Consultant Lanae Rivers-Woods speaking at WPPI, 2010

Power of Basics Business and Management Consultant, Lanae Rivers-Woods will be speaking in at the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) in March, 2010. She will join Katarina Garner of GoBoda: Tools for Photographers to present a sold-out Master Class on Work vs. Profitability: stop the bleeding.

Here is a brief synopsis of the Master Class:

Managing your company for tomorrow and not today is critical when doing business. Katarina and Lanae will explain how understanding your financial statements can deeply impact your photography studio business. They will cover various topics including: discerning when it’s time to hire vs. when it’s time to fire, how to foster existing clients, developing a framework for better products, and how to price your work for profit. Over time, your business will develop into a healthier system of information management.

BODA V3 Timeline

Client Profile: J. Garner Photography

Founded by award-winning photographer, Jim Garner, J. Garner photography has bloomed to become an internationally-recognized entity in the photography industry. Sought-after for their stunning wedding images, J. Garner Photography has developed a signature style called Storytelling Photography, which turns photo sessions into a natural, relaxed and enjoyable experience.

The Company.

Jim and Katarina Garner started photographing weddings in 1999. Their love of wedding photography is based on the pure joy they see and feel for the bride and groom and for what a wedding symbolizes—life, love, commitment and happiness.

Jim’s artistic approach fuses several elements, including an editorial fashion sense, a taste for distinctive colors and textures, a relaxed shooting approach and a strong passion for capturing “real life” moments. After the shoot, Jim and the team put their creativity to work and make beautiful, bound art books for each couple that tell the story of their most memorable moments. As a result, Jim and Katarina provide each couple with an amazing collection of images, while allowing the bride and groom to truly enjoy their wedding celebration.

Photographing weddings is more than simply documenting the events of the day. Providing truly great memories requires insight, intuition and the ability to connect with people on an emotional level throughout the entire process. If the experience is positive, in the right hands, great photos will follow. The team at J. Garner Photography is dedicated to providing every client with an amazing experience.

Sensing and capturing the incredible emotions and love taking place on a couple’s wedding day allow Jim and Katarina to provide them with a tangible reminder of their day which will last for generations.

The Lead Photographer.

Jim Garner’s career began in 1993 as a commercial photographer, where his skill for combining technical expertise with an elegant, modern aesthetic enabled him to build a solid business based on satisfied clients and referrals. But Jim’s fascination with communicating people’s life stories soon led him down a different road: to become one of today’s most sought-after wedding photographers. According to American Photo Magazine, Jim Garner is “One of the Top Ten Wedding Photographers in the World.”

Jim has developed a unique style that consistently wins accolades and awards. J. Garner Photography has won in multiple categories at the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) conference for three years running, and recently acquired three awards at the 2009 Western States Regional Competition of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), including the prestigious Best Wedding Division Entry. Click here for a complete list of recent awards.

An expert in his field, Jim has been published in numerous photography industry publications including Rangefinder, PPA and American Photo Magazine. He is also a popular educator and public speaker.

The Business Manager.

Katarina Garner has a strong business background that’s prepared her well for running the business side of J. Garner Photography. After graduating from the University of Washington, Katarina spent several years in retail marketing, event planning and lease management for some of the largest shopping centers in the United States. She brought her expertise to J. Garner Photography in 1999, and came on board full time in 2005.

In addition to managing the business, Katarina works with clients throughout their experience to build and deliver the perfect photography package for their needs. Years of working with all types of commercial clients on complex issues have revealed Katarina’s natural ability to connect with people, build lasting relationships and look beyond the obvious to identify just the right solution for the project at hand. Katarina uses that talent at J. Garner Photography to provide a truly personalized experience for each and every couple.

Client Julie Kramis Hearne on Martha Stewart Radio...again!

Power of Basics client Julie Kramis Hearne will once again appear on Martha Stewart Sirus Radio!

Listen in on October 15th at 9:15am to hear Julie talk about Cooking in Cast Iron. Co-author of Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook and the Dutch Oven Cookbook, Julie keeps us updated on her cooking exploits via her Cooking Blog.

