video or mixed media production, but they’re not going to try to do all the tasks associated with it. They’ll do one aspect (like direct) then collaborate and/or hire others to handle the rest. With respect to this medium, I believe that is the best course of action, even for my fellow video producers.

SURVIVING THE CONVERGENCE

With the convergence of technology changing how both these industries evolve, here’s what I think is necessary for a studio to effectively grow and remain successful.

• Find Your Focus: Pun completed intended, but what you need to do if it’s your desire to grow your studio (photography or video) is “find your focus.” Find which part of the creative process you want to primarily do. Shoot. Edit. Graphic design. Motion graphics. Audio. Obviously in a smaller studio you may do most if not all, but as you grow, you will find yourself gravitating to one aspect of the job.
• Collaborate: While you focus on what you do best, collaborate with other artists to fill in the gap. If you’re a photog shooting video with the 5D (or even the RED), hire an editor to put it all together for  you. If you’re a video producer that loves editing, hire talented shooters. And by “hire,” I don’t necessarily mean employees. Contract out the work if necessary.
• Look At Yourself Differently: As technology evolves, the media we use to do our work will also. We have no idea what kinds of media will be available in the future. I like to consider myself a media producer vs. video producer. Or maybe “visual storyteller” is more your speed.
• Adapt: Change and re-invent yourself and your business to flow with the changing times. We have essentially started our business from scratch this year as a new media marketing agency precisely because of all these changes. We’re selling ideas and experience in communicating a client’s vision, and we’ll put together the team necessary to make that vision a reality.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE DEVELOPMENTS

This August 16-19 at the MGM Grand, these topics will be addressed and taught at Skip’s Summer School by Robert Evans (co-founder of the PhotoFusion Tour) and Jennifer and Charles Maring. Below is a video produced by Maring’s studio using the 5D. The world is changing. I think whether you’re a video producer or a photographer, this would be a worthwhile conference to attend. And at only $279 (which includes free registration to WPPI 2010) plus MGM at only $69/night, it’s a hard educational opportunity to pass up.

So. We’ve talked alot about homogenization, being unique, yadda, yadda, yadda. We determined that we no longer want to do what everybody else is doing. But where do I start? How about 80 years from now. Take yourself there, see what is possible at that point. Work backwards, then start making it happen…today.

Share in the comments where you see photography and/or videography 80 years from today? I’d love to hear what you think? Will there be a complete convergence of the two? Will we take 100 megapixel pictures on cameras the size of a ring? Will the next big motion video media be holography? Think big! Let’s hear it.

I was originally going to name this post “Adapt or Die,” but with the pending Star Trek film by my boy JJ Abrams (and I pray a rebirth of what was once a brilliant sci-fi franchise), I had to go with those three, bone chilling words used by the Borg Collective to herald in the complete annihilation and/or absorption of a civilization.

In my last post, “Should You Invest a Lot in a Logo,” I made the bold (and apparently controversial) claim that with respect to a wedding related businesses, a logo mark is the least important part of the branding elements of a company. Many people agreed with my overall argument. But there were a few strong objections to my claim (primarily, no surprise, from those in or closely related to the graphic design business). The impetus for my post was that a couple of colleagues of mine who specialize in wedding cinematography turned to some online logo competition sites to get logos that cost about $200 and $350 respectively. Another colleague of mine suggested that this was a cheapening of their brand. You can read the post if you need to get caught up.

CHANGE…IT’S A COMIN’

Throughout the history of business, change has come, and it has been a scary thing. Whether it’s change of government, the economy, technology, business philosophy, one thing is for certain. Change (like death and taxes) is always certain. How you deal with that change will mean the difference between succeeding in business, or not. Here are just a few of the changes in this past generation that have had significant impacts on our businesses: the Internet; Beta to VHS; VHS to digital; SD digital to HD digital; large and medium format film to 35 mm film; film to digital; etc…etc…etc. Whenever these massive changes occur, there is always a vocal minority that screams foul, no fair, we need to go back, or whatever else they can think of. But, no matter how loud they scream, change still happens.

And change affects companies of all sizes. Don’t believe me? Ask Blockbuster. Crown Books. Sears. Hollywood. The music industry is actually an excellent case study. The onset of high speed internet helped sites like Napster herald in the age of digital downloads of music. The music industry, with billions of dollars behind them, kicked and screamed, and even stooped so low as to take 14 year-old teens to court. What happened? A computer software company became one of the largest (if not these largest) retailer of music. Hollywood is heading down the same path.

ADAPT, OR DIE

So, what is a small graphic designer to do when he sees his multi-thousand dollar fees for logos and web design dry up with the birth of logo competition sites or template web design sites? What’s a  25 year veteran of the photo industry (who doesn’t know Facebook from a facelift and has no idea what a blog is) to do when some young whipper snapper with a keener marketing sense and just two years in the business skyrockets to stardom and takes much of her business? What is a small town studio to do when a large national behemoth enters its town? The answer to all these questions is one word: adapt.

Here are three ideas to consider when the storm of change comes beating down your door:

1. Be unique: if you haven’t already figured it out, this is a soap box of mine. Be unique. Set yourself apart from the pack. Offer something (a service, an experience, whatever) that the harbinger of change can’t, or won’t offer. There’s a coffee shop in Campbell, CA called Orchard Valley that is just one block down from a Starbucks. Often times they are  more crowded than Starbucks. Why? Because they offer a very different experience (more like 60s beatnik to Starbucks’ yuppie conclave) and have learned to market and cater to customers who crave that experience.
2. Sell shovels: during the “gold rush” of the 1840s and 50s, the people selling shovels to those looking for their next big fortune in the ground more often than not made the most money. Change always brings with it new opportunities. Look for those opportunities. Examples of some great “shovel” sellers: wedding photographer Kevin Kubota building an empire with Kubota Image Tools; wedding photographers Jessica Claire and Jim Garner helping photogs carry their gear; videographer wunderkind Joshua Smith doing just about everything (video compression software, DVD cases, education).
3. Hang 10: when the wave of change comes barreling in, instead of fighting the wave, grab a surf board and ride it. When media formats change, start learning and offering the new format. In fact, anticipate the wave, and stay ahead of it. Become a leader in the new “whatever” before anyone else does. While your competitors are kicking and screaming, you can be the one racking up the dollars.

THE KIRK FACTOR

Since I started this post with a Star Trek analogy, it’s only fitting I end with one. I like to talk about something I call “the Kirk Factor.” In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (heretofore the BEST Star Trek movie, bar none), we learn that James Kirk is a man who has an uncanny ability to cheat death. As he says, “he doesn’t like to lose.” Whether it’s re-programming the computers at Star Fleet so he could pass the infamous Kobayashi Maru test (a scene I pray they show or at least allude to in the new Trek film); or tricking Khan by speaking in code over monitored radio waves; or even going so far as to destroy his beloved starship in order to buy his crew more time while dealing with renegade Klingons (Star Trek III). James Kirk always had a way out.

So my question to  you is this: do you have the “Kirk Factor?” Are you willing to do what it takes to survive and thrive in a changing business environment? Even if it means doing the unthinkable, like destroying your “Enterprise” in favor of a new one?

Live long, and prosper.

End transmission.