0:00:00 > 0:00:03'I am Alex Polizzi.
0:00:03 > 0:00:07'I cut my teeth inside my family's international hotel empire
0:00:07 > 0:00:11'and now run a multi-million pound food business with my husband.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16'Last year, I battled to save six failing family firms.'
0:00:16 > 0:00:20- I don't know if it's ever going to get better.- You must see some hope.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22'Now I'm ready for a fresh fight...'
0:00:22 > 0:00:23- Hello!- Hello, Alex.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27'..to save six more families on the brink of losing it all.'
0:00:27 > 0:00:30- Why has it got so bad? - Because he won't talk to me.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33I feel like my dream is moving further and further away.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36'But in the midst of a triple-dip recession,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'thousands of firms are going bust every month.'
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Just in the last three months, you've lost about £3,000.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48- I'm really struggling. - 'The stakes could not be higher.'
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Where is the money coming from?
0:00:50 > 0:00:52'It's not just finance, it's family.'
0:00:52 > 0:00:56What are you walking away for? I can't work with someone like that.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00Everyone keeps saying, "You're the lazy one, you do nothing."
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Something is very, very wrong.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08'This week, a photographic studio that's totally in the dark.'
0:01:09 > 0:01:13- Oh, zooming the wrong way.- None of us have been trained in marketing.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14I don't even know where to start.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18In the eye of the storm, they're all just sitting there like puddings.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20I'm not saying you can't do it!
0:01:20 > 0:01:23- Will a gaggle of unruly sisters... - I am, I'm BLEEP off,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27cos I feel like everybody thinks that I haven't got my own mind.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29'..Push their mum over the edge...'
0:01:29 > 0:01:31I feel I'm rubbish as a bloody manager.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Unless they do their bloody job,
0:01:33 > 0:01:36there is not going to be photographs to take!
0:01:36 > 0:01:40'..before the lights go out for good on her lifelong dream.'
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Only THEY can bring themselves success and unless they're
0:01:43 > 0:01:46prepared to do that, this business is going to go down the tubes.
0:01:53 > 0:01:54I'm heading to Aylesbury in Bucks,
0:01:54 > 0:01:59to visit a start-up photography studio called PeachyPics.net.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04A third of all new businesses go bust within three years,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07so this is going to be quite a challenge.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11Everything that I've seen about the business
0:02:11 > 0:02:13looks incredibly amateurish.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17It's a start-up business, there's no money,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20they've been making no money and, and...
0:02:20 > 0:02:24I can't really see how it could get much worse.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27That's it, good girl.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30OK, I want you to look right up into the lens, that's it.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Three years ago, Andy Lane recovered from a life-threatening illness,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38so she jacked in her job to pursue her lifelong dream of running
0:02:38 > 0:02:39a photographic studio.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Oh, look! Oh, darling!
0:02:43 > 0:02:45Hello, Bubba! 'I love it.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48'You know, not everybody has such a fun job.'
0:02:48 > 0:02:51If I could do it for nothing and give the photos away,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53if I was a millionaire, I would.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56She focuses on family portraits, some rather questionable makeovers
0:02:56 > 0:03:00and charges hundreds of pounds for them.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Just close your eyes. Great.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06But whatever the shoot, Andy just wants to make people smile.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Hopefully, everybody's happy that comes here.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11How many people can say that?
0:03:13 > 0:03:16But it's not just customers she's trying to please.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19I feel like I'm holding her! I'm like, "Aah!"
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Instead of employing professionals,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Andy has handed out jobs to her totally inexperienced daughters.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30- Manager Emma...- We don't know what we're doing, really. We don't.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33- Budding photographer Rachel... - You're in the way a little bit.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35- Sorry, I'll move.- Thank you.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37It's just a big mess.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40And Nicky, who doesn't even have a role.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Generally, I do a bit of everything.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46And a bit of nothing.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51- No one's saying you can't do it! - Sadly, it's not happy families.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56- Working together often ends in fireworks. - I'm a massive BLEEP letdown.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- No, you're not. - With odd-job Nicky at the centre.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05I'm absolutely sick of being made out like I do BLEEP all here.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10Rather than crack the whip, mum Andy lets it all happen.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Go and have a break. Go and do some shopping.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Customers are few and far between and in two years,
0:04:21 > 0:04:27- Andy has never paid herself a penny in wages.- What have we got on now?
0:04:27 > 0:04:32- Nothing. Nothing at all. - Nothing?- No. Nothing.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37I don't know, some people are natural business people. I guess I'm not.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40We're really on the way to having to close the business
0:04:40 > 0:04:42if things go the way they are.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Andy has invested her life savings in the business,
0:04:46 > 0:04:47but with little money coming in,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51it will go to the wall within six months and she will lose everything.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I don't want it to fail. I want to carry on.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56I just want them to be able to...
0:04:57 > 0:05:01..work doing something they love, something they're proud of doing.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08PeachyPics is situated in a shopping centre in Aylesbury.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16In this economic crisis, the high street is on its knees,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20but town centre shopping arcades are doing even worse.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24This is an in-town shopping centre
0:05:24 > 0:05:27that has very middle-of-the-road shops.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29So, are people who come here really going to be prepared to
0:05:29 > 0:05:33spend £380 on a family portrait?
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Aylesbury is the least affluent town in the county,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38with the average income below £30,000.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42For a company selling a luxury product,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44being here just doesn't seem to add up.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Aha! PeachyPics.
0:05:50 > 0:05:51Dearie me.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Just the rather sad attempt at the bunting is enough to warn me
0:05:56 > 0:05:58of what I'm going to see inside.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01It looks like a little run-down family business
0:06:01 > 0:06:03and it's only been open a couple of years.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Oh, God.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09OK, I'm now dreading it, properly dreading it.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17- Hello!- Hello! Nice to meet you.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20- Hello.- Hello, Alex.- Andy.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24- Nice to meet you. - So nice to meet you.- And you.- Good.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- Nicky and Rachel, which is which? - Nicky.- Hi, Rachel.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29So nice to meet you, thanks very much.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Gosh, well this is a very boutique space, isn't it?
0:06:32 > 0:06:35- It is bijou.- Bijou!
0:06:35 > 0:06:36To say the least.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40'Competition is fierce in this industry, particularly in the south-east,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43'home to a third of Britain's professional photographers.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47'To win customers, you must stand out from the crowd.'
0:06:47 > 0:06:49It's just quite...
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Quite downmarket. There's a bowl of plastic keyrings.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56You know, it's just cheap. It's mass produced.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00What you want someone to feel is that they're coming out of here with something really unique.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Every single picture on here is kind of framed slightly differently,
0:07:04 > 0:07:05all hung at different heights,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09and they're giving no value to their own work.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12I mean, honestly. That's really embarrassing.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16'Outside isn't any better.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19'The few cheesy poses on display certainly wouldn't entice ME
0:07:19 > 0:07:22'through the doors. And I'm not alone.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27'On average, only four paying customers come in each week.'
0:07:28 > 0:07:34They've got this pale pink and green, very childish font and name.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38I mean, the whole effect is pretty haphazard, thoughtless and,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42you know, if they can't do a window,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45how on earth can they compose a photograph?
0:07:45 > 0:07:48That's what I automatically think.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53It does strike me that you're not selling yourself very well.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56- I think we realise that.- Well, why haven't you done anything about it?