Case Study #1: Online Marketing and Retail Strategy

Presenting Issue The client presented with low online sales revenues, high fixed costs for web marketing, and complicated, cumbersome web outsourcing arrangements. Because of an unorganized and untargeted web presence, the client could not monetize their online work, control their marketing message or effectively generate sales. Despite an active blogging schedule, designated staff and an expensive website, sales volume remained low and unreliable. The client knew maintaining an online presence was important, but could not reliably connect investment and up-front work with profits. Diagnosis The client had not developed an online sales strategy. The client’s limited website structure could not accommodate the client’s recently expanded product line. Because of access limitations, the client required complicated third-party updates to the site, which often did not load during the client’s test navigation. The product site and shopping site ran on parallel platforms and contained no sales language. It was extremely difficult for a customer to navigate the site to make a purchasing decision. The client’s blog and social networking page did not lead customers to purchase, did not promote customer capture, and offered limited opportunity for community interaction. The client’s online marketing voice lacked content and a clear message and gave no direction to the online conversation about the client and their products. Solution Re-brand as a company, not a single product The limited product capacity of the company’s previous website had damaged the company image, making it appear that they essentially sold one item, rather than a product line. Power of Basics worked with the client to completely redesign the website and relaunched their entire line, featuring each product separately. The new website is organized to allow ample room for future growth. Build an integrated, sales-focused / community-focused website with easy updating capabilities Featuring prominent sales language and detailed product information, the new website anticipates customer questions and leads customers directly to purchasing choices. In addition, the site allows user-friendly online retail sales, and offers easy updating that takes only moments and requires minimal web knowledge for designated staff. The ability to immediately update in-house allows the client to run weekly product marketing campaigns and sales incentives to drive retail sales. Finally, increased internet search optimization for the website directly improves the client’s web presence. Build an interlinked online social networking/marketing system Power of Basics linked several social networking platforms to create sales-oriented channels that automatically distribute marketing material directly to an international audience 24 hours a day/365 days a year. This strategy yields increased opportunities for client capture and community interaction as the client’s marketing materials engage an audience that has directly requested additional information. Design and implement online marketing campaign and sales strategy Power of Basics implemented a tracking system that allows the client’s company managers to directly access the traffic data resulting from their diverse online marketing channels. Using this data, Power of Basics designed a long term marketing plan that focuses the client’s marketing efforts toward the channels that yield the highest response. Conduct company-wide training to ensure appropriate use of social networking systems After building a clear online strategy, Power of Basics conducted training sessions for the client’s designated staff to ensure confident and accurate implementation. By familiarizing the client’s staff with ways to consistently support short-term and long-term marketing goals, Power of Basics enabled the client to achieve success from the ground up. In addition, this training equipped the client to manage their marketing in-house as much as possible, allowing increased marketing flexibility. Client Return on Investment Client’s average monthly sales increased 250% Effective conversion of client from wholesale company to a retail company, with associated higher profit margins Increased purchase response rate to online marketing Increase of internet search optimization yielding a more dominant industry presence online Decreased annual cost for online marketing and implementing sales strategies Increased client control over web presence Increase of online customer capture for future marketing Increased number of online community members and number of member interactions Case Study Review Rebranding the client from a single-product company to an online corporate presence including multiple products immediately diversified revenue streams and opened doors for future growth. In addition, streamlining the customer’s online purchasing experience allowed the company to successful convert from wholesale to retail sales. Also, increased ability for customers to emotionally engage with the company through social networking interaction has improved customer capture and enabled a higher conversion rate from interest to sales. Finally, building a long term marketing strategy and educating company staff on marketing goals allowed the company to lift sales in line with growth goals and to continually move forward with a clear, corporate understanding of how to drive sales and foster company image. The company now maintains a robust online presence that yields robust profits for time and money invested.

Read more Power of Basics client case studies on our website...

An Excellent Client Review

This morning we received the following outstanding review from one of our clients. These are the moments we type, strategize, and Skype for:

"[Power of Basics Consultants] Lanae, Rebeqa, and Kate have literally changed my life. Our business would not be where it is today without their help."

Claire Parkin
Production Manager, GoBoda

Thank You, Claire, for all your hard work. We would never make progress without dedicated clients like you.

