for you ladies looking to start their own business (sorry boys...)

These past few weeks I have been OVERWHELMED with my life. My husband has been gone the better part of 3 weeks, traveling the US for his work; I photographed Meghan + Tristan's wedding; I attended a family wedding; and I have been a single parent to 2 little girls. I AM TIRED. Add to that my stress in trying to get my business officially up and running, and I came down with a nasty cold - in July. There is just something wrong with getting a cold in the summertime.

I don't mean to complain, but I have to admit my creative juices are on hiatus right now as I try and focus some time on the business side of things. I am still working away at creating my website, but what I'm really struggling with right now is the "big picture" aspect of things - how I want to "brand" myself and my style of photography.

To that end, I have been following design*sponge for a while now (recall the reading chair's appearance over at d*s) and I am loving the series on biz ladies. There are several articles and resources to help women entrepreneurs not only survive this recession, but to thrive during it. I read the article on calculating your rate, and it COMPLETELY changed my thinking. It has also delayed the official "launch" of the website and business so I can take my time really planning for my business strategy. Because at the end of the day I love love LOVE photography - I would do this for free, and I have been for many years - but if I'm going to get paid for it then let's make this a successful business venture!

So for any of you women business owners out there, or for anyone thinking of starting your own business, check out the biz ladies series over at design*sponge.