Work during this crisis

[Jason Jenkins]

[Bob Zelin] “do you know why Walter is busy. Because he is GOOD. Because he and his little shop can outproduce and outedit dramatically larger facilities. He works his ass off, and learns everything.”

You can be the best and know everything and still fail. Schmoozing, marketing, networking, selling yourself, making connections and being in the right place to ‘get lucky’ is all more important than than being good and knowing a lot, IMO. (Of course, if you have all that together, it’s a bonus!)

Jason Jenkins
Flowmotion Media
Video production… with style!

[Bruce Bennett]

Hi Karim,

I am a Producer/Director who owns an LLC without any other employees. I sub out all shooting and editing. Business is good, but like many of us, unpredictable for 2009-10. This year, I’ve already lost two $15,000 jobs that were canceled because of the recession. I’m preparing for the possible “crisis to come” three different ways.

#1) Personal Life
Over the past year, I’ve been paying off and eliminating personal debt. Also, I have been spending less “disposable income” for fine dining restaurants, toys, etc. This has created less need for a “larger salary” from my business. (Still doing a good job of staying away from Wal-Mart in order to help manufacturing friends from losing their jobs to China).

#2) Business Infrastructure Adjustments
I’m trying to emulate what all the corporations are doing. Because of the actions mentioned above, I cut my salary back to what it was in 2007 (if I end up making great money this year, I can always pay myself more as dividend payments). I was amazed to find out how much money I was “saving” from less payroll taxes.
I also cut operational costs like the fax service that I used only twice the last two years, less awards competition entry fees, etc. According to my accountant meeting last week, this is exactly how small businesses should be dealing with this recession.

#3) Vendors
I have vendors who are full fledged brick and mortar production companies with multiple employees and others that are younger professionals who live and work out of their parent’s houses. Having a diverse vendor base allows me to be flexible when bidding on projects that are all about price in these times of client budget cutting. I have the flexibility to at least compete with others in getting “low priced” jobs by hiring the vendor that “fits the budget” best. I don’t always go to the cheapest vendor for low cost jobs, but some times will discuss cheaper budgets with higher cost vendors and see what they can (or if they want) to do in order to compete for the job. I have very positive and honest relationships with all my vendors. If I tell them that there is no money, they know there is no money. Likewise, when I have a higher budget, I let them know that too.

My 2-cents for now (maybe more once that big stimulus package is implemented).

Good Luck,
Bruce

Bruce Bennett
Bennett Marketing & Media Production, LLC

[Rich Rubasch]

Well at least my post was able to get far enough under Zelin’s skin to elicit some constructive advice. Go back and read the original post….then read the very first post…Walter’s. There is no advice there. It is smug.

I’m standing by my comments, but I’m glad Walter chimed back in to clarify….just thought that should have been his first instinct.

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media

[Shane Ross]

Still…kinda glib to say “what crisis?” Many many MANY of us are hurting. Even those of us who aren’t just creative editors, but know graphics and color correction and can author DVDs and are GOOD at what we do. It is one thing to say “well, we aren’t feeling it here.” Quite another to act as if nothing is going on. I know this is the internet and trying to sound cheerful or sarcastic or to say in a fun way “we aren’t suffering” comes off as sounding glib…and I know that was not Walter’s intention (to sound glib). But it is very tough for those of us who are suffering through this.

Here in L.A., large shops and small shops are being hit. High end and low production companies. And the good and talented. Clients and networks are cutting back…because they too are feeling the pinch.

So I am glad that Walter is busy. He could have just phrased it a tad differently.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Bob Zelin]

Bruce writes –
Still doing a good job of staying away from Wal-Mart in order to help manufacturing friends from losing their jobs to China).

REPLY – Bruce is the enemy. If Bruce shoots with a camera, it is made in an Asian country. If Bruce edits or does graphics with a Macintosh, it is made in China. If he uses Blackmagic video hardware, it is manufacturerd in Singapore. If you use disk drives on your computer, they are made in Korea, or Thailand. So YOU BRUCE, are the enemy. Go back to WalMart, and start EMPLOYING American workers that are WORKING at WalMart, and need their medical benefits, and keep those truck drivers that deliver to WalMart working, and stop being such a hypocrite. Want to be a “real American” – edit with an editor that uses an AVID – made in America. (Of course, the disk drives, and monitors are still made overseas).
You sound like the guys that want to buy an “American car”, made in Mexico or Canada.

