Count the Cost: The Five Pillars to start your Video/Media business

This episode dives deep into the foundational elements of starting your own video media business. We explore essential insights and practical advice aimed at aspiring filmmakers and content creators ready to turn their passion into a career.

• Introduction to the topic of video production 
• The growing interest in starting media agencies 
• Introducing Daniel Watson from Refined Visuals 
• Discussing the five pillars for starting a video business 
• The importance of value over funds and resourcefulness 
• Recognizing the role of mentorship in creative growth 
• Defining your "why" and its significance 
• Finding joy and fun in your creative endeavors 
• Encouragement for aspiring creators to pursue their dreams 

Connect with Daniel:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/goaskdaniel/

FilmStory Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/filmstory/id1641955836

What do we do: https://myfilmstory.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@myfilmstory

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

Hey guys , welcome back to the podcast . Damian Gray here Once again . I feel like I say this every episode , but I am actually excited for today's episode , for any upcoming new videographers . People are wanting to get into the media agency business . This is one you definitely want to listen to .

Speaker 1 0:20

Today I am with Daniel Watson with Refined refined visuals . Uh , I'm excited . Yeah , man , how's it going ? Um , I'm excited about this one because we really have an opportunity to kind of dive into the kind of the , the trenches , or or the I don't say the grime , but really the , the foundation when it comes to how to realistically go about growing and building something that you're actually passionate about when it comes to video production , whether it's a media agency , whatever it is .

Speaker 1 0:50

And I think we have points . We have what we call the five pillars to starting that business and we're going to walk through them . But I want you guys to pay attention to the story , pay attention to some of the things that we walk through , and our hope is that it encourages . Pay attention to , kind of , some of the things that we walk through and our hope is that it encourages . It paints a little bit of clarity as to the reality of starting this .

Speaker 1 1:08

I think there's so much noise , man , when it comes to starting this , when it comes to how do I go about doing it , when it comes to I need to get the right camera , or I need to make the exact right connections , or I need to be able to film this , or I need to be able to go live . I need to be able to go live , I need to be able to create content consistently online . I need to like so . So much things , man , and it really can be great if we're able to create a system , but it's also can be a hindrance mentally if we're just bogged down by everything and yet we're still not able to make progress on things that are actually fundamentally for us to grow and to scale not just the equipment , not just the gear , but the person as well , growing . So I'm excited today , daniel , how are you doing , man ?

Speaker 2 1:50

Man , I'm doing great . I'm doing great . Finally , Cincinnati's back in great weather . The sun's out .

Speaker 1 1:56

Yeah , so I'm happy . Yeah , yeah , there you go .

Speaker 2 1:59

Absolutely . I'm glad to be here .

Speaker 1 2:05

Nice , sweet . Well , thank you for taking the time , man , let's jump into it . We have the five pillars . The first one that Daniel has shared don't let funds hinder possibilities . Value over funds . Now , this is a lot . This is a very monumental kind of statement , right ? But , Daniel , what's the heart behind it ? What are you , you trying to say here ?

Speaker 2 2:22

so , I say that my background , me personally I didn't come from a wealthy , let alone well-off upbringing , and so everything that I saw other creators , other photographers in my area , whenever , uh , I would just see them out on a street even , or if I was attending a family member's wedding I just see the biggest lens , the biggest camera , and I'm just like I don't have that . I don't have that . If I want to do this in the future , I think I need that , but that wasn't feasible , it wasn't accessible , but I didn't want that to stop me of pursuing my dream . And so what ? Anyone ?

Speaker 2 3:11

What I did , what I did , was I purchased used gear . I purchased gear that wasn't the best of the best . Even at that time , it was more so . Hey , this is what I can afford , this is what I know can get the job done and it can achieve the look that I want . But I know I had to be extra creative as a creator , to quote unquote signature shots or signature looks that I see on like the higher end productions , and so it's . It can be frustrating .

Speaker 2 3:45

It definitely was frustrating in the beginning , because you're getting into something new and you're learning along the way . It's not . It's not something that's like boom instantaneously , like no . You have to put the your craft in any regard , the joy and , uh , pleasure of working things out , so that you can then see a finished project , product and project . That is what you had in your mind . Now it's not just in your mind , but it's out for the world to see , and and you'd be like oh , I did that , I did that . But going back to the beginning , it's not limiting yourself to the resources that you have at your disposal , but working around it and maximizing those opportunities .

Speaker 1 4:39

Yeah , absolutely . I agree , man . I think you know , of course , as a business , funds are required , like we're not blind to that , right , right , I think the main point that I like making with this is your value is not depended upon your funds . That's absolutely true . Your value , what you're able to produce , the content that you do , how you're able to actually serve and help . You know , whatever your target audience is , whether it's a business , whether it's a nonprofit , whether it's wedding work , real estate , or whether it's an agency , that's a one-stop shop for a business , the value of it does not begin with . Okay , I have , you know , this amazing red dragon set up . I have this photo studio that we can it . The reason why I love when you're starting out . One of the things I love is because it teaches you how to be . What's the term ? Not gritty , but just like Resourceful . Yeah , that's a good word for it Resourceful , it's scrappy . I like the word scrappy .

