A Hacked Launch is Greater Than No Launch

... unless you're a rocket scientist. However, when it comes to business, launching something new in a hacked, unorganized, messy, or imperfect way is still far better than not launching at all.   Indefinitely delaying a launch out of the desire for a fully formed and perfected presentation is a great way to never launch something.

Consider how much you learn and can earn from starting early and messy, no website, no pretty packaging, just trying different things, learning what resonates and what doesn't, building your resources as you go, discovering what people are and aren't willing to pay for just by offer to do work, honing and perfecting your presentation and process with each trial, gradually creating something that really works and is built on a foundation of real meaningful experiences.

Now consider what happens when trying to perfect everything first in the mind, without ever testing it in the real world with different people, without getting any feedback or response before sharing it with the world.  It's a lot of time invested on the perfection of a vision, but little to no time invested in understanding how others perceive that vision, what they are willing to pay for, or what questions they have and need answered to help them understand the value.  Understanding how other people value our work can only be understood by sharing that work with other people.  Understanding what and why people buy can only be understood by attempting to sell something.

Launching the Pricing Workbook for Creatives required me to launch messy and imperfectly.  What do I mean by messy?  At the moment, there seem to be two different versions of anneruthmann.com currently online depending on what device you use or how the domain connects based on any cookies you may have stored on your browser.  You might see my architecture & interior commercial photography portfolio hosted with photoshelter.com that looks like this:

Or you could see an about.me page that looks like this:

Neither of these are what I was hoping to have in place while launching the Pricing Workbook for Creatives.  Even though I already hired a designer to craft a new website that will be a better showcase of my experience and the resources I can provide, I already knew that the new website would take more time and not be ready for the book launch.  Rather than delay the book launch for the perfection of a website, or put the pressure of having the website first, I decided to focus on finding another way to launch messy and prioritize capturing public interest in the workbook so I could build and share resources along the way.

Instead of having the domains PricingWorkbookforCreatives.com or PricingWorkbook.com point to a website page full of amazing copy and testimonials, I decided to point the domains to a simple MailChimp.com email capture landing page (shown below) so that I could capture the interest around sending special deals to the early readers who wanted in on deals and freebies:

I really held to the promise in this form and ONLY offered special deals to this email list.  Everyone else who was just watching on social media never got the deal I offered over email.  I knew it was highly likely that the people on this email list would still be watching me elsewhere online in social media, and I needed them to know how much I valued their early support, interest, and trust in me to deliver on my promise.  This made a tiny little email form far more valuable than a website would be, because it unlocked something no one else could get otherwise.  Any mention I made leading up to the launch on social media simply directed people to this form, rather than some long and rambling sales page, complicated website, webinar registration, free download, or anything else.  I wanted the process to be simple and straightforward, no complications.

In some ways, I find the interest of those early registrations to be far more meaningful and valuable than anything that comes from a more a perfected website or sales pitch.  The early registrations were all-in right away.  They didn't need to see more.  They knew what they wanted and were willing to get first dibs.  Regardless of their follow-through rate on sales, the emotional support to keep going when it was frustrating before launch came from just seeing those early registrations waiting in line.  Thanks to launching early and messy, the Pricing Workbook for Creatives got to have its moment of fame at the top of the New Release list for Kindle Books in the Business of Art category!

When building something important, I've realized the group belief in what you are offering is a key factor in getting to the finish line.  Group support for a product creates an encouraging fire to keep moving forward even when you might want to give up, much like being in a relay knowing an entire team needs you to be your best and reach your finish point.  It truly is special to know when people value what you're putting out into the world.  I don't think I would have learned how important that step really was if I had waited to launch with a more developed website or structure.

Having a hacked together launch can also help you mitigate risk.  If you anticipate a launch with a simple sign up page and get no sign ups at all no matter how much you promote something- it's a pretty good sign that something doesn't seem valuable enough to want!  Either that or you need to talk to more people and revise your offer until people do sign up for it.  Eliminating what people don't value and don't want helps prevent you from risking the time and energy to build something that won't be able to get off the ground when it's ready.

