How to start your own photography and design business – tips and tricks from an experienced mompreneur

Carmen Da Silva Fernandes is a mom to a four-year-old son and a self-employed photographer and designer. Until recently, she also had a part-time job at a bank. Since the birth of her son, however, she has been working as a mompreneur and has gained some experience. In the following, she shares her story and gives you tips for your mompreneur existence.

A few years ago, I completed a creative training course in photography and multimedia design. My passion for this profession grew day by day, but it was difficult to reconcile with my family and my job at the time at a bank. At some point, I had to make a decision and opted for self-employment as a photographer and designer. I have never regretted this step. I work a lot, but I can organize my time myself, I am much more flexible and I can spend more time with my family.

Of course, the initial dream of independence is very appealing. But here, too, good planning is important and that is not always just exciting. On the one hand, everything administrative such as the business plan, bookkeeping, entry in the commercial register. The financial aspect is of course also very important. Good financial planning helps with the development of the business. Do I need savings to cover the first few months? How can my family avoid financial hardship? How do I avoid getting into debt? Do I need investors? What investments do I need to make? Cost breakdown, etc. I was often a bit overwhelmed here, but experts such as a trust company and an insurance advisor can help. So can doing your own research. There are countless checklists to help you on your way to self-employment.

My biggest fear was mainly the financial aspect. Would we still be able to pay our bills at the end of the month? Would it be enough for my family and their needs? That's why I waited a long time before taking the plunge. For a long time it was a sideline, but once I had built up a customer base and achieved a certain level of “awareness”, I just did it. You can only regret not trying.

• When you're self-employed, you tend to work even more to keep the business running. In my case, this meant night shifts processing photos, answering emails at the weekend, stress, pressure and fear of not making it. At some point, I realized that even though I love doing it, it's also a job. And like any job, whether you're employed or self-employed, you should stick to rest periods and days off. Enjoy time with your family, take time for yourself, take advantage of your independence and take it one step at a time. If you're happy, it will rub off on your family and your business. Take time to make it flourish. Rome wasn't built in a day either.
• We are specialists in our field, but self-employment also requires other skills (as a mompreneur, you are kind of an all-rounder): for example, I should also be a marketing expert in addition to being a mom and a photographer, so that I can reach my customers. You should also familiarize yourself with such areas or hire specialists to support you with your website, social media or Google Ads.