We do not plan to do a lot of endorsing on this blog but feel that we are doing a service to portrait photographers to bring pro4um.com to your attention.  We chose to advertise our photography props there after hearing from other vendors and photographers about the excellent content.  Studio portrait photographers are very active on the forum; I cannot tell you how many average each day, but today Monday May 21, every discussion thread has been updated today.  In addition, the owner Kick Voclain is very involved himself in chats and exchanges.  The range of topics is broad, from props to lighting to cameras to business advice, etc.  In addition, photographers give each other feedback on portraits.  We are especially taken with the various discussions about baby plans, techniques, tricks of the trade, etc.  --- not to mention critiques and praise of photography props for babies and children. 

There are many new people entering the portrait industry field.  Some come from previous business backgrouonds, others are stay at home mom doing a little work on the side.  The latter is exactly how Wicker By Design started.  My wife, Susan, sent the kids to child half the day and she restored wicker in the Raleigh -Durham- Chapel Hill area of central North Carolina.  Meanwhile, I (Thad) work at an economic development credit union that serve lower income families.  You can read more about our early years by click on "About Wicker By Design and Photography Props".  

So, one Susan's experience's mirrors that of thousands of young mothers out there right now who are doing photography.  Susan even drew Thad into the trade shows (yum yum good food) and the web page.  Over the years, we have come to rely on the advice of online electronic advice letters, trade aphorisms and other war stories as we sell our photography props.  We offer them now for your reactions:

1) Never put someone else in charge of the books.  If you are too large and need the help, you need dual controls, e.g. one person counts the cash and another person take the cash to the back.  Somewhere I have read that a tremendous percentage of small bankruptcies occur because of employee theft or embezzlement.  A friend of ours took a loss because the lady who prepared the bank deposit also took it to the bank.  It took a while for our friend to discover the person was swiping the cash.

2) Many have said eight contacts makes the sale, a contact  being a call, a letter, post card, trade encounter, drinks at the bar.  We certainly experience that in sell photo studio props.

3) One that I love addresses marketing:  "The genius of marketing is...ready...fire ....aim."  The underlying thought is that as long as you don't play all you cards, getting something out there gives an infinite riches of corrective data to make the next "ready fire aim" not only more marketable but it also gives more data to improve.   For example, when we first produced our window set prop, we received a lot of feedback from photographers about changing the base, the depth of the window panes, the placement of the translucent fabric and making the window so that it can easily lifted out of a slot.  

4) On employees,  it has been said that you can teach a nice person how to be competent but you cannot teach a competent person how to be nice.  You could substitute "nice" with the word "service" and get the same thought.   Having managed nearly 100 people in 25 years, I think it's true.

 5) Here one that can be attributed to a specific person.  Ben Bradley, now retired Senior Editor of the Washington Post, was once ask what his secret of management was.   His reply:  "Figure out how to keep the top third of you employees, fire the bottom third and grow the middle into being top third producers."

6) As a manager, ALWAYS praise in public; criticize in private.

7) When I hire at the credit union, I place a huge premium on managerial references.  I like to be able to talk to at least three managers. Personal references are cute but offer of meagre value.  When your applicant that is a winner, the managerial reference givers are usually quick to reply, enthusiastic, e.g. "I would l hire them again in a heartbeat".  You will rarely receive a flat out negative reference; it will more lackluster.  Look for winners!

8) Finally, I have to give credit for this one to my boss Martin Eakes at Self-Help Credit Union where he won a McAurther Genius award for his work.   One of his favorites is that "in the long run persistent honey always gets you more than occasional vinegar."  

We hear from a lot of photogrpahers about thier problems in storing photography props.  Believe it not, we are very sympathic, even with a warehouse size of 2,000 square feet.  One good friend and photographer jokingly sent us this picture showing a mock disaster scence of his wicker falliing on him. 

We certainly would not want this on anyone, especially with some our photo props being metal!  One perspective that other photograthers have shared with is to view props as both a tool to make them look AND to feel fresh.  They use the prop for the inspiration and beauty that it gives him or her but they do not keep it.  The sell it to the client, to other photographers at swap meets and to buyers on Ebay .  We have heard that having the Wicker By Design label automatically raises the selling price much closer to the original retail.