0:07:56 > 0:07:59- I don't know! - We don't know HOW to do it, do we?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02I say all the time, I don't know how to market.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05None of us have been trained in marketing.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07- I don't even know where to start. - OK.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12They've got no get-up-and-go about the business.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16They're all so passive - in the eye of the storm,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19they're all just sitting there like puddings, going,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23"Oh yes, well we know we're not very good at this and that and we've never done that..."
0:08:23 > 0:08:26I just... It makes me despair!
0:08:27 > 0:08:29This business has been here almost two years.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32And they haven't tried anything yet.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35I suppose I'm going to look like a genius.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39PeachyPics looks downright cheap, but with their photo shoot packages
0:08:39 > 0:08:41costing up to a whopping £700,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44let's hope their service is more impressive.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48I want to see how you work together.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52- Have you got anything booked in this afternoon?- No.- No clients?
0:08:52 > 0:08:54- Not even one?- No.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56I thought that this might be the case,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59that you might not be snowed under by customers,
0:08:59 > 0:09:05- so I'm going to go and slip into something incredible elegant...- Ooh!
0:09:05 > 0:09:09- And then let you talk me through it as if I'm a client.- OK.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12- Does that sound good? - Yes, we can do that.- Yeah?
0:09:12 > 0:09:13'It's time to freshen up,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17'but as the studio doesn't even have a sink, customers are expected
0:09:17 > 0:09:20'to trek to the public toilets on the second floor.'
0:09:22 > 0:09:25What are the loos like here?
0:09:26 > 0:09:29All right, fine.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Unusual, to have to walk through a shopping centre in...evening wear.
0:09:42 > 0:09:43Right...
0:09:43 > 0:09:47'This is a terrible start to try and sell what should be a luxury experience,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50'but the girls are making it even worse.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53'Forget champagne - there's not even a cup of tea to warm me up!'
0:09:55 > 0:09:59- OK, so put your weight on your back leg, that's it. That's great.- OK.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03- That's good.- Now do a hand-on-hip.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Photographers Rachel and Andy start taking me through
0:10:07 > 0:10:10their repertoire of cheesy poses.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12That's it.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17- I was worried you might give me a feather boa.- No. No, no!
0:10:17 > 0:10:20- Oh, I wish I'd clicked then! - Yeah! Oh, you missed it!- I did!
0:10:23 > 0:10:27I might have dodged the stuffed tiger and antique phone, but it
0:10:27 > 0:10:30remains to be seen whether any of these photos will be half decent.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35- It's a bit girly for me, sitting on the floor.- That's lovely.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38- I love black and white, it's so forgiving!- It is good.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Any effects that we've popped on can be transferred to any of the others.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47I love that one, I think that's really nice. Well, I thought...
0:10:47 > 0:10:49I'm feeling a bit more cheerful than I was this morning.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53- Cheerful or tearful? - Cheerful!- Oh, good!
0:10:53 > 0:10:56The basics is, you can take a photo.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59So it's nice to know we've got something to work with.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02You've just got the business sense of dormice(!)
0:11:02 > 0:11:06'The photos are OK, but I don't understand why it takes
0:11:06 > 0:11:09'up to four people standing around to achieve them.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12'And Nicky knows things aren't as they should be.'
0:11:12 > 0:11:14I do find there are times when I can twiddle my thumbs...
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Or I'm sitting there, going, "Is there something for me to do?"
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Which is always filled with, "Well, you can tidy up".
0:11:21 > 0:11:25I don't really want to be a cleaner. I want to have a bit more of a specific role.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28- Yes, but you want it every which way...- Yes, I do.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31You don't want to be a cleaner, you want more of a specific role,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34but you don't want any of the stresses of thinking about it afterwards,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37you want to be able to stop your job and go home and put an end to it.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40To be honest, I'm probably quite selfish in that respect.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44I think, you know, unfortunately I just don't think the world of work is really like that.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51'PeachyPics is clearly underskilled and overstaffed.'
0:11:51 > 0:11:56Right. 'One look at the books tells me it's killing this business.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59'And that's without Andy even taking a wage.'
0:12:00 > 0:12:03The golden rule in a business is that the rent
0:12:03 > 0:12:08- and the wages must only come to 35% of the sales.- Right.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13- Yours is 75%. - I didn't know that golden rule.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17- Basically, darling, you're quite a lot down.- Yes.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20How have you been funding that?
0:12:20 > 0:12:22My money!
0:12:25 > 0:12:28- And how long can you continue to fund that?- Not much longer.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Do the girls have any idea what the situation is?
0:12:32 > 0:12:33I do try to tell them,
0:12:33 > 0:12:38but they always say, "Oh, you're just panicking, Mum. It'll be all right."
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Well, it obviously won't be all right.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Just in the last three months, you've lost about £3,000.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Where do they think that's coming from?
0:12:47 > 0:12:51- You haven't paid yourself for two years, sweetheart.- Oh, I know that.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Well, I know, but I don't think that that's normal.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59Most photographic studios run on one and a half people.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04And you just don't have the level of trade to allow for this.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07To allow to employ your three family members,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10who all do little bits and bobs...
0:13:10 > 0:13:13And all think that the situation might continue indefinitely,
0:13:13 > 0:13:14it seems to me.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17So does that mean I've got to sack some of them?
0:13:19 > 0:13:22I'm not going to say that to you, because apart from anything else,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25that isn't my role to tell you what to do, that is your business.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28I'm asking you to take responsibility for the situation.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Andy is facing an incredibly tough choice.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41Sack one of her own daughters, or put her business at serious risk.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46You know, the thought of having to say to any of them...
0:13:48 > 0:13:50..they've got to go, is horrible.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55I don't want to do that, so I'm going to have to work really,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59really hard at making us more profitable.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10It's clear I have to revamp the way they present themselves,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14and find new revenue streams for this business.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16But first, I need the rest of the family to face
0:14:16 > 0:14:20the reality of their frightening financial situation.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22PeachyPics is haemorrhaging money,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26draining any hope Andy has of having any money left for her retirement.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28- Morning.- Morning.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30'If Andy refuses to sack someone,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34'she will need to almost double her sales to break even.'
0:14:34 > 0:14:36You're not teenagers any more.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39I don't think your mother is doing you any favours with you guys
0:14:39 > 0:14:41being in the dark about the real situation
0:14:41 > 0:14:44and I want her to put it on the table for you.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47And I want to make sure that you listened.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50If you work it all out...
0:14:50 > 0:14:53We actually lost £4,000
0:14:53 > 0:14:55in the last three months.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58- And that money... - In three months?- Yes.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03And that money has come out of my savings...
0:15:05 > 0:15:09We need to work harder. You're not on your own now we all know.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12I didn't know it was that bad.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14I just think, you know, your mum said to me,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18do I have to fire one of my daughters, or two of my daughters?
0:15:18 > 0:15:20And I said I'm not going to say that to her.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22That isn't where I'm coming from.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25But the choice is, quite blatantly,
0:15:25 > 0:15:29it's either do that or make sure the sales go through the roof.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34We need to make sure the sales go through the roof then, don't we?
