Photo studio business project. Promotion and advertising of photo studio services. Characteristics of a photo studio business plan with calculations made for Samara

With the development and spread of technology, it would seem that photography services should have become a thing of the past. Now almost everyone has their own device for taking photos and videos, devices for printing photos are available. In the wake of the reduction in the cost of technology, a new genre of photography was even born - the selfie. However, as practice shows, the services of a photo studio are still relevant.

And since services continue to be in demand, it makes sense to take a closer look at them, to calculate the possibilities of doing business.

To do this, you can take as a basis a ready-made business plan for opening a photo studio and make the necessary adjustments to it for a specific goal. Or entrust its development to professionals.

Generally speaking, a business plan is needed for 2 purposes:

• To understand the general course of things. There are no special requirements for the plan in this case;
• To obtain investments, loans, or attract partners. In this case, it is advisable to execute the business plan in accordance with the recommended standards.

The description below can serve as a template for writing a well-developed business plan.

Download a ready-made business plan for a photo studio, current for 2019, you can contact our trusted partners "Biplane"... Download link.

The difference between a photography studio and amateur photography

The photo studio provides a range of services:

• Professional photographer services... Use of quality equipment. Shooting in the studio and on site. Filling your portfolio with professional shots. Artistic shooting. Post-processing of images.
• Instant photo... Do not forget about the well-established market of instant photo documents for documents.
• Printing and processing of the provided photographic material... Both the printing of the client's own photographs, and their various processing, including with the possibility of posting on various resources.
• Provision of studio and equipment for rent... Another area that is not yet sufficiently represented on the market is the provision of professional equipment and a studio for use.
• Conducting training seminars, master classes... Photographing, image processing, art photography, etc.
• Additional services... Here you can offer services for preparing for a photo shoot: make-up artist, hairdresser.

In the amateur version, the quality of the images obtained is in most cases worse, and the significant time spent on finalizing the images does not always lead to the desired results.

Market analysis

At the first stage, it is necessary to include market analysis in the business plan for creating a photo studio.

We must get an answer: how much the service is in demand, who will use it, and the richness of offers. Market analysis is carried out in several sections:

• potential clients;
• competition;
• location.

Clients, depending on the planned implementation of the photo studio, can be:

• companies ordering photography services to promote their products, or to provide technical support for events;
• models for filling a portfolio;
• individuals to get quality photos or other services.

Competition in the photography services market is not uniform. First of all, by territories. The greatest competition is traditionally in Moscow, St. Petersburg and in large regional centers. In small towns, the competition is much lower, but the demand for services is low, and some of the services of professional photography may not be in demand at all.

The heterogeneity of the market also lies in the fact that the elite segments of the photo services market are quite densely occupied by a relatively small number of large players. The rest of the market is less saturated, especially with the growing demand for these services of enterprises, lovers of high-quality photos, etc.

Some consultants are inclined to believe that the location of a photo studio near the center plays a significant role. But the Internet and advertising have largely neutralized this importance. If a photo studio produces high-quality goods, then potential customers can ride a few extra kilometers for its services. And for outdoor photography, the location of the studio does not matter at all.

However, a studio located in a busy location will be more in demand than a studio located on the outskirts of the city. This is especially true for the initial stage of work.

What is required to open a photo studio, costs

To draw up a business plan for a photo studio, it is necessary to calculate the investment. Of course, at this stage, an approximate cost estimate is made.

First you need to find a place. For a full-fledged photo studio, you need a room over 60 sq. meters, ceiling height not lower than 3 meters (this is required to place spotlights). The range of prices here is quite large. You can buy a room or rent it. The price depends largely on the location. Additionally, targeted re-equipment will be required if the premises were not previously specialized.

A minimum set of hardware and equipment is required:

At the initial stage, you do not need to spend money on employees, provided that you independently take pictures. But if you are not a photographer, then it is advisable to hire a professional. The profit will directly depend on the professional qualities of the photographer. Other personnel are less important: administrator, technicians.

In some cases, it is advisable to conduct a full-fledged advertising campaign: street advertising, advertising in networks, on television, etc.

On average, we get

From an organizational point of view, opening a photo studio is not difficult. It is enough to register as an individual entrepreneur. Activity licensing is not required. If you plan to work with large clients, then an individual entrepreneur is not always convenient, in such cases it is better to register an LLC, licensing is also not required.

Profit and payback

At the beginning of a photo studio, you should not expect a large influx of customers. Even taking into account a well-thought-out marketing policy, a tangible response from an advertising company can be from a month to two. At first, the flow of clients will be small without an advertising campaign. Therefore, if there are hired personnel, it makes sense to draw up part-time or piece-work contracts first.

Average prices for photo studio services in Moscow are as follows:

• 1 hour of photography - 1,000 - 5,000 rubles.
• wedding photo session, events - 30,000 - 50,000 rubles.

On average, we calculate approximately 2,000 rubles per hour.

Work in the first months is expected for 2-3 hours a day, then the flow will increase. Those. about 5,000 rubles. in a day. Per month - 100,000 rubles.