So if you're working on something new, or planning to launch something no one has ever seen yet... how about taking it for a test drive while it's still in concept form before going big?  Talking with people about what you're working on helps you refine what other people are most interested in and excited to see.  Whether you talk about it online or in person to build buzz and interest, try it while things are still messy and see what you can learn and revise to make it better for those who want it!

Huffington Post- Thanks for the Love!

I fully admit to checking my website statistics and analytics at least once a day. I like knowing where people are coming from and where they're choosing to go once they see my work. You can imagine my surprise, when one day I start seeing my statistics literally FLOODED with Huffington Post links in to my blog. Dude, someone at the HuffPost dug my work enough to link to it?! To me, that's about as awesome as if I were sitting across the desk from Ira Glass or John Stewart for an interview. What didn't surprise me, was the post they were linking to after I noticed their feature was about Iconic and Offbeat Detroit Wedding Venues.


I didn't notice any of my actual images featured in the article- they used flickr images that allowed creative commons use and had no watermarks... which may be how I was discovered and is exactly why I always put my watermark on my online work so that people will contact me before using images of my clients. However, the fabulous writer, Kate Abbey-Lambertz did something even BETTER than using my images by linking directly to my entire blog post of Mary & Matt's Detroit Public Library Wedding. (Kate, I forgive you for misspelling my first name- and I thank you, so that the Huffington Post google rank doesn't out-power my own personal website in searches for my name!! I love your articles on Detroit!)


Mary & Matt's wedding has been one of the most popular Detroit weddings on my blog because of its unique location and probably because I'm one of the only photographers who has been able to photograph a wedding there! I got lucky because Mary's parents pulled a LOT of strings to make that wedding happen AT the library. It's such a beautiful venue that I hope they make it more accessible for weddings to support its ongoing preservation and restoration. It's a gem in Detroit's history and architecture, so I'm happy that at least I can share a little of its beauty within the context of a beautiful wedding day. Mary is a Wedding Photographer in Western New York who takes beautiful & fun images as well- so I'm very honored that she chose me for her wedding day. ;-)


If you live in the Detroit area and are up for a Mission Impossible adventure... you might be able to sneak out of the window on the second floor like I did for this image (at your own risk of course), to see some GORGEOUS hidden tile work on the inside of the small archway above the windows. It just amazes me that they put that much thought and detail into something only window washers may ever see.

Moving My Business Interview on Fast Track Coaching

I've received a lot of questions about moving my business- probably because I've started my small business in three different locations over the last 7 years.  As most people know, it takes two years to really build a business, so I've spent six years experiencing those first two years as if I were living a real life Groundhog Day.  It's taught me a lot about what to do and what not to do in order to get established quickly. When you have bills to pay and need to relocate, your first priority becomes finding work as soon as you can.  From my experience, there are lots of ways to do this when moving your business, but many require you to stretch yourself in new ways and change a few habits that come from getting comfortable in one place.

I'm very honored that Dane Sanders invited me to be a part of his awesome archives of interviews for Fast Track Coaching.  To be honest, I had a big fear of doing a video interview- so this was taking a step in conquering that fear!  Now I just have to keep doing it so that it's not so nerve wrecking each time.  In this video interview, I share some of the ways that I've made it possible to move my business three times and now live in Australia and travel the world for 8 months.  If you know someone who needs some advice on moving their business (or getting their feet wet in starting business) feel free to share!

The full interview is about 45 minutes long, click play in the video to watch...


I want to hear from YOU-
Was there a key piece of advice that was meaningful to you?
Do you have any other suggestions for people re-establishing their business in a new place?
Please leave a comment and let me know!

