Common mistakes to avoid to create a profitable real estate photography business

Getting a handle on how to run a business can be a challenge for anyone, particularly when you’re a creative just starting out in the business world.

When I began my career as a real estate photographer 19 years ago, I didn’t have a clear idea of how much time and money I needed to invest in the business to deliver the quality of service I wanted while remaining profitable.

This led to many hours of work before and after a shoot that I didn’t initially account for in my fee structure, eating into my profitability and hourly rate.

I quickly discovered that the journey isn’t always as straightforward as capturing beautiful shots of properties. 

Numerous challenges and pitfalls exist, and while honing your photography skills is essential, other factors play a big role in ensuring profitability and sustainability. 

The journey to create BWRM has helped me create systems that help newcomers avoid common mistakes that can hinder success, providing support in pricing, business strategy, and efficient processes. 

Building a successful business requires attention to pricing, business management, time efficiency, scalability, marketing, and upselling. Each of these areas presents its own challenges, and without the right support, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

Correctly value your services.

One of the biggest mistakes I see new photographers make is undervaluing their services. In real estate photography, it’s easy to focus solely on the creative aspects and get clients without fully understanding the true costs associated with each job. When you’re starting out, you often don’t account for expenses like equipment maintenance, travel, software, or post-production. This leads to underpricing, which directly impacts profitability and growth potential.

At BWRM, we emphasise the importance of pricing services accurately. We provide clear insights into costs, enabling creatives to structure their pricing to cover expenses and build in profit for sustainability. I learnt the hard way that pricing too low ultimately leads to burnout and financial strain, which is why we provide the support we do to creatives just starting out in the real estate photography business. When I established BWRM, I created a model to position creatives for long-term success. 

Make the most of upselling opportunities.

In the early days, I also missed opportunities to upsell my services through other offerings, such as floor plans, video, and drone footage, doing myself a disservice by not maximising value for both myself and my clients.

When I started to understand this side of things and grew my business with more clients, I came to understand the challenges of scaling a business smoothly and the extra hours required to manage workflows and client relationships.

Retaining clients and winning more business

While retaining and attracting more clients is an aspect of the business I had early success with and enjoyed, it can be another stumbling block when creatives’ workloads increase as their business grows.

In a competitive marketplace, time and energy must be invested in retaining clients and winning more business if your business is to be sustainable over the long term.

Having experienced the pitfalls common to starting a business, I was determined to help anyone who joined my new venture at BWRM avoid the same mistakes.

Keys to success

I know well how great ideas, vision, and energy can be undermined if great business acumen isn’t applied to the initiative.

That’s why at BWRM, creatives are well supported from day one, with extensive guidance to help members: 

• Price their services accurately, ensuring they understand their costs and position themselves for long-term success
• Manage overheads, forecast income or keep track of expenses without the stress of managing every detail independently
• Focus on shooting and client relationships while we handle the complexities of post-production 
• Provide marketing and sales guidance to ensure members are equipped to market their services effectively and build a loyal client base.
• Increase the value of their work and boost their bottom line with BWRM’s comprehensive service offering and suite of products, and
• Scale their businesses confidently with BWRM’s proven supply chain and member support, without compromising quality or overextending themselves.

A turning point

Partnering with BWRM is a turning point for many creatives. 

The blend of creative autonomy and business support I’ve created means that, unlike traditional franchise models, which often come with heavy-handed restrictions, BWRM offers the freedom to express your creative vision without sacrificing the tools and support that help your business succeed. 

You have control over your work, but you’re not left to manage everything on your own. I’ve designed the BWRM model to empower creative entrepreneurs, offering the best of both worlds - a space for free expression within a framework that ensures stability and growth.

We provide a support system that covers all the bases, from accurate pricing and business acumen to marketing and efficient workflows. By taking on the post-production load, BWRM enables creatives to focus on what they do best - photography and client relationships - while ensuring members’ businesses remain profitable and scalable.

If you’re a real estate photographer struggling to find a balance, consider joining BWRM. It will help you avoid common mistakes and focus on growth, while delivering high-quality work to your clients. With BWRM by your side, your real estate photography business will continue to thrive and evolve.

By choosing to join BWRM, creatives avoid the pitfalls of starting a business on their own, ensuring their real estate photography business is profitable from the start without managing post-production or undervaluing their work.