Every entrepreneur has their own stories of trials and tribulations – particularly from an operations perspective. In this series, I’m speaking with owner-operators to learn what makes them tick, along with some of their best advice for successfully running your own business.

This time I’m speaking with Darius Bashar, a Toronto-based portrait photographer, podcaster and writer about meditation, the five-year rule, and getting comfortable with being in the middle of your journey.

What should a reader know about you and your business?

I’m a portrait and fashion photographer who specializes in a very specific photographic niche. I show people what’s in their heart when we remove all the masks and filters and allow them to just be. I’m also a writer and a podcaster on the Create Therefore podcast where we dive deep with artists, creators, innovators to explore their successes, quirks, and creative processes along with their messes. You know, those juicy lessons.

Finish this sentence – my business helps people by…

Introducing humans to themselves.

Is this your first entrepreneurial venture?

When I was 15 years old, I figured out how to make fake IDs and got really good at it. Kids from schools all over would come to me and I would sell them IDs for $50 a pop. So I’ve been entrepreneurial all along, but my first official business was Apollo Media – a digital agency specializing in building websites. Shortly after that, we branched off into a website called Daily Challenge, a social network for socially conscious people, which rallied people to do a single act of kindness every day that was crowdsourced by the users.

For a while I moved away from entrepreneurship to work in larger start-ups and ad agencies. There were a lot of perks, but I deeply did not enjoy the work because I completely lost who I was.

How did you get into this business?

My photography business started by accident. Someone saw some of the work I had done as a cinematographer and was convinced that if you can make a quality music video, you must be good at photography too. I guess I was too dumb or too shy to tell this person that photography and cinematography are very different things, so I agreed to do this big fashion campaign as my first project. In traditional Darius-fashion, I convinced people I could do things I did not know how to do, but that pressure forced me to figure it out.

What’s your favourite thing about owning a business?

The control I have around my schedule. Before, I used to think that when you work for yourself you can just be lazy, and no one’s going to care. The truth is, as an entrepreneur, you often work more than a nine-to-five person, but I’ve figured out my mood and energy fluctuate so much that I need to be able to fluctuate with it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][ut_parallax_quote quotation_marks=”no” quote_ins_font_weight=”bold” icon=”fa fa-quote-left” icon_color=”#5d4389″ quote_color=”#5d4389″]The truth is, as an entrepreneur, you often work more than a nine-to-five person[/ut_parallax_quote][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

What do you think the hardest part of owning a business is?

I hate taxes. It’s like a high school project that you have for the rest of your life. It never ends. You’re always behind. If you watch me do my taxes you’d think I was the biggest, brattiest 10-year old kid. I just absolutely loathe it. But I’m finally at the point in my business when I can hand a lot of that stuff off.

Tell me something you love doing at work.

Shooting is my favourite thing. There’s an unknown factor to every shoot and I love the scariness of that. Part of me that always thinks “this is the shoot where everything’s going to fall apart and I’m going finally to be exposed as a scam”. That feeling never goes away, no matter how many shoots I do. Now, I’m realizing that’s a powerful thing. It keeps me focused. Sometimes, when I bike really, really quickly through downtown Toronto with no traffic, I get the same feeling. You can’t look anywhere else but straight ahead. If you lose focus, you’ll die. You’re just so present. Sometimes, shooting feels like that too. It doesn’t matter what the shot will look like in the end – it’s just this moment. That’s my favourite thing.

When you talk about “the shoot where everything finally falls apart”, it reminds me of a TED talk I saw recently about imposter syndrome; how prevalent it is in our world and how people often feel like they’re going to get “found out”.

I experienced imposter syndrome as an entrepreneur when I was younger. I thought the feeling would go away, but it just stays. It felt like an insult, but I’ve realized it’s ok for a small part of me to feel that way forever. I’m a strong believer that our weaknesses are all superpowers as well.

What’s the most powerful lesson you’ve learned as a business owner?