Just Hit "Send": Four Steps to Getting Past Perfection

We found this article by Communication Coach, Beth Buelow, on the small business networking site, www.biznik.com. We know how easy it is to become mired in our own perfectionism and we love how Buelow calls us to take deliberate action, rather than waiting around for everything to become "perfect". Here's an excerpt:

"Every once in a while, someone’s Facebook status strikes me as profound. This happened a few weeks ago, when my friend Robin wrote “Just hit ‘send.’” She was writing a paper for her doctoral seminary program, and like me, she has an “A+ student” streak and wanted the paper to be perfect before send-off.

Her short update has become one of my new mantras. In addition to being a great companion to my other mantra, “better done than perfect,” it also reminds me of my Virtuoso Gremlin. Virtuoso is a hold-over from my years of training as a classical musician, when perfection was the only acceptable standard. It tries to tell me that unless something’s perfect, it’s not ready for the public. After all, no one’s going to buy a CD with wrong notes." (read full article)

Lanae Rivers-Woods scheduled to speak at WPPI



In March of 2010, Power of Basics' lead consultant Lanae Rivers-Woods will be taking her expertise on the road to teach professional photographers how to run a sustainable business. Along with Katarina Garner, owner/business manager of J. Garner Photography (and a Power of Basics client), Lanae will be presenting a Master Class at the world-renowned Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) convention in Las Vegas. What an incredible event!



Lanae and Katarina’s presentation, Work vs. Profitability: Stop the Bleeding, will explain how to manage business for tomorrow, not just today. They’ll cover topics like discerning when it’s time to hire versus fire, fostering existing clients, developing a framework for better products, pricing your work for profit, and creating an overall system for better information management.



If you plan to attend WPPI, you should definitely sign up for this insight-filled Master Class.

Happy Clients = Happy Consultants

Just like everyone else in the world, the Power of Basics team has been working double-time the past year keeping ahead of the worldwide economic situation. Burning our candles at both ends, we are spurred on by seeing our clients not only "getting by" but thriving during a time that will likely be recorded in history books.

After keeping our noses to the grindstone for so long, it's endlessly rejuvenating to receive reviews from our clients saying that working with Power of Basics is "the best thing we have done for our business" (Jim Garner, Owner of J. Garner Photography) and referring to us as "the smartest thing I could have done for my career" (Michelle Anderst, Owner of Anderst Art).

Truth is, we find our work to be rewarding, we're just glad someone else enjoys it, too.

Thank you, Kip Beelman, for the great mention!

As you know, Power of Basics Consultant, Lanae Rivers-Woods was featured in GoBODA's June photography workshop in Seattle, WA. Lanae's joint presentation with J. Garner Photography's Katarina Garner made quite a splash with the workshop attendees. One excellent review of the workshop by Photog, Kip Beelman, sums up Lanae's presentation best when he calls it "a business reality check and wake-up call".

Of course, that's not all he has to say: read Kip's full article here.

Thanks to the wonderful GoBODA and J. Garner Photography teams for producing such a practical and educational event. It's just the sort of clear-headed thinking we needed.

Pulling The Trigger On Trauma

From Lanae Rivers-Woods, Consultant:

Over the years, I’ve witnessed many companies and lives destroyed by life’s inevitable traumas and the shock waves that continue through the years. Sole proprietors are especially at risk of “losing it all” from the after effects of extreme stress, however, this doesn’t have to happen.

With a little organization and self-analysis, you can manage your company around these issues in a way that takes care of both you and your clients. You start by addressing the trauma head-on, accepting that it has changed you, addressing how it affects others around you and planning for these issues in the future.

Here is a basic framework for identifying the and working with trauma over time.

Know your trauma anniversaries

• Step 1: Create a list significant dates associated with sever trauma such as accidents, deaths, divorces, abuse, trials, violence, etc. If you don’t know the exact date do the research to find out when it was. Your subconscious remembers when things happen even if you don’t, so bring the important dates out of the dark.

• Step 2: Rate these dates 1-5. 1 being the least stressful and 5 being the most stressful. Take your time doing this. Consider not just what happened at that moment, but what else stemmed from the situation. Maybe the you had a car accident that hurt your neck, but the time off work caused you to lose your house. Which date do you really tie the stress too?

• Step 3: Assess your behavior surrounding every date with a level 5 trauma value next too it. During that time of year do you have trouble returning phone calls? Are you more likely to make rash decisions? Do you over schedule your clients? Have you fired someone every year on that date like clockwork?

