Your Business Does Good Work. But That’s Only the First Problem Solved
What a small photography business taught me about offers, visibility and being chosen
Good work isn’t enough if you can’t prove to the world why it should care.
It sounds harsh. But the world of business doesn’t give participation trophies. It rewards visible value.
Recently, I gave myself a small live test of that idea: I launched a portrait photography business to help people get photos of themselves they actually like. The goal was to make use of a skill I already had, whilst giving myself another live playground for SEO and digital marketing.
Turns out, there was much to learn—even when trying to sell a skill I’ve been practicing for years.
6 lessons from launching a small photography business
Here are six things launching this business reminded me about offers, proof, trust, and being easy to choose.
#1: Shipping matters more than elegance
Better a rough version in the world than another week in your head.
I’ve got a tendency to get wrapped up in preparation when I’m about to embark on an endeavour.
A few years ago, I thought of starting a small business selling cartoons. I’d create 5 characters who were in a band—then illustrate them as humorous comic strips. I’d sell t-shirts and mugs of my creations. I’d market it on Instagram. I needed to learn how to draw cartoons, which would take at least a few months of practice.
Then, about an hour into researching the best art software for my tablet, I stopped and thought…what the hell am I doing?
My photography business got off to a similar start. I registered my domain, but not before a bit of soul-searching on whether to name the business after myself or to come up with a studio name.
Then, I refused to build the landing pages until I’d learned how to copywrite properly. I lined up a few books to read. I made a list of people who’d go out on a photoshoot with me to boost my portfolio. I prepared everything.
The one thing I didn’t do? Actually get anything live.
Then eventually, I snapped. I figured: this isn’t going to get off the ground if I’m not doing anything. “I’ll start once I’m better” sounds tempting until you realise that starting and practicing is how you get better.
I made the decision to run with AI-generated copy just to get the first version of the website out.
It was rough around the edges. But it gave me something to iterate on—which I did. And where I could have had the perfect theoretical business, I ended up with a less-than-perfect version of it live, which is infinitely better than the version I never shipped.
#2: The work and business are different skills
A service being great doesn’t automatically make it easy to buy.
I’ve been photographing people for years.
Even if I got the odd dirty look when I pointed the camera at people, I loved how they’d always speak so sweetly about my work after I published it. I developed an eye for what makes people look great in photos: using light, people’s best angles, and picking the right moment to snap.
But even being a skilled photographer didn’t suddenly mean I’d be good at selling photo shoots online.
What’s more, photographing friends in social settings is a completely different beast from going on a one-to-one walk with someone I don’t know.
I suppose part of me assumed proving I can take some really great photos would make the sales and fulfilment part easy. But as it turns out, the buyer isn’t just buying photos.
They’re buying knowledge of exactly how it all works.
They’re buying the certainty that the photos will be usable.
They’re buying relief from the worry that a photoshoot will be really awkward.
As an engineer, I was mostly worried about the product working at all. But as business owners, it becomes clear we need to worry about why people should choose something, too.
#3: Quality doesn’t matter if no one can find it
“Quality” isn’t a distribution strategy. You have to make it visible, even if it feels cringe sometimes.
The market can’t choose what it can’t see.
Part of working in SEO is understanding how a brilliant service can be commercially invisible. People need photos for professional profiles, personal branding and dating apps. But if my photography doesn’t show up when people who need it are searching, I can’t help anyone.
The conclusion? Pushing an offer, especially in the early days, is not the time to hold back. You have to get it in front of people.
At the start, that might mean some manual effort. I offered my service to people for free as a portfolio-building exercise. I called in a few favours and banked a few friendship points to get people out on photoshoots.
Then, I asked anyone who I’d gone on the shoot with for honest reviews or testimonials.
My longer-term plan for this business is to market it through SEO. But in the very early stages, I’ll need a more direct approach.
After all—if no one knows your offer is there, you can’t help anyone with it.
#4: You still need a game plan
“Winging it” is no more a strategy than endless planning.
What everyone says is true: preparation is a glorified form of procrastination.
But on the opposite extreme, it’s possible to “start, iterate and learn”—whilst accidentally skipping the learning part. We can spend hours tweaking headlines just to “feel” productive. But if we still don’t know where the first paid enquiry is coming from, we’re still putting off action without realising.
In my case, I’d find myself tempted to constantly tweak individual pages before I even had evidence about how they were performing. What I really needed was to get clear on:
What is the actual service I’m selling?
Who can I ask for help with my portfolio or for early reviews?
What proof am I missing?
What questions will people ask before booking?
Where will my first paid enquiry realistically come from?
A website isn’t a game plan. It’s just an asset inside a bigger game plan.
For small businesses, it definitely doesn’t have to be a complicated game plan—but it does need to exist.
Otherwise, saying, “I’m iterating” can be an excuse for putting off figuring out the part of the business you really need to be addressing.
#5: Excessively long pages are actually worth it if they’re giving important info
Long pages aren’t the problem. Unhelpful fluff is the problem.
I used to think huge landing pages were just fluff.
I don’t think I’ve ever read one from start to finish. Usually, whenever I was on one, I had a good idea about whether or not I’d be buying the product anyway. The few cases I was on the edge? I’d scan to see if any of my objections were addressed then only read those sections.
Therein lies the secret: long landing pages have to address every reason someone might hesitate. And whilst cutting bloat out of writing will improve it, that doesn’t automatically mean every page has to be short.
Most landing pages out there still are full of bloat. But some of the best ones are still enormous because they’re sharing things which actually help customers make a decision, such as testimonials, answers to common objections, “exactly what happens next” details, and so on.
Making it shorter is only valuable if nothing important is missing. The page’s job isn’t to “be short”—it’s to make the decision easier.
#6: You can’t improve an offer in private forever.
Market feedback is painful, but necessary.
At some point, the market has to be allowed to hurt your feelings.
Here’s a Noah Kagan-ism: once you come up with an offer, immediately start selling it.
To your family and friends. To strangers. Where applicable, sell it before you’ve even built it.
If you’re building proof (a portfolio, reviews, etc.) then by all means, work for free. But if you need to validate the business model, you have to charge money.
If you offer something free, you’ll get some polite “yesses” from people who like you enough to do you a favour. But asking for money, even from family and friends, is where the deep breath becomes the plunge: will people actually pay for your solution?
Nothing humbles you faster than putting an offer out there—even one you know you can fulfil—and having it judged by the world.
None of this means quality doesn’t matter
Quality matters, but it’s just one part of being chosen.
Great service businesses still need to make themselves findable. Then, their offer has to be undeniably clear. They have to show proof before the buyer asks for it. The business has to answer any awkward questions.
All this is to give customers the confidence to take the next step.
If you’re doing fantastic work—great!
But if your offer is still struggling to sell, the answer isn’t to sit back and wonder, “Why is nobody noticing?”
It’s to understand:
can the right people find it when they’re looking?
can they understand it when they do?
can they trust the result will be delivered as promised?
Great work deserves to be visible. And great work deserves to be chosen.
But the market can’t judge the full quality of a service without proof.
Making sure the work is great is just the first step in a long journey.
A personal message
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