No offense Bruce – I’m just trying to stir up trouble ! If the big fat companies go out of business, there are plenty of us small businessmen that will pick up the slack, embrace that work, and stay employed. The “old guys” making over $100,000 a year will be replaced by the “youngsters” that YOU are employing (that live in their parents house). These kids will learn whatever it takes to be employed by you, and will be the next generation of people that will be in the business, while the “old guys” that know it all fade away, and cry about the good old days (of Quantel, CMX, D2 machines, etc.).

bob Zelin

[Steve Kownacki]

my 2¢ – mostly regurgitated from past posts and other sites:

1) Read the E-myth by Michael Gerber. https://www.e-myth.com/ A good tech does not always make a great biz owner.

2) You are constantly soft selling. Get people to like you first. Your mood, your personality, your skills all reflect your business – make sure it’s attracting your customer. I never sold anybody anything, I educate them why they should use video & what makes us different (what they should look for when choosing a video company). They basically convince themselves to use us.

3) Take care of your customer. Period. Get the coffee/beverages they like, make sure the right food is served, create the right atmosphere. People like to feel special – do that.

4) Create value. I never bought on price, I like to buy service. Do all the little stuff that takes any burden off the client. Anticipate their needs.

5) Ask for referrals.

6) Spend 64.7% of your time reading about biz development & marketing. You still need to learn video stuff, but that doesn’t bring in work. While this thread is great, you won’t learn enough today to have a magic wand. This stuff needed to be in place for years to easily weather so called bad economic times.

7) Never get discouraged.

8) Partner with another company (not in the legal sense) and become a bit of a specialist.

9) How many Thank You cards did you send out last week? I did 7. Nothing special, a box of simple cards from BJs for $8. But they were hand written, hand addressed. A single dub or a promo video. Didn’t matter, each one got a card.

10) Bob nailed it – you cannot be lazy. This stuff takes an immense amount of time, but ya gotta do it. Do enough business to hire somebody to do it for you, have your kids do it. There’s a solution for everything.

We are busy, mostly with repeat clients ’cause we take care of them. We make their lives easy. We too work our butts off, all that matters is the client leaves at the end of the day happy – they don’t need to know the hoops you had to go through to make it all happen – that’s your job.

Hopefully some of this makes sense. Time to count my piles of money. Hee hee. Steve

Steve

[Bruce Bennett]

Hi Bob,

Your profile: “Hobbies and Interests: torturing participants on web based user forums.” LOL. This helps me understand your overall good nature helps support my harping on the newbies to fill out their profiles before posting.

One common defensive remark related to my “Wal-Mart” comment goes something like, “All retailers buy goods at the cheapest price possible. Wal-Mart happens to do it best.” But…. As far as I know, Apple (Final Cut Pro) and Madison/Middleton’s Electronic Theater Controls (ETC) don’t hand out applications for state provided health care or food stamps for low-income residents upon hiring new employees like Wal-Mart does. And, I don’t think our locally owned Dorn Hardware store chain has systems in place that help their suppliers close down domestic factories and then set up replacement sweat shops in China. Looking at the “means” versus the “end” has a lot to do with my actions/opinions. I hope this negates the feeling/belief that I’m being a hypocrite.

As far as small, medium and large vendors, I try to “share the love” with all of them.

Thanks for the reply. I enjoy reading your posts.

Now I must go out and buy our local boy Matt Kenseth’s Daytona 500 t-shirts (printed by Madison/Middleton’s Top Promotions) before all the good stuff is taken. I plan to buy from Matt’s independently owned store near Cambridge and don’t plan on stopping at Wal-Mart 🙂

Cheers!
Bruce

Bruce Bennett
Bennett Marketing & Media Production, LLC

[Mike Cohen]

I look around my office and there are few things NOT made overseas. Perhaps my desk is made domestically as America still makes a lot of furniture.
Walmart and Target are cheap places to shop – even the food is cheaper. While the lines at Walmart are long, they are also long at Costco, which has in some cases the best prices of all.

I agree with Bob. At the moment, we need to support American workers, who are retail workers more than they are factory workers.

Mike

[Bruce Bennett]

[Mike Cohen] “At the moment, we need to support American workers, who are retail workers more than they are factory workers.”

Confusing statement to me.
Supporting retailers that pay employees a decent wage is good for our economy. For example, according to the New York Times, Costco pays their people an average of $17 per hour, which is about 42 percent more than the average Wal-Mart employee. Supporting retailers that pay employees a decent wage, offer benefits and don’t use their buying power to force American owned factories to relocate overseas is even better.

Bruce Bennett
Bennett Marketing & Media Production, LLC

[Mike Cohen]

I generally avoid Walmart because my local store smells funny!

Anyway, let’s get back on topic – getting work during an economic slowdown.