$4K for a #photography #Job Interview?

Folks, please do not cringe when looking over a #photographer's #Estimate.  Please do not cringe when overlooking their (photographer's) #Creative Fee.  Instead, recall how much it cost the photographer to get to the point of estimating/#bidding on the job.  #Portfolio Reviews, aka job interviews (basically), can cost us up to $3,999 just to be seen by prospective clients for 15-20 minute stints.  There are many 'reviews' out there, however to be seen by actual prospective clients can be tricky.  To better your chances, now-a-days you can spend anywhere between $90 for one 15-20 minute 'interview' to upwards of $3,999 for 3 full days of meetings.  Of course this cost is on top of other marketing strategies.  Photo contest entries start around $25 per image up to $100 or so per series entry (or so I have seen).  Other marketing is also not 'free' nor cheap.  Even if you go the #Vista Print route, you still need to pay for your website, equipment, test shoots, test shoot space, #studio manager/photo assistants, tablets & printed portfolios, #adbase, #altpick, #foundfolios, #dripbook, #insurance, yikes the list goes on.  Yes, being awarded a big job can seem like hitting lottery, but just bare in mind that lotto ticket didn't cost (only) a Dollar.