School Photographers of America announces 2023 Volume Photography Boot Camp

School Photographers of America (SPOA) announced its 2023 Volume Photography Boot Camp program. The program is designed to take entrepreneurs through the process of starting a volume photography business from the ground up, while also providing key insights for those with existing photography businesses.

“There’s more interest in the volume photography business now than ever before,” says David Crandall, executive director, SPOA. “If you are starting or trying to grow a volume photography business, SPOA is organizing just the program for you!”

Monthly virtual sessions start in March, followed by two in-person sessions at SPOA’s International Conference for School Photography & Yearbooks in July. The BootCamp is free for any SPOA member attending SPOA’s annual conference. Register at this link.

The education program is:

March (virtual) – Four hours

  • Understanding the programs
  • How to sell to schools
  • How to sell your style
  • How to deliver what you promise
  • How to sell what you do, not what they were used too
  • How to find new leads
  • How to have the school you just signed recommend you without even having a single picture day yet

April (virtual) – Four hours

  • Getting started
  • Sole Prop, LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp
  • Insurance coverages and recommendations
  • Legal – dealing with schools and districts
  • HR – Hiring practices (W2’s or 1099’s)
  • HR docs
  • Payroll
  • Taxes
  • State filings
  • Setting up – Social media
  • Setting up – Website
  • SEO
  • Marketing – Print
  • Marketing – Social media

May (virtual) – Four hours

  • Choosing the right lab – Lab demos and presentations
  • Choosing the right production software and shopping carts – Presentations by software providers
  • Choosing the right yearbook partner – Demos from yearbook providers
  • Choosing the right auxiliary business partners

June (virtual) – Four hours

  • Review of classes at In-Person Boot Camp
  • Questions – Panel
  • Preparing for fall season
  • Planning for success
  • Camera selection for volume
  • Equipment needs
  • Green Screen or traditional
  • Lighting Diagrams
  • Scheduling – Company
  • Schedules for a school
  • How to collect data

July – in-person training in Greenville, SC, at SPOA’s International Conference on School Photography & Yearbooks

July 10th – Monday – 1-5 p.m.

  • Meet & Greet
  • Live Picture Day
  • Posing for success on U/C
  • Posing for success on Sports
  • Posing for success on Preschool
  • Lighting
  • Equipment
  • Business Partners and Exhibit Hall meetings​

July 11th – Tuesday – 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

  • How to run an effective picture day
  • Managing school touches for success
  • CRMs
  • Back office best practices
  • How to mitigate phone calls – letters and communication like Amazon
  • When to hire
  • Scaling from 12-30 schools or from 31-50 schools
  • How to compensate photographers
  • How to compensate a part-time or full-time salesperson
  • How to rebook 100% of your business for next year
  • How to make sure everything you promised is delivered

Register at this link.