Best of The Knot & Wedding Wire 2011

My sincerest thanks to my clients, whose reviews of my work and service have honored me with The Knot's Best of Weddings 2011 Pick and WeddingWire's Bride's Choice Award 2011. I have to admit that I used to think these awards were only given to people who paid to advertise with the companies offering them (since there are quite a few companies where that IS the case even though they don't tell anyone), but since I don't have paid advertising with either site, I can officially get behind what an honor it is to receive these awards. There are HUNDREDS of wedding photographers in the Boston area, and only a handful of companies receive even one of these awards each year so I'm very grateful to be one of the select few to be honored by both for 2011!!  There are times when I feel like I should be blogging more or networking more, but I'll always take a step back from marketing if I need to spend more time serving my clients so that they'll have an awesome experience.  These awards are confirmation for me that all of that hard work does pay off in the end, and is ultimately the most important part of what we do.

I also received notification that The Knot's Ultimate Wedding Lookbook, which has been in the works for the last two years, has finally gone to print and I'm happy to share that you'll find some of my work featured in the book.  The editors sent me a sneak peek of a spread where an image of mine is featured - the flaming chef in the food collage below is from a wedding I photographed a few years ago.  I'm grateful that The Knot editorial team has continued to invite me to submit images from my client's beautiful and unique weddings for publication, especially since they are such a joy to work with- which is amazing when you consider how many images they look at every day!  I look forward to sharing more of my client's weddings with them in the future (with client permission, of course!)

Thanks Offbeat Bride!

Little did Offbeat Megan realize when featuring a couple of my images recently on the Offbeat Bride Blog in her posts on Funny Groomsman Photos and Paying Homage to Your Pets, that both of the weddings from those photos are celebrating their 4th year of marriage this September (or maybe she's super psychic!)  In honor of this interesting coincidence, I thought I'd check in with these lovely couples to see how they're doing and what words of wisdom they can pass on to future couples!  Stay tuned for their response!

Published in The Knot Michigan!

Congratulations to Shannon & Kayu for creating such a beautiful wedding! Amanda from Bliss Weddings & Events in Michigan did a fabulous job of coordinating the event and bringing it all together behind the scenes and Delia Turner was my awesome second photographer for the day. You'll never believe where the flowers came from... Costco!! The lovely potted cupcakes were a DIY project too! How fabulous is that?!?! Definitely check out Epic Motion's video from the wedding (you'll see some Anne & Delia cameos- HA!)

Here are just two pages of the five page feature in The Knot Michigan Spring Summer 2010:


To see the rest, you'll want to look for the cover below. They even have a little spot photo of Shannon & Kayu in the table of contents!

I'm So Blessed.

I miss you guys!! This year has already been non-stop with amazing things happening left and right! Since I last blogged, I've had meetings and big projects filling up every free moment in between the time I wake up and go to bed! I feel bad that I haven't had time to share them all with you, but it's all been happening so quickly that I can barely keep up with it myself!! I still want to do a year end review and set goals for this year and I still have tons of weddings and other work to blog about!! Can I put the world on pause please so I can catch up with everyone?!

Here's a super short sampling of what's been happening in my life lately, for the slightly more extended play by play, check out my twitter feed:

• I was invited to present at Mystic 4, alongside some amazing photographers I admire
• My mom spent a week at our place and helped us FINALLY empty a whole bunch of boxes from our move and organize us to a point where we feel like we're living in a home and not just a box storage facility (I love you mom!)
• I interviewed 12 possible interns and got to choose two super talented and incredibly smart women who I can't wait to work with each week for the next 6 months
• I began an extended project to bring attention to the local hungry & homeless situation as well as the state and federal public services available for people who find themselves in these situations
• I was interviewed by the local paper on my outlook on public service
• I was sold on EBay (with Free Shipping! HA!) to raise money for Thirst Relief International
• I was interviewed and featured in Design Aglow for tips on how to use social media
• I was interviewed and featured in Bride's Magazine (New Jersey & Philadelphia) for lighting tips at receptions
• I was interviewed and featured on the Pictage Blog for Mingle with Engle's Photographer Spotlight
  