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Trying to almost double your sales overnight is practically
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Mission Impossible for any business, let alone this one,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44where the girls have few real skills.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47I have said it before. We need to pre-plan.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51I bought that planner for us to do that and for us
0:15:51 > 0:15:53to put on there events and everything...
0:15:53 > 0:15:56The next time that you're sitting here, going, "I'm bored,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58"what shall I do?"
0:15:58 > 0:16:02why don't you self-direct yourself to get the bloody planner out of
0:16:02 > 0:16:06the bloody cupboard and start making a stab at putting something on it?
0:16:06 > 0:16:09I mean, if you need someone else to tell you to do it,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11YOU'RE not being effective.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Well, I don't feel I'm a robot that needs pointing to to do stuff.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16I... Oh!
0:16:19 > 0:16:21- Don't get upset. - No, I am, I'm BLEEP off!
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Because I feel like everybody thinks that I can't, I haven't
0:16:24 > 0:16:28got my own mind and that I sit there and you need to tell me what to do.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30"Empty the bin, Nicky."
0:16:30 > 0:16:34And that I'm nothing more than, "Just give her a BLEEP job,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36"because she can't actually do anything."
0:16:36 > 0:16:40- That's not true. - That's how everybody makes me feel.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- Nobody's having a go at you. - "You can't do nothing.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47- "You can't think your own ideas." - It's not that.- You all take over.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Nick, you're strong. You can take over as well.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53This is why you never GET anywhere.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56I mean, we're talking about a sodding planner.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59It's the fact of actually taking a step forward rather than
0:16:59 > 0:17:02talking about why it's so difficult to do everything.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10When you're constantly told that you're lazy or you do nothing...
0:17:11 > 0:17:15..it just sort of underlines the fact that...
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Why the hell am I there?
0:17:17 > 0:17:20And that the only reason they keep me there is that I'm family.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22I do feel quite vulnerable.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26I've always felt that way here, and it's not a nice feeling.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33If mum Andy is determined to keep all four family members
0:17:33 > 0:17:36in the studio, then I want every single one of them
0:17:36 > 0:17:41to get off their backsides and prove to me that they can earn their keep.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Just ten miles down the road is Whipsnade Zoo.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52Filled with families,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55it's got exactly the type of customers they should be targeting.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01I've got some leaflets here with your names on.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04I want you to go round, persuade people to come here
0:18:04 > 0:18:08and have their photos taken by your brilliant photographer mother.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11The reason we've got names on them is because I want to see
0:18:11 > 0:18:14how many people that each of you talk to come back.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19- So I'll see which of you is the most effective salesperson.- Good luck.
0:18:21 > 0:18:27- Bye!- Rachel's off!- Rachel and Emma are off to a flying start.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Can you help me beat my sisters in this competition to get
0:18:30 > 0:18:32people to have their photo done?
0:18:32 > 0:18:36We've got a pop-up photography studio down by the sea lions.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40And Nicky is putting her gift of the gab to good use for once.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42If I give you one of those, it shows you where it is.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46- Thank you very much.- See you.
0:18:46 > 0:18:47Hello!
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Give monkey a cuddle!
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Emma and Rachel are neck and neck, but I mean,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00that's on pretty minimal numbers. I'm sorry Nicky hasn't got any yet.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05- I hope she's doing all right. - He's got the monkey!
0:19:06 > 0:19:10Despite the showers, the studio is starting to fill up,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12but I want the girls to keep dragging in the customers.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21Nine photos have been bought, one of them was yours. The last one.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24- Oh, great. - It's about even for Rachel and Emma.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27This is a great way to make me feel BLEEP then, isn't it?
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Don't get upset. It's all right. You're doing your best.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33No, it's not, it's to make me look like even more of a BLEEP lazy BLEEP.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37- Oh, no.- No, it is! - Don't get stressed, Nick.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- No, well it's not, isn't it? - Don't worry, you get knockbacks.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43I haven't had any knock backs! No-one has knocked me back.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46But they haven't come. It's usual, giving out leaflets.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49You get one in ten, you're lucky.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52- Oh, well then, Emma and Rachel are BLEEP brilliant.- Oh, dear.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55- You know what... - I can't say anything right.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58No. No, you can't, I'm sorry, you can't.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01I've never seen so much drama in all my bloody life.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05'Nicky's behaviour is totally unprofessional.'
0:20:05 > 0:20:07I'd rather you hadn't have said... Why say...?
0:20:07 > 0:20:11'But I now see that it's Andy who's letting her get away with it,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13'acting as mum, not boss.'
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Great way to make someone feel BLEEP good, isn't it?
0:20:19 > 0:20:21THUNDER RUMBLES
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Today has been a total washout.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29The problems for PeachyPics
0:20:29 > 0:20:32are so much more than just finding customers.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36And to be honest, I'm realising this one is going to be really difficult.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41I'm already finding it incredibly hard to deal with, basically.
0:20:41 > 0:20:42I feel very frustrated.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Quite bad-tempered with them, which isn't great, considering
0:20:47 > 0:20:50that this is only the beginning of a long and painful journey.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53And slightly feeling, why should I bother to help them
0:20:53 > 0:20:57if they make absolutely no sodding attempts to help themselves?
0:21:02 > 0:21:04This business is in chaos.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06But like so many family firms,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09PeachyPics is not just about making money.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11For Andy, it runs deeper.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15She set up the studio after recovering from cancer.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21When you have cancer, I think it gives you
0:21:21 > 0:21:25a perspective on life that you can't let things go to waste.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29You can't have any what-ifs in your life, you have to just do it.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34If Andy continues to throw good money after bad,
0:21:34 > 0:21:39she could lose her life savings, the business AND her dream.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44It's been great, working with my girls, and...
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Sorry.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56I wouldn't really, I wouldn't want to pack up, I can't.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59I've got to really make it work. I have to make it work.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12A month later, I'm back in Aylesbury.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14I want to help PeachyPics get back on track,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18but for this business to work, it needs a boss.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23So Andy will have to learn to manage the girls.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26I know it's not easy being boss lady sometimes.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28But to keep on track,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31it's absolutely dependent on you kind of squaring your shoulders
0:22:31 > 0:22:33and just telling each of them what they have to do
0:22:33 > 0:22:37- and making sure that they actually do it.- I agree.- Good.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42I've just got to get more focused myself on what needs to be done
0:22:42 > 0:22:44and then I can pass that on to them.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50The best way to focus Andy's mind is to start again from scratch.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Businesses work on a basic calculation of costs and sales,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59but this is where PeachyPics simply doesn't add up.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02I've worked out that you need to take
0:23:02 > 0:23:05approximately 100,000 a year
0:23:05 > 0:23:07for this business to be profitable.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11One way to make 100K a year would be to make sure that ten people
0:23:11 > 0:23:15came through this door every week who are prepared to spend 200 quid.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18It's quite a big ask, isn't it?
0:23:18 > 0:23:23But I want you to face the cold, hard, horrid facts - we have to
0:23:23 > 0:23:28have more customers who are prepared to have a higher average spend.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35- Do you think you can do it? - Definitely, yes.- Yeah?
0:23:35 > 0:23:37You're a bit more tentative.
0:23:38 > 0:23:39- Are you scared?- No.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43I think it's finding the starting point, isn't it?
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Because it's a bit like, right, we know what we've got to do,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48but where do we actually start?
