You Don’t Own a Business, You Own a Job — A Wake-Up Call for Pre-School, Sports and School Photographers Business

This article was inspired by the writer Michael E. Gerber (The E Myth). He explores The Entrepreneurial Myth: The mistaken belief that most small business owners are natural-born entrepreneurs as well as The Fatal Assumption: Thinking that if you understand the ‘technical work’ of a business, you can successfully run a business that does that work.

Let’s be honest - many school & sports photography businesses look successful on the surface. Cameras are clicking, orders are flowing, parents are paying. But behind the scenes, if you’re the one doing the sales, the photography, the editing, the customer service, the admin… what you actually own isn’t a business. It’s a job. And worse — it’s a job you can’t clock out of.

In the pre school, schools and sports photography industry, this is more common than we care to admit. Passionate photographers (technical workers) build something out of nothing, thinking that if they understand the technical work of a business (photography), they can successfully run a business, but somewhere along the way, they become trapped inside their own creation. 

Everything relies on them. If they stop, the business stops.

And that’s not freedom — that’s a treadmill.

The Difference Between a Job and a Business

A job depends on your time. A business works even when you're not there.

True business ownership means systems, teams, automation, and scale. It means building something that delivers consistent results without burning you out. In pre-schools, schools and sports photography, that might look like:

• Automated, consistent workflows from booking through to delivery

• Utilising casual staff/photographers

• Online ordering and post-pay systems with automated communication

• Automated order fulfilment and drop shipping

• Delegating/outsourcing editing, design, and data management to trained team members

The pre school, sports and school photography industry is unique — usually seasonal, high-volume, highly emotional. That’s all the more reason to design a business that runs smoothly and delivers consistent value, year after year.

The Wake-Up Call

If you’re feeling the burnout, you’re not alone. But maybe it’s time to stop asking “how can I do more?” and start asking “how can this run without me?”

Because the end game isn’t just a great photo — it’s a sustainable, valuable business.

So, next time you’re knee-deep in retouching or chasing payments, ask yourself: Am I running a business? Or just working overtime in a job I built for myself?

Quick Tip Ideas

🔧 1. Systemise Everything You Can

Problem: If your processes live in your head, you're the bottleneck. Solution:

• Create SOPs (standard operating procedures) for every repetitive task: school bookings, photography day, file handling, ordering.

• Use workflow and sales platforms (like Netlife) to automate and standardize job flow.

🤝 2. Build a Reliable Team

Problem: You’re wearing too many hats. Solution:

• Hire or train casual photographers, admin help, or seasonal staff.

• Outsource what doesn't require your brain — like image editing, product creation, or use AI to reduce customer support.

• Cross-train staff so the business doesn’t pause if someone is away.

💻 3. Leverage Post-Pay & Online Ordering

Problem: Pre-pay is admin-heavy and makes you chase money. Solution:

• Move to a post-pay model where parents see what they’re buying before paying — less stress, better order values.

• Use platforms that handle ordering, upselling, and delivery without your daily input.

• Automate order reminders, delivery tracking, and support FAQs.

📦 4. Build Scalable, Repeatable Products

Problem: Custom jobs eat up time and don’t scale. Solution:

• Create locked templates with automated tags to minimize manual layout work.

• Offer set packages that require little or no change per school.

• Upsell using digital add-ons or personalisation (like "Through the Years" or sibling combos) that can be batch-created.

📊 5. Know Your Numbers and Plan for Scale

Problem: You can’t improve what you don’t track. Solution:

• Track your costs, profit per job, turnaround times, and ROI per marketing channel.

• Use dashboards or spreadsheets to measure and adjust.

• Identify your highest-profit schools and replicate that model elsewhere.

🌍 6. Step Into the CEO Role

Problem: You're stuck in the business, not working on it. Solution:

• Set regular time aside for strategic planning, not just doing.

• Work on partnerships, branding, expansion — the big-picture stuff.

• Ask yourself regularly: If I wanted to sell this business tomorrow, what would a buyer need to see?

You can’t outsource vision, but you can absolutely delegate and automate the rest.