Where You Stand Today
Monthly Shoot Volume
50
shoots/month — both owners shooting
Old Avg Revenue/Shoot
~$449
old Signature baseline before increase
New Avg Revenue/Shoot
~$650
new Signature baseline — 44% increase
Base Fixed Monthly Costs
$4,829
software + VA team (Fotello overage billed separately at $30/listing)
Current Annual Run Rate
~$269K
at old $449 avg × 50 shoots × 12
New Annual Run Rate
~$390K
at $650 avg × 50 shoots × 12
Honest Assessment: At the old pricing structure with $449 average revenue per shoot and $4,829 base fixed costs plus ~$30/listing editing (listings 11+), you were likely netting between $175–$230 per shoot when everything is factored in. That is a 33–44% margin on paper but only works because you are the shooters. The moment you hire shooters, the old pricing doesn't hold. The price increase to $650 Signature was not optional — it was the minimum viable move to operate sustainably with a team.
Before vs. After Pricing Increase
50 Shoots/Month — Both Owners Shooting
Scenario A — Old Pricing (Pre-March 2026)
Old Reality
Revenue Side
Avg revenue per shoot$449
Monthly shoot volume50 shoots
Gross monthly revenue$22,450
Annual gross revenue$269,400
Cost & Net
Fixed monthly costs (software + VAs)-$2,619
Photo editing (Fotello, 50 shoots: $230 + 40×$30)-$1,430
Video editing (est. 35 vids × $110)-$3,850
Mileage (you both, est. 800mi × $0.67)-$536
Misc / supplies-$200
Monthly Net (combined)~$13,815
Per owner: ~$6,908/mo | ~$82,890/yr
Margin: 52% — only because you are the shooters. Hire anyone and this collapses.
Scenario B — New Pricing (Post-March 2026)
Current Reality
Revenue Side
Avg revenue per shoot (blended)$650
Monthly shoot volume50 shoots
Gross monthly revenue$32,500
Annual gross revenue$390,000
Revenue increase vs. old pricing+$10,050/mo (+44%)
Cost & Net
Fixed monthly costs (software + VAs)-$2,619
Photo editing (Fotello, 50 shoots: $230 + 40×$30)-$1,430
Video editing (35 vids × $110)-$3,850
Mileage (you both, est. 800mi × $0.67)-$536
Misc / supplies / contingency-$300
Monthly Net (combined)~$23,765
Per owner: ~$11,883/mo | ~$142,590/yr
Margin: 67% — still owner-as-shooter model. The scaling begins next.
Scenario C — New Pricing + First External Shooter (60 shoots, 20 outsourced)
Near-Term Target
Revenue Side
Avg revenue per shoot$650
Monthly shoot volume60 shoots
Gross monthly revenue$39,000
Annual gross revenue$468,000
Cost & Net
Fixed monthly costs-$2,619
External shooter (20 shoots × $215)-$4,300
Photo editing (60 shoots: $230 + 50×$30)-$1,730
Video editing (42 vids × $110)-$4,620
Mileage (you both + shooter)-$700
Misc / contingency-$400
Monthly Net (combined)~$24,631
Per owner: ~$12,316/mo | ~$147,789/yr
You freed up 20 shoot slots. Outsourcing cost you $4,300 but gained you capacity. Now start adding volume without working more.
What Each Scenario Means Annually
Year 1 Comparison
| Scenario | Annual Gross | Annual Net (Both) | Per Owner | Margin | Situation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old pricing, 50 shoots/mo | $269,400 | $166,212 | $83,106 | 62% | Unsustainable with team |
| New pricing, 50 shoots/mo (you shooting) | $390,000 | $286,812 | $143,406 | 74% | Good money — build the team now |
| New pricing, 60 shoots + 1 shooter | $468,000 | $299,172 | $149,586 | 64% | Scaling starts, time freed up |
| New pricing, 80 shoots + 2 shooters | $624,000 | $377,412 est. | $188,706 est. | 60% | Real scale — volume wins |
Phase 1 Immediate Action Items
- Get the new pricing live on the website and booking system immediately. Every shoot you do at old pricing is money left on the table. The math is simple: 50 shoots × $201 extra = $10,050 additional monthly revenue from the same workload.
- Hire and train your first external shooter within 30 days. You are the bottleneck right now. Every shoot you free up is a shoot you can replace with a higher-margin branding job or use to build content and run ads. Target: hire one shooter by end of Month 1, capable of 15–20 shoots/month independently by Month 3.
- Start tracking blended average revenue per shoot monthly. The target is $720+ blended (Signature-heavy mix with some Premier and add-ons). If you are consistently below $700, your package mix is off and you need to push harder on Signature upsells.
- Build a simple dashboard that shows monthly gross, fixed costs, per-shoot variable costs, and net. You cannot manage what you do not measure. Rihards' per-video invoices and Fotello's per-listing charges ($30 beyond first 10) must be tracked at shoot level — these are your two largest variable costs and they scale directly with volume.
- Transition Dorothy to focus on outbound prospecting for new clients at the new price point rather than managing existing clients who are price-sensitive. The goal is replacing clients who push back on the increase with clients who don't.