Speaker 1 5:47

It teaches you how to like man . All right , I got a Canon T2i , I got a Walmart tripod with a gimpy leg and I have this really like cheap XR cable where you got to kind of shake it a little bit for it to work . All right , let's figure out how we're going to do this , right . And the reason why is because , like you're just saying , when you're using that equipment and you're putting in those miles , you're putting those laps , you begin to recognize , if I want the best shot out of this camera , I have to bring some , some kind of lighting into this thing . How can I use this natural lighting for my shot ? All right , I can get a diffuser . What is that ? Like five bucks on Amazon for a diffuser . All right , I have a really cool friend . All right , hey friend , hold up this diffuser while I film the shot . I can't buy you equipment , but I can treat you to lunch , like , let's start there , right ? And the scrappiness of that really teaches that resilience . The scrappiness of that really teaches that resilience . But without that , you know , you really miss a key point , a key thing that you need in order to grow and scale your business , which is that resourcefulness , that endurance , to be able to kind of go past what's just in front of the table and say , ok , I have this end product in mind .

Introduction to the Episode

Speaker 1 7:05

How can we get there and a lot of the times if I'm able to look past just myself and say , okay , what are the resources that are around me ?

Speaker 1 7:11

When I first started , I did a crowdfunding campaign , raised like 1100 bucks and then got my first T3i Canon camera right Shoot . I wish I did that . I was still in college when we did it . That's another story . That's another story . I was in high school when I started . I really wish I did that . I was . I was still in college when we did . That's another story . That's another story .

Speaker 2 7:25

I was in high school when I started .

Speaker 1 7:27

I really wish I did that well , hey , you know , you know , tell us to , you know your interns or whoever you know , whatever . But um , and I the first thing I did was like man , I , I really want to get started . I really need the experience like who are some of the people around me that are doing this at a higher level that I can work with ? Right , I had a very close relationship with a graphic designer that was really a quality website graphic designer and he had clients that needed like photo video work , and so he kind of brought me on but he didn't say , all right , damien , you got it , I believe in you . He said , let me walk alongside you and show you exactly what they need .

Speaker 1 8:05

And he , it was photography mostly . So we lined it up pictures . We did this little faux photo shoot at their warehouse where we set up this like black drape behind them and then just made sure they were lit all right , and then he edited the pictures , kind of a thing . The scrappiness of it , like really , and that's that's . That's the thing . Like I can't let it hinder or limit where I'm trying to go because the funds aren't there . Like there are plenty of projects that a lot of people get because they're able to be resourceful and create content that kind of made them magnetic to the angle that they were going to .

Speaker 2 8:41

So , anywho , I hope that makes sense no , it does for me , it was being resourceful , it was being gritty , it was being scrappy in the beginning , and that's how I got my first clients . How about that ? What did you ? What did you do ? I'm curious . And so , like , mind you , I started and I still have the camera . I started with a a 6400 , a 50 millimeter , like the f 1.8 , the , like the stock one , and then , uh , I think I found a steel off of ebay with the 16 millimeter , uh , sigma , and so I started off right there , uh , and I took , um , I took , started off with headshots of my family , a couple of my family members or friends , uh , outside because , like you said , I don't , I can't afford lighting at that moment . I can't afford lighting , uh , and I'm going to make do with what I have and so , being really intentional of understanding , composition , framing , amongst other technical skills .

Speaker 2 9:51

In the beginning I didn't know everything , still don't , but I wanted to make sure that I asked all the right questions . And so , in me asking all the right questions , one , I had to set my pride . Pride aside , which is a really difficult thing for me , where I had to go to people and be like , hey , like I went to my godbrother , who was , uh , one of the top wedding photographers in northern kentucky okay , well , kentucky in general and I was like , hey , can I , can I shadow you , like your next wedding . And so , like , I did that for I think like four or five weddings before he moved down South , but that it allowed me to get my reps in and also it allowed me to learn not only from him directly but the people that he brought under him , so his second shooters , his videographers .

Speaker 2 10:47

I'm picking and choosing , like , okay , they're doing this over here , they're doing this . Wait , why are you doing this ? And I would ask those questions . But I got to be got to . While I was naive in the beginning , I got to learn and upscale my skill sets without the pressure of , oh , this is my client , I need to perform at this high level , right , but my threshold , literally , is right here .

Speaker 1 11:16

Right , gave you a little bit of a safety net I get it and so , operating in that , I did that .

Speaker 2 11:23

I had him , andre , my godbrother , and then another lady by the name of Jill Matthews she's another wedding photographer here in Cincinnati and so I was again second shooting under her for a little while . And then one wedding I was like I don't know if I can do this much longer , because I got tired of not having my weekends . I got tired of getting gray hairs , not because of like the bride or groom themselves , it was just like the bridal , the bride's parents , it was like always them , and I'm just like I can't do that anymore . He's , she was like why don't you just transition over to corporate photography ? I was like , well , I don't have anything in my portfolio that I think would translate . And she was like , okay , create something . It's not that difficult .

Speaker 2 12:23

Here in Cincinnati there's not that many people that do both photo and video . And that's what I was doing with her . I was doing both . I was a hybrid shooter and always has been , and from that I was like , ok , if I have one person that's telling me that I need to make that switch , I feel like I need to get out of here telling me that I need to make that switch I feel like I need to get out of here . So that's two .

