Your Next Client Can Come from Anywhere

And mine came from a farmer’s market. 

The thing I always say about markets, and I have said this plenty of times if you’ve been following me for a while, is you can never predict how it will end.  You can sell all of your pieces, or you can sell none.  Or you can meet your next opportunity.

I’ve attended the local farmer’s market over the years, and it’s always either a hit or a miss. But the opportunities that come out of it have taken all kinds of shapes and sizes.

During slow times at the market, I make real connections and establish relationships. There's no one better to connect with than someone going through the same thing you are. We’re all small businesses.  We all woke up at the crack of dawn to set up our table. And we’re often supporting each other’s businesses by trading ideas, either new ways to market ourselves or new products to create.  The hustle never quits. 

Sometimes the other vendors know that I am a photographer and they’re in need of an updated headshot or fresh social media content, so we make a plan to take some new images. This is great because they can see my services in real time and the images will help bring in new customers for them.

Recently I had an exciting opportunity to come about from that kind of day.  Not a sale was made until a local restaurant owner came walking through quickly, a pit stop on the way to her restaurant. Maybe she popped in to shop local produce for her restaurant (which is its own sweet way of keeping things within the community). She passed my table, loved my photography, and mentioned she had an opening on her restaurant's walls. We worked together to create pieces that would match her restaurant decor.  She wanted pieces that look like they belong, as if they were always hanging on the walls in your house. They’ve been up for two months, and it has been great exposure.

A great opportunity that came from showing up.