There’s so many, but I’ll tell you the most prominent thing that’s going through my mind right now – the concept of the middle. Beginnings are easy. It’s like being on a tightrope – in the beginning, you’re still holding on to something safe. You can always abandon ship and move on to something else. The end also has some stability to it because you’ve been doing something so consistently and for so long that you lose all your doubt. But the middle is really wobbly. You finally have something you don’t want to give up; you think, “I’ve created something, I have this space, I have this portfolio, I have this reputation.” You have something to lose. When you’re in the middle, the key is not to stand still. If you look back, it’ll throw you off your game. If you look to the sides and see all the other people and how fast they’re going on their own tightropes, it’ll also throw you off. You just need to stay on your own path and keep going forward.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][ut_parallax_quote quotation_marks=”no” quote_ins_font_weight=”bold” icon=”fa fa-quote-left” icon_color=”#5d4389″ quote_color=”#5d4389″]When you’re in the middle, the key is not to stand still. If you look back, it’ll throw you off your game.[/ut_parallax_quote][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

What happens when doubt creeps in? When you start wondering if you’re actually on the right path?

I think growing up in the Mark Zuckerberg Facebook era where this kid became a billionaire in what seemed like six months, everyone thought that was the standard for success. If your business wasn’t growing at that ridiculous pace, it was like you were failing. Later I later realized that’s like playing basketball and forfeiting in the first two minutes of the game because your team is down. There’s a lot more time left in the game. So I created a rule for myself – the five-year rule: Whatever idea you have, commit to it for five years. At the end of that five years, the only thing you’re entitled to is to be really good at that craft. Not the best in the world. Not the greatest that ever lived. Just really good. Pick something you care about so you’ll have the stamina to get through those five years. I’m currently halfway through that experiment and it’s going really well, but sometimes old thought patterns do creep in. I’m not going to deny those thoughts. They’re only one of the versions of me.

What is the most effective use of your time at work?

One of the highest impact activities I do is meditation. Having that morning ritual grounds me and the guidance I get is like the greatest board of advisors I’ve ever had. Sometimes it’s deep and spiritual and sometimes I spend 30 minutes thinking about a budgeting spreadsheet. I let my mind go wherever it wants. There’s no trying to silence your brain.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][ut_parallax_quote quotation_marks=”no” quote_ins_font_weight=”bold” icon=”fa fa-quote-left” icon_color=”#5d4389″ quote_color=”#5d4389″]Having that morning ritual grounds me and the guidance I get is like the greatest board of advisors I’ve ever had.[/ut_parallax_quote][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Tell me more about that. From what I understand, meditation is about trying to clear your mind.

That’s the worst advice to give people starting to meditate because all you’ll think about for the 30 minutes is, “man, I suck at this. I can’t clear my brain.” I give the exact opposite advice to what I call my “cosmic family”, which are the many sides that comprise me. There are so many sides to me – there’s an artist, an inner child who’s eight and 12 and 15; there’s 21-year-old Darius, and future Darius. They each have different personalities, different wounds, and different superpowers. During meditation, it’s a free, safe space for whichever version of myself needs attention. It’s just like a family. If one family member is really distraught and you don’t genuinely care and listen to them, the rest of the family is going to be disturbed. Just like in any relationship, when you listen to someone you validate them, you don’t try to fix them. Ironically, the way I quiet my voices is by letting them get as loud as they want.

Sometimes, I’ll have things come to me during or after meditation, I call them DMs (direct messages) or downloads from the universe. I carry a notebook with me wherever I go because you never know when you’re going to get a download. I also believe that you occasionally need to “empty your fridge”—you need to get some stuff out so that other stuff can flow in. It doesn’t always have to be profound. Sometimes it’s a reminder that an invoice needs to be sent, or to finish an email, or giving space to an idea you can return to later.

What’s the best investment you’ve made in your business?

Very practically speaking, my laptop. Every single piece of business I’ve done has gone through that $2,000 laptop – films, music videos, commercials, big client projects, fashion projects, photography, portraits, and podcasts. Everything goes through this device. Without it, I’m screwed.