0:23:50 > 0:23:52I want to start them off by teaching them
0:23:52 > 0:23:56how they can present their photos in a way that adds value.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00To successfully drive sales, you need visual impact.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03So, I've brought them to the Getty Images Gallery in London,
0:24:03 > 0:24:08which sells an archive of over 18 million photographs as high-end art.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Whenever you're curating anything or putting anything together,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14it's got to have an instant wow factor.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17It's a little bit like when you're going for an interview.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20How you walk in through the door, how you shake hands -
0:24:20 > 0:24:22someone has immediately got an impression.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25As well as keeping the overall look clean and crisp,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29gallery director Louise Garczewska puts a huge amount
0:24:29 > 0:24:31of thought into where each photograph is hung,
0:24:31 > 0:24:35to get the best possible impact and generate higher sales.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Think about how you're putting them on the wall, how they flow.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43I mean, these are all landscape.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47The way that we've actually hung them creates more impact.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50Because they're just not in a line and just not plonked on the wall,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52and it's the precision about what you do.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55I think these sit together very, very nicely.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58It's all about the black-and-white and it's all about the tone.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03Slightly spooky, in a way, and then in comes this cute little chap here.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06I love the way he sits on the end of there,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09- because he sort of surprises you after these, doesn't he?- Exactly.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13I love how clean it all is and that it's about the images.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Your eye's not drawn away by anything else.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Your eye is drawn to the image, there's no...
0:25:18 > 0:25:20There might be a nice pot of flowers there,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23but that's not what you're drawn to.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25I want the girls to practise adding value
0:25:25 > 0:25:30to their photos by displaying them with a lot more punch.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33So I've set them each a challenge - to curate a mini exhibition
0:25:33 > 0:25:36from 60 of their own photos.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41I hope that shows them how important the thought is that they pay
0:25:41 > 0:25:44their images before they show them to their clients.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Why don't you talk us through what you've put up and why?
0:25:47 > 0:25:51I grouped them into piles of what I thought complimented each other
0:25:51 > 0:25:55and I kept going back to these because I thought they are quite eye-catching.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00This girl, gazing at all the other girls, giving you eye contact as well.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04I think they show a different side to us, that we're more creative,
0:26:04 > 0:26:09that we're not just stuck in this niche of fun, family photography.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13- Yes. Which it does.- Which is brilliant. It's very well explained.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16I like the combination of the styles.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19As you say, the direction that the imagery is looking
0:26:19 > 0:26:22and I quite like the level that it's pitched at, visually.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27I have to say, thumbs up. 'Nicky has surprised me.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32'Across the gallery, photographer Rachel has tried something similar.'
0:26:32 > 0:26:34I don't want to be overly critical, but for me,
0:26:34 > 0:26:38I think it's slightly weak. Handsome though he is, he's diluting it.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Cute that they are, it doesn't seem to work.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46So actually, your sister has done something rather like this,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48but more successfully.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50To be brutal.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52While the girls have gone for impact,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Andy's layout is harder to get excited by.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58- This is my least favourite board. - I thought it might be.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02This is my pitch to maybe a hotel or a restaurant.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06They can have a lovely photograph of the building and maybe
0:27:06 > 0:27:09if they do weddings there, how it could look.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Yes, but what you failed at is giving us some beautiful images!
0:27:12 > 0:27:16- They're not the best images, are they?- Mmmm.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21I could have picked out some gorgeous portraits... I wish I had, now.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24I am so disappointed, because I feel I've failed.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27I think the point is, it does illustrate how strong every
0:27:27 > 0:27:30image needs to be in order to tell a story.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35I hope Andy has finally learned the lesson of how important
0:27:35 > 0:27:36presentation is to sales.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40But Nicky has proved she might have some talent.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45If I can get her motivated, she may yet make a saleswoman.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Lots to take home from today. It's been a good experience.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Yes, lots of positive feedback, so I'm really pleased.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Presentation is also a problem with their brand image.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07Unless you're in nursery school, I think the name PeachyPics.net
0:28:07 > 0:28:09AND the colours are a real turn-off.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12- Hello, Alex Polizzi.- 'Hi!'
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Thanks.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18So I've brought them to meet Lee Scott at brand agency Firedog.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21He's run international campaigns for hundreds of clients,
0:28:21 > 0:28:25including Sony Ericsson and Clinique.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29- Hopefully, he can set them straight. - PeachyPics.net.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32It sounds like a small kiosk within a supermarket
0:28:32 > 0:28:34where you'd get pictures developed.
0:28:34 > 0:28:39It doesn't shout out that you're a creative photographic studio.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43The fun, childlike font does make the brand look quite juvenile
0:28:43 > 0:28:46and that's sort of reinforced by the kind of bright, neon colours.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49The least thing it does say is quality and a professional service -
0:28:49 > 0:28:52it says the complete opposite, unfortunately.
0:28:52 > 0:28:57- I'm starting to hate the name PeachyPics now!- Good!
0:28:57 > 0:28:59Then I can call this afternoon a complete success!
0:29:01 > 0:29:06'To rebrand, Lee thinks they need to start again, from scratch.'
0:29:07 > 0:29:09The .net is the biggest issue.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11It looks like you're an online brand,
0:29:11 > 0:29:16not that you're a physical space that you go to have imagery taken.
0:29:16 > 0:29:17So we're left with PeachyPics.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21Now, we know that Peachy comes from Andy's maiden name.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23It isn't indicative of the family unit at the moment -
0:29:23 > 0:29:27you're all Lane. So maybe we should flip that one out.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30You have the term "pics" in there.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34It's quite a budget, kind of low-end word. It sounds quite throwaway.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38There's maybe another word there we can use which adds to
0:29:38 > 0:29:41the sophistication and professionalism of the business.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45And you're left with something like Lane Studios.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48- So how do you guys feel about that name?- I don't know.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50I just don't really like it.
0:29:50 > 0:29:54- I think it's kind of boring. - I love it.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58Although Peach is your maiden name, it doesn't feel anything about me,
0:29:58 > 0:29:59do you know what I mean?
0:29:59 > 0:30:02Where is this feels more like us.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07This is, again, just supposed to start you thinking down that track.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10I'm excited so far. I think it's really good.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14I hate, hate, hate and always have hated our PeachyPics.net
0:30:14 > 0:30:15and the way it's been written.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18I'm incredibly enthusiastic about the transformation of Nicky.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21She appeared to be quite lazy, quite uncommitted.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25That impression has definitely been dissipated today.
0:30:25 > 0:30:30She has been enthusiastic, and somehow a real drive for change,
0:30:30 > 0:30:33so I'm starting to enjoy working with her.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37With Nicky at the fore, there have been some very tentative
0:30:37 > 0:30:40and surprising steps forward.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43But to double their trade, this business needs giant leaps.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46They need to find more customers and fast.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53But rather than focusing on my fix,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56Andy has become obsessed with looking for new premises...
0:30:56 > 0:31:00- High ceilings.- ..which could risk even more of her dwindling life savings.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04- Nice, bright room. - We're having a rethink now.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08I think we've outgrown the studio where we are.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11It doesn't take her long to find somewhere in the neighbouring
0:31:11 > 0:31:14town of Wendover, but I'm worried it's another enormous gamble,
0:31:14 > 0:31:16so two weeks later, I join them,
0:31:16 > 0:31:21to assess whether Andy is making a good or a bad decision.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24So far, I must say I'm very impressed with the town.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27- It's lovely.- Is this it?- Yes.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32- In all its glory.- Gosh. Well, it's a nice, big, solid building, isn't it?
