PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101: EXTREME ABUNDANCE

STREET NOTES MOBILE EDITION

To continue PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101, let’s talk about EXTREME ABUNDANCE in photography, and modern economics.

Download PDF >

One.

The world is a fucking amazing place to be in.

We have the internet. Cheap smartphones. Cheap laptops, and cheap cameras.

We have the sum of all human knowledge, accessible via our finger tips and Google.

The world is full of extreme abundance, and the pie for the economy and photography is just growing.

Two.

There ain’t no competition in photography.

I go against other economists, when I say:

The economic pie is unlimited, and grows bigger everyday.

I like physics. I personally believe the universe is constantly expanding. This is good. It is optimistic.

If the universe is constantly expanding, us humans will always have infinite galaxies to explore. Spaceship Earth is just one of the planets that we can inhabit.

Anyways, if you believe the universe is constantly expanding and there is an expanding economic pie, this means you can win.

You can build a photography business, and in theory make millions of dollars.

Money is just a man made system, based on faith in human government and banks.

Money is just a tool, for you to buy food, pay rent, and your coffee.

Your potential as an entrepreneur today is fucking phenomenal.

Consider:

  1. Fast and free wifi is everywhere. Just order a coffee at a coffee shop, and plug into the wifi.
  2. Google Photos offers free unlimited photo backup. This means, no more need to buy expensive storage.
  3. Making your own website is cheap (1and1.com and WordPress.org). If you blog a lot, you can get to the top of Google search results for FREE. That means you don’t gotta spend a dime on marketing.
  4. High end digital cameras are cheap. If you want to be a professional photographer, just buy a used Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon 35mm f/1.4 Lens (also used) and buy a YN flash. You can make good photos, and charge money for it.
  5. Capitalist economy: we are dependent on advertising to sell shit. Good images to sell stuff is more important today than ever.

You have an infinite amount of opportunities today as a photography entrepreneur.

The world ain’t over-saturated (yet).

Three.

The truth is, our eyeballs are constantly being assaulted by advertisements, images, smartphone games, and the “value” of an image isn’t worth much.

However, valuable images are worth a lot.

For example, if you make a very good image of a Rolls-Royce, and if it helps Rolls-Royce sell 50 cars, that one image is worth a LOT.

Your economic value as a photographer is to be judged by your POTENTIAL.

For example, Amazon makes a tiny profit. But their long term goal is to dominate the planet. Jeff Bezos is playing the long game. So investors pour millions into Amazon, for promises of “monopoly profits” a decade forward. The investors are investing in the future POTENTIAL of Amazon.

How do you value yourself as a photographer and entrepreneur?

For me, I know I am worth millions. I don’t have millions (yet), but I know I’m an expert on images and photography. With 7 billion people with a smartphone (with a camera) that is potentially an audience of 7 billion people I can influence.

Let me do some hypothetical math.

Let’s say I can realistically tap into 1% of those 7 billion people.

1% of 7 billion is 70 million.

That is 70 million people I am looking at.

Let’s say I can add $10 of “value” to 70 million people.

That is $700 million dollars.

So in the lifetime of ERIC KIM, I see my potential net worth of potential value being $700 million. Not that far behind Jay-Z and Beyoncé.

Of course that doesn’t mean I will earn that much money in my life. But that’s what I value myself, my time, and my life.

To reiterate:

ERIC KIM x CINDY NGUYEN IS WORTH $700 MILLION

Or at least that what I think in my mind, to not waste my money with small money. Only aim for BIG money.

Four. Keep expanding and growing.

See yourself like an Amoeba. They consume resources, and grow.

But to grow, you need to consume more resources.

If you want bigger muscles, you need to eat more meat or (what they call for now), protein.

What is your intellectual protein? For me, it is consuming meaty ideas on achievement, power, and influence. I don’t read stuff from suckers.

I aspire to great heights. I hold in high esteem Kanye, Jay-Z, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Picasso.

I don’t want to be just a normal human. I want to be Nietzsche’s “over-man”– someone who surpasses his humanity. I want to become Superman. Or perhaps more realistically Batman, all black, helping humanity, and being very rich.

There is a saying, “You are the average of the 5 closest people to you.” I agree.

Who are those five people in your life? And who are your five heroes that you admire? That will determine your future success.

Five. THRIVE.

Don’t seek to life to just stay alive. Rather, THRIVE.

Life is fucking short and cruel. Why waste it with bullshit?

I was sick of my cancerous dad, so I cut him out of my life like a toxic tumor. I’m healthier now. I feel better and so does my immediate loved ones.

I want to avoid boredom in life. I take bigger risks. I don’t fear going broke. I don’t care about my “reputation” or my “needs”– all I care about are my virtuous DEEDS.

My deeds: I want to contribute more open source information to empower others. I want to make lots of money, to use money as a tool to help more people. I want to ultimately sacrifice myself for the collective, like my buddy Jesus.

I sit on the shoulder of giants. Yet, I want to take it further. I want to contribute to the wave of greatness that came before me. Even if it means making a splash in the massive ocean of human existence.

Why? So many have helped me. It is my duty to give back.

BE STRONG,
ERIC


PHOTOGRAPHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP 101 by ERIC KIM

ERIC KIM x HENRI NECK STRAP  by HAPTIC INDUSTRIES // Portrait by Benjamin Thompson

Learn how to make a living from your passion:


Photography Business 101

How to Make Money with Photography

Photography Marketing 101

How to Hustle.

Entrepreneurial Principles

How to be a Full-time Photographer

Photography Blogging

How to Teach Photography

Social Media

How to Save Money

START HERE >