• The fabulous WeddingBeePRO has continued to feature my past blog posts on their amazing resource blog for brides
• I hosted an online video chat night where I answered questions live from photographers and wedding planners (I also have to give a shout out to the awesome wedding planners who answered a lot of other photographer questions! Thanks ladies!)
• I was invited to lead & organize the Boston PUG group, and just hosted my second monthly PUG meeting
• I was invited to give a presentation on community blog development for the stakeholders and developers of Lowell, MA
• I photographed the annual Lowell Winterfest activities including the Soup competition, Human Dogsled competition, Merrimack Valley's Got Talent competition, among many other Winterfest activities
• Alex (my hubby) and I launched Lowell Handmade and are in the process of founding a non-profit to help support the local arts
• I've been recruited to be project manager for an art auction fundraiser for the Artist League of Lowell.
• I've been coordinating the 2nd Annual Photo Lovecat Giveaway Gala at WPPI
• I've been coordinating a very exciting blog and book publication for Las Vegas Weddings
• I've been invited to be a featured presenter at the Thirst Relief and Pictage Booths at WPPI
• I've been meeting Boston area wedding professionals who share my same passions for Green & Sustainable practices

... and that doesn't include just the everyday stuff of trying to keep up with clients and vendors around the world on various time zones, taking care of computer/billing/communication problems that arise, being airport transportation for my frequent flyer family, being my own secretary and editor, being a good pet parent to my dog, and being a caring sister/wife/daughter/friend. Phew!! Did you get tired reading all of that?! I know I'm tired just after writing it all out... and I have to get on a plane in few hours!

Please note: I will be at the annual Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Tradeshow & Conference until February 19th - so please forgive me if I have a difficult time returning phone calls or emails- my schedule is pretty packed while I'm there! I'm doing my best to manage it all right now, and look forward to having a MUCH more manageable workload after WPPI is over!! Every one else's deadlines have been so crammed into the first 6 weeks of this year that I've barely had time to breathe. I sincerely appreciate your understanding!!

Just Launched: WeddingBee PRO

Yesterday, one of the most popular wedding planning blogs in the world WeddingBee.com (named affectionately after it's founder's first name, Bee) launched a new blog called WeddingBeePRO dedicated to weddings and wedding planning, but written by wedding vendors and industry professionals!! This is the first blogs of its kind for the wedding industry - aggregating the posts of many different wedding vendors to bring them all in one place, helping brides make more informed decisions about their weddings! I'm incredibly honored and excited that the WeddingBee community asked me to help launch this new and exciting project!! Feel free to check out my intro post, "The Making of a Wedding Photographer" which talks about how I got into this fun and exciting industry in the first place! While you're there, stick around and greet some of the other wedding professionals by leaving warm fuzzy comments for them!



to continue reading this article, click here --> "The Making of a Wedding Photographer"

Featured in Better Homes & Gardens!

Congratulations to Jessica & Ben who had their Organic Creamery/Farm Wedding featured on the Better Homes & Garden's Real Weddings!! Check out the article and see all of the unique touches that this couple included in their Jewish ceremony and relaxed reception...
http://www.bhg.com/crafts/weddings/real/organic-farm-wedding

To all of the couples out there who are itching to be featured in a magazine... here's what magazine editors are looking for:
- Beautiful, clean photography that's not overly photoshopped with great lighting, composition, and attention to detail (ie. get a great photographer and your wedding will look fantastic no matter what!)
- UNIQUE details! If you've seen it before, they've probably seen it before a hundred times! For unique florals or decor- let your florist go wild with their imagination! Give them a color palette or just a few words to describe your personal style and let them interpret it as they see fit! Give your vendors creative freedom and they will create beautiful work for you!
- Different locations! At this point, the magazines have pretty much published all of the "normal" wedding venues. They're craving a different spin on the wedding day- so think outside of the "box" like Jessica & Ben did! Choose a place you love, that says something about who you are as a couple. You'd be pretty surprised at the places you can have a wedding these days!