0:31:33 > 0:31:38'With ten rooms over two floors, it could have potential.'
0:31:38 > 0:31:39A loo!
0:31:39 > 0:31:42We are moving up in the world!
0:31:42 > 0:31:46'But every inch of this property is in need of dramatic work.'
0:31:46 > 0:31:48To make a bit more room,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51we're going to have an archway built through here.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54'I'm worried it's a money pit Andy can ill afford.'
0:31:57 > 0:31:59There's a lot to do.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02Yes.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04'Taking out a three-year lease here is a massive risk,
0:32:04 > 0:32:08'when PeachyPics has never even made a profit.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12'Worse, I can see a huge drawback with these premises -
0:32:12 > 0:32:14'it's not on the high street,
0:32:14 > 0:32:17'so they won't be able to rely on footfall to bring in the punters.'
0:32:19 > 0:32:23It's very easy to get excited about a new premises.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25The colour of the walls, the makeover,
0:32:25 > 0:32:29and it's quite easy to ignore the elephant in the room,
0:32:29 > 0:32:33which is how you're going to get people here to make the money.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36They are now locked into a three-year contract
0:32:36 > 0:32:40and they have got to make every minute of that work for them.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44On the plus side, Wendover is a much more affluent town,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47so every customer they DO get through the door could spend
0:32:47 > 0:32:52significantly more than their current average of £150.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55But hitting my target of ten customers a week in this spot
0:32:55 > 0:32:58will be hard, so we'll really need to blow them away
0:32:58 > 0:33:00with what's on offer.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02They're slightly lacking in creativity.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06I see them do the same poses again and again and again.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08And although they can take a good picture,
0:33:08 > 0:33:12it would be interesting to see them push themselves that much further.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14I've brought Andy and Rachel to meet Daniel Kennedy...
0:33:14 > 0:33:16Nice to meet you, ladies.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19..one of the leading snappers in the business,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22he makes stars like Keira Knightley look good.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25It might be quite good if your arms are through them... Yes, exactly.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28So the leg comes down a little bit - lovely.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31And today, he's let us in on a promo shoot
0:33:31 > 0:33:33with TV starlet Jessica-Jane Clement.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37Love it. Can you see I've gone landscape now,
0:33:37 > 0:33:38so I'm moving all the time,
0:33:38 > 0:33:41my brain is yelling me to do different things.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46Just over my head now, Jess. Lovely. Really nice.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Can you see there's this wow factor a little bit to the whole
0:33:50 > 0:33:52setup of the shot?
0:33:52 > 0:33:55That's only gone on as a result of us thinking - two days ago,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58we were thinking, what colour wig shall we get? I was like, blue.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00This might not be a look that will take off in Aylesbury,
0:34:00 > 0:34:04but all Dan's shoots have a unique idea at their hearts which is
0:34:04 > 0:34:07meticulously planned days before he snaps a single frame.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10I've got a whole folder here, it's called the download folder
0:34:10 > 0:34:15and it's got about 500 images - things that I've seen that I like.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18If you got a redhead booked in next Wednesday,
0:34:18 > 0:34:20start to think how about you go out
0:34:20 > 0:34:22and get a sack full of autumn leaves and throw those up
0:34:22 > 0:34:26in the background with a hairdryer on and suddenly, her red hair...
0:34:26 > 0:34:29She'll be like, "Oh, my God, I got these amazing pictures of me".
0:34:29 > 0:34:33Dan is not just planning for the next shoot he has,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36he's planning for every next shoot he's ever going to do.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Also, this is not a shot that you've ever replicated with anyone else?
0:34:39 > 0:34:41No.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43That's what's impressive, darling, to constantly come up
0:34:43 > 0:34:47with something that hasn't been done before, but is very specific.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51A lot of our stuff, we feel we're a little bit limited,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54but it's not like they've spent loads of money on this set.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57The concept of it, it's doing something different,
0:34:57 > 0:34:59that's what everyone wants.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02They don't want, hopefully, to look like everyone else.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07High-end portrait photographers charge hundreds of pounds
0:35:07 > 0:35:09an hour for bespoke shoots with the public.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12And the prints can cost thousands on top.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15But can Andy raise her game to anywhere near this level?
0:35:16 > 0:35:21- Great, it's over to you.- Thank you. - Just have a go. Fill your boots.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Thank you. Just look... Oh! Zooming the wrong way!
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- Just look straight at me. - The pressure is on.
0:35:30 > 0:35:31That's good.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37- But Andy looks shaken. - OK, look straight at me.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Can you look over this way a little bit?
0:35:39 > 0:35:43- And seems to be running out of ideas.- Could you bring this...
0:35:44 > 0:35:47Your left arm up like this? That's it, lovely.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52Oh, I've got the wrong button again.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56That's lovely. Have I got the right button, hold on?
0:35:56 > 0:35:59Do the hands-in-the-hair shot, like on the mood board, he had...
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Can you do one hand like that and then the other hand low, like that?
0:36:02 > 0:36:05- That's it.- That's lovely. Thank you, Rachel.
0:36:05 > 0:36:10Fortunately, Rachel proves to be the perfect support for her mum.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14If I can actually get this to go. That's it. I was very nervous, yes.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16But I got through it.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18If I actually get used to the different camera,
0:36:18 > 0:36:20it would have been even better.
0:36:20 > 0:36:21Lovely.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24I tell you what you notice when you see Dan and you see Rachel
0:36:24 > 0:36:28and Andy together, is Dan is a very high-energy person,
0:36:28 > 0:36:30just from the way he talks and the way he expresses himself
0:36:30 > 0:36:34and that's something that I really feel that the Lane girls
0:36:34 > 0:36:35are missing.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39Andy is not getting the best out of Jessica.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41So Dan has an idea to help her nerves and guarantees some
0:36:41 > 0:36:43really expressive shots -
0:36:43 > 0:36:47using a series of comedy props.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49It's not about the lighting or what she's wearing.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51They'll scream, they'll laugh,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54they'll blow a big bubble, they're going to cover one eye,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57I think just shout things out at her, anything.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01- Let's get some great shots. - OK, right.- Can you cover one eye?
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Look through your fingers.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07Can you like, mess up your hair, loads, like crazy?
0:37:07 > 0:37:08Bring it all in your face, like that?
0:37:08 > 0:37:10LAUGHTER
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Um, I thought Andy and Rachel were first of all lovely girls,
0:37:18 > 0:37:20you want to be comfortable in front of someone.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23Towards the end of the day, they got more of an idea about me,
0:37:23 > 0:37:26they were like, "Throw your arms up, do this, do that",
0:37:26 > 0:37:28and it was all coming together really well.
0:37:28 > 0:37:29So I think they did brilliantly.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Stick your tongue out.
0:37:32 > 0:37:33Yeah, that's good!
0:37:33 > 0:37:36Yes, really got into that last shoot, really in the zone,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39cos it was quick and there was lots happening.
0:37:39 > 0:37:40I think they did a really good job.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44This is a different way of working to the one that they're used to.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Hopefully, now, they've been shown the way...
