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    Home » Photography

    Why Undercharging Can Lead to Burnout

    Jun 17, 2021 · Modified: Mar 30, 2022 by Cashmere & Cocktails · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads ·

    Undercharging in your food photography business can only go on for so long.

    Here's the thing: constantly undercharging for your services can (and likely will) lead to burnout. Why? The answer is in the numbers.

    I'm sure you've heard fellow food photographers say that undercharging hurts the industry. We've preached again and again about not accepting free work or rates that fall below industry standards. Believe it or not, burnout is a huge reason why. If you're a business owner, the primary goal is to run a viable business, one that sustains itself as well as offers enough income to cover your own cost of living. That's the bare minimum, friends. Read it again: the #1 goal of your business is to cover the basic costs of operation and your living wages. This bottom line can't be achieved unless you are charging appropriately. You are not a non-for-profit. You own a business and if you want to make a real go at it, it's time to start treating it like one.

    What happens when we as creative business owners agree to rates that fall below our bottom line? Simply put, we have to work more in order to stay afloat. So instead of working a 40 hour week at your base rate, you may have to work 70 hours in order to make the same income just to survive. While it happens now and then to pull longer hours due to deadlines or busy seasons (the holidays are always crazy), this isn't a sustainable business model long term for most. Working at this pace for too long will leave you feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and possibly wanting to quit the business entirely.

    This type of unsustainable working schedule ultimately doesn't serve your clients either. It's unlikely that you'll be producing your best work if you're burnt out. On the flip side, if you accept projects below your base rate and stick to your regular working hours, your business will eventually go bully-up. Ultimately, the numbers don't lie: if you aren't charging clients what it takes for your business to survive, you'll either have to work more hours to make up for it or you'll run out of money. Your talents will be useless to your clients if you can't afford to keep offering your services.

    How do we avoid burnout as creative business owners? The first thing that I recommend doing is to take a good hard look at your numbers and understand HOW to price your rates. These numbers aren't plucked from the sky, there's an actual science behind them, and it's impossible to know whether or not you're running a sustainable business without them. If you've already confidently calculated your rates, fantastic. You've gotten step one out of the way. If you aren't sure how to accurately price your services yet (no shame - we've all been there), I have a pricing guide available HERE to help get you started. The second thing that I recommend is not accepting client projects that fall below your base rates. This will help avoid working overly long hours in order to make ends meat, allowing you to produce better work for your clients and feel fulfilled within your creative field.

    While pricing for profit isn't the end-all be-all when it comes to preventing burnout, it's definitely a top contender. Understanding the true cost of running your business and setting your prices accordingly will make it much easier for you to say no to projects that fall below your bottom line. By pricing for profit, you're much less likely to feel overworked.

    If you like this article, be sure to subscribe to this blog, follow me on Instagram and use the hashtag #cashmereandcocktailsblog so I can give your post some love. Looking for food photography tips and tricks? Subscribe to my YouTube channel and never miss out on the action!

    Content you may also like:

    • Foodtography School Review
    • "No" Is Not Failure
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    Hey! I'm Jen. I'm a home baker, food photographer and cocktail hype-girl. I love sharing recipes and helping food photographers take better photos and run a business they're proud of.

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    Looks like it’s time to spike the eggnog again. Looks like it’s time to spike the eggnog again. 

Getting through the festive season sounds much more tolerable with some extra cheer in my cup. Special shout-out to my fellow content creators. I hope you’re all still hanging on ‘cause let’s be real: Q4 = 9th circle of hell. 

