“Do you know how hard it is to start a business?”  "Do you know how many fail?"  This is what we heard from almost everyone that we spoke with.  Fortunately for us, we had no choice.

    Our journey up to this point hasn’t been easy, but it has certainly been worthwhile.  We began our Colorado Virtual Tour and Photography Company in October of 2007 and were looking to build a small business that could supplement our income.  I was working for a large home builder in Denver, and Beth (my loving wife) was working at a Bakery in the Loveland area at the time.   Because of the Colorado economy and what was happening in the New Home Industry, it became increasingly hard to maintain a positive attitude, and sometimes even to wake up in the morning.  However, our dreams were gigantic, and my wife kept me looking forward. 

    Then it happened… the Denver Home Builder that I was working for decided to close its doors in July.  OUCH!  I knew that I needed to do something right away so that I could pay the bills, and more importantly, support my wife and 2 little girls.  We did have Hot Shots Digital, but it wasn’t making us nearly enough to cover our expenses.  We decided to take our little Loveland / Ft Collins Virtual Tour business, which started out as an idea, and turn it into what we had been talking about for over a year.   

    The days were very long, and although we could barely afford it, Aspirin and Spaghetti were major staples in our home until about the middle of December.  We began getting calls from Real Estate Agents and people wanting to sell their homes by owner (FSBO).  Our Colorado Tours started to become sought after and better known.  The time, the webinars, and learning about how to market a Virtual Tour business in Colorado started to really pay off.  Hard work and dedication was no longer a useless cliché that Grandpa used to say, it was our mode of survival, and it worked!  Hot Shots Digital was finally becoming the professional choice in Virtual Tours for Colorado!  

    Hot Shots Digital had it's first productive month in January ‘09, and our business seems to be growing exponentially.  Our dreams of owning a successful photography business in Colorado have been recaptured, and we have expanded the household dinner menu.      

    I'm certainly not writing this to brag about what I've done, but to give hope to anyone who is starting a business and is having a difficult time.  Small business is the true "Heart of America".  From the Day Care Provider to the Carpenter, and the Real Estate Agent to the Virtual Tour Photographer, we are all what makes America what it needs to be.  If Grandpa were here, he would look you right in the eye and say……

May your efforts be worthwhile!

Nathan Strauch
Hot Shots Digital
My Colorado Virtual Tours
www.hotshotpros.com
Order a Virtual Tour (877) 447-6326