As it is easy to see, in the first months of operation, the photo studio will bring losses. Approximately about 50,000 rubles. per month. You need to calculate your financial capabilities for a given period. With an increase in clients, within 2-3 months the photo studio should reach the level of self-sufficiency.

When you reach an 8-hour workday, your monthly income will be from 200 to 400 thousand rubles.

Accordingly, the profit is 50 - 100 thousand rubles. per month.

With such a cash flow, the payback period will be from 1 to 2 years, which is a good payback period for a business.

This article does not disclose in detail how to open your own photo studio, this requires a more thorough study of the project for a specific purpose. The article provides only an indicative business plan.

Good afternoon, colleagues. My name is Alexander Egorov, I live in the suburbs. Six years ago I wondered how to make a photo studio. For several months he studied photography, delved into the essence of the business. After a while, they managed to open their own studio, which has been successfully operating for more than four years.

The characteristics of my business are as follows:

• initial costs - from 500 thousand rubles;
• a large room with an area of ​​275 square meters. The rental price is 125 thousand rubles per month;
• monthly income at this stage is 400 thousand rubles per month;
• payback period - 6-8 months.

How to open a photo studio from scratch?

Please note that in such a business you will be in great demand. If you are working on your own, you must have a high level of skill. In the absence of the appropriate skills, it is best to hire a professional photographer.

The peculiarity of the photo studio is the provision of a wide range of services, that is, not only photographing and transferring images, but also processing the latter in special editors, creating a portfolio and further processing, designing photo books, and so on.

But here, of course, a lot depends on the experience of the specialist.

Below I will give a short step-by-step instruction on how to open a photo studio. She should help you in building an algorithm for further actions and future advancement:

1. Before you open a photo studio, decide on the range of services provided (the wider it is, the better).

You can take photographs for documents, model (portrait) photography, photograph at events and holidays, make advertising and product photography, do photomontage, make souvenirs based on the photographs taken, and so on.

2. Find a suitable room. An ideal place for an office is in the central part of the city, where large flows of people move.

Of course, rental costs in this case will increase, but it will also be easier for clients to find a photo studio.

The optimal area of ​​the premises for the first time is from 60-70 square meters.

Please note that for the convenience of visitors, it will not be superfluous to organize a small reception and dressing room. Pay attention to the height of the ceilings. It is very important for a photographer that it should be at least 3-3.5 meters.

If you take a standard apartment with ceilings 2.4-2.5 meters, then there may be problems with the placement of equipment. Pay attention to the windows - they must be large.

In this case, it is desirable that there are several of them per room. Natural lighting is a mandatory attribute of a high-quality photo. A similar requirement applies to the dressing room. In addition to artificial lighting, it should also contain natural light.

It is not necessary to buy a room for the first time - it is enough to rent it and make a high-quality design renovation. Keep in mind that everything in a photography studio should "breathe" creativity, so it is better not to skimp on finding and remunerating a quality designer.

The average cost of renting premises is from 50 thousand rubles (but here it all depends on the city, proximity to the center, arrangement of the premises, and so on). Additional costs for finishing and purchasing basic furniture - from 150 thousand rubles.

Again, you can save money or furnish the space in a higher class.

3. Be sure to be formalized. Otherwise, a check from the tax office will come very quickly. For a photo studio, two options are suitable - LLC or IE.

As a rule, entrepreneurs choose the first option. If the work will be carried out only with individuals, then an individual entrepreneur is enough.

Opening and promotion of a photo studio

As for taxation, here one of the best options is UTII or patent form. The OKVED code for this activity is 74.8 (it includes the provision of various services) and 74.81 is a specialized code that concerns only photography.

If sales and copying services will be provided, then two more codes must be indicated - 52.4 (retail) and 22.22 (printing).

Registration with the Pension Fund and a number of other organizations will be required. After the arrangement of the premises and repairs, there must be a conclusion of the SES and the fire inspection. Be sure to buy a cash register and strict reporting forms.

The expenditure part for the entire registration stage (together with the purchase of a cash register and other devices) - from 30,000 rubles.

4. As soon as the documents are completed and the premises are ready, get down to buying equipment. At the initial stage, you can not spend a lot and buy only the most necessary things.

Please note that you will definitely need a high-quality camera (it will cost from 30,000 rubles).

In addition, you will need a computer with software, which must be very powerful to work in various video and photo processing programs (from 35,000 rubles).

Russia and Ukraine is the first step towards starting a successful business with an easy and simple start.

Making a decision to buy a franchise is necessary with the professional recommendations of the section:

You can read about the latest news and business trends with a franchise

To print a photo, you need a good photo printer (its price is about 10-15 thousand rubles), a tripod for attaching the camera (about 2000 rubles), a copier (about 10,000 rubles), lighting devices (about 10,000 rubles).

Be sure to buy a laminator - about 8,000 rubles. The total cost of purchasing equipment is about 110,000 rubles.

5. Personnel may be needed, if the photo studio offers additional services for scanning, photocopying, recording information to external sources, printing photos, printing other information, and so on.

You can take an experienced person to work with Photoshop and put him on processing photos, restoring old pictures, creating collages, making retro photos, and so on.

