Studio Sherpas Podcast

Welcome to a live episode of the Grow Your Video Business Podcast! There are so many topics that I could cover, but I want to leave that up to my community of fellow video makers. I recorded this episode live on Facebook where you’ll hear me coach others in real-time! Key Takeaways Nothing is without its risks, but if you never take any in your business, it will never grow. It’s not worth it to work with a client who drains your energy. It’s better to spend your energy seeking out the clients you’d prefer to work with. Finding Prospects With and Without Facebook Ads We start off this open coaching session with a question about finding prospects with Facebook ads. There are times when Facebook ads make good sense. This is particularly the case when you have a clearly defined market. However, when your potential clientele and their needs are broad, you can’t get your message across with a single video ad. Although it can be hard when you’re first starting out, referrals are an excellent source of prospects. I r

What is the most valuable non-renewable asset in your life and business? It’s time. Your time is limited, so why not use it doing what brings you the most satisfaction and joy? Today’s guest designed his businesses to let him do just that. Key Takeaways You’re not alone in your work. By being part of a community of people in the same profession, you can help and support each other and foster mutual success. As soon as you can, start creating systems to automate as much of your job as possible. Branching out in the type of services you offer is often an inexpensive way to create more security. About Blake Pollino Blake spent ten years doing business development and marketing in the corporate/start-up world. He shot his first wedding for free in December 2017 and filmed his first paid wedding the following March.  Blake worked 80+ hours a week building his video business while still working a full-time 9-5. He went full-time almost one year to the day after his first paid wedding. Blake launched BP Media Group

Diversification in your business is essential to its survival. I think that’s something we all learned recently. Yet, you can’t always do everything yourself. Today’s guest explains how he learned to use outside expertise in order to keep his business agile and profitable. Key Takeaways Bringing in outside experts allows you to take on a wide variety of projects. While this is an extra expense, it will likely lead to higher quality work which you can charge more for. Always be looking for more and different opportunities. Complacency will not help you when situations unexpectedly change. About Jeffrey Johnson Jeffrey Johnson has been around cameras all his life. His dad managed a camera shop, and he helped him develop photos in a makeshift darkroom at home. He grew to be passionate about art and music and studied design. But Jeffrey lost his drive to be creative for years, working in sales and management. After a life-changing event and a cross-country move, he decided to take photography classes, which reign

We all should have a vision of what our company really is. That’s the easy part. What’s harder is sharing that vision in a coherent way with others. Today’s guest has helped hundreds of companies clarify their vision so they can effectively broadcast it to the world and reach their goals. Key Takeaways Having a vivid vision for your company will keep you constantly aligned with your goals and mission. About Cameron Herold Cameron is the mastermind behind the exponential growth of hundreds of companies, making him known as the business growth guru. He has built a dynamic consultancy with clients that include a monarchy and a Big 4 wireless company. The author of five books, Cameron is also a top-rated international speaker and the founder of the COO Alliance, the World's Leading Network for Seconds in Command. Creating The Right Vision for Your Company To come up with a vivid vision of your company, Cameron wants us to ditch our vision statements. They really don’t mean much anyway. You need to dive deeper tha

Choosing a focus for your business is scary. There’s a fear that niching down means you might be missing out on other opportunities. That’s why so many of us take a long time to pick a niche or never do. Today’s guest explains how he overcame this and how you can too. Key Takeaways Having a niche automatically raises you to the level of an expert in your field. This builds the trust that your clients are looking for. Keep all your paperwork well-organized. If you are ever faced with an audit, this will help everything go so much smoother than otherwise. About Jake Sturgis Jake Sturgis, the founder, and CEO of Captivate Media, started with video in high school, where he had a public access TV show that never quite caught on like Wayne's World. In college, he was a TV news producer in Duluth, Minnesota. From there, he worked as a videographer and Communications Coordinator for two school districts in Minnesota.  For over a decade Jake worked those jobs while shooting and editing weddings and small corporate gig

I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without collaboration. Even if you're the only person in your business, there are times when you’ll need to call in help from elsewhere, even if just to get a different perspective. Today’s guest explains how to do that more efficiently so that you can be more creative in the long run. Key Takeaways Creative partnerships are very important for the success of a business. Identify areas where another perspective would be beneficial and seek that out.  Creative projects often involve a degree of chaos. Project management software is a good tool for organizing and channeling that chaos into order. About Kaitlyn Rossi Kaitlyn Rossi is the senior video producer with Storyblocks. She's behind much of Storyblocks's branded content, including their new original series. Storyblocks helps creators and businesses of every size keep up with the growing demand for video. They provide flexible subscription plans for royalty-free stock video, audio, and images. Connections Lead to Possib

It takes a certain level of discomfort when starting and running your own business. While it lacks the security and predictability of a “regular” job, it brings with it a degree of freedom that can’t be found anywhere else. Today’s guest shares his stories of successes and setbacks as a new video business owner. Key Takeaways You will likely have more regrets about not following your dreams of running your own business than you would if you don’t. If you feel called to do it, start doing it now. Defeating imposter syndrome requires acknowledging that it’s okay not to know everything and being true to who you are as a person and a business. About Dan Bewley Dan Bewley works with nonprofits to help them grow using the power of video. His passion for storytelling through video stems from his 25 years in TV news, telling a variety of stories from across the country.  Dan’s unique career has given him the insight to find stories that connect with viewers on an emotional level. He lives in Tulsa, OK with his wife,