Now that you know what times of year you will most likely operate with compromised decision making skills, it is time to plan for the event rather then pretend nothing will happen.

Plan ahead for your behavior

• Step 1: Share the list of dates with a level 5 response with key members of your staff and be open about what behavior they might expect surrounding said dates. Examples: “Next month will be difficult for me. I may have trouble sleeping and issues with decision making. I may need to take time off to avoid poor performance or ineffective management habits. I want to do what’s best for my employees and my company, and trying to pretending that I’m okay is not what’s best.” Ask for their ideas on ways to lighten your workload without overwhelming the staff.

• Step 2: Keep your scheduling light during level 5 trauma anniversaries. This is not the time to schedule big sales meetings, staff reviews or a big product launch. Pushing through these trauma anniversaries will only lead to poor, reflex decision-making that will damage your bottom line, just don’t do it. Plan ahead, be responsible.

• Step 3: Have a back-up plan and support system in place. If you suspect you may react more strongly to the anniversary due to such things as media coverage, unrelated exterior stress, or because the trauma happened recently, then pull in outside help. Create a system for temporarily managing your clients so you can meet their needs, while still meeting your own. If you need to, hire a temp or bring in help for that week only. Be clear about the situation and accept help in planning the best way to get through it.

• Step 4: Get back on the horse. Once the date has passed move quickly to return all systems to normal. This is the most important part, don’t prolong the process. Practice a quick and effect return to normal company behavior. It is important you demonstrate to both your clients and your staff that stepping back was a momentary move and not a permanent desire to do less.

When you model this behavior for your staff you will build the trust necessary for them to share the issues they struggle with and build a framework for your company to deal effectively with life’s trauma’s as they unfold in the future.

Throughout this process it is important to remember there is no shame in trauma and there is no shame is addressing how it has affected your life. It is a basic fact of the human experience and if addressed, it can be managed and addressed in a healthy productive way over time. You will also find that identifying these dates and your responses associated with them will lead to smoother transitions through them and eventually they may have no negative impact at all.

To learn more about the effects of trauma on the brain during trauma anniversaries I recommend the following two links:

http://dartcenter.org/content/self-study-unit-3-photography-trauma-3

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/emotional_psychological_trauma.htm

Client Profile: Authors, Gloria Burke and Katherine Burk

Children's authors Gloria Burke and Katherine Burk are a mother-daughter writing team who have recently begun winning over the Northwest with Finding Mr. Ness, the premier book of their Tilania Travelers Series.


The Authors.

Like the characters in their book, Finding Mr. Ness, Katherine Burk and Gloria Burke have embarked on an exciting journey together. What began as a way for mother and daughter to connect despite the miles between them has turned into a successful cooperative writing practice, and it’s only just begun.

Katherine spent several years in the political arena and the cellular telecommunications industry before taking on a new career direction: raising a growing family. Now she’s active in her Pacific Northwest community, contributing time and energy to her children’s schools, extracurricular activities and other charitable organizations. Writing and illustration are Katherine’s way of passing on some of the magic of her childhood to her own children.

Gloria has always been involved with child development. A mother and a grandmother, she’s also a recently retired Child Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst, and was the Medical Director at a charitable therapeutic nursery school. She’s been actively engaged with writing in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 20 years. Co-writing books with her daughter Katherine is a natural extension of her love for family, children and creative expression.

Finding Mr. Ness is Katherine and Gloria’s first publication together. With over 800 miles between them the process is sometimes challenging, but always rewarding. They are currently writing the next book in The Tilania Travelers Series, The Scrolls of Tilania.

The First Book.

Finding Mr. Ness is the first book in the Tilania Traveler Series, a series of chapter books written for children ages 7-10. The book is a winning combination of excitement and adventure that will capture children’s attention and keep them planted in their chairs, fully entertained. It’s full of captivating places like the Reflective Reef, Nessen and the Isle of Hearts, scientific devices like puncture-proof wetsuits and weather machines, and not-quite-familiar creatures like Kalya who’s “a cross between a sea turtle and a crab.” (Page 44) Reminiscent of other memorable stories, Finding Mr. Ness transports the reader to another world that seems unreal yet almost possible.

The Storyline.