As a rule, it is enough to take 1-2 assistants, who, if something happens, will be able to substitute and take simple pictures of documents. At the same time, salary costs will be insignificant. As a rule, you can keep within the amount of about 30-40 thousand rubles.

Table # 1. Potential of photo studio production services in Russia

6. If you want to quickly recoup your costs, then advertising is a must. Ideally, it is advisable to create your own website on the Internet with examples of the best photos, organize outdoor advertising, make beautiful ads and hang them around the city.

Thus, the total cost of starting a business, taking into account the above investments, will amount to about 400 thousand rubles. Plus the monthly costs of renting premises, advertising, wages and so on - about 100 thousand rubles.

What do you need to open a photo studio?

Business at the opening of a photo studio is one of the most accessible in terms of organization, design and competition. But the important thing to remember here is that not everyone succeeds.

You must be a professional in your field and have an individual approach to each client. Opening a photo studio should be a special event in the life of your city, so advertise before starting work.

In the future, the reputation will be formed solely on the basis of customer reviews. So be courteous, always accommodating, listen carefully and carefully bring in your professional vision. If the client sees you as a professional, then he will completely trust.

It doesn't take much to start your own business. First, you must be madly in love with your job (even if another person is working as a photographer). Secondly, there must be a desire and willingness to organize a business.

Thirdly, you need to have about 500 thousand rubles on hand (at least). This is the answer for people who are wondering how much it costs to open a photo studio. As a rule, at the initial stage, the above amount is sufficient.

Then you can continue to develop - buy (rent) a larger room, expand the range of services (for example, you can open a store selling photo or video goods), hire people, and so on. Much depends on success and profit.

Do you need a photo studio business plan?

Before opening an interior photography studio, creating a business plan is a must. This document becomes a reliable assistant in the harsh world of business.

If you have certain knowledge and experience, you can write the document yourself or entrust the work to professionals.
Please note that the following aspects should be reflected in the business plan - the goals of the future enterprise, types of services provided, development prospects, risk factors, ways to overcome competition, all types of costs, start-up capital for starting a business, initial and monthly costs, specifics of personnel selection and etc.

The more accurately the document is painted and the more details are taken into account in it, the less likely it is to burn out. Of course, the risk always remains, but it can be minimized.

Opening a photo studio: total costs

Let's sum up the total costs of opening a photo studio:

• renting premises will cost from 30-50 thousand rubles (monthly);
• repair and arrangement of the selected office - from 150 thousand rubles;
• registration of all papers, purchase of a cash register, registration - from 30 thousand rubles;
• remuneration of personnel, provided that you hire 1-2 employees - from 30-35 thousand rubles (monthly);
• expenses for a full-fledged advertising campaign - from 30 thousand rubles;
• other expenses (taxes, purchase of accessories, components, etc.) - from 20 thousand rubles per month.

At the same time, the potential income of your business in the first month can be from 200 thousand rubles. With increasing popularity, profits will surely grow.

• Production plan
• Marketing plan
• Financial plan
• Step-by-step plan for opening a photo studio
• What OKVED to indicate when registering a business
• What documents are needed to open
• Do I need a business permit
• Photo studio opening technology
  • • • Related business ideas:

Business plan for organizing a private photo studio in an office space of more than 70 square meters.

How much money is needed to start this business

The entrance ticket to the opening of a modern photo studio is on average 800 - 1200 thousand rubles. To provide quality services, investments in technology, design and advertising are required:

• Deposit for renting premises for the period of renovation (70 sq. M.) - 100,000 rubles.
• Repair and design - 300,000 rubles.
• Equipment (monoblock, reflector, curtains, portrait dish, stripbox, crane and crane stands, octabox, paper backgrounds, stands) - 550,000 rubles.
• Website development - 50,000 rubles.
• Advertising - 30,000 rubles.
• Business registration and other expenses - 50,000 rubles.

Total - 1,080,000 rubles.

Production plan

For a photo studio to work, you need to choose a room with an area of ​​70 sq. m. The main thing that should be paid attention to according to experts - the height of the ceilings in the room. It should be at least 3 meters (ideally, the higher the better). For this reason, it is not possible to open a photo studio in an apartment - only an office space. There are no specific advantages at the place of deployment. You can open both in the central part of the city and in a residential area. However, the second option looks a little more preferable than the first one because it is much cheaper in terms of rent. People are ready to go to a good studio from one part of the city to another.

What equipment to choose for a photo studio

An equally important stage is the purchase of professional equipment. Saving here is not always a way out of the situation. Especially if the studio is planned to be rented out. Thus, the purchase of Chinese equipment will be 3 - 4 times cheaper than the European one. In this case, the difference in quality will be what is called "on the face". Chinese technology works unpredictably: it may not work, give light of different powers, show completely different color temperatures, and so on. And the face in the photo can turn out to be white on the one hand, and blue on the other. Correcting bugs not only takes time from the photographer, but also makes the client nervous.

What taxation system to choose for this business

A license is not required to conduct such activities. As an organizational form, both ordinary individual entrepreneurship (IP) and a limited liability company (LLC) are suitable. The taxation system can be UTII or STS. And he and the other special. the regime is exempted from the obligation to pay income tax, property tax and VAT. Installation of a cash register is not required.