Speaker 2 12:49

And then what I was learning off of YouTube University is also the business side of photography and trying to weave my way into the B2B space . Then that's where I was like , okay , I should make this jump . And so , in doing so , that's when I started being more intentional about the creating different spec work , as we like to call it , in regards to , like headshots , little video snippets that might look like a commercial stuff , like that , and I'm pretty sure , all in all , I did about three posts on social media , which do I advise people to do ? No , I hate social media , I truly hate social media , but it's a powerful tool . Okay , if you are actually serious about this , utilize the tools . I didn't utilize it , but what I did was be really strategic , especially on linkedin side , of not only what I posted , but who a like , followed or send a connection to after I post , so that it'll be the first thing that they see when they looked at my profile . And that's what led to my first client , uh , which is a developer , a developer company here or developer firm here in cincinnati , and so the very first call that we had on the phone .

Speaker 2 14:17

I was , I was honest with them . I was like I don't have a portfolio that would inform you without a doubt that I can perform this . That's a fact . But I am confident in myself , I'm confident in the skills and I'm also confident in the knowledge that I've gained over these years to say this is what needs to happen , this is how it's going to look , this is how we're going to execute , and these are the results . And not only did he believe in me , but he also got better results than we both expected .

Speaker 2 14:57

And so that's where being really intentional of not only the skill sets that you learn , which it just takes time , it takes attention to detail , it doesn't take money . That's the one thing that I over . Even up to today , I think the most I've spent was $10 on a course and I didn't even use that information because I already saw the information for free online . But also being really intentional and upfront when I am reaching out to possible prospect clients and saying I don't have this specific portfolio that is niched down to your specific business , but this is what I've done so far and this is what I believe I can do for you . Let's run a trial on this . You don't take any risk , I take all the risk , but you get all the reward and work from there .

Speaker 1 16:01

Yeah , absolutely , man . I think . A few things to note that I got from what you shared . One you wouldn't have noticed your desire to I guess you could say not be in the wedding world if you didn't go through that process , like again being able to go through that and recognizing where you want to pursue that only comes from going through the process and I think that's something I had to learn , because when I first started straight out of college , I thought I had to , like I have to know exactly what I'm doing , how I'm going to do it . This is what I'm going to be doing for the next rest of my life . I have to know that now I start .

Speaker 1 16:37

But I learned you know years into it that no , as you , as you continue pursuing the things that you can see , at that instant you begin to recognize , yeah , I actually want to pursue this some more , but maybe not . You know every wedding . Maybe I just want to do these kinds of weddings , or maybe I don't want to do real estate on these kind of homes . Maybe I want to pursue these kind of homes . You know that kind of a thing and there has to be again going through that process . Number two you've well , part of that is you recognized kind of your desire and wanting to produce . Like you know , you said you're a hybrid shooter , so produce , producing that in you know , other genres of work , not including weddings , and then , lastly , that in other genres of work , not including weddings . And then , lastly , I want to make it clear we are a for-profit business . Yes , we are . We recognize that we need to have income to pay expenses and to grow and to be able to scale . But again , I don't think that is where you define success or where you define , you know , this is the limit that we can get to kind of a thing . There's much more past the money , like

The Growing Interest in Media Agencies

Speaker 1 17:46

past the funds . The value that you have goes well past that or can go well past , you know , the I guess you could say the money in your account or whatever it is .

Speaker 1 17:53

But I'm trying to do my best to make this stay as tangible as possible , because Daniel said some really great things via social media , via things that he spent on classes , which I'm an advocate . I have a few classes that I've purchased and used and it's grown my , it's sped up my learning curve significantly , right , but even if I go through all those classes , I still have to go and do something Like I still have to go out and produce the content . I still have to go and do something Like I still have to go out and produce the content . I still have to go out and make those connections kind of a thing . So , yeah , awesome , that's number one . Number two we kind of talked about it a little bit we have become your favorite apprentice Cultivate opportunities for growth .

Speaker 1 18:32

I think this is interesting because of course you know , I've heard over over years yeah , man , I'm a mentor , not somebody who's doing what you know , what you want to do , and like acts to shadow them , that's great . But I like that you said become your favorite apprentice . Like when I've had interns that have said , damien , man , I'd love to see what it's like seeing what you're doing , you know , like shadow you on wedding or , you know , help you on this project . I'm like , yeah , man , come on , that'd be great . And it's like it gets followed up with all right .

Speaker 1 19:07

So , uh , how much am I getting paid for this ? Or like you want me to do what ? Yeah , I don't , I don't think I , I don't , I don't , I don't think I don't , I don't do that . You know , I don't think I can . And it's not like I'm asking for anything crazy . It's like you know , just instead of , I know you normally do photography , can you just help me set up the video gear on site , so that way you know like it's nothing for like anything crazy . But becoming a favorite apprentice , it's really a hard mindset and I kind of just want to tee it up for you . And what's your experience like that ? Or were you on the ? You know the intern that was coming into a company , or have you been on the other side of it , now having interns Like what's that ? What's been that for you ?