0:37:47 > 0:37:50- they'll be able to follow it on their own.- Wahey!
0:37:51 > 0:37:54LAUGHTER
0:37:54 > 0:37:56With a little bit more energy and fun,
0:37:56 > 0:37:59the girls have taken some great photos.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01I look at these immediately
0:38:01 > 0:38:02and think I would probably join four or five
0:38:02 > 0:38:04that I think really work,
0:38:04 > 0:38:07almost like a comic book, really, you know, so you've got a series
0:38:07 > 0:38:10of five of these great expressions that you've managed to capture.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15Once they've laid them down, the results are pretty striking.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19So there are your five - I think they're absolutely brilliant.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22I could never do what she did, but looking at something like this,
0:38:22 > 0:38:25it's the kind of thing that I'd love to give my mum. You know what I mean? For Christmas.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29A whole series of photos of me looking like a twit!
0:38:29 > 0:38:31LAUGHTER
0:38:31 > 0:38:34You know?! It's really appealing.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37I'm really hoping that it's hammered home to Andy
0:38:37 > 0:38:41and Rachel just how much more you get out of a situation,
0:38:41 > 0:38:44a photographic situation like this, the more preparation
0:38:44 > 0:38:48and inspiration you put into it beforehand.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Now, drop this shoulder right down, that's it.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57This may have helped improve their portrait work,
0:38:57 > 0:39:01but we're still a long way off a successful business model.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03And...go!
0:39:03 > 0:39:05They can't rely on just one revenue stream to get
0:39:05 > 0:39:10to my £100,000 a year target. Successful photographers diversify.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13Industry figures suggest 40% of sales should
0:39:13 > 0:39:15come from non-portrait work.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18I don't think many photographers have the luxury of saying,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21"I only do portraits".
0:39:21 > 0:39:25And THEY are certainly not on the David Bailey level.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31Commercial photography has grown to become the second biggest
0:39:31 > 0:39:34sector in the industry.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37'Every business from high-end chains to your local takeaway now need
0:39:37 > 0:39:41'good pictures to sell their wares online.'
0:39:41 > 0:39:43- Hi.- Hello.
0:39:43 > 0:39:44Nice to see you.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47'The girls should get a slice of the action,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50'so I want Nicky and Emma to learn to pitch for business.'
0:39:50 > 0:39:52You two are going to be the sales team.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56You have to be, because the other two are the photographers.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59The main aim of this afternoon is to get you used to pitching
0:39:59 > 0:40:04yourself as potential photographers for commercial businesses.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06I've lined up a couple of businesses who
0:40:06 > 0:40:11I know are interested in getting photographs done for their ventures.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15After honing their portfolio, I give the girls half an hour to
0:40:15 > 0:40:20research their potential clients - a hair salon and a butcher.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22I'm a bit worried about pricing, because obviously it's
0:40:22 > 0:40:26something we've never done before, so we don't know really...
0:40:26 > 0:40:27At the end of the day,
0:40:27 > 0:40:31we can just find out what their budget is. We need to get it right.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34They won't succeed unless they put themselves out there.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36Time to try and win some real business.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40Hello, nice to meet you.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43I understand that you're interested in some photography.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46Are you looking just for website or do you want website
0:40:46 > 0:40:50- and stuff that you can use for advertising?- Both.- Okey-dokey.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53Did you have a budget in mind?
0:40:53 > 0:40:55I hadn't looked at how much things have cost,
0:40:55 > 0:40:58but nothing is cheap any more, so...
0:40:58 > 0:41:02- No, sadly nothing is cheap! - I would hope 200 or 300, or £400.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05We're currently doing a rate of £200 an hour.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09We offer a minimum of two hours at that price.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12That includes all your images, so you don't have to pay anything extra on top of that.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15And I get the use of the images or whatever?
0:41:15 > 0:41:19- You get the use of the images for your website... - And whenever I want?- Yes.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23A good lead, but Nicky's pitch wasn't as confident as I'd like.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25You need to think through the mechanics of it,
0:41:25 > 0:41:29because you really want a shop list, don't you, when you're doing something like this?
0:41:29 > 0:41:31Can she do better at the salon?
0:41:31 > 0:41:35I'm looking for some leading-edge shots that reflect
0:41:35 > 0:41:38what our salon is about and we want to create an atmosphere that is
0:41:38 > 0:41:42actually not intimidating, that people feel welcome
0:41:42 > 0:41:44- whenever they come into the salon. - OK.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47We've got a little bit of a portfolio that we can show you.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51Obviously these are sort of an idea - we do staff shots
0:41:51 > 0:41:53and we do product shots as well.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57Again, an interior of a beauty salon that we did before.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00- So you have experience of working in this type of environment?- Yes.
0:42:00 > 0:42:05Do you have a budget in mind? Do you know?
0:42:05 > 0:42:06As little as possible.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08As little as possible?
0:42:08 > 0:42:11We want to provide you with good photos.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13We want other people to be able to look at them
0:42:13 > 0:42:16and ask you, "Where did you get them done?" and that kind of thing.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18We're quite happy to sit down and have a...
0:42:18 > 0:42:22- So you're happy to negotiate? - We're happy to negotiate, yes.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25- Sounds like you've got yourself a deal, then.- Yes? Lovely, thank you.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29- Thank you.- A much more confident and assertive pitch.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33I thought the girls were absolutely professional.
0:42:33 > 0:42:38They were photographers who looked at what we need, what we wanted
0:42:38 > 0:42:41and that came across very much in the pitch.
0:42:41 > 0:42:46I feel really quite confident about it. We're going to follow it up.
0:42:46 > 0:42:52Even where we are now, there's still loads of independent shops there,
0:42:52 > 0:42:54so we'll get in touch with them and see.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57They can only say yes or no at the end of the day.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01Relatively speaking, I think they've done pretty well.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04It's just whether they can now take this initial impetus
0:43:04 > 0:43:09and use it as a launchpad to create another string to their business.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14If they can build on this, they will have a fighting chance to
0:43:14 > 0:43:17achieve their 100 grand sales target.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21But so far, any progress has only been made when I've pushed them.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27And so needless to say, three weeks later,
0:43:27 > 0:43:31the diary is looking as empty as it did when I arrived.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33It's been really quiet this week.
0:43:34 > 0:43:35Really, really quiet.
0:43:37 > 0:43:38That's next week.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43And the week after.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46It SHOULD pick up, but...
0:43:48 > 0:43:51The girls are back to dawdling -
0:43:51 > 0:43:54incapable of drumming up any fresh business.
0:43:54 > 0:44:01- We do have things to do, so... Yeah.- What have I got to do?
0:44:03 > 0:44:04I don't know.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09A bit of panic stations going on.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16If this is the girls panicking, we're in serious trouble.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18- What's it for, again? - It's for a Visa.
0:44:18 > 0:44:19They do at least get a walk-in,
0:44:19 > 0:44:22but it's just a couple of passport photos
0:44:22 > 0:44:25that will earn them the grand total of £20.