Download photo studio business plan

Marketing plan

A photography studio can make money in three main areas: private photography, commercial photography, and photography studio rental. Often, business organizers choose the latter business format, since it does not require professional photography skills from the entrepreneur. All that is needed is to equip a photo studio with high quality and rent it out to experienced photographers. But, as practice shows, photo studios that earn only on rent do not exist for a long time - the monetary "exhaust" is not so big. Therefore, the ideal format is to deal with several areas at the same time. That is, to carry out self-photography, and in free hours to rent out a photo studio to other photographers.

The most modern and effective way to promote photo studio services is advertising on the Internet. It is practically impossible to promote services without a good website and a group on social networks. Word of mouth is also of tremendous importance. For example, one of the photographers posted an interesting work done in your photo studio and other photographers liked it who would like to repeat this success. Commercial filming is a good idea to advertise through the business press and glossy magazines.

Financial plan

The fixed monthly expenses of the photo studio, according to the calculations of the business plan, are:

• Rent (70 sq. M.) - 50 thousand rubles.
• Salary + insurance contributions (administrator and photographer) - 70 thousand rubles.
• Advertising - 20 thousand rubles.
• Consumables - 10 thousand rubles.
• Taxes (UTII) - 10 thousand rubles.
• Accountant services (outsourcing) - 10 thousand rubles.
• Other expenses - 15 thousand rubles.

Total - 185 thousand rubles.

How much can you earn from opening a photo studio

• Average bill for a service (1 hour of work) - 3000 rubles.
• Ordered hours per day - 5 (50% of working time)
• Daily revenue - 15,000 rubles.
• Revenue per month (22 days) - 330,000 rubles.

Hence the profit: 330,000 - 185,000 = 145,000 rubles per month. Business profitability - 43%. With such indicators, the project pays for itself in 8-10 months of work (taking into account the time for the promotion of the studio).

Recommended download photo studio business plan, from our partners, with a quality guarantee. This is a complete, ready-made project that you will not find in the public domain. Business plan content: 1. Confidentiality 2. Summary 3. Stages of the project 4. Description of the object 5. Marketing plan 6. Technical and economic data of equipment 7. Financial plan 8. Risk assessment 9. Financial and economic justification of investments 10. Conclusions

With the development of digital technology, the market for photo services is expanding. Themed photo sessions in nature and in the studio, family and individual, are becoming popular. Today, any creative person can open a photo studio and turn a passion for photography from a hobby into a business - it is enough to follow the developed plan.

Choosing a business concept

For a photographer, a studio is a way to combine hobby and work, the ability to shoot regardless of weather conditions, to vary the surroundings for interior photo sessions. If you have achieved recognition as a photo artist, opening a photo studio will be a prospect for development.

When planning a business, take one of the existing concepts as a basis:

1. Interior photography studio. For productive work, you need to rent or purchase premises and decor items. In the absence of a stable customer request for interior photography, the studio pays off only by renting out to novice photographers and providing related services (stylist, hairdresser, make-up artist and others).
2. Home photo workshop. The possibilities of the photo lab, created on the basis of the apartment, are limited to portrait photography.
3. Photo studio. A small room with a minimum of equipment for the production of photographs for documents.
4. Room for filming children. The concept is designed for loving parents who want to capture their little ones in professional photographs.

Photo gallery: types of studios

Create a list of services in accordance with your requests:

• individuals (family and individual photo sessions, shooting events);
• commercial companies (photos for application on souvenir products, photography of goods for advertising catalogs, corporate events).

Additional sources of income:

• cooperation with glossy magazines, shooting branded products;
• photo sessions with novice models for a portfolio;
• artistic processing and retouching of the best pictures;
• services of a hairdresser and make-up artist;
• instant photo;
• production of souvenir products;
• master classes and lectures on image processing;
• hourly studio rent during downtime.

Souvenir products with photos are an additional way to earn money

At the start of your creative journey, tailor a set of value-added services to fit your budget. Choose ideas that do not require huge costs and specific equipment to implement.

Benefits and risks

The cost of photo studio services varies from 3 thousand to 10 thousand rubles per hour of work, and additional costs are minimal. Business profitability is high if possible risks are prevented:

• increased competition;
• seasonality of demand (likely downtime);
• low liquidity (impossibility to sell the studio in case of collapse).

In a competitive environment, do not overcharge services. Look for an individual approach to customers - develop a discount system for regular customers, come up with bonus student programs. To minimize risks, provide professional services, collect and offer portfolios to clients. During downtime, host free photo shoot contests and distribute gift certificates. Hire a team of qualified employees who can work in your absence, ensuring the stability of the company.

Step-by-step instructions for opening a photo studio from scratch

To open a photo studio from scratch, a budding entrepreneur needs to go through five steps:

1. Business registration.
2. Choice of premises.
3. Purchase of equipment.
4. Studio decoration.
5. Staff recruitment.

Business registration documents

You can register the activities of a photo studio in the form of a limited liability company (LLC) or an individual enterprise (IP). The advantages of an LLC are the ability to expand, create a network of branches and attract financing from external sources. The positive aspects of an individual entrepreneur are a simplified registration process, no need to keep accounting records, the ability to spend the proceeds at your own discretion.