Speaker 2 20:19

I'm working , whether it was like the jobs back in high school , where it's a small company and I'm like , well , someone has to do it , why not me ? And then translating that into well , if I want to do it for myself , I first need to do it for someone else , and that goes into being moving on like a servant's attitude and a servant's heart than a selfish one , in my opinion , and so that's where I've tried to like going back to working with jill matthews , the lady who I was shadowing everything from holding the flowers , holding the flowers , holding the rings as we're doing prep work , to helping the bride with her dress as she's walking . It's like little tangible things that just add on to a client's experience , but it's things that it just helps in general , and so I always wanted to be really intentional when I was even with my projects . Now I want to be really intentional on the customer experience Because I can offer the greatest video , I can offer the best branding strategy in all those regards . Mind you , I don't believe that I can , nor ever will , on my own , but what I can control is how my clients interact with me and how I interact with my clients , and that's something that I learned picking up . That's something that I picked up back when I was shadowing , and so not only was it with the clients , but it was also with the people who were directly over me . So , hey , if I noticed that they left their lens hood somewhere and I know their mind is thinking about 10 other things I'll just grab it as soon as they start looking for it . I'd be like I got it hand it to them .

Speaker 2 21:55

So it's being like little attention to details that make lives , like make people's lives easier , because that's all we're doing . We're making people , we're making our clients' lives easier , making organizations' strategy easier . That's what we're doing in a nutshell show and so , yeah , it's , it's just being really not just intentional for the sake of doing it , but it is a heart and mind change that has to happen . If you don't want to do it , it's going to show , it's going to show up as fake and it's understandable . That's not what . If that's not something that gets you going , then like all power to you . But in regards of what has gotten me into doors , that has gotten me connected with people that I personally have no business talking with , it has been on that , that aspect , that added value of just simply treating people better than uh , not only better than what they expect , but to the level that you want to be treated yourself .

Speaker 1 23:02

Yeah , absolutely Agreed , man . I think , like we shared in my experience being able to show up with kind of a desire to help , and Daniel's coming from the perspective of kind of a media agency where , like , and you know , daniel's coming from the perspective of of kind of a media agency , where I'm a little bit more , I guess you could say nuanced into just focusing and pursuing video production , and I have recognized when a person is able to show up and they're just , they're inquisitive , they're like man , yeah , like , teach me your way . Like what are you doing ? You know , I enjoy that . Now , of course , when you're on site and you're on set , sometimes you don't have time for that , but being able to have the person , that's really like man , yes , like whatever you need , like I'll help show me how that works .

Speaker 1 23:50

Man , I , I I don't know if maybe people think like everybody does that , but it's just not the truth Like it's really hard to just find , like I say , good help is hard to find . Like it's really hard to sometimes find that . And I think it's just because , just in this day and age , although we're so connected via social media , we're so separated , like everyone

Meet Daniel Watson

Speaker 1 24:12

is pursuing their own thing and has their own idea of what they think is the right way to pursue it . And when it comes to trying to get help from those around them , a lot of times it's not so much there , so I love- .

Speaker 2 24:23

I do want to say something to what ? You just shared One of my mentors . I actually found her via social media . She had a podcast with a few of her , like friends that are they're all creatives , okay and I was following them for , like , I think , over two years at the time and I reached out . I sent her to a paragraph , a long paragraph .

Speaker 1 24:53

I won't lie , I , I wouldn't have blamed her like no , this is an ad man , right , right , like it was a long thing but won't lie .

Speaker 2 24:56

I , I wouldn't have blamed her if she were like no , this is an ad man , right , right , like it was a long thing . But I was , I was really . I just played everything out . I was like , hey , I see what you're doing . She's predominantly video only on the production side , but she does run other things regardless , like the graphic design space , but she's working with people that I would love to work with . We're talking athletes , organizations such as Nike . I'm like , okay , if , by chance , you have any time in your schedule , I would love to just pick your brain for a little bit . Like love to just pick your brain for a little bit , yeah , and so take again going back to what I said earlier is taking my pride to the side and understanding that I need to submit myself under someone else to get their knowledge and let their knowledge overflow to me , and so she didn't have to say yes . I didn't expect her to say yes , but she did , and that's one of the like . Her help was one of the reasons why I landed my like my very first contract on the business side , and so that's where I really do like , if you are curious and you see someone in the space , that you are it doesn't mean that they will automatically say yes , but it doesn't hurt you at all to ask them yeah

Speaker 1 26:21

to see if they would help yeah , that's big man , that's really cool . Um , you don't , you don't hear well , maybe you do , but in my circles , you know , you don't hear a lot of connections like that . Um , that lead to that . Uh , that's really cool . Um , I think that's . I think that's the best , that's . That's the best way to network is . Like . You know , all these networking events are great . They really like , are helpful with , like you meet a person , blah blah , but like being able to say , hey , let's grab coffee . I'd love to pick your brain on something I'm working on and see what your thoughts on it , because it sounds like you're an expert on this field . A lot of people would love to do that Again being able to put , like you said , putting the pride to the side and being able to really kind of push you forward and seeking the insight that you do not have . Like there's insight that other people have that I don't , because I haven't gone through it , so I need to get their insight in order to get that information .

Speaker 1 27:21

But I can't get it because I've never gone through it . So there's like sometimes I don't even know what I'm supposed to ask yet until I receive that insight from the person , right .

