Garrison & Company Photography, LLC | Application Preview
Garrison & Company Photography, LLC is seeking government grants to expand its operations and offer a wider range of services. The funding will be used to hire a team, including photographers, administrative staff, and in-house editors, as well as to purchase necessary equipment and software and invest in marketing efforts.
The business plan outlines a growth trajectory over the next five years, aiming to establish a staff of ten photographers and expand services to include staging, marketing support, and consultative services. These services will be available statewide, with offices in various regions.
The owner shares a personal journey of resilience and empowerment, having transitioned from a military spouse and stay-at-home mom to a successful photographer after facing divorce. She aims to inspire others, particularly women in similar situations, to pursue new beginnings. Her goal is to provide opportunities for women in real estate photography, an industry where they are underrepresented.
In terms of competition, Garrison & Company faces established photography firms with larger teams, which limits the number of clients the owner can serve. However, her competitive edge lies in her personal approach and dedication to client relationships. She emphasizes her self-taught expertise, commitment to storytelling, and the high level of personalized service she offers, setting her apart in a market often dominated by impersonal interactions.
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 47-4002455
Location: Elgin, SC, United States
Length of Operation: 4
Number of Employees:
Annual Gross Income:
Annual Gross Expense:
Open to Loans: NO
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Funding Usage
As a means to grow my business, I need to hire staff/contractors to meet the demands of the industry and to offer more services to my clients. Growing also means purchasing additional equipment and software programs, as well as increasing my presence through marketing campaigns. As a female business owner who started her business after being a military spouse for 20+ years and faced with divorce, I want to help others in similar situations get started with the next chapter of their lives.
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Business Plan
Over the next 5 years, my staff will grow to include 10 photographers (across the state), an administrative staff, in-house editors, as well as a financial team. My company will increase services offered to include staging, marketing support, and consultative services. Services will be provided statewide, with offices in each region of the state. Five years ago, I was served with divorce papers. I was a military spouse who supported her husband during his 20+ years of service, sacrificing my career to support his. I went from a stay-at-home mom to an unemployed single-parent instantly. I took a leap of faith and turned my love for photography into a career, with my clientele growing each year. I want to show women in similar situations that it is possible to start again, no matter how old you are. I want to provide opportunities for females to grow in the field of real estate photography, an industry dominated by men. I want to inspire others abused spouses by showing them that it is possible to rise from the ashes. I want my story to help others, and in order to do that, I need to market myself and my business, to provide opportunities for women.
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Self Identified Competition
My competitors are real estate photography firms with a full staff of photographers, editors, etc. I am currently my only employee and am limited in the number of appointments I can take per week. My competitors are able to accommodate my clients and potential clients. My competitors are also able to provide services that I, at this time, am unable to due to lack of employees and equipment. As their businesses grow and expand statewide, I am only able to serve the Midlands. I started from the ground-up. I am self-taught. I took a major life-changing event and turned it into something positive. I am showing women that it is possible to start over after divorce, after abuse, and at mid-life. My work speaks for itself. I care about my clients and provide the same level of customer care and service, regardless of the price point. I am a storyteller. And my passion and care for my clients and my work shows in my photographs. In a world where personal interaction is lacking, my clients speak directly with me...no online booking, no computers communicating for me. My clients interact with me personally. They know me, my reputation, my attention to detail, my human side. I care deeply for each client and give them, and their clients, respect and my full attention.
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