(Above photo by already talked about the workshop I did with Dane Sanders back in March 2008 and how incredible it was for me. When Dane said he was launching the new Fast Track Photographer Roadshow Workshop (code christine_workshop_new gets you $75 off), I begged him to make Houston be the first stop. Problem is, Houston isn’t always known for its awesomeness it seems in the photography world (we are in fact one of the MOST awesome cities, the hidden jewel), and he really wanted to go to Austin. I pointed out that not only is Houston where it is at, but it is also the 4th largest city in the nation. Plus my home. And my studio would be perfect for the workshop, and I knew it would be well received. He finally agreed.
Many months ago a dream was born. This week, it became a reality, and it was SO MUCH MORE than the dream ever could have been!
It is so easy as a photographer to focus on the photography and get bogged down in the every day tasks. The key thing that I see so many professional photographers forget is that they are running a business. And as a business, they need to apply business principles to how they do things. This is a topic I’ve been hugely passionate about since the day I first launched my company. What amazed me most about this week was discovering how other people see me. Things I already knew – but it was amazing hearing them from other people. I’m truly blessed by the people closest to my business – Mike (most awesome husband ever), Brittany, Elaine, Kelly – thank you to all of you for your insight. Thank you also to Andrew & Adam of ShootQ, Jessica, Sydney & Bridgett, Lorraine, Donna, Karen, Diane, Darrin, Evelyn, Chad, Peyton, Scott, Leslie, Alex, and Jaclyn.
Thank you also to EVERYONE who came out Tuesday night for Dane’s “Standing out in the Crowd” presentation – oh my goodness, my goal was to pack the place to show Dane how incredible the Houston community is – and without you guys I couldn’t have done it. We did it. We literally packed the place, a bit more than I had intended! Hee hee! He was blown away! The video below is a clip from that presentation.
Thank you again to ShootQ, SmugMug, Pictage, ShowIt Sites, and Pixel2Canvas for giving us goodies to help make our businesses even more awesome. (Of course, I’ve been a die-hard ShootQ user since 2007! It is fabulous!)
And of course a VERY special thanks to Dane for believing in me, for believing in Houston, for making us the first stop on the Roadshow, for inspiring us all, and for allowing us all a chance to dream big. What a blessing it has all been!
I am a lucky, lucky woman.
I realized yesterday I stand at a major crossroads, and the past 2 years of my life have lead up to it. Actually, in a way the past 10 years of my life have lead up to it. I have some BIG plans to work on now. Systems to develop. Choices to analyze. Things to do. Plans to make. Goals to set. I am PUMPED. All signs point to go. Where I had doubt 72 hours ago, I now know what must be made a reality.
The first part of it is starting at home. On Thursday, June 4th the Fast Track Photographer Workshop CEOs of Houston will be meeting at the studio to discuss where we are at with our goals. And if we’re still meeting in six months, Dane will be returning for our meeting to celebrate it — and I’m going to start working on him now to make sure he does another workshop in Houston at the same time. Because really, honestly, if there is ONE THING you do this year to improve your business, THIS IS IT. Learn to be a better business owner. It *WILL* change your world.
Don’t want to wait six months? You’re in luck. There are other Fast Track Photographer Roadshow Workshops already lined up. Sign up. Fast. Seriously. Bonus? If you want to take $75 off the price of admission, you can use the code christine_workshop_new for a discount!
San Francisco, CA – May 26-27
San Diego, CA – June 9-10
Chicago, IL – June 15-16
New York, NY – October 20-21
Hang on — the road ahead is going to be a wild ride!
4 replies on “Fast Track Photographer Roadshow Workshop – Houston Rocks!”
Christine-
Thank you so much for your dedication to your vision of bringing Dane to Houston. It was a truly awesome experience, and you were a major part of that.
I will be flying out to Phoenix early morning on the 5th, so I won’t be able to come down for the first CEO meeting, but please consider opening it up on Skype (or something similar) for those of us that are out of town!
Congratulations on the incredible turnout and huge success! That sofa surfing photo of Dane is hilarious. Glad you survived and had fun!
Ah, Dane Sanders! I just love reading his old posts on OSP, when he was asking which end of a camera was up. That was just a few years ago. Then came his zillion attempts at merchandising to other photographers, no doubt influenced by the success of Gary Fong, until he hit.
Recently, I was listening to an interview with the fantastic Cliff Mautner, who really knows how to shoot in and out, having been a PJ for the Philly Enquirer for a bunch of years photographing some 6,000 assignments, followed by being a wedding photographer for over a decade, and like he said (I’m paraphrasing), “Hey, what can these folks who’ve been photographers for just a few years possibly have accumulated to teach besides a new trendy philosophy?” I have to agree.
CHRISTINE’S RESPONSE: Ahhhh.. Mr. Me. So confident in yourself you can’t even leave your name or a real email address. Maybe you missed the whole point of my post that the workshop was about running a BUSINESS and NOT about shooting? We didn’t talk one bit about taking photos. We talked about business. Which Dane knows plenty about. How to leverage what you know to advance in your marketplace, which he is obviously an expert at or you would not be writing your pithy little anonymous posts here. Quoting other people because you can’t even speak for yourself. There was NO trendy philosophy taught, just sound business practice tips. I agreed with everything Dane taught because I’ve been a successful business owner for years now. It is very sound advice, and an excellent inspiring workshop that I highly recommend to anyone who is serious about their business.
Thank you for organizing all of this, Christine! I had a great time and learned a lot. I can’t wait until our next CEO meet-up!