Documents for registration of an individual entrepreneur:

• notarized application form No. Р21001;
• certified copy of the passport (all pages);
• receipt for payment of the state fee in the amount of 800 rubles.

By default, when registering an individual entrepreneur, a general taxation system (OSNO) is established. If you have chosen a different type (simplified system or unified tax on imputed income), file an application for a change in the tax system (notification form 26.2-1).

Documents for registration of LLC:

• notary certified application form No. Р11001;
• articles of association;
• minutes of the meeting or the sole decision of the founder to establish a company;
• certified copies of the identity cards of the founders;
• receipt for payment of state duty 4000 rubles;
• if necessary, an application for a change in the taxation system (notice 26.2-1).

The minimum authorized capital of a limited liability company is 10,000 rubles.

When registering a company, select the types of planned economic activity in accordance with the OKVED classifier. Possible options for a photo studio:

• activities in the field of photography (74.81);
• printing activity not included in other categories (22.22);
• other types of publishing activities (22.15).

Having sent the documents to the registration authority, proceed with the selection of premises.

Studio location and room requirements

The success of a photo studio depends on its location. When choosing a room for a future studio, analyze the factors:

• remoteness from competing companies;
• convenience of accommodation for clients, distance from public transport stops, availability of parking spaces;
• the possibility of installing outdoor advertising structures near the building.

The minimum height of the room for the installation of lighting equipment and the podium is 3 m, the optimum is 3.7 m. The width of the pavilion for shooting is from 5 m, it is necessary to place the paper background. The length is calculated as the width multiplied by two.

Gray background reflects light evenly and softly without interfering with shooting

In addition to the stylized pavilion, the studio should have:

• screen;
• dressing room;
• shower cabin;
• lobby with a reception desk;
• technical room equipped for printing photos and providing related services.

If you have funds, additionally equip the rest room with a tea table and a drinks machine.

Equipment for photo shoots

Having chosen a room, proceed to the technical equipment of the studio. Install four to five light sources and attach the softboxes to them. Purchase additionally:

• reflector umbrellas;
• classic hard light reflectors;
• stands for light sources;
• portrait dish;
• herons and holders;
• flash meter for exposure measurement;
• nozzles in the form of curtains and honeycombs;
• paper backgrounds with fastening;
• flash synchronizers;
• interior items, props;
• mirror and steamer in the dressing room;
• computer and photo retouching software.

Photo gallery: equipment and props

Buy a DSLR and lens kit if needed. When choosing a camera, contact the manufacturers specializing in the production of photographic equipment - Canon and Nikon. Do not read advice on the forums - focus on the technical parameters of the device and your own needs. List of important features of a professional camera:

• matrix size;
• matrix resolution - from 13 Mp;
• ISO matrix sensitivity - from 10 to 25,000;
• the ability to manually change the settings;
• dimensions and weight.

Studio decoration

When designing a studio, consider the general requirements for filming premises. Paint the walls and ceiling in a neutral gray, and lay a wear-resistant matte linoleum of the same shade on the floor. If your studio has a window, install a curtain rod over it and hang curtains made of opaque fabric.

Equip the pavilion with ventilation and air conditioning systems, think over the location of the outlets, convenient for moving the equipment. There are three studio design options:

• a simple gray room with no decorations;
• hall with colored backgrounds;
• themed hall.

When using the latest design, remember to change the scenery depending on the season. In winter, set up a Christmas tree, lay a fluffy carpet on the floor and sprinkle artificial snow. In summer, decorate the room with flowers or style according to the beach theme.

Studio decoration for the new year

Decorate the area for photographing children and couples in light pastel colors - it will be popular with studio tenants and clients, increasing the profitability of the business.

Staff recruitment

The photographer is the main "weapon" of the photo studio. If you have realized yourself as a photo artist and plan to work on your own, do not hire employees at first. Having successfully worked for two or three months and received the first income, hire an administrator to maintain the client base and a cleaner.

If you are opening a photography studio as a business without taking photographs, pay attention to the selection of a photographer. At first, it will be he who will form the image of the studio.

Having formed a client base and untwisted the studio, on a contractual basis, hire specialists to provide additional services:

• make-up artist for applying makeup;
• hairdresser to work on hairstyles;
• stylist to create an image;
• seller for the sale of related products.

Makeup artist shapes the image of the model

A photographer, make-up artist and stylist can not only provide services directly, but also conduct master classes for beginners on shaping the image of a model, correctly staging the light or processing images.

Promotion and advertising of photo studio services

To attract customers, advertise the studio's services on the resources available. Create a website or social media group and upload a portfolio of your best work. Think about how much your services will cost, post the price list in the public domain.

Sign contracts for servicing large corporations - they will invite you to shoot their own events. Other advertising opportunities:

• system of discounts;
• Gift certificates;
• promotions and sweepstakes;
• installation of banners near the studio;
• advertising on television and radio.

