Virgin’s Richard Branson once mentioned the importance of building a company based upon principles, not policies.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a policy is a definite course of action. A principle is “a moral rule or belief that … influences your actions.”
Let’s put it this way: a policy explains “what” and a principle explains “why”.
Some companies and government offices hide behind their corporate policies especially when something goes wrong. But you can’t hide behind a principle.
Commercial and corporate photographers might want to create a set of principles for their business. This is not the same as a mission statement or a purpose statement.
A professional photographer’s list of business principles should be printed and kept somewhere visible. This can serve as a helpful reminder when communicating with a customer, when quoting for a job, and when working on a photo assignment.
Possible business principles might include something like:
1. Customers are important.
2. Don’t waste the customer’s time or money.
3. Each assignment is important even if you’ve shot that job a hundred times before.
4. Be upfront, honest, fair and even generous with customers.
5. Making money is almost as good as making a difference.