Speaker 1 27:32

But if I'm just stuck in what I think I'm trying to pursue without the inside , a lot of the times it's like man , it could have been like that much better if you just kind of took that step out . So , anyway , sidebar , oh yeah , that's , that's great . Thank you for sharing that Sweet . Number three we're talking about the five pillars , what I call the five pillars to starting your video media business , right ? Number three have a some sort of a structure . Mentor . This is interesting . Um , if , if I will story time . I've shared this , you know , a few times before . But , um , when I was , I was probably like maybe three , four years into doing something , maybe three years into it .

Speaker 1 28:15

And another mentor of mine was like , hey , man , you gotta , you gotta meet this guy . He's great , he . He has an event production company , like really good at what he does , but he's very like good with the kind of like back-end numbers , you know analytical , like figuring out that side of your business , because to grow this in an organized way , it's where you can keep up with clientele and quotes and you know whatever else you're putting out bids , whatever it is . You have to have a little bit of a structure for it as you grow , as you grow . And so I was like , yeah , man , it sounds great . So I met with this guy , went to his office . He's like Damien man . So tell me , tell me what , tell me what you're doing , what , what's going on . So I tell him my spiel . You know , at that point I'm doing like photo and video and I'm working on trying to develop myself in the area and I have I have like some projects that I'm working on now and

Overview of the Five Pillars

Speaker 1 29:06

you know , just trying to fill in , fill , filling him in , right . Then he's like great . So like how are you figuring out the pricing for all of this stuff , right , it's like , well , my cell phone bill is like 50 bucks , right , monthly . My electricity , it's like you know , 150 . You know , whatever my rent is , whatever it was , my insurance is like whatever . So I'm telling these things . I'm like all right , so those things equal up to about this much . So I figured if I could do like three or four of these per month at around this much , then I'll be able to cover my expenses and we'll be good .

Speaker 1 29:39

And you got to understand when I shared that I was like man , I can't prepare it like I'm ready , like I figured this out , like this is we're talking grassroots , beginning guys , don't judge me . I hear you . I hear you guys judging me . I can feel it through the , through the camera system you guys judging me . But I tell him that he looks at me . He's like , yeah , don't do that . I was like what ? Completely like I .

Speaker 1 30:02

You know , when you think you have again the insight , you think you have it right , you think you got it down , you think you figured it out , you think you got it going on , and then you get insight from someone that's a little bit further down the line than you and he's like , yeah , don't do that . So , hmm , ok , and he , as he kept speaking , he began to introduce me to something called the market and identifying where you stand in the market and being able to do market research to figure out what the cost is for this kind of work in your area and identifying where you stand in that market . And I was like man , I had no , they didn't . They didn't teach me this in college . Like this wasn't , this wasn't , there wasn't a class for this you know , and it's .

Speaker 1 30:48

You know I'm all in water . I love my university . They're great , they gave me opportunities to put my hands on really great equipment and it gave me the foundation to have the desire to pursue these things . So I'm not I'm not knocking that , but you know , things like that . I'm like man . I , if I had not heard , took the insight from my other mentor and sat down with this guy . I would like how much more down the line , know , would it be ? Until I recognized , I think , my pricing's off . You know , like . Like I don't know how much you charge . I don't like 300 bucks for a video . Like , is that ? Oh , that's not . No , I wasn't charging , I'm just saying like , for example , like is that not good ?

Speaker 2 31:30

is that ?

Speaker 1 31:31

should I not ? Oh , I should charge . Okay , I didn't know . You know , like I have to go through that entire process and so , man , you , you really don't know what you don't know , and to have your ears to the ground and to be able to to kind of be a student , like you're saying , again , putting that pride to the side and being a student of the game and saying , hey , this is what I'm thinking , like is , is this correct ? Is this should I ? Is this a good way to pursue this ? Or like this is what I'm thinking so far . Is this , should I go this route , or is there another option that's better ?

Speaker 1 32:05

Like to have that structure in the back of your business , man , it's foundational . Like we're talking about scaling , growing both the business's ability to serve clientele as well as your ability to serve clientele . Growing , I mean that's man , having a mentor or someone that's outside of yourself to kind of help you in that structure . Like I , my business went from night and day , like just from that meeting , and I didn't even recognize it until like years on end . So , yeah , that's , that's , that's what I think of when I hear mentor and structure for the business and so I completely agree .

Speaker 2 32:42

And I'm finding myself back in that same seat of I know there's I've experienced like a brief introduction to that next level and I'm like , okay , I can either one pursue this right now , but I know not everything is in place . I don't have all my systems and process and pipelines together and if I go after this , if I go after this opportunity right now , I risk I risk tarnishing not only my brand but my client's brand If I do not execute how I already know . I have the ability to execute , but I don't have the systems in order . So this current where I am right now , it's just literally going back to the basics , but it's not my basics , it's the basics of people who are at the next level . I mean like , okay , this is where I'm being really vulnerable with them . This is where I'm at currently .

Speaker 2 33:47

I'm doing X Y Z . These are the reasonings why I'm doing X Y Z . Is this sufficient ? If yes , okay . How do I elevate it ? If no , okay , how do I pivot so that I'm able to actually and actively go towards not only my goals but my client's goals ? And it does like we've been saying , it does structure , but it also takes being honest with people that inevitably are trying to help us . Yeah and so yeah , but also being open to the answers not being how we want it to sound or how we want it to look . Yeah , yeah .