Cheers to surviving the holidays! 🥂

#spikedeggnog #eggnog #eggnogseason #eggnogrecipe #eggnogcocktail #eggnogtime #christmasreel #christmasreels #christmasreelsofinstagram #holidayreel #holidayreels #reelsholiday #reelschristmas #holidaysarecoming #holidaysarehere #holidaysarehard #christmasiscoming #christmasishere #christmasisnear #christmasiscomingsoon #christmasisalmosthere #survivingtheholidays
    Me rocking a purple wig & sipping on a lavender gi Me rocking a purple wig & sipping on a lavender gin fizz is proof that whatever dignity I was holding onto has evaporated into a Lavender Haze 🫠💜

Full recipe details below 👇

Lavender Gin Fizz {Lavender Haze}

• 2 oz @empress1908gin 
• ¾ oz lemon juice, fresh
• ¾ oz lavender simple syrup
• 1 egg white
• club soda, to top off
• lavender sprig, optional

1. Add gin, lemon juice, lavender simple syrup and egg white to a shaker. Dry shake vigorously for 15 seconds (which is about how long I have left of my sanity 😵‍💫).
2. Add ice to the shaker and shake for 30 seconds.
3. Strain into a coupe.
4. Top with club soda. Garnish with lavender sprig and serve immediately.

 #purplehairdontcare #lavenderhaze #lavender #lavenderhair #lavenderdrink #lavendercocktail #lavendercocktails #ginfizz #ginrecipe #ginrecipes #gindrinks #gindrink #empressgin #purpledrinks #holidaycocktail #holidaycocktails #holidayrecipes #holidayrecipe #recipeshare #recipeshares #recipereel #recipereels #recipereelsofinstagram #taylorswiftedits #taylorswiftlyrics #taylorswiftmidnights
#recipevideos #recipevideo #reelrecipe #reelsrecipe
    Getaway Car (get-uh-wey kahr 🔊): a poor schmuck Getaway Car (get-uh-wey kahr 🔊): a poor schmuck you use to get out of your current relationship. 
“I needed to break up with Galvin, so I used Dom as a getaway car.”

If this sounds like you, make this cocktail👇 (recipe below)

Sidecar {Getaway Car}

- 2 oz brandy or cognac
- 1 oz orange liqueur
- 1 oz lemon juice, fresh
- Sugar, for garnish
- Lemon twist, for garnish

1. Rim a glass using a lemon wedge & sugar. Much like your emotions, set the glass aside.
2. Add brandy, orange liqueur, lemon juice & ice to a shaker. Shake vigorously until the shaker is cold & the bad karmic energy of your actions has been expelled. 💫
3. Strain the cocktail into the glass. Garnish with a lemon twist & pretend nothing happened. 🥂

#recipereel #recipereels #recipereelsofinstagram #taylorswiftreputation #taylorswiftlyrics #cocktailinspiration #cocktailinspo #sidecar #getawaycar #holidaycocktails #holidaycocktail #holidayrecipes #holidayrecipe #recipeshare #recipesharing #reelsrecipe #reelrecipe #recipeoftheweek #recipevideo #recipevideos #taylorswiftsongs #funnycaptions
    This one’s for my girlies haunted by the memory This one’s for my girlies haunted by the memory of a relationship they mega regret. Grab your pitchforks, ladies. We ride at dawn. 

👇Full Recipe Below

The Devil’s Margarita {Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve}

- 1 ½ oz tequila blanco
- 1 oz lime juice, fresh
- 1 oz simple syrup
- ½ oz red wine

1. Fill the shaker with ice. Add tequila, lime juice and simple syrup. 
2. Shake until it’s as cold as your ex’s heart 🥶(approx. 30 seconds). Pour into glass.
3. Set a spoon at a 45 degree angle over the glass, with the back of the spoon facing the heavens.
4. Pretending it’s the blood of your foes, slowly drizzle the wine over the margarita until you have approx ¼ red wine on the top.
5. Garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy!

#recipereel #recipereels #taylorswiftmidnights #margarita #margaritas #recipevideo #recipevideos #recipeoftheweek #recipesharing #reelsrecipe #reelstrend #taylorswiftlyrics #wouldvecouldveshouldve #cheers🍷 #cheerscocktail #cheers🍸
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