To form and maintain the image of the studio, participate in creative exhibitions of professionals.

Financial plan - expenses and projected income

When starting a photo studio, plan your one-time and monthly expenses and try to forecast income. Approximate calculations are summarized in tables.

Table: calculation of the initial investment

Table: monthly expenses

The average cost of a photographer's services is 1,000 rubles per hour. Average daily employment is 3-4 hours. The rest of the time the studio is rented out at a price of 900 rubles / hour on weekdays and 1200 rubles / hour on weekends. Average daily employment is 3 hours.

Table: projected monthly income

Is it profitable to open a photo studio: reviews of entrepreneurs

At first, you will work at a loss for yourself. But if you manage to develop the project and build up a customer base, ensuring the full load of the premises, the photo studio will start to make a profit. This is confirmed by the reviews of entrepreneurs from business forums.

A successful photography studio must have a trick. It should be not just a room where you can take pictures, but a stylized salon with a thoughtful interior design and interesting photo zones. Creating a creative space requires financial costs.

Alexandrof

I have been following the trends in the photography business since 2011. There are over 40 studios of various types in St. Petersburg, and 1–2 of them are closed or changed the direction of their work every year. A studio is a good option for a reputable photographer looking to save money during the winter. If there is an opportunity to attract 20-30 customers per month and rent out the premises, the studio will pay for itself.

http://www.biznet.ru/topic188946.html

A set of services can lead to success in the work of a photo studio: photo for documents + on-site shooting + photo processing + sale of souvenirs. In other cases, it will be difficult to earn bread and butter.

http://www.penta-club.ru/forum/topic/87654-would-want-open-photostudio-in-small-siberian/

Video: how to open your own photo studio

The business plan contains approximate figures that you can adjust depending on the region, your own needs and the request of the target audience. Before starting a photo studio, calculate your own business plan based on the proposed one and act in accordance with it.

With the development of digital technologies, photography and photo studio business is gaining popularity every day. And, despite the tough competition, this niche is still not fully mastered. Today, with high-tech gadgets, almost everyone can take good photographs. What, then, are photo salons needed for?

For professional photographs, filling a catalog and creating advertising brochures - you cannot do without the services of a photo studio. In this article, we will present a business plan for a photo studio and tell you in detail how to start this project from scratch.

Why write a business plan?

The implementation of any business idea should always be preceded by a planning stage. Writing a business plan will help analyze the market situation, evaluate the project from the position of strengths and weaknesses, calculate the profitability, costs and payback of the business.

In addition, if the start-up capital is completely absent and there is a need to attract investors, you cannot do without this document.

But here you need to understand that attracting investors is not always profitable. If it turns out to start a business without third-party capital investments, then it is better to implement the idea yourself. How realistic it is and how much effort, cost and time will have to be put in for this, the ready-made business plan will show.

A well-written business plan will become a step-by-step guide in the future that will allow you to achieve your goal without deviating from the main idea.

The document reflects all aspects of the activity and helps to plan the sequence of actions necessary for the successful implementation of the company's goals.

He helps:

• analyze the competitive environment;
• write the required amount of raw materials and equipment to implement the idea;
• define the target audience;
• calculate the payback period of the business;
• analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the project.

If you plan to turn to private investors for help in starting a business, then you will need to draw up two documents: for internal and external use.

A plan for internal use is written to calculate the real payback and assess the risks.

Here, in no case should the data be distorted, ignoring the weaknesses. You must clearly understand all external and internal threats to your business, calculate the real payback period and the costs that will stand for the implementation of the business.

It is advisable for investors to write a slightly different document that demonstrates the business idea from the advantageous point of view. Of course, this does not mean intentional data corruption and false numbers. But hidden threats, many weaknesses can be mitigated in this document.

Please note that when offering a document to investors for study, they will primarily pay attention to the following points:

• market analysis;
• the amount of costs;
• assortment of goods (services);
• payback period;
• pricing policy;
• sales channel system;
• advertising strategy.

Having analyzed the market for these services in your region, and having familiarized yourself with the proposals of competitors, it is important to highlight the popular and related services that you can offer to your customers.

The main services can be:

• family photo sessions;
• portfolio of models;
• advertising brochures;
• subject photography for advertising purposes;
• photo for documents and vignettes;
• outdoor shooting for celebrations, weddings, anniversaries;
• shooting Love Story;
• shooting pets

An additional service that will help not only generate income, but also attract customers through partners can be:

• professional make-up;
• art painting of the body with henna;
• printing of photo books, etc.

Photo studio business plan diagram

In order to make it easier to write a business plan for a photo studio, try to rely on standard points:

1. Summary.
2. General Provisions.
3. Market analysis.
4. Product description.
5. Marketing and strategic plan.
6. Costs.
7. Production plan.
8. Organizational plan.

Pros and cons of business photo studio ideas

Before we start writing a business plan and implementing the idea itself, let's analyze the advantages and disadvantages of this project, identifying the strengths and weaknesses.