Speaker 2 34:33

Where I'm like , in the process of like , looking at different CRM softwares and be like , okay , I've been using this for so long , but I'm hearing people use this , people use this . All right , I might have to uproot everything and transition over . I already had to make that transition in regards of how I had everything set up for invoices and everything . And I'm like okay , this has worked for this portion of my business life cycle and it served its purpose . It served it well . I haven't had any issues . But I know that as revenue increases , things will slip between the cracks if I go along this path . And so how do I adjust , how do I pivot to make sure that things are seamless for myself , but those that I'm working with and those that I'm partnering with along the way , so that we're all like our entire experience is upper tier and not just scraping by ?

Speaker 1 35:41

yeah , absolutely yeah . That's great man . I think you know that's that's a big thing , like crms and figuring that out , um , but I like how you were saying , even even amidst when there is that change , and trying to figure out , all right , what's the best kind of CRM set up or the best whatever . There's so much of those things out now . Even amid that , you're doing your best to serve your client well .

Speaker 1 36:05

Like whether it's you know it could be different routes . Whether it's trying to be transparent , say , hey , client , thank you so much for your patience , we're going through a change right now in our CRM . I'll keep you posted , keep you updated . Or whether it's kind of you know , like as seamless as possible . It's like , hey , we're going to have to notify the clients , they'll just get a new email and we'll be good , like the heart of being able to do . That , I think is great because one you're not settling . You're like I'll figure it out , you know , one day , right At some point . But it's like , no , I really want to serve with excellence and I want to be able to have these kind of things set up , because it's truthfully going to cost me money if I don't . And I think that takes some vulnerability to say , yeah , let's take a pause here , guys , and figure out what works best for what we're trying to do . And again , just sensing that the continual theme of removing the pride from oneself and saying , ok , let's figure this out , just sidebar .

Speaker 2 36:59

Yeah , and I think and I think it also is what I've done is not only removing the pride when I'm communicating with advisors or mentors , but removing it when I communicate with clients . If I don't know something , I tell them up front , up front . Hey , I don't have an answer for you at this moment , yeah , but I will come back to you when I do have an answer . That's the solution , and I already went through the process of seeing is this actually going to apply or is this another hypothesis , right ? Um , and so I've had , I've had those moments recently where I had like , uh , there was things from one project that was taking more of my attention and I dropped the ball on another client and I told him . I was like , hey , I am sorry , like this is my fault . I , I did this , I did this . But if you don't , if you don't have those hard conversations , then you're just slowly severing ties with them and severing the confidence that they have with you .

Speaker 1 38:07

Yeah .

Speaker 2 38:08

When you allow that silence to take hold , and so that's been something that I'm trying to like in this . It's been a struggle . It's been like like , oh shoot , I'm sorry I did that . Yeah , went out and did that and I brought it to their attention and I didn't shy away from it . That's when they're like , oh no , this is why we like working with you , don't worry about it , it's fine , life happens , let's just get on to the next thing .

Speaker 1 38:40

Wow , and so yeah , yeah that's big , that's big man , that's loyalty . Yeah , man , that's awesome . And I again , knowing I mean it's going to sound weird to say , but knowing when to be a team-minded leader to the point where you recognize that you are all going towards this goal , but also knowing that it falls on you to be able to have that kind of transparency of the foresight , to be able to look forward . Sweet , all right , sweet , thank you . Number four out of the five . I'm tempted to connect these two , but I'm going to keep them separate . All right , fair enough . Number four being confident in your why . I think this one is interesting . I can't remember , I think I'm out of .

Speaker 1 39:29

This is like a summation of a few things that you mentioned , daniel being confident in your why and I . I think I shared a little bit earlier that . You know , when I first started doing this , I recognized , or I was thinking , that I had to have my why , had to have everything down when I first started . I'm doing this why ? Because blah , blah , blah , or like I'm doing this kind of work , because I want to do this . I'm doing this why ? Because blah , blah , blah , or like I'm doing this kind of work , because I want to do this , I'm doing this kind of work , etc . Etc . And I , man , even with this being our 12th year in it , I that still continues to transform a little bit , but even like where I'm now compared to when I was first starting , then has been 12 years of narrowing down on that . Why , right , being able to and being able to consciously recognize that through every project you're doing , like I remember when I was first starting out and I got to film , like there was a festival locally in our town and I got to film that and I brought in like a team , like I had a team , like this was a free project , this was , this was pretty much free . This was our , this was our . This is how we became gold sponsors for the festival because we gave them a free end product and the cost of it . You know , we're anyway , besides the point had a team of about four guys I think , think me , and then three other guys , and you know we had like GoPro specialists , and then we had a guy that was more like logistics for the the festival , and then we had another guy that was like a second shooter , and then we had a drone guy , you know , and all this stuff out there , and it was . This was the first time where I'm like this was the first time where I filmed something and I was like this was the first time where I filmed something and I was like I want to do more of this . And what I recognized was it wasn't that I was like Damien wants to film more festivals around the world . The heart of it was Damien wants to take on projects that require more than just Damien . Damien wants to have that team where we're all on the same page . We've all met up , planned , figured out the best game plan , figured out scheduling and went and conquered what we were trying to create . I enjoy that .