I’ll also invest in music. For me, music is the best way to connect to a higher source. I have music on all day. I invest in monthly subscriptions to Spotify and Soundcloud and I’m constantly curating playlists that will allow me to access particular feelings and create opportunities for the people I work with to experience certain emotions. I very carefully utilize and curate music as a massive trust-building and bonding tool.

What do you do to stay ahead of the curve and innovate?

I leave a lot room for failing.

Can you give an example of a failure you had?

The podcasting stuff has been hard. I have this one arm, the photography arm, that’s strong and has a lot of muscle. I get daily reinforcement from the world that I’m a really good photographer. But now I’ve picked up weights in this other arm, the podcasting arm, and it’s not growing as fast. We haven’t really figured out how to distribute the episodes yet and it’s been challenging because it’s brand new territory. We’ve been having a lot of trouble in that world and it’s been really emotional.

Recently, we’ve turned out some deep, deep conversations but because the first few episodes didn’t do what we wanted them to, we’re just sitting on five episodes that are truly incredible. The truth is, I’ve been terrified to share the episodes with the people I’ve interviewed because I need get their approval to share them online and if they say I can’t share the episode my heart will be broken.

Who do you most want to photograph?

One of the metrics I use to decide if I want to photograph someone is whether I feel like the universe will download some wisdom through this person to me. The greatest lessons I’ve learned are before, during, and after portraits. So knowing that, I’d say Will Smith. I grew up watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and he was just a giant goofball, but now I love everything he’s doing on Instagram. I’m such a giant fan of him and his family. I’d love to have a few hours with him. And who could say no to Oprah? I just love everything she does. Then probably Drake, because I’m a proud Torontonian and I can’t think of anyone who’s done more for the city than him.

What book has made the biggest impact on you?

My favourite book would be The Untethered Soul, by Michael A. Singer. It’s not a business book, but it’s a book around creativity. It’s about how you are not a genius, but genius is a spirit or an energy that will find you if you make space. You are the vessel for it.

I see Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED talk about what happens after you achieve success as the intro to The Untethered Soul. She saw that there was a lot of alcoholism, drug addiction and suicide among successful people and figured there must be a different path. She looked back through history and saw that a lot of creative geniuses didn’t actually see themselves as geniuses – genius found them. That idea alleviates a lot of stress.

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading an incredible book called Stealing Fire, by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal. It’s so badass! It’s a very scientific, strategic, and analytical look at organizations and people that have tried to “steal fire from the gods”. It’s basically the science of creative flow through structure. Instead of being one of those artists who waits for a muse to find you, it looks at the professional artists who didn’t wait for muses. They got to the table or the canvas every day. They did the work and the muse found them. It teaches you the history and science of flow through examples from the ancient Greeks to the Navy Seals, and gives so many incredible stories of people who were able to reach massive levels of creative productivity.

What are you most excited to read?

The 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss. It’s obviously a classic, but I’ve always ignored it. I feel like I’m finally ready for it.

What’s your favourite technology to use in the business?

It’s very specific to photography, but I like Pixieset, which is an online gallery site for photographers. You can put pictures up and show clients and they can pick their favourites.

And, honestly, Facebook. I don’t think advertising on Facebook has done anything for me, but 70-80% of my business comes from connecting with my Facebook friends.

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Check out Heart-Shots by Darius Bashar

Headshots are stiff. They’re too composed and too perfect. After seeing thousands of them on sites like LinkedIn and “About Us” pages, people are starting to realize how insincere they can be. And for this reason, traditional headshots just don’t work anymore.

The purpose of great photography should always be to bring people closer to the real you.

Why does this matter?

Because the closer your customers are to the real you, the closer you are to closing the deal and growing your business.

Until October 31, 2018, Darius will knock $200 off the regular price.

So instead of $995, you pay $795 and Darius will include 5 extra photos as a gift.

Click Here to learn more

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Connect with BeachHead Strategic

Struggling to grow your business? BeachHead Strategic works with small and mid-sized businesses to build a strong foundation to thrive upon. If you would like to talk about what we do, please contact me at rdrynan@beachheadstrategic.com for more information.

Know someone we should interview for our series? Send me an email.