Advantages:

1. High demand. Despite the fact that everyone today has gadgets and the ability to take pictures, the demand for professional images is growing every day. If you live in a big city, a large number of people will use this service, which will allow you to quickly reach a good profitability.
2. Regular customers. Despite the high competition, good service and professionalism of the photographer is a key success factor. This is what will allow you to create a base of regular customers who will not turn to another studio for this service.

But, despite all the visible advantages of this business idea, it would be unfair not to mention the disadvantages of opening a photo studio.

Flaws:

Given the high competition, the main emphasis when writing a business plan should be made precisely on market analysis and search for the target audience. All this will allow you to occupy your own niche in the market and really offer the client a worthy product.

Summary or relevance of the project

In the field of photography, the main goal and task is to provide people with high-quality professional images. Today, with the development of digital technology and the popularization of photo images, the quality requirements have increased dramatically. Therefore, in this area, the priority task is to provide services of the highest quality.

A lot of projects and events require high-quality pictures taken in the salon. Advertising campaigns, filling catalogs, wedding photography and themed sessions all require a good professional salon.

Photo salons allow organizing a whole range of related services at their base, which allows them to demonstrate a high level of service to customers and additionally extract profit from this.

Clients who order a photo session in the salon can additionally offer the services of a make-up artist, stylist, hairdresser. This will expand your customer base, attract additional business partners and reap the double benefits.

Analysis of the photo services market

After analyzing this industry, it can be noted that the sphere of photo services is just emerging in our country. With the increase in the volume of sales of digital electronic gadgets, the spread of social networks, etc. the demand for high-quality professional photos is increasing every day.

Part of the niche is occupied by large entrepreneurs, but the market capacity allows starting a business in this area without fear of tough competition.

The increasing demand of ordinary citizens for the service of professional studio photography leads to the creation of such agencies. It was the massive popularization of social networks that pushed people to create professional portfolios.

The services of a professional photographer are in great demand at various special events: weddings, banquets, anniversaries. At the same time, family photo sessions on the occasion of various holidays are becoming a fashionable trend: the birth or expectation of a child, the anniversary of a relationship or marriage, New Year's or themed photo sessions.

The strongest competitors in this business are private photographers who offer lower prices. But these are different niches, which, with a well-planned and offered service to the client, do not overlap.

When analyzing the market for photo services in a particular city, calculate how many studios are already operating in the city. Determine their location, analyze what caused this choice.

At the stage of searching for premises, this information will be very useful and will allow you to take a strong competitive position.

Video. How to open your own photo studio?

Step-by-step instructions on how to open a photo studio

Before the implementation of the business itself, the purchase of equipment and the search for premises, great attention should be paid to the paperwork.

1. Paperwork

For a person taking their first steps in the business of providing photo services, this stage will cause certain difficulties.

You must first register an individual entrepreneur. This procedure is carried out at the tax office, where the following documents are presented:

• passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
• a receipt for payment of the state fee (800 rubles).
• Application form P21001.

After submitting all the documents, the employee of the Federal Tax Service examines the documents within 5 working days, after which he issues a Certificate of registration of the individual entrepreneur.

According to this scheme, the entrepreneur pays 6% of all profits and contributions to the Pension Fund, FFOMS.

• passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
• IP registration certificate;
• a document confirming tax registration;
• premises lease agreement;
• medical records of employees (in the event that you hire staff);
• permission of the fire service and sanitary and epidemiological station.

For the salon, location is not a key factor. If you plan to make the main focus of your activity on the execution of corporate orders, then you can save on this part of the cost and rent a room in a residential area, in an industrial zone.

If you intend to open a premium-level salon, where a high level of service will be realized and the price of the highest segment is set, then you need to find a room in the central part of the city.

First of all, explore the area and see if there are similar agencies nearby. It would be a big mistake to open a studio 300-500 meters away from a competitor.

Pay attention not only to the total area of ​​the premises, but also to the area around: the number of parking spaces, the traffic intersection, etc. It should be convenient for clients to get to the studio.

The main requirement for a room for a photo studio is the height of the ceilings. For the implementation of professional activities, a height of at least 3 meters is required.

For a small salon, an area of ​​50-60 square meters is enough. More area will be allocated for the shooting area. The rest of the area must be left for the wardrobe, the place of work of the makeup artist, the administrator's area, etc.

Also consider the light source in the room. Part of the studio needs to have direct daylight. Other windows, if necessary, can be closed with curtains.

The design of a photo studio depends on the individual preferences of a businessman. As a rule, the walls are painted in one color so that later this area can be used as an additional photo location.

The price of renting premises, in many respects, will be determined by the peculiarity of the region and the distance from the center. Therefore, it is difficult to talk about the average price per square meter here.

1. Equipment purchase

Let's determine what equipment will need to be purchased for a professional photo studio. Even a minimal set of equipment will require serious investment:

• SLR camera;
• a set of interchangeable lenses;
• flash;
• lighting devices (at least 4 units);
• stands and honeycomb attachments, softboxes, curtains, exposure meters, etc .;
• set of special backgrounds.

From additional equipment you need to purchase:

• large mirror for visitors;
• furniture for clients and administrator;
• set of decorations.

1. Personnel search

The entire staff of a photo studio, in principle, can consist of one photographer. But if you are really going to offer quality service to your customers, then you will need to invite an administrator to work.

