Chapter 31: Business is Booming  

"Ring ring ring ring..." 

The phone rang again, and Ronald picked it up, giving a demonstration to his neighbor, Miss Weber. 

"This is Ronald's portrait photography studio. May I ask... Alright, I've noted your name and number. Your appointment is at 2:30 pm." 

"See? It's very simple," Ronald said, glancing at his neighbor, who was acting as his temporary receptionist today. 

"Ring ring ring ring..." The phone rang again just seconds later. 

"This is Ronald Photography Studio. May I ask... okay, your appointment time..." 

"Ring ring ring ring..." The phone had barely been put down when it started ringing again. 

"This is Ronald, may I ask... tomorrow afternoon, can you...?" 

"Ring ring ring ring..." 

"Ahem... please speak." 

"I'm from Ronald Portrait Photography. Would you like to schedule a photo session?" Thankfully, Miss Weber took over immediately. 

Ronald's phone had been ringing nonstop since 10 in the morning, and the list of appointments in his notebook grew longer by the minute. His photo sessions quickly filled up, forcing Ronald to schedule shoots into the evening. 

The volume of clients left little room for changing outfits or waiting, and the place became chaotic with customer complaints. 

There were more people in the afternoon than in the morning, and the photoshoots didn't end until 8 p.m. Ronald realized the situation wasn't sustainable—the ad campaign had exceeded his expectations. Since today was Christmas, even more people were expected tomorrow. If things didn't improve, his reputation would take a hit. 

After pondering at home for a long time, Ronald decided to expand the business immediately. He grabbed a pencil and paper and started planning. 

First, he went to his neighbor Mrs. Weber, offering to increase her daughter's daily wage from $5 to $20. He also paid Mrs. Weber extra rent to temporarily use her living room and bedroom as a waiting room and changing area for his photography studio. 

In the following days, Miss Weber was promoted from receptionist to secretary. She handled appointment scheduling, recorded the number of clients daily, and assigned numbers to each one. She organized clients to wait next door, apply makeup, and be called in for their session when it was time. 

Ronald also hired Mrs. Weber to archive each client's film, send it to the Kodak printing shop twice a day, and pick up the developed photos. 

To avoid mistakes, Ronald bought a Polaroid instant camera to take quick photos of the clients, asking Mrs. Weber to file these alongside the film as a reference. 

He stopped accepting outdoor photography jobs and focused solely on shoots within the apartment. He took portraits, processed them, archived the photos at night, and delivered them to clients the next day. 

After working non-stop for a week during the holiday season, Ronald made over $14,000. After deducting the costs of hiring Mrs. Weber and her daughter, film expenses, and printing fees, his net profit was over $12,000. 

Ronald looked at the cash in the drawer, counting it again and again—he really had made a lot of money. 

The strategy of using celebrity look-alikes had proven to be a huge success. As soon as clients saw the two photos of auditioning beauties, they began to fantasize, "I could take photos like that too." 

The majority of Ronald's clients were young people in their 20s, over 80% of whom were women. Most had never appeared in movies or TV shows. 

Like the two dancer beauties from *Rock 'n' Roll High School*, they were at an age where they felt invincible and full of dreams for the future, thinking, "I'll definitely make it—all I need is the right photo." 

With well-taken audition photos, anyone could become the next Olivia Newton-John, dancing with John Travolta on-screen and becoming the idol of millions. 

Ronald drew on his experience from working with the crew, explaining the purpose of audition photos, filming techniques, and industry gossip. 

Then, he showed audition photos of Demi Moore and Nastassja Kinski, casually mentioning that director Roman Polanski had chosen them, which excited his clients into paying for photos. 

Ronald never mentioned that it wasn't actually his audition photos that had impressed director Shorty—it was all in the clients' imagination. 

Even the local Kodak printing shop made a small fortune. The manager, amazed by the volume of work, asked if Ronald would like a dedicated service, hoping to secure him as a steady client. 