0:44:25 > 0:44:26They're all done, yes.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32I'm disgusted that the girls' laziness is putting their
0:44:32 > 0:44:33mum's life savings at risk.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37No-one has even contacted the butcher or hair salon
0:44:37 > 0:44:40since the last time we met.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42All their earlier progress seems like a mirage.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46Their success or failure lies in their hands.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49I'm not going to bring them success.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52Only THEY can bring themselves success and it means getting
0:44:52 > 0:44:57off their bottoms and touting for business, dragging people in.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59Unless they're prepared to do that, this business is going to
0:44:59 > 0:45:01go down the tubes.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04But Andy is supposed to be the boss of this business,
0:45:04 > 0:45:07and it's about time she acted like it.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10It is not acceptable that I've given them,
0:45:10 > 0:45:13and I put myself out to give them
0:45:13 > 0:45:17introductions to two businesses that said they would like to use them...
0:45:17 > 0:45:20- Yes.- ..and that they've never contacted them.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23Even if only to say, politely, thank you so much for your time.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27I feel very frustrated because I feel like there isn't any
0:45:27 > 0:45:30fire in their bellies and you are letting them.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34They would not survive in a business that wasn't owned by you.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37- You need to be tough with them. - OK.- Tough love.
0:45:39 > 0:45:42- What do you think? - Well, I agree with you.
0:45:42 > 0:45:44So why are you letting them get away with it?
0:45:47 > 0:45:52I'm desperate for this to work, but apart from showing the way,
0:45:52 > 0:45:55I cannot make them passionate about doing it.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57I can't enthuse them.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00You're just saying what I think inside.
0:46:00 > 0:46:05I do say to the girls, "Oh, you've got to...do this".
0:46:05 > 0:46:10I think... I'm...just not strong enough, or something. I don't know.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14I don't want this to fail, darling.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18You've made a big business decision, which is to move the studio,
0:46:18 > 0:46:20but I don't know if it was the right decision.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22We have to get those people through the door
0:46:22 > 0:46:26and that is up to the two of you who do not take photographs.
0:46:26 > 0:46:28Unless they do their bloody job,
0:46:28 > 0:46:31there is not going to be photographs to take.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33If you really think,
0:46:33 > 0:46:36after you've committed yourself to three years in another studio,
0:46:36 > 0:46:40then you have got to find a way to kick their arses in gear.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47I feel I'm rubbish as a bloody manager, boss.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55I'm really struggling.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57I can't be horrible to them.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08This business will stand or fall on Andy's ability to step up
0:47:08 > 0:47:10to the plate.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13But with daughters not pulling their weight and the huge refit to tackle
0:47:13 > 0:47:17with limited funds, she has a massive challenge on her hands.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22From one minute to the next,
0:47:22 > 0:47:26I'm really excited about the business and then I'm really scared.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31I'm worried it won't work, that we won't get enough business in.
0:47:33 > 0:47:34With so much on her shoulders,
0:47:34 > 0:47:38it's more important than ever the girls put the effort in.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41Big mother's here, come to see what you've been doing.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44And Andy is forcing herself to crack the whip.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46I've spoken to ten businesses.
0:47:46 > 0:47:48I think you need to step it up a bit,
0:47:48 > 0:47:52because Alex said you need to contact 20 people a day.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55But we can't... We don't physically have the time.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58- We've got customers coming in and out.- Well, that's just excuses.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04They don't like it, because they think I'm turning into Alex now!
0:48:04 > 0:48:07They'll get used to it, they'll have to, won't they?
0:48:07 > 0:48:11Andy is now also keeping tabs on each of her daughters'
0:48:11 > 0:48:17- sales performance.- Nick, four! Some more on there, well done.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20- What's that, this morning?- Yep. - OK, well done.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22She's not...
0:48:22 > 0:48:25so backwards in coming forward any more.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27There have been times when she's...
0:48:28 > 0:48:31..given in to us a little bit when we've said we'll do it later.
0:48:31 > 0:48:33Now she's like, "No, I want you to do it now",
0:48:33 > 0:48:35which I think is brilliant, to be fair,
0:48:35 > 0:48:38because we can take advantage of each other a little bit.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40Hello, can I speak to the manager?
0:48:40 > 0:48:44It's been a long road, and running a family business is no easy street,
0:48:44 > 0:48:48but the penny seems to have finally dropped - at least for now.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02It's my last day with PeachyPics
0:49:02 > 0:49:05and I'm longing to see the new studio in action.
0:49:05 > 0:49:06But there's bad news -
0:49:06 > 0:49:11and my final meeting with Andy is back at the shopping centre. Hi!
0:49:11 > 0:49:16- Hello.- How are you? - I'm good, thank you. How are you?
0:49:16 > 0:49:20Really well. I'm surprised that you're still here.
0:49:20 > 0:49:21I know, so are we.
0:49:21 > 0:49:26There was a few problems with the place that we want to move into.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30There's a problem with the chimney, it's got a crack in it. It's got dangerous electrics.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33I don't want to move in when there's problems with it.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36I want them fixed, or at least a promise to get them fixed,
0:49:36 > 0:49:39- before I move in.- You still think it's going to happen, then?
0:49:39 > 0:49:41Yes, yes.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45I do. I hope so, because we're out of here in about six weeks.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48Well, I'm sorry that you're not in your studio for me
0:49:48 > 0:49:51to be able to applaud loudly at the massive change.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54You can't wait for all the stars to be aligned.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57It is about you making your own fortune.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01With no contract between her and the landlord yet signed,
0:50:01 > 0:50:05I think there's still every chance that the move could fall through.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09I'm not sure that the landlord is prepared to do all
0:50:09 > 0:50:11the changes that she's expecting.
0:50:11 > 0:50:12He might decide to sell the building
0:50:12 > 0:50:15and not be bothered to do anything to it
0:50:15 > 0:50:20and that would leave her both out of pocket and out of studio space.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26But if they are to hit the £100,000 annual turnover,
0:50:26 > 0:50:28it's vital that we hold an event to let people know
0:50:28 > 0:50:32about the revitalised business and increase their customer numbers.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37So I've hired a shop in Wendover to set up a temporary exhibition
0:50:37 > 0:50:41of their improved photos, which they will launch in four hours.
0:50:42 > 0:50:43Lease or no lease,
0:50:43 > 0:50:47Wendover is a far better place to target wealthy clients,
0:50:47 > 0:50:49and if all goes well,
0:50:49 > 0:50:54means people will know who they are when they move to the new premises.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57This exhibition is a massive deal for us. It's the first time
0:50:57 > 0:51:00we've tried to showcase all our work that we've done.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03We have had stuff on our website,
0:51:03 > 0:51:07but we really want to show off what we can do today.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09If we get the babies over here...
0:51:11 > 0:51:14- Gosh, that's gorgeous! Is that Jessica?- Yes.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16Darling, that's lovely!
0:51:18 > 0:51:20'As well as the striking portraits,
0:51:20 > 0:51:25'I'm thrilled to see that there's been a push for commercial shoots.'
0:51:27 > 0:51:31A big part of the exhibition is going to be our commercial stuff.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34It's not been the biggest part of our business,
0:51:34 > 0:51:38and it still isn't, but we want it to be as big as the portrait.
0:51:38 > 0:51:43- Darling, these are really good. - Thank you. I loved doing it.
0:51:43 > 0:51:48- I really loved doing it and I didn't expect to.- I'm impressed.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51And this is such a good source of income.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56The gallery space really grabs the attention.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59They've clearly learnt the lesson that showcasing their photos
0:51:59 > 0:52:03in simple themed displays shows their work off to great effect.