Speaker 1 41:44

From the beginning , my mentality has always been team-minded , so that was a big why for my business . It was because I want to be able to scale and grow everyone's ability to serve their clients well , to serve their peers well and to like help with that process , and I think that again . So you have that one project to help that . There are other projects as well . There are specific ones that really spoke to me when it came to things that I want to pursue no-transcript . But for us we're not really pursuing that kind of an option right now . That's where you know there's confidence on . You know , I don't , I don't want to make time for that because I want to make time for this , right , that's something where , when , when , when I was first starting out , I didn't have a lot of those opportunities right To say , yeah , no , I think we're going to do like I accepted a good bit of projects and the reason why was because I had to figure out what it is I actually wanted to do , like it took some time to be able to say , okay , I actually want to pursue these things .

Speaker 1 43:11

Remember , I started out doing video and photo , so I'm trying to balance these things out and as I'm pursuing it , I'm recognizing yeah , photo , I'm just . I truthfully , I'm just not a fan . I don't like the feeling of posing people . I don't like the feeling of , like , setting up backdrops . I don't , I'm just not , I'm not a fan of , I'm not truly a fan .

Speaker 1 43:33

But when it came to video to elicit someone's emotion through story , being able to film people in a more natural setting , where I'm not having to pose too much , where I'm really fighting for the authenticity in what we're trying to film , that's where I want to stay Right , and so that's that's why that's where the confidence comes in and saying , ok , I recognize there are many opportunities and we've we've had some , some requests that I'm like , yeah , there's , there's no way . I don't know what that's about , but there are some where I'm like , yeah , it sounds like it might be something , but I really have an opportunity , a vision of this thing . But I really have an opportunity , a vision of this thing and I want to pursue that more . And that's kind of where . That's kind of where the confidence , you know , as I move forward , where it comes from , and and just being able to be confident in , in , in my why kind of a thing Thoughts .

Speaker 2 44:27

Sorry , yeah , no , you're fine , you're fine no everything that you said is what I've experienced , and so my why has relatively always been changing . Funny enough , when I first sat with my graphic designer who did my branding , yeah , I want the connection between the R and the V to have like four lines , because I want to have the pillars of like my company and to be represented in it . Those pillars have changed every year . It's changed every year . Yeah , I can see , but the heart of what I do and what I bring is one I want to do it with . I want to do it with other people , I don't want to do it by myself . If I wanted to do it by myself , honestly speaking , I would just take my talents and go to a nine to five and I'd be more than fine right there . But I enjoy collaborating and working with other people and joy . I honestly find fulfillment when I am able to learn from other people and if I'm able to provide any insight that I've gained over the years or that I've learned from other people and I can be like oh , this applies to your situation and how your business currently is . I love being a conduit in that manner . So having that aspect of my why , in a sense , is what's really pushed me forward , but then also , what got me into this in the beginning was I just enjoy creating , like that's something that when I first picked up a camera when I was eight years old , I was like shoot , I think this very much might be it , and I just stuck with it . Not everyone has that moment of having it at such a young age , of finding out what their passion is , but as soon as you find it , run with it , and that's that , to me , should be one of your whys it doesn't have to be like for me .

Speaker 2 46:40

In the beginning I thought I was just going to do photography . I was like it's a camera take pictures . I've been doing it since I was eight years old . And then I was like huh , huh , I can learn video . Oh , this is actually kind of fun to make videos .

Speaker 2 46:56

So then I started learning again , and so from there it went into branding and brand strategy and I was like people are looking for the images , they're looking for the video , video but they don't know how to necessarily utilize it and implement it . And so I was like I can create something here , and so that's where I went to learn it . So your why doesn't have to be the same , nor do I think it will ever remain the same on a broad sense , as long as you're staying true to yourself and staying true to your passions , which can change and turn through time . My passion for photography and videography has , like , gone up and down . One will be high one or a month and the other be extremely low . Sometimes the level out , sometimes I don't even want to pick up a camera and I just want to , like , focus on consulting gal .

Speaker 2 47:55

What you gotta take that back , take it back yes , sometimes I don't want to pick up a camera . I will literally . There was a moment where I didn't touch my camera for about almost a year . I was like I don't want to anything . I literally don't want to pick it up . However , I loved learning about the business side of things . I love learning how to implement it for organizations , and so that's where that is where my why transitioned from different phases and it continues to transition .

Speaker 1 48:31

Nice , nice . Well said , sir , well said . I don't know about the camera . I feel I've felt the same way many times . Very good , sweet . Well , the last one we have .

Speaker 1 48:41

I mean , truthfully , it's have fun , I get it , I get it . It sounds cliche , I get it , I get it All right . All right , calm down , guys , calm down . But man , being able to find a craft where you can really put like kind of all you have into it , expand your ability to serve , figure out what's happening in your community and where you fit in , and having kind of the key or the reason to kind of choose to do that , can be a very thrilling , fun , kind of a ride . And I don't want to paint this beautiful picture where everything birds are chirping . No , it's tough , it's a challenge for sure , but , man , I think sometimes I had to remind myself of that . But , man , I think sometimes we I had to remind myself of that Like , sometimes we get so down into the deeps of trying to grow something and we forget to create , like we forget that .

