Studio Management Software : Game changer, life changer

Nick Church Photography is a VERY busy place. This is a shout out to the things that stop the spinning plates from smashing to the ground like a traditional Greek wedding (pre-quarantine!).

Not only do weddings occupy the calendar, but I now additionally have the new Photography and Business Coaching side of the organisation to manage. Add into the mix additional photographers and film-makers, commercial and studio portrait work, meetings and podcasts and you can imagine the problem I face.

Who is the mastermind behind keeping these plates spinning? No, it’s not me, not entirely… thank goodness. It’s what I call in my workshops my ‘second brain’: systems and software which work together to enable my services to be delivered professionally and reliably.

The most important system in this category is Studio Management Software (SMS). This is like a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system you may be familiar with, but tailored to a photography business.

Light Blue Software is the perfect partner to manage all aspects of my bookings

The SMS I use is called Light Blue Software and I can only describe it as a ‘game-changer’ when I started using back in 2017. If, like me at the time, you are used to using spreadsheets and calendars to manage everything, then moving to a SMS like Light Blue Software will change your working life and your business will improve. Fact.

There is a tremendous weight lifted and huge productivity improvement by NOT having to keep all these bits of information in your head at once. My SMS organises my calendar, bookings, invoicing, photoshoots and workflows . Every activity Nick Church Photography does as a business is tracked somewhere in the system.

When I say to clients ‘your booking is confirmed’ that means in my SMS. It ensures I know where the wedding is, what package they have selected, their contact details, what shots they have requested, the timings of the wedding day… even their children’s names! Importantly for the client, it is the Studio Management System that will shout loudly when an enquiry comes in for a date that already has an existing booking so there is zero chance of diary clashes.

Light Blue Software is an easy to use and powerful platform, and provides everything I need in a system. It’s not just the array of features though; the team at Light Blue are always on hand through webinars, one-to-one sessions and Q&A on their Facebook Group. As an ex-software manager, I can tell you that for a user to have a query and for it to be answered and resolved within 30 minutes from one of the developers is very rare. Love it!

There are plenty of options out there for Studio Management Software, all with their particular strengths. If you want to try Light Blue Software, it’s a bit of a no-brainer as they do a free 30 day trial and if you go ahead and signup afterwards, save 20% using code rf_NICKCHURCH

Nick Church Photography

Business Coaching Modules

In addition to our photography training courses, we have now launched a series of Business Coaching Sessions. We are working with clients in all corners of the world, to address those areas of their business that are stopping them reaching their full potential. You can find details on all the different modules here.

The ‘Productivity & Task Management’ module covers many systems and services like Studio Management Systems, that can save you the time you need to take your business to the next level.

To discuss any of the Business Coaching Sessions, to find out more about Light Blue Software, or just to have a chat…