Why are you working? It’s a simple question with a complex answer. It needs to be more than just making money or you won’t last long in this business. Today’s guest explains how to find the motivation to do great work by recognizing your power to create positive impacts. Key Takeaways Instead of asking customers what they want you to create for them, ask them how they want people to feel after seeing their videos. The work that you do should have purpose not just for your client, but for yourself. This is what is needed to keep you motivated to continue to produce great work. To identify your purpose in your work, think about who inspired you to do this work and why. Then look at your unique abilities, gifts, and talents and how you use those to serve others. About Davin Salvagno Davin Salvagno is the Founder & CEO of PurposePoint, the author of Finding Purpose at Work, and co-founder of The Purpose Summit. He is an inspirational thought leader and speaker known for connecting purpose, people, and perform

Behind every business are actual human beings. Recognizing this is key to running your own business with integrity, caring, and a mission to make a meaningful difference. Today’s guest is a marketing wiz who has mastered the concept of building authentic relationships in the business world. Key Takeaways Customers are going to be more loyal to the brands they have deep connections with. This means building the identity of your company based on who you really are and what is most important to you. Your best customers will be the ones who connect with you as a person. The faster you can authentically put yourself out there, the faster you’ll find each other. About Jessika Phillips Jessika is a social media strategist known for her outspoken dedication to relationship marketing. Her personal mission is to inspire people to love more, give more, and be more through using authentic relationships every day. Jessika founded NOW Marketing Group in 2010 with only a laptop and a vision. The company is now a Forbes reco

When you dream about the future, you have a direction to set off on. There’s a goal to work towards. In this solo episode, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about setting big goals and how that helps you thrive in this business. Key Takeaways Goals can come in all sizes. Dream big and have a goal that may take years to realize. At the same time, create short-term tangible goals to keep you motivated along the way. It’s Time to Dream Big When you think about your video business, whether you’re new to it or not, I’m sure there’s something you wish were different. Perhaps you want to work fewer hours, make more passion projects, or save more money. It could be anything. But if you dreamed about your future lately, now is the time. Creating A Roadmap Towards Your Dreams It’s the dream and your goals that keep us motivated when life’s distractions get in the way. When you remember your greater purpose it becomes easier to remember why you are passionate about this work. Set yourself some short-term goals that will lea

I used to look at my competition and feel fear and inadequacy. But as I started to grow into my own identity as a business owner, I began looking at it differently. Now I see other similar businesses as sources of motivation. They’ve gone from being my competitors to part of my community. Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing one of them. Key Takeaways Don’t be afraid to get in touch with other similar businesses in your area. This has the possibility of opening up all sorts of new opportunities. It’s not enough to just be good at something. You need to enjoy it as well or else it’s not truly a strength. About Heather Zara Heather Zara is the owner and CEO of Zara Creative, a Detroit-based video production studio that helps forward-thinking brands make meaningful connections with their audiences. As an observer of the human experience, Heather has built her career upon the pillars of creativity and communication while letting her passions and curiosity lead the way. With over 22 years of experience, this

Does conflict have to be a part of doing business? It often seems unavoidable - something to be dealt with. But what if your work could truly be free of conflict? Today’s guest has a huge depth of experience helping people of all backgrounds create situations in which everyone wins. Key Takeaways When you find yourself being drawn into a conflict, stop and examine how you ended up there. Then think about something constructive that you could do differently. About Dr. Jennifer Goldman-Wetzler Dr. Jennifer Goldman-Wetzler is the Founder and CEO of Alignment Strategies Group, the New York-based consulting firm that helps CEOs and their executive teams optimize organizational health and growth. She is the author of OPTIMAL OUTCOMES: Free Yourself from Conflict at Work, at Home, and in Life, which was selected as a Financial Times Book of the Month. Jennifer is a keynote speaker at Fortune 500 companies, public institutions, and leading startups, including Google, Harvard Law School, and the United Nations. A form

No one, including myself, knows everything there is to know about running a successful video business. Learning from others is what it’s all about. That’s why I make this podcast, and why, I assume, you listen to it. With that in mind, I’m talking with today’s guest who has some unorthodox winning strategies that anyone can try. Key Takeaways Using case studies and testimonials to support your reputation is one way to make contact with prospective clients. If you don’t have these, reach out to people who can speak to your character and your work in general. Every business owner has a story to tell. If you want to work with them, learn their story and use it to tell the world who they are.  Videos are your tool to solve a problem a business has. About Paul Jew Paul started in business in 1983 partnering with his brother to build the largest independently owned photography studio in New Mexico. In 2013, he attended a workshop at the Photo Marketing Tradeshow called Microbudget Filmmaking that was conducted by