Speaker 1 49:42

You know , we , we started this , most of us , we started this because when we did it a while ago , we , we kind of saw this vision of a possibility of what could be and we wanted to go for it Right . And so I think , being able to have fun with that process I know I hear a lot of people that just they advocate a lot for creating , for going out there and trying to learn something through what you're creating , what you're creating , man , so much fun to be able to create products , whether it's , you know , for profit or for a nonprofit , or just you know , like we're talking about spec ads earlier like creating something that you are passionate about and you want to pursue and you think it'll actually be of service to the community , or service and growing what you're capable of doing . I think that's thrilling , I think that's exhilarating . I think being able to kind of go past the noise of trying to keep up with social media and actually producing content that you are actually passionate about is exciting . We're always an advocate for pursuing things that are worth doing , like it deserves your effort , your attention , your respect , right , and so for those things , man , it's , it's so enjoyable to be able to do that , especially if you're able to bring people on that are like-minded , that are like , yeah , man , I want to , I want to help .

Speaker 1 50:59

Like I don't know what that looks like , but I want to help . You painted a great vision and I want to help . That's that's fun . That's like that's like adults , adults fulfilling kid dreams with adult tools . Now it can be fun . Give yourself permission to go for it and produce and create content or make the connections that you've always wanted to and go for it . I think it's really great to be able to do that . Man , you now have permission to go for it , to do it , to have fun while you're doing it , to maybe smile every now and then while you're creating these visions of possibilities like go for it , have fun . I think , and I think all this stuff I'm saying to myself , like oh , you're talking to me .

Speaker 2 51:41

I like I'm fully receiving , I'm like all right , all right you know , get it .

Speaker 1 51:47

We , we gotta make ends meet . And if we're able to produce what we think is fun into something where we can actually make ends meet , how about that ? That'd be great , right ? Yeah , man , I'm speaking to myself like this this stuff that we do , there's a way to go about it where it's actually encouraging to your life and not discouraging , because you cannot keep up with the Joneses on social media .

Speaker 2 52:09

You know what I'm saying .

Speaker 1 52:10

So that's my encouragement man , one day at a time , have fun with it . That's all I got to say .

Speaker 2 52:23

Regardless of how the logistics of a project might come around , or even if it's the deliverables or the process , the pre-production , there's going to be some hardship because , at the end of the day , we are running a for-profit business . That's right . Uh , that doesn't mean we can't have fun and we shouldn't . Like each and every time that I and with my clients we're laughing at least 30 minutes before we even start , like we're just , we're having fun , we're talking , we're laughing , at least 30 minutes before we even start like we're just we're having fun , we're talking , we're catching up . Yeah , I'll still like I'll pop in on their , at their offices occasionally and we'll just talk about random stuff and that is the fun .

Speaker 2 53:06

That's what that right there is what propels me when I'm in front of the screen for eight hours plus editing and asking myself what is life ? Or I am preparing social media content as someone who doesn't like social media at all for clients and I'm just like , why am I doing this ? This isn't , this isn't ? But then I get out of that and I go back to the fun stuff . Yeah , the creating , the engaging with clients that I actually enjoy and like we have relationship with , and so that's the opportunity that the dream I had back as a child that I didn't know . It was what I wanted coming into fruition and seeing for what it is .

Speaker 1 54:03

Yeah , absolutely Absolutely , man . Well , ladies and gentlemen , there you have it Five pillars of starting your video media business . Man , I really hope this hits somebody . I hope it encourages somebody . It could be one person we have one listener , one , you know . It could be like my mom .

Speaker 1 54:23

Whatever it is , I don't know Whoever it hits , but , man , I hope it's encouraging for those out there that are wanting to grow , to build , to scale something that's actually meaningful and purposeful in their community , whether it's video , media , agency photography , like whatever it is graphic design and anything in the creative arts , whatever it is . Man , just know that you have an advocate here that's rooting for you , that's wanting you to produce things , two advocates you got me , you already got two subscribers already for whatever you're trying to do YouTube channel , whatever you have some people that are rooting for you , wanting you to produce worthy content and , if at all you ever have questions , you kind of want to dive deeper into a certain point , we're here , we'd love to get your feedback , we'd love to answer your questions . It does not have to be this dark and gloomy , isolated thing where you're by yourself and your thoughts are only in your brain and you have no way to get it out , find someone , go grab coffee with someone , soundboard a little bit , see what people are thinking and go out and just start with what you have . Even phones these days can be potentially helpful with the right setup , so I'm excited .

Speaker 1 55:33

Thank you so much , danny , for taking the time to walk

The First Pillar: Value Over Funds

Speaker 1 55:36

through your experiences with this . As always , guys , if you have more questions , feel free to let us know in the comments below or Instagram . Whatever floats your boat , we're both pretty much everywhere . Those links will be bottom in the show notes . Thank you again , danny , for taking the time . Appreciate it .

Speaker 2 55:52

Time appreciate well , always , anytime you have need help with anything , just let me know . You always know that absolutely all right , guys .

Speaker 1 56:00

Thank you so much . We'll catch you on the next one . Peace .