Published in Brides Magazine!

I actually have no idea what issue this was because all I got was this .pdf from the publisher! I'm honored that they contacted me about one of my images for an editorial feature on Homespun weddings, especially because I looooove DIY & home weddings! Seriously- they are my favorite! My image is at the bottom, of the fiddle player- who did an awesome job at Dena & Jeff's wedding in South Haven, MI. He totally rocked and I hope he's OK with his new semi-fame! HA! Thanks Dena & Jeff for having such an awesome wedding that editors are still looking at your images years later!!

Thank You Southern Weddings!

Southern Weddings is a beautiful publication- not just for the fabulous dames of the South, but for all of the lovely ladies who enjoy sweet sophistication typically found in the South. At Lauren & Eric's wedding, I can't tell you how many times I heard people whisper things like "this looks like something straight out of Southern Living," so naturally, I was honored when Southern Weddings decided to feature some of my images from Lauren & Eric's wedding!! I can only imagine how excited Lauren was when she got the news! CLICK HERE to see Lauren & Eric featured on the Southern Weddings blog- and while you're there, check out all of the other beautiful ideas and weddings featured!



PS. In case you haven't noticed (yeah right) I've been a bad blogger lately and I'm CRAZY behind on blogging all of the fabulous weddings I've been shooting! Hang in there with me! I WILL catch up... eventually. I have TONS of awesome images to share!

PDN: Top Knots of Wedding Photography

I'm very honored to be recognized as one of the 2008 Top Knots: New School of Wedding Photography, by Photo District News. Thousands of photographers enter images for judging, and only a handful make it in!! This contest is unique in that it is judged by magazine editors who are responsible for selecting images for wedding publications like The Knot, Brides, and Elegant Bride. Thank you to all of the editors who valued my work and selected my images!!!

I was fortunate enough to have TWO of my images selected to be featured in the publication and online!! Here they are:

From Holly & Sam's wedding... "Life is Short, Eat Candy."


From Matt & Sharyn's wedding... "Stylish Birds at the Clarendon Ballroom"


The magazine (PDN, April 2008) should be on the newsstands for another week or two- so go check it out to see it in print!! I also want to congratulate my good friends who were recognized in the Top Knots this year as well: Abbe Rose, Anna Kuperberg, Sergio, Mary Marantz, and Bill Holland!! I'm honored to be featured among such talented artists!!!

Featured Wedding on TheKnot.com!

Congratulations to Karen & Tim in Indianapolis, who have their wedding photos featured as one of the select few Real Weddings in Indiana on TheKnot.com! This is such an honor because you can't pay to be featured as a Real Wedding - you basically have to be handpicked by the The Knot editors! Also, I've been so busy this year that I haven't had a chance to submit anything on my own- so I need to send a special thank you to the editors and friends of editors who stalk my blog and ask to feature my work!!! THANK YOU!!

Here's what Knot writer, Kate Wood, said about Karen & Tim's wedding:
"Karen and Tim soon began planning a wedding with a vintage, glamorous, Old Hollywood theme. They chose a palette of deep reds and purples set against black to play up the drama of their setting -- an old mansion that has now been converted into a bed and breakfast."


To see more images from Karen & Tim's wedding, visit my previous blog posts about them...
http://anneruthmann.blogspot.com/search/label/karen%2Btim

Published in Brides Michigan Magazine!!

A few months ago I was contacted by one of the editors at Brides magazine about featuring Meg & Eric's engagement photo from the Garden Bowl in an article, and today I received the published version in the mail! I'm VERY honored because I did not solicit my photography to the magazine for publication, nor do I advertise with them. This particular photo has won SEVERAL awards, and I just love Meg & Eric, so I'm very excited that it will be permanently featured in publication!

Here's the article with photo...


Here's the cover to look for so you can snag your own copy!! There are two different covers featured this season, so keep your eyes peeled for the other version as well!