Before hiring a photographer, be sure to check out his portfolio and ask for work experience.

If you are planning a large-scale service that will include a wide range of services, then you will have to look for the following specialists:

• makeup artist;
• additional photographer;
• assistant;
• image processing designer;
• accountant.

A good professional photographer is the key to business success.

The main target audience of this business is women and girls aged 15 to 50 years.

This service will also be actively used by married couples, young mothers, girls expecting a baby, and novice models.

The sale of these types of services is active and it is necessary to organize an advertising campaign to promote the business.

Advertising determines the success of any business and future profits. You can, of course, open a studio and wait for the effect of a "satisfied customer" to work, which will begin to transfer information about the quality of service to other customers along the chain. Or you can take the situation into your own hands and organize an advertising campaign in order to attract as many customers as possible.

Study the actions of competitors and analyze how they advertise their services. It is difficult to give advice on an advertising campaign here, since it all depends on the regional characteristics. Consider the specifics of the city, the number of studios that are already working in it.

• distribution of leaflets in places of mass influx of people;
• public transport advertising;
• newspaper ads;
• bigboards;
• promotion in social networks;
• partnership programs.

From time to time, you can hold various promotions, offering a discount on services on certain days, or launch a discount system.

It is advisable to create a good website that will attract new customers and allow you to upload your work. A plan like this should really help your business move forward.
Particular emphasis should be placed on partnership programs, since this service sector involves close cooperation with such specialists as a make-up artist, stylist, hairdresser, taxi drivers, etc.

You can think over the concept of an affiliate program and involve several participants in its implementation. For example, you can negotiate with beauty salons, which order hairstyles and visage for weddings about discounts on photo shoots.

Over time, you will develop a base of your masters with whom you will cooperate on a mutually beneficial relationship.

Please note that the pricing policy of the salon should correspond to the level of the offered service. If you have made a bet on affordable prices, you can limit yourself to renting a small room and a budget option for repairs, signs, etc. To provide services of a premium level, you will have to invest a considerable amount of money, so that the service corresponds to the price.

Production plan

The main production costs include:

• rental of premises;
• purchase of professional equipment (cameras, tripods, light);
• decorations for photo zones;
• renovation of the premises.

The financial plan is calculated for a period of 1-2 years, taking into account all costs, income, tax and credit payments, etc. In this part, it is imperative to reflect the amount of the expected investment, your own cash injections, and calculate the payback period of the project.

When using investment funds, it is imperative to indicate the purpose of this money (for example, the purchase of professional equipment for a studio or renovation, the purchase of furniture).

This part of the plan reflects all the costs associated with the implementation of a business idea.

Below we give an example of an estimate for opening a photo studio. The estimate is approximate and depends on the scale of the business, the location of the point, the area of ​​the rented premises.

• paperwork and certificates will require about 10,000 rubles;
• monthly rent of premises - 20,000 rubles;
• utilities - 20,000 rubles;
• purchase of professional equipment - 300,000 rubles;
• pay for two employees - from 40,000 rubles;
• repair work - 100,000 rubles;
• advertising campaign (for the first month) - 10 thousand rubles.

TOTAL: 500 thousand rubles.

Risks and guarantees

To determine the strengths and weaknesses of the business, we will perform a small SWOT analysis.

SWOT analysis is an analysis that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the project, external threats and opportunities to overcome them.

Strengths of the photo studio:

• Individual approach to each client;
• high quality service;
• high speed of service provision;
• professional equipment;
• creative approach to creating original photo sessions.

The weaknesses of the business include:

• large investments;
• high cost of services;
• limited sales market.

Threats to the photo studio are:

• reduced demand in the domestic market;
• dumping pricing policy of competitors;
• high competition in the city.

The possibilities are:

• expanding the range of services;
• ensuring loyalty by expanding the service;
• improving IT for service delivery;
• self-development of specialists (attendance at seminars, etc.);
• cooperation with partners;
• the appearance of regular customers.

On average, 1 hour of work of a professional photo studio brings about 2 thousand rubles. Of course, it's not worth counting on a full 10-hour load right away. In the first 5-6 months, the studio will work 3-4 hours per day.

Even based on these calculations, we get 8 thousand a day and 240 thousand rubles a month in the first 5-6 months.

For the first six months, the estimated profit will be 1,440.00 rubles.

We plan that in the second half of the year the studio will reach a daily turnover of 10-12 hours, then you can calculate the annual income:

2 thousand rubles * 10 hours of work = 20 thousand rubles a day.

20 tr. * 30 days * 6 months = 3600.00 per year.

So, the average annual turnover is: 1440.00 + 3600.00 = 504000 rubles.

Taking into account the amount of investments in the amount of 500 thousand rubles, the payback period of this business will be 3 months.

Conclusion

The business idea of ​​opening a photo studio in our time is very attractive and relevant. Despite the fairly large capital investments, the payback period, as we saw, for this project is quite effective.

This factor will be greatly influenced by the professionalism of the photographer, the service of the studio and its favorable location.

Video. Opening a Photo Studio - Step by Step Guide