Introduction (Free Access)
Sales Figures, Expenses, and Real-World Contracts
In this lesson, we will do a comprehensive deep dive into my sales figures, expenses and contracts. This will give you a good idea of how my business functions monetarily.
The Purpose of This Lesson
I’m sharing a complete, transparent overview of my sales so you can assess whether replicating my business model is the right investment for you.
You’ll see: what I charged, what I delivered, how long projects took, my revenue vs. profit, monthly averages, ROI, and specific contract examples (from small early jobs to large brand work).
The objective is to help you evaluate the potential, understand the ramp-up period, and set realistic expectations for revenue and workload in the first months.
Understanding the Numbers
Payment sources: All figures come from my website’s invoicing system. I do not take off-platform cash payments.
Gross revenue vs. profit: Figures I show first are gross (includes taxes collected and any pass-through items). I then deduct sales tax and expenses to show profit.
HST (Canada): I charge 13% Tax on invoices. That tax is collected on behalf of the government and not income.
Pass-through expenses: On ~20–30% of contracts, I bill clients for third-party costs (models, studio, props). These appear in revenue but are not take-home income.
Ad spend: Ongoing operating cost and the single largest expense category.
Time frame: July 15, 2024 → September 21, 2025 - from the beginning of my first ad-campaign until the recording of this video
All-Time Sales and Profit Calculation (First 14.5 Months)
Gross revenue (all-time): $188,776 (over ~14.5 months).
Dividing gross by 1.13 (to remove 13% tax collected) = $167,058.
Pass-through + gear/other expenses:
Line-item expenses that I incurred totaled $11,374
I rounded this up to $15,000 to capture camera gear upgrades during this period.
Adjusted revenue after deducting these expenses: $152,058.
Ad spend (cumulative): $24,100.
Final take-home profit after deducting all expenses: $127,958.40.
Date range: 433 days (July 15, 2024 → September 21, 2025).
Average monthly take-home profit (over the whole period): $9,160.99.
Expense Structure Overview
Primary ongoing expense: ad campaign
Started around $700+/mo; later scaled as high as $2,000+/mo in busy periods.
Other recurring costs:
Website platform: ~$50/mo.
Photoshop: ~$20/mo.
Phone plan: standard business necessity.
Transportation: higher during early months (frequent on-location shoots), now lower since I prioritize home-studio work.
Gear: Not a monthly overhead line; occasional upgrades
Client-billed third-party costs (pass-through): Models, studio bookings, specialty props (Typically charged to clients as separate invoice lines and reimbursed)
Performance by Time Window
A) Last 365 Days (most recent year)
Average contract value: $2,296.
Monthly profit threshold: For 10 consecutive months, I earned $10,000+ per month.
Ad spend total (year): $22,500 → $1,875/mo average.
Return on ad spend (ROAS/ROI): > 5x every month for the last 10 months; multiple months > 10x.
A) Last 365 Days (most recent year)
Average contract value: $2,296.
Monthly profit threshold: For 10 consecutive months, I earned $10,000+ per month.
Ad spend total (year): $22,500 → $1,875/mo average.
Return on ad spend (ROAS/ROI): > 5x every month for the last 10 months; multiple months > 10x.
Post-Startup Highlights (December 2024 - September 2025)
Slowest month (post-ramp): $10,124 revenue (still above $10k).
Best month (April 2025): $32,827 revenue with > 18x ROI.
Current month status (as of Sep 21, 2025): $11,390 booked with 9 days remaining.
Pricing Philosophy
I price based on expected workload hours and the value delivered to the client.
As I moved upmarket, I focused on fewer, larger contracts;
Maintaining at least ~$100/hour effective rate, including pre-pro and post.
For ongoing clients, I occasionally accept smaller jobs at efficient rates because relationship value is high and setup is streamlined.
Keep in mind that it is very common for people to promise you a “big job” in the future as an incentive to do an initial contract for a lower rate.
I avoid discounting on promises; I’ll reduce per-image pricing for returning clients only after repeat business is demonstrated or when bundling shoots.
Representative Contracts and Time/Value Breakdown
These examples show the spread—from high-quantity e-commerce to brand/lifestyle sets and banner hero shots.
Handbag brand (multi-phase: e-commerce + lifestyle + short-form video)
Invoice total: $6,000 (+ HST).
Scope: 12 products; ~64 e-commerce photos; 12–24 studio lifestyle photos; limited short-form video.
Third-party costs (est.): studio + two models (~$1,500; billed to me first, then recouped or counted in pass-through).
Time: ~25–35 hours (meetings, two shoots, post, revisions).
Net to me: estimated $4,000–$4,500 after third-party costs.
Notes: I rarely accept video; took it here due to client need and simplicity.
Jewelry client (seasonal collection, ongoing)
Rate: $40/image; 102 images → $4,000 total.
Time: ~40 hours (jewelry is technically demanding).
Effective rate: still > $100/hour.
Victories Kitchen (soup brand; recurring small shoots)
Typical engagement: $1,000 for 1–3 photos; banner-style use.
Example job: ~4 hours total (prep, shoot, edit) → ~$250/hour effective.
Comment: I keep exceptions for strong recurring clients; efficient setup keeps margins high.
Reckless Rush (collector lighters resembling toy cars; repeat client)
Current scope: 44 photos → $3,000 (~$68/image effective; I quoted $70/image; package rounded).
Time: 20–30 hours; small reflective metal objects require time in retouch.
Approach: For repeat work, I may reduce per-image pricing once volume and cadence are proven.
Dog treat company (large brand, high-volume)
Scope: 190 photos @ $32/photo → $6,080 gross; a few hundred dollars in props (minor).
Time: ≤ 30 hours total.
Result: ~$5,800 take-home; excellent effective hourly.
High-volume labels (major spice company)
Scope: ~100 images, urgent turnaround.
Price: $2,600; ~4 hours total.
Big enterprises often pay for speed, reliability, and ease—be ready to quote decisively and deliver.
My Early Jobs and the Ramp-Up Reality
Very first contract: ~$250 for a 3-hour shoot; with travel and edits, ~5.5 hours → ~$44/hour effective payrate.
Chocolate shop (early months): $399 for ~8 hours total → ~$50/hour.
Deliverables in the early stage were generous (often 30-50+ files for short 2 hour photoshoots).
Practical Takeaways
Start lean, then scale: Launch with $500–$1,000/mo ad spend until conversion benchmarks are proven; scale only when consistently hitting ROI targets.
Track everything: Revenue, pre-tax amounts, pass-throughs, ad spend, effective hourly, average contract value, monthly profit.
Prioritize reliability: Larger brands pay for speed, organization, and accountability.
Price with discipline: Quote to a time-and-value model; only discount for proven repeat business or bundles.
Move upmarket: As your pipeline strengthens, raise minimums and reduce low-ROI travel shoots; lean on a home-studio where possible to protect margins.