Tim Salisbury of Mean-While: Capturing the moment through photography

Tim Salisbury runs Mean-While which is a collective of creatives and photographers. They focus on events, capturing a mix of candids and portraits, with a focus on composition, balance and view-point. They pride ourselves on having a quick turn-around, with each shot edited and digitally delivered within 24 hours of an event.

Why did you decide to start your own business?

I was really interested in photography when I finished high school and because of this interest I was asked by mutual friends to take photos at events. I was soon being asked by people I didn’t know.

The business has organically grown since then by word-of-mouth. I decided to continue it as it was a great way to earn extra cash during university and is now something I can manage alongside my day job.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of running your business(es)?
Knowing that people value the service we provide and that they would recommend us to their friends. We also have a really great roster of 5 photographers who are really passionate and it has been a great way for them to boost their confidence in the photography field.

What are your top 3 frustrations with managing money for your business and what would a better future look like?
As Mean-While is my side job, I often run out of time to properly manage my finances. My three top frustration would be:

• Reconciling invoices! It’s time consuming and often the last thing I want to do
• Determining my overall financial position. Again, it’s time consuming to manage expenses between camera gear and contractor wages and understanding what profit actually remains
• Understanding how much money I should be putting back into the business. This really feeds into the above two frustrations.

Failing to understand my position financially for Mean-While means I’m reluctant to put more money into the business. This is unhelpful because it stifles growth.

Thanks so much Tim! Be sure to check out Tim’s work and consider booking Mean-While (hello@mean–while.com) to photograph your next event.

‍