Ronald's advertising campaign was a great success. With the added allure of Demi Moore's incomparable beauty, this holiday crowd surpassed his wildest expectations. Business was thriving. 

Ordinarily, if Ronald's goal had been to build a stable career, this would have been a perfect start. 

Next, he would need to register the company, rent a larger space, hire more staff, and sign a contract with Kodak to guarantee quality and delivery times. Once business stabilized, he could expand step-by-step, hire photography assistants, and venture into higher-level projects like shooting fashion magazine covers and ad campaigns. 

But Ronald's dream was to become a film director and create something real. A novice portrait photographer didn't have the same influence as a novice filmmaker. The scale of the audience, the amount of money involved, and the sense of accomplishment were on entirely different levels. 

Should he capitalize on the holiday rush and place another ad? He could earn as much as possible in a short time—at least enough to cover four years of tuition and a graduation film. 

Ronald hesitated. 

The constant flow of people day and night made him uneasy. If things continued this way, he feared he'd attract the IRS's attention, and they might audit his accounts. 

He was also worried about theft. Although Venice was relatively safe, outsiders sometimes wandered into the neighborhood. 

Having too much cash on hand could attract both thieves and tax authorities. When Ronald had worked in Staten Island, he had learned about the high tax rates for freelancers. Anyone earning more than $400 annually from photography was required to pay taxes. 

Besides the April tax deadline, freelancers also had to estimate their next quarter's income and prepay taxes accordingly. 

California's state taxes weren't kind to freelancers either. The system was complex, and even small mistakes could result in hefty fines from the IRS. 

Everyone tried to avoid these pitfalls by using cash transactions whenever possible. But the IRS often conducted surprise audits based on tips or news reports. 

Using cash could avoid taxes, but keeping large amounts at home wasn't safe. 

Depositing too much cash at once could trigger alerts at the bank and be reported to the IRS. 

Ronald wished he knew someone experienced to advise him. 

He decided to call his Aunt Karen to wish her a happy New Year and ask for advice in passing. 

He told her, somewhat vaguely, that he had been working part-time as a portrait photographer and had earned some money, but wasn't sure if he should continue or take a job with a company to gain experience. 

Aunt Karen reassured him, saying, "Don't be afraid—God will guide you. 

"If you don't have the answer, follow your intuition. That's God's way of leading you. Every time you follow your intuition, things will go smoothly. But if you ignore it and overthink, you'll end up with nothing but setbacks." 

As she handed him a bowl of classic American chicken soup, Ronald decided to listen to Aunt Karen. 

His doubts about expanding the business might mean he didn't really want to continue, so it was better to proceed cautiously. 

Ronald went to the Los Angeles Times advertising office and placed another ad, announcing the studio's closure. From now on, he would only accept referrals from previous clients on weekends to avoid attracting thieves or the IRS. 

He also broke up his cash, using small amounts to buy cashier's checks from the post office and Western Union, each worth $300 to $500. These cashier's checks were safer than personal checks since they wouldn't bounce. 

He divided the remaining cash and checks into two parts—one to carry with him and the other hidden in a plastic bag in the fridge. That gave him some peace of mind. 

Ronald planned to make discreet bank deposits every one or two weeks, flying under the radar to avoid IRS scrutiny. 

After these arrangements, his thoughts became clearer. The current influx of clients was thanks to the holidays and advertising. Without more ads, the flow wouldn't last. 

Rather than forcing an expansion, it was better to downsize and go semi-underground. After all, he wasn't even sure where he'd be studying in six months. If he ended up in New York, running a business here would be a hassle. 

Not wanting to alarm Aunt Karen, Ronald only sent $500 home this time, promising to send more once he returned to New York to make her life easier. 

Before he knew it, the Christmas and New Year holidays were over, and it was time for Ronald to start his job as an editing assistant at New World Productions. 

End of chapter