Do you love making videos but can’t because you spend all your time running your business? As a small business owner, it is too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations of your company and lose sight of the bigger picture. Today, we’re discussing how to get back on track. Key Takeaways Delegation is key to creating a sustainable business. As soon as you start your company, create processes to allow you to delegate work so that your day-to-day operations could continue even without you there. Clients are going to work with people they connect with. This means that you need to regularly put out content that showcases who you are. About Samson Jagoras Samson is the President of Growth Vue Properties and helps successful people passively invest in large commercial apartment complexes across the United States. He is also a commercial real estate broker and the VP of strategic investments for RE/MaX commercial alliance. Over his 12-plus year career in business, executive leadership, and entrepreneurship,

It doesn’t matter how much money your business is bringing in if it isn’t allowing you to live the life you want. Working endlessly is not the point. To become a truly successful video business owner, you need to work on your business, not just inside of it. Today’s guest shares how he learned to work more efficiently so that he could establish the right balance between work and life. Key Takeaways When you try to do everything in your business, you can’t find your proper focus. Step back and really think about where your energy and talents can best be used.  Efficiency is your route to a successful business. Growing your knowledge, your processes, and your experience will allow you to get more done without overworking yourself. About Mark Pasternack Mark believes in humanizing brands by telling purposeful stories of passionate people. For him, storytelling has always been about the people. Over the past decade, he's worked with hundreds of brands from fortune 500s to small businesses telling stories with the

When you trade your time for money, it’s hard to stay in control of your schedule. That’s why creating passive income is so desirable. Longtime listeners to this show know that I’ve been able to do this through course creation videos with shared revenue partners. Selling digital products like this is a fantastic way to make more money without having to work more hours. The good news is that there are more opportunities for you to do this now than ever before. Key Takeaways Opportunities to make videos for course creators and other digital products are only going to continue to grow. This is an incredible way to create passive revenue streams that will allow you to retake control of your time. About PJ Taei PJ Taei is the founder of Uscreen, a leading video monetization platform helping over 10,000 businesses and creators stream and monetize videos online. Opportunities for Your Digital Products The online education market just exploded this past year. PJ and I are sure that it’s here to stay. Because it’s sti

There are countless ways to create a successful video business. Often it comes to thinking outside the box. Today’s guest created a phenomenal business model by taking a unique approach to subscription services. In this episode, he’ll tell you how he did it and what to look for in your business to set it apart. Key Takeaways To create authentic and interesting testimonial videos, ditch the script and ask unexpected questions. This will lead to authentic answers and compelling videos. Don’t charge your clients extra fees for extra services. Build those into your budget from the start. Keeping your rates simple leads to more satisfied clients. About Trevor Rappleye Trevor Rappleye started his first business at age 13 and started filming weddings at age 15. Today, he is the CEO of CorporateFilming & FranchiseFilming where he creates monthly videos on their VIP Subscription model for their clients. He has worked with clients such as CVS, Home Depot, Neighborly, and more. A Different Kind of Subscription Servi

Marketing yourself should be fun. Then why does it so often feel hard? I know you didn’t start your business to become a professional marketer, but the best way for you to make the biggest impact in the world is to believe in yourself and believe that what you have to offer the world is good. Today’s guest tells us how to do that to make it so much easier to market what you do. Key Takeaways You can’t do it all if you want your business to run smoothly. Identify your strengths - your zones of genius - and focus on doing those. Everything else can likely be done by others so that you can get out of your own way. The point of social media marketing is to make people feel like they’re missing out. To do this, don’t make the messaging about you. Rather, make it about how others are receiving a huge benefit through your work. About Kim Walsh Phillips “Kim Walsh Phillips is a must-read by those in business” - Forbes Magazine. She is the best-selling author of multiple books including The Ultimate Guide to Instagram

Stories are powerful things. Even your own story can uplift, inspire, and make a change. As a filmmaker, you know the value of stories. What you have the power to do is take what others might see as mundane, and make it compelling and extraordinary. I’m so excited to have a guest who uses his own amazing story to show others how to dig deep into their own potential so that they too can become inspirations. Key Takeaways Life is full of opportunities to improve and reinvent yourself. To do this, you need to seriously consider your strengths, weaknesses, and how you want to grow as a person and as a professional. If done right, this should be a lifelong process. No matter what, we all face challenges. Sharing those struggles and your journey while it’s still happening is one of the greatest gifts you can give to others. Doing so communicates the universal nature of struggle and can inspire perseverance in others who need it the most. About Kevin Brown Kevin L. Brown is native to the City of Detroit, Michigan. H

You already know how to make amazing videos. If only that were enough to sustain your business, you’d be all set. Sadly, outstanding video seldom is enough. To truly get the business you need, you need to market what you do. Today’s guest is here to help us navigate the murky waters of social media marketing so that you can grow your business to the next level. Key Takeaways Don’t get caught up in how many followers you have. What’s more important is promoting the quality of your impact and the value you provide. This will not only help you get discovered but will allow you to charge what you’re worth.   You need to market to a specific need. By trying to market to everybody, you’re marketing to nobody. By specializing in something specific, you’ll be better positioned to market to and find your ideal clients. The more specific you can get, the more powerful and tangible your messaging will be. About Neal Schaffer Neal Schaffer is an authority on helping innovative businesses digitally transform their sales a