0:52:05 > 0:52:07It's a world apart from the old PeachyPics.net
0:52:07 > 0:52:11and they've even taken the branding agency's advice
0:52:11 > 0:52:14and chosen a new name that is much more fitting to a professional
0:52:14 > 0:52:18photographic business - Peach Lane Studios.
0:52:18 > 0:52:21Darling, you come quite a long way from PeachyPics to Peach Lane.
0:52:21 > 0:52:25- It looks very chic, the name. - Yes, it looks better.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28It looks very smart, very professional.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31Sadly, not all the family will be here to promote it
0:52:31 > 0:52:36for the first time. Nicky can't make it. Her young son is ill.
0:52:36 > 0:52:40- How are you feeling about tonight? - A little bit nervous.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44Upset that Nicky can't be here, but hopefully it will be OK in the end.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48Darling, all I can say is roll on the mulled wine!
0:52:48 > 0:52:51- You can't have vodka in mulled wine, can you?- No, no.
0:52:51 > 0:52:52If you could, I would!
0:52:53 > 0:52:55They've got some lovely images in there.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58But they haven't had a huge presence in Wendover.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01This afternoon, this evening, is all about getting names and
0:53:01 > 0:53:07contacts and making sure that their name is out there in the community.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11Mix 96, Bucks' best mix of music, morning, it's Gareth here.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14If your Facebook photo makes you look like Sloth from the Goonies,
0:53:14 > 0:53:16Peach Lane Studios are going to be in Wendover
0:53:16 > 0:53:19with a pop-up exhibition - go and check it out.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22Hello, can I give you guys a leaflet, please?
0:53:22 > 0:53:26Having targeted the local schools and businesses, Rachel has taken on
0:53:26 > 0:53:31Nicky's marketing role and is leafleting up until the last minute.
0:53:31 > 0:53:32Thank you very much.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34But will it be enough to get people through the doors
0:53:34 > 0:53:37for Peach Lane Studio's inaugural exhibition?
0:53:42 > 0:53:44Hi, very nice to meet you.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47She's so gorgeous, she had the tiniest little bum.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51Comparing this to their studio in Aylesbury, it's...
0:53:51 > 0:53:54There IS no comparison, this is wonderful.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57I think they're amazing, really stunning photos.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59The large prints look really amazing.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01I think it's wonderful.
0:54:01 > 0:54:06It's great to see it here and there was a buzz about the arrival.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09Clearly this afternoon, it seems to have had a very warm welcome.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12Some of their commercial clients have come too,
0:54:12 > 0:54:15and I'm keen to hear what impression the girls made on them.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19- You own this restaurant?- I do own a restaurant down the road, yes.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22- Were you happy with the photos? - Fantastic, they came up very well.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24- Good.- They came in and they were very professional,
0:54:24 > 0:54:27then they enjoyed all the food afterwards, as well!
0:54:29 > 0:54:32The girls have set up a quick-fire photo booth to show off their new,
0:54:32 > 0:54:36fun way of working, which is a clever marketing strategy.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40- Quick, quick! Heads together! - It's a real hit with the kids.
0:54:42 > 0:54:43Even the big ones(!)
0:54:46 > 0:54:47Raar!
0:54:53 > 0:54:56Oh, lovely! That's it! Your time is up.
0:54:56 > 0:54:57That's the best one.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03What a twit I look! Brilliant, it's brilliant.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07So I've seen lots of people having fun and actually,
0:55:07 > 0:55:09it's nice to see how many people have come and supported them.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12I've been really pleased how many people have turned up.
0:55:12 > 0:55:17I was busy taking photos and turned around and suddenly,
0:55:17 > 0:55:21there was loads of people, it's packed.
0:55:21 > 0:55:22The turnout has been impressive
0:55:22 > 0:55:26and I'm thrilled that the girls are now savvy enough to get contacts
0:55:26 > 0:55:30for every person here, so they can chase up bookings at a later date.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35I think since we first met Alex, we have moved on quite a bit.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38I really love the new name. It looks so much better.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41We've always known what we've wanted to do,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44but never done it, so this has been such an eye-opener,
0:55:44 > 0:55:47so I can't wait to start again, really.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51The most important advice Alex has given me
0:55:51 > 0:55:55is to be more proactive and to be stronger with the girls.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58Be the boss and not just Mum.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01One day, I'm going to retire, so they'll have to carry it on.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04- To Peach Lane Studios.- Cheers.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07United, I think there is real possibility.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10Don't be passive, don't wait for business to come to you.
0:56:10 > 0:56:12That way, failure lies.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15You just have got to go out and really get them by the scruff
0:56:15 > 0:56:16of the neck and shake them
0:56:16 > 0:56:19till their money drops out of their pockets.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24I must say, I'm really pleased with how it's worked out -
0:56:24 > 0:56:27I never thought they would do as well.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29They're getting people out on such a miserable night.
0:56:29 > 0:56:33Certainly, they've taken at least some of the advice I've given them.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36They're thinking much more commercially, they're thinking
0:56:36 > 0:56:39much more practically, they're keeping an eye on their finances.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41Tonight has given me
0:56:41 > 0:56:45enough confidence to think that maybe they've turned the corner.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54Eight weeks later, time is up on the girls' studio space
0:56:54 > 0:56:58in the shopping centre, so what's next for Peach Lane Studios?
0:56:59 > 0:57:02Well, we've signed the lease at last!
0:57:02 > 0:57:06There's loads to do, but what we're going to do is the bit that the
0:57:06 > 0:57:08customers are going to see first.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10How long all together, do you think?
0:57:10 > 0:57:14- Mmm... Two weeks. - I'm going to hold you to that.
0:57:14 > 0:57:15And impressively,
0:57:15 > 0:57:19Andy has more than managed to calm my fears about the building.
0:57:19 > 0:57:21She has negotiated the first nine months rent-free
0:57:21 > 0:57:25and after that, it will still be a lower rate than the Aylesbury
0:57:25 > 0:57:28premises - saving her £8,000 a year.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31We got a little bit of leeway, but now we're in here,
0:57:31 > 0:57:34I want to get it done as quickly as possible.
0:57:34 > 0:57:35I can't wait!
0:57:38 > 0:57:40Bring it down a bit, so it's pointing... That's it.
0:57:40 > 0:57:42Rachel is also busy in Wendover.
0:57:42 > 0:57:45She's pushing the commercial shoots.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48This time, she's doing a tryout for a high street boutique.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52I've done half a dozen commercial photo shoots
0:57:52 > 0:57:56since Alex has been with us to try and build up my portfolio.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58That's great, that's really great, actually.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02But turning test shoots into real contracts has not been plain sailing.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05We're just going to have to keep on pushing to get new customers.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08We can't sit back and wait for them to come through the door,
0:58:08 > 0:58:11like we used to. We're fully aware of that now.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14The average shoot takings are up by almost 90% and it
0:58:14 > 0:58:17looks like they stand a good chance of keeping the family firm intact.
0:58:17 > 0:58:21I was never going to sack one of my daughters, I couldn't do that.
0:58:23 > 0:58:25We're all working together now.
0:58:25 > 0:58:29The girls are all getting on OK and things are looking good.
0:58:48 > 0:58:52Subtitled by Red Bee Media Ltd