Beginner’s Enthusiasm

When talking with creative business owners recently, so many of the conversations include a statement like: “When I was first in business I really loved and valued all of my clients.  I used to ….”  Whether it was that they would hand deliver their prints, personally wrap their thank-you presents, or make sure they took their client out to dinner after the project was completed, as the business grew, the love faded and so did the unbridled enthusiasm for their clients.  The business became the business and serving it became as important as serving clients.

I am not naïve.  A creative business is a cruel mistress and can easily distract from the art you are trying to create every day.  Employees, vendors, bookkeeping, and even clients just take over the pure, simple relationships you had way back when.  And, no doubt, some of the things you did when you first started you may not be able to do now.  However, I would argue the list is far smaller than you imagine.  Mostly, you do not do them because you have allowed yourself to compromise.  For example, if you are wedding photographer, maybe you used to sit personally with the couple and choose the images you thought best reflected the wedding.  This was when you shot on film and if you took 500 images you took a lot.  Now you shoot 2,000 on digital and put up your favorite 800 on a proofing site.  You send them a form email to let them know the proofs are ready.  The way of the world you tell yourself.  Your competition does it this way and the business is there to prove it – where you used to shoot 10 weddings a year now you shoot 25 yourself and your staff another 50.  Except.

Clients buy your joy – your process as much as your product.  When you become jaded, they know it and then you are relying on the winds of the past to carry you forward.  Your work might just be that good, but with competition as it is, likely not.  You might think that doing a wonderful, professional job is enough.  It is not.  Today, it is about connection first.  To paraphrase, Gary Vanyerchuk from his new book, The Thank You Economy, only surprising and delighting clients matters now. Gary talks about how every business has to establish meaningful, emotional connection with its customers.  To which I add, none more so than creative business.  Your businesses rely on the subjective perception of your art as valuable.  Without emotion, your art becomes a commodity and, I am sorry, there is very little joy in producing a commodity.

Does it mean the end of your business if you cannot find the enthusiasm you had when you first started?  Of course not.  It just makes the road that much harder.  You may not be able to sit with each of your clients and choose images with them, but a Skype call to review your top twenty?  Gary Vee brilliantly points out that today’s technology is about connection at scale.  The idea that you have to remove yourself from the intimacy of customer relationships to grow is a cop out.  You may not have time to talk for an hour a day, but you can still absolutely show your depth of feeling with a video note or something similar. If you will not be giddy and grateful to the right client that said yes to you, your art and your creative business, beware of those that will.