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Laura Novak:
Tips on Moving a Studio Operation
By Linda L. May
Anyone who has ever moved a household knows how much stress and sore muscles are involved.
However, relocating an entire studio operation presents additional problems, challenges and
issues beyond moving a house. Last year, professional photographer Laura Novak of Wilmington,
DE, had the pleasure of experiencing the pros and cons of relocating her business, Laura
Novak Photography, as well as designing and remodeling the studio space from the rotted
floors up.
"The key to whether or not to move your studio depends on how relocating will serve you,"
says Laura. "Having a beautiful studio is wonderful, if it's allowing you to generate more
revenues. If not, stay where you are. Make sure you have valid reasons and are not moving
just to own a trendy, fancy studio space. If the larger space has room for extra office
areas, or a camera room that you didn't have in your smaller space, then moving is a good
idea. I moved because my business outgrew the former space. It was too small to have a
camera room, which I have here, and my presentation room is much larger now."
When clients enter Laura's tastefully decorated studio now, they would never guess that at
the point of purchase the building was a mess. According to Laura, it had been empty for
years and was in a state of grave deterioration. The floors were rotting out and the brick
walls were crumbling down. However, she was unaffected by the bad condition of the historic
building because she saw its great potential. "I preferred a neighborhood operation as
opposed to being in a strip mall," explains Laura. "This historical building was perfect
and in the right area--a very safe, quiet, family-friendly part of town. This old, 1200
square-foot structure has character and class. It's a very long, row house floor plan.
A hair salon is on one side of me and on the other side is a high-end boutique. Across
the street is a busy child-care facility. A few blocks away are restaurants, art galleries,
wine bars, museums and shopping, so there's a lot of foot traffic stopping in to browse.
I wanted to create a warm, inviting atmosphere, like an art gallery."
Of course, making the transition from falling down to move-in condition was no easy task.
Here are some of Laura's tips on relocating from her experience:
1. Whenever possible, hire professionals to do the work for you. That way, you do
not waste money on people who may or may not do the job right. Keeping the cash flowing while
you are rebuilding a new space is vital, and hiring pros allows you to continue shooting during
the construction process, so your operation is not suffering financially.
2. Hire a really good lawyer and read the lease agreement thoroughly. If you are buying
the space, make sure you read the fine print. Ask others in the area about their leases,
compare rents and get to know the new neighborhood. Laura moved into an area, only a few
blocks away from her former location, so she already knew the neighborhood before moving.
Currently, she is leasing the space, but she may buy it in the future. Her lease is 25 pages
long and quite complicated, so she needed a lawyer to help her dissect it.
3. Always carry a notebook so you can jot down ideas as they come to you. There are
so many little details that come up that you can't remember everything. At all times, Laura
carried a notebook with window measurements, room dimensions, paint swatches and fabric
colors. If she was out shopping and saw a piece of furniture she liked, she looked at her
notes and knew immediately if it would fit her space. Being organized makes the moving
process easier.
4. Get helpers and new services lined up four to six weeks in advance of the start date.
Laura learned this the hard way because she didn't realize that it takes three to four weeks
to get commercial Internet service hooked up, whereas it takes only a few days to get
residential Internet installed. She was forced to pay extra in order to avoid a longer wait.
5. While you're doing the final touches, hire a good handyman. The handyman can be
on-site to drill holes in the walls to hang pictures, move heavy items around, install shelves,
assemble furniture and paint. There's an endless list of chores to do and it's good to have
someone who can do them as they arise, unless you are handy yourself.
6. To save money, use the barter system where you can. Laura exchanged goods and
services with people who were helping, instead of cash, and they all benefited.
7. Be sure to make time for yourself. Moving is a very busy, stressful period and
it's easy to become overwhelmed. Every morning, Laura got up at 6:30 a.m. to do yoga before
she started her busy days. Some nights, she left in the middle of a project and finished it
the next day when she was more refreshed.
8. Check in often with key employees during the building process for their input and
feedback. Don't overlook any details pertaining to their working spaces because they need
to be comfortable and organized too.
Because Laura and her staff were so well organized, the actual physical move took only one
day. While she was setting up the new space, the employees were operating the business from
the old location. "Organization is key! In the morning, the computers were running in the
old location and by that day's end, they were all set up and operating in the new space,"
says Laura. "I had the whole place laid out on paper and in my head, so I knew ahead of time
where the different furniture and computers would be placed in the new building. Tearing
down and setting up was not as hard as it could have been. The cable modems were already
set up for the computers so all we did was plug-in. The phones were also working, so we
were ready to do business the next day."
Despite all the hassles and headaches involved in the relocation process, Laura is quite
pleased with the results of her long hours and labor. Upon entering, clients are greeted
by impressive 24 x 36-inch prints hanging on the walls. The entryway flows into the
tastefully furnished reception/presentation area, where albums, photo jewelry, purses
and more images are displayed. The long, narrow design of the row house works well for
Laura because it also has room for offices, a production room, a bathroom, a natural
light shooting space, snack bar and children's play area.
Another major benefit of moving to a new location, according to Laura, is gaining a
fresh perspective on your business. "My natural-light shooting-space and office allow me
to look at my business differently," she says. "My new camera room inspires me to be more
creative in my art."
By producing quality work that captures the personality of each couple and family, Laura
Novak is now one of the Mid-Atlantic's most sought after wedding photographers, catering
to high-end clients in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, D.C.
and Delaware. She also teaches workshops and seminars because she believes in giving back
to the industry that has given her so much. Laura is a member of WPPI and the Digital
Wedding Forum, and credits both for helping her reach the level of success she currently
enjoys. In 2007, Laura launched Strategy Avenue, an online education resource for fellow
photographers looking to grow their businesses.
Laura's future looks bright and promising with limitless possibilities. She plans to
continue growing her business and enjoying her new studio space until she outgrows that
location too.
Readers may contact Laura Novak at Laura Novak Photography via email at
laura@novakphotography.com or view her
website at www.lauranovak.com.
Photographers who are interested in Strategy Avenue may visit
www.strategyavenue.com
for more details.
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