Clayton and Annie are best friends whose curiosity about an old microscope, a postage stamp, and an eccentric scientist named Mr. Ness soon leads them on a journey into the strange land of Tilania. Once there they are swept into a desperate attempt to save a doomed civilization. Their race against time depends on the completion of Mr. Ness' powerful invention and the destruction of his archenemy.

Client Julie Kramis Hearne to be on Martha Stewart Radio

Our latest client, author and chef Julie Kramis Hearne, is going to be on Martha Stewart radio this coming week. Right now we are helping her put her best foot forward for the national media by providing the help she needs with her brand. So far we have:

• Developed her new website www.whatsjuliecooking.com which will launch in a few days.
  
• Developed her new blog whatsjuliecooking.blogspot.com which we are adding content to later today.
  
• Developed and launched a twitter feed www.twitter.com/castironskillet which took off like right away.
  

Not bad for a weeks worth of work.

This type of project is what The Power of Basics is all about. We take wonderful artists and authors and package their talent into a simple to manage brand using tools they can easily maintain throughout the lifetime of their company. No need to spend huge amounts of money when true profit is found in the basics of consistancy.

Client Profile: Julie Kramis Hearne

Julie Kramis Hearne has always loved food. When she was young, she would pretend to be sick so she could stay home from school and watch her mother teach cooking classes, and she often accompanied her mother to her classes with James Beard.

Julie’s formal cooking education began when she decided to major in Food Science and Nutrition at Seattle Pacific University. She continued her education by taking classes at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Her education was then enhanced by working with chef Jerry Traunfeld at the world-renowned Herbfarm restaurant in Woodinville, Washington. Always open to new sources of information and inspiration, Julie continues learning to this day by taking classes with award-winning chefs such as David Tanis, Giuliano Hazan, Diana Kennedy, Susan Hermann-Loomis and many others.

As former owner of two successful Seattle restaurants and a revered restaurant consultant, Julie continues to share her love of food by teaching cooking classes to the public. Also, for over a decade she has donated her culinary talents to raise money for such causes as Heart Hope Institute and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and she seeks to empower women in the culinary arts through membership in organizations like Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Women for WineSense and Les Dames d’Escoffier International. Julie was also a past board member of Slow Food International, an organization committed to the production of food that doesn’t harm the environment, animal welfare or our health.

Along the way, Julie has also managed to co-author two cookbooks with her mother, Sharon Kramis: The Cast-Iron Skillet Cookbook and The Dutch Oven Cookbook, which have received positive reviews in publications like the New York Times book review and the Seattle Times. Julie and her mother Sharon Kramis went on a 21 city tour and taught at all of the Sur La Table's across the country. They have also taught on board Holland America Cruise Lines and many other venues.

Julie has shared her recipes in Rachael Ray and Paula Deen's magazines as well as being a guest speaker on radio shows for NPR and Martha Stewart Living, Sirius Radio.

Julie lives with her husband Harker and their three sons, Reilly, Konrad, Andrew in Seattle.

Lanae featured speaker at GoBODA workshop in June

We are excited to announce that Power of Basics Consultant, Lanae Rivers-Woods will be a featured presenter at the GoBODA Photography Boot Camp in Seattle this June. Together with photography industry expert, Katarina Garner, Lanae will address how to foster an effective and lucrative photography company (without losing your mind) in her presentation, Work v. Profitability.

Good business is about the basics

Welcome to the Power of Basics, a blog focused on the simple necessities required to run a successful business. We keep it simple, we keep it refined and we keep it real.

Consultant Profile: Rebeqa Rivers

Hailing from Seattle, WA, Power of Basics' Efficiency and Processes Consultant, Rebeqa Rivers, is not only an expert in creating effective and rewarding process systems for companies small and large, but she is also an accomplished musician whose budding career is on the rise.

A trained opera singer, Rebeqa is active in many corners of the Northwest music scene. From appearances with world music group, Abrace - with whom she independently released an EP in 2008 - and as featured soloist for the NeoDandi Fashion House's seasonal runway shows, she continues to cross genres.

Her indie Steampunk band, Latitude x Longitude, co-founded with guitarist Spencer Smith is in the process of recording their first full length album, due to release in July of 2010. In addition, Rebeqa often shares the stage with musical great Mike McCready, the lead guitarist of Pearl Jam as well as many other legendary and rising musicians.