Home is where I belong

[Joe Murray]

I’ve never tried to work from home, but originally I was set up as someone who would work within an ad agency or production company. Eventually I got enough gear that it wouldn’t fit in my car anymore so I started renting space. Two years ago I purchased a 2200 square foot business condo and built two edit suites, graphics suite and machine room, and audio suite and two VO booths. It’s one mile from my house; not quite like rolling out of bed into the suite but about as close as you can get without actually working at home.

In my situation it’s still important to have a decent environment to host clients, sometimes 10-12 at a time when things are busy. And owning an appreciating asset as opposed to all the computers and decks is a very good thing. I have no idea what the real estate market is like where you guys are but if you don’t need too much space it can be a great way to build some equity, which is otherwise very difficult in our line of work. It’s more difficult to make this affordable if you need studio space for shooting, with high ceilings etc. but it can be done.

The hairbrained scheme I’ve never pulled the trigger on is buying a 30 foot Airstream and setting up a pimped out suite in it. Then park it at the house or pull up in front of a client’s office…still some separation from either the house or the client, and all the panache of a Hollywood trailer on the backlot of a studio.

I still may do that someday, but the condo is working pretty well right now. Good luck on figuring out where the balance is for you.

Joe Murray
Edit at Joe’s
Charlotte, NC

[Randall Raymond]

I’ve been working out of a home office for over 20 years now. My best year was 1.3m – all Fortune 500 automotive – well, most anyway. It can be done and I love it!

As far as clients needing to sit over shoulder while in the edit – I have completely sidestepped that pain-in-the-neck by becoming rather proficient at encoding to flash video – serving it up on a hidden web page – with written comments like ‘How’s that?’ It’s much more efficient for both of us.

I’m of the school that says if you give a client toooo many choices – he’ll/she’ll drive you nuts. You have to train clients.

Whatever angst Ben is going through – I wish him well and hope that he can let go at a ‘final’ when the clock has run out – some of us know that you tweak an edit like you can tweak a short story and never see it published. There is really no end to perfecting something – I feel a comradery with Ben on that, but Ben, I’ve learned to not stress over a ‘final.’ It’s done and it’s way better than most. Next!

[Hamish Boyd]

I can relate so well to all this…

I have been a freelance editor/motion graphic designer gaining more and more clients myself over the years and therefore worked from home more and more.

It was great, for all the reasons people have stated above, but there was a point I could no longer do it. Kids were the major reason. Having a toddler climbing under the desk with a billion plugs was NOT good. But it also became clastrophobic. Never away from work never really tuned into it either.

So I have moved out a got myself a room above a pub (Bar). (I’m in Australia by the way)
Its brilliant. super cheap (its just a single room), its enough for a simple edit system.

I have no interest in becoming a facility. That would be death. I am earning more than I ever have. Clients love it because they feel they have a space without the obvious expense.

They also have a pub with a great Thai restaurant out in the beer garden. So for them, they love it! I have gained a few more good paying clients who can see through the plush office expense of other places, and want a person who is a good editor/graphics above all else. They know what you can do with so little now, there not easily fooled by huge machine rooms.

I don’t want to become bigger than this. Small and efficient is definitely better in this new video world we inhabit. My income is very healthy, and I would have to expand considerably to see that improve and in this climate that is just too much risk with little reward.

I leave other places to bare the huge cost of being a facility and heaps of employees and sell myself on experience and quality rather than gear.

In short, keep it small and nimble and many days of happy editing await, I reckon!

[Todd Terry]

Office over a bar???…hmmmm, now why didn’t I think of that?

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Mark Suszko]

Well there are a couple things going on here. I like a lot of what’s been said already, so I won’t repeat it. What I’m sensing maybe is that very normal middle-age panic that all men start to feel where the needs to make the money and the need to fulfill oneself artistically can collide. Grinner’s ongoing saga covers this well over in the Editing forum, and I wish him every success.

Maybe the problem for this guy is he’s looking at the projects he does as either-or and not of his choosing. What if he was to take a portion of his time for a personal project and sink his creativity into that to the hilt, while still paying some bills doing less creatively strenuous things for his ex-partner? He’s happiest being an editor, not a businessman or salesman. There is nothing wrong with this if he can find someone to handle those issues for him. We’re short on Medici’s now, but maybe the old partner will bankroll a special project like a theatrical film, an indie of some type, in exchange for profit sharing?

They say a change is as good as a rest: working on such a project, even if still in the same home studio, may stretch unused creative muscles in new ways.

[Mick Haensler]

First of all let me introduce myself. My name is Mick Haensler, and after years of lurking here I finally joined a few weeks ago. This is my first post.

This thread hits home for me. I’ve been working a corporate job for the last three years doing everything from shooting and editing, to event light and sound design, and even DJing on some events. I work an average of 62 hours a week with hardly any weekends free. This past summer I hit the burnout wall. After months of deliberation, financial figuring, market analysis and so on, I have decided to go back to working for myself out of my home. We have a large historic home that my wife already works out of. And although our neighborhood is zoned residential, my wife has had her practice here for almost 10 years with no issues. Most of the neighbors consider her business an asset to the community. We have informally polled them as to our plans for my work and all have been supportive. So even if your home isn’t zoned for business, there are ways, albeit a little risky, to get around things. If you keep yourself low on the radar, it’s been my experience most Zoning officials couldn’t care less what you do as long as you don’t draw attention to yourself. Once they get a complaint they will come a knockin’.

