Who knew that something as simple as a business card could evoke so much emotion from a new business owner. Certainly not me. When I first considered photography as more than a hobby I decided to do what most entrepreneurs do, I had 250 free business cards made up at Vistaprint. I was excited about passing them out to show people what I can do. At the time I didn’t have a legit website (it was Wix created) and I was using an email address that was actually designated for my FT job (thankfully I’m the boss there too so I didn’t get into any trouble) but I trudged forward and included both of those things on my new cards. Once I realized that I had a legitimate business on my hands, I decided I needed to upgrade. Nothing against Vistaprint (because hey, when you’re starting out FREE is awesome!) but I needed something more professional and something that included my now updated email address and new website. After much research I found a site that created beautiful and very modern business cards. I found a design I liked and fell in love. Now this process took time. More time than I would’ve imagined. It took me all of two seconds to create my first cards, but this took some real thought. I had to consider exactly what I wanted the cards to say about me and my business. The scene in American Psycho where they’re discussing their business cards (color, thickness, etc) always seemed so ridiculous to me. Well, up until now. I wasn’t quite as overboard as those film characters were, but I definitely thought this thing through. I was so excited after placing the order that I went online everyday to check the progress of my order and when it would arrive. Now I do this with my online clothing purchases (and that is normal because who doesn’t get excited about new clothes?!) but I would’ve never thought I’d be so pumped to see a business card. On the day they arrived I couldn’t stop looking at them. And I immediately began sharing them with friends. Like seriously the exact same day they showed up in my mailbox I passed them out to two friends. No waiting, no nothing. I was proud! I’m glad my friends like them as much as I do because I would’ve been heartbroken had they told me they were crap. Having these cards makes me feel like I’m truly on my way to playing with the big boys in this field of photography. It’s one tiny step closer anyway. I’m already excited about sharing them with upcoming clients. I hope these cards will let them see that I take this seriously and aim to be the best photographer I can be. Now as far as the original Vistaprint cards that I have leftover…who knows where they’ll end up. Maybe I’ll hang onto them for nostalgia’s sake. It’s always good to see how far you’ve come.