We have a 16 track project recording studio already in the home that will be reworked as a full multimedia studio with a new dual quad mac and 48 inches of HD display. We will be shooting XDCAM HD. Now here is the thing.

My wife and I have no children, no debt, lots of equity to tap, low overhead, and a not to shabby investment portfolio. We have run the numbers and know what I need to make. I have already secured 3 months of work that is willing to wait for me to jump. I have joined the Chamber of Commerce as well as utilized all my contacts from my current job to get the word out. There is hardly any competition in my area except for wedding videographers(no offense, I’ve certainly done my fair share in the last few years). In other words, we have planned extensively and are going into this with eyes wide open. I have no need to make a ton of money, although I won’t turn it down!!!

This is not my first sojourn into self employment and the biggest thing I have learned is LOW OVERHEAD!! I have no need for a “proper” office. My only fear is that I am not the most disciplined person in the world and am not great at the paper work side of things. Therefore, my wife and I will be hiring someone to help on that end of both businesses. We are fortunate in that we live close to a major business school so eager young undergrads willing to work cheap are easy to find, and love getting the entrepreneurial experience.

A home based studio is certainly not for everyone and isn’t feasable for most. But it fits the bill for me. I look forward to keeping this forum updated on the progress. I will be leaving my current job at the end of January ’08.

Mick Haensler
Higher Ground Media

[Timothy J. allen]

Mick,
Welcome! It’s great to see you post. It sounds like you’ve done your homework. All of us here wish you the greatest success.

We’d also love to hear how it’s going from time to time. Please don’t hesitate to continue to tap into this forum (and the others at the COW) if you ever want to bounce ideas off of a group of peers.

You probably won’t be reducing your work hours, but at least it won’t always feel like work. 😉

-TJA

[Rennie Klymyk]

Ben, you are in a position to avoid what many others have evolved into. Working out of a house in a residential area. These days more and more communities realize the need for Live/Work housing and these areas have much lower taxes than commercial property. If you have a down payment it’s time to start looking for a house in a live/work zoned district or you may find something in a commercial area. Chances are your apartment rent will almost cover your mortgage payments and you can sit and watch your real estate investment climb. A house on land is nice rather than a condo because you can build an addition or garage at some point and you can make more noise! It also has better investment potential and less politics with strata councils etc. Conversely, there is less noise from your neighbors. A house is more likely to have parking space too, something your clients will love. Try to find something near your clients with good visibility and access.

I recall a seminar I attended where the near retirement aged presenter unveiled his secrets to success garnered from his years in business. At the end of the presentation one person asked “if you had it all to do over again, is there anything you would do differently?” He thought a moment and replied “yes, I liked it better when it was just myself, just one person.”

As soon as you hire one person you get a huge pile of paperwork and training to do.
When you achieve a level as your last situation you can hire a bookkeeper or accountant to deal with this workload.
When you get 10 times bigger than that you buy an office condo in Bermuda and just show up at work once in a while.

The worst downside of a live/work setting is people come by at 9:30 PM Monday night or on Sunday wanting an update, estimate or 2nd copy etc. etc. This is where a separate business phone and a garage (to hide your car in) come in handy.

[Russ Stiggants]

As well meaning as a lot of the posts to this topic are, I think most really miss the mark.

At the heart of Ben Choo’s dilemma is not whether working from home is good or bad or how to manage his time/life commitments, although clearly these matters must be weighed up in his decision-making. He has been given excellent advice by the many posters who do work from home – I work from home and empathise/sympathise with all the comments made.

More importantly I believe, Ben’s decision will likely be predicated by a much more fundamental imperative: Will he make a living without the fundamental ‘human infrastructure’ that bigger studios provide?

Here is the key in what he says: [Ben Choo]: “I hated presentation! Pitching! It’s not me. I just wanted to edit!”

Editing from home demands that the practitioner is more than a good editor. He’s also the janitor, the receptionist, the book-keeper, the coffee-maker, the logistics manager, the Chairman of the Board…..do I need go on? Most importantly, he needs to be a salesman! Unless the Edit Fairy has sprinkled him with magic ‘come to me aren’t I terrific’ dust, at some stage he’ll be sitting there until the Moon turns purple waiting for someone – anyone – to come a knockin’.

The alternative is for him to work for the right studio that will appreciate his talent. Maybe that’s part-time work or full-time work – but the point is, he’s not responsible for beating the bushes to flush out his next job.

Ben is fretting for his future now and his health is suffering.

All I’ve got to say is to work for yourself, from home, requires the fortitude, discipline and steely-resolve of a ‘special-forces’ soldier and the flare, resourcefulness and entrepreneural skills of a bounty-hunter. Does Ben have those qualities?

[Mick Haensler]

Thanks for the warm welcome Tim. I will gladly keep the forum updated to the progress. I was even thinking of possibly doing a blog about the experience. It surprises me how little information on the business end of things there is. Just look at the number of posts here vs the the technical forums. I look forward to being an active part of this community.

Mick Haensler
Higher Ground Media (website to be launched January of ’08)