[Zvi Twersky]

Thanks!

by the way, is this an April fools prank by google? Getting free Internet by flushing a cable down your toilet???

***********
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From the FAQ:

Can I still use my toilet after installing TiSP?
Do we look stupid? Needless to say, the fiber optic cable that enables TiSP will not interfere with your toilet’s regular operations. For your own convenience, however, you may eventually wish to hire a professional contractor to help route the cable under, or through, the toilet seat to your TiSP wireless router.

[Zvi Twersky]

Thanks you guys! I’m also sorry if I came off as “blowing you off”, I didn’t only read every one of your posts… twice, but printed out a few for use on further research. You really helped me a lot and I appreciate the time you are all taking to respond to someone you don’t even know.

Of course age and kids don’t make a business, maybe I just got the impression that I was taken to be a young, irresponsible person who woke up one morning and decided to start a business over night… well, reading my original post… I can see why you might have thought that! 🙂

Anywho, I went over the business plan tonight with someone who’s been in bussiness for a long time and of course it will need changes, which he will do for me over the next few days and I hope to make something that will be both reasonable and go for it.

ICVideo, yes, I have two video producers that have both been in business for almost 20 years that will help me. I made contact with them through “contacts”. One of them I had been hanging out with him for the past 2 months and learning from him and the other one left his door open for me, I just didn’t get the chance to go to him yet, but we have met once and talked.

Then there’s this guy who is the friend of a friend of the cousin of my step mother… 🙂 He’s something called “The Natural Networker”. Has a business card and all (lol – I love people with cards! 🙂 ) Supposed to be a brilliant business man and just so happens that he worked in video production for 10 years, many years ago. He is close to my family and said he’ll take me under his wing and help me. So I don’t feel alone.

About the Sony camera you asked about, did I say it was hi-def? lol… hardly… I guess I just got that term stuck in my head. It’s a plain Digital8 Cam – DCR-TRV140E . Actually, it has the same compression and editing protocol as DV and has some pretty neat features, but it’s old and I have no idea how much it’s worth today… probably $100. 🙂

About computers and elecronics, the prices are about the same and sometimes more here because they are all imported and heavily taxed, but overall it’s not that bad. So a Panasonic AG-DVX100B that I saw going for $2,600 on the net, is $3,000 here. a Western Digital 500GB HD is roughly $170 here. I already have a decent computer with 1GB of ram and to upgrade to 2GB would be $150. Flat screen monitor is $170 new and you can pick up used ones in great condition for $100. I’m just saying that I can upgrade over time. I can’t bealive that every videographer started with a $40,000 kit. I also bealive that what you all said about the business side of things are absolutely true, and that if you handle a business right, even if you start out with little equipment and man-power, if you succeed and build a reputation, you can grow.

zrb123, sorry if I sounded cocky. Didn’t mean too. I know I might fail and might not make it. I know that I have a lot of work ahaid of me and bealive it or not, I might even decide to work for someone before I open my own business like you guys said. Nothing is final. It’s all in the drawing board.

Oh, and ICVideo, I forgot to mention, Last year I just got out of a 5 year school where I learned computer engineer programming so I build my own website and having worked in computer graphics, designing ads for a local weekly for a couple of years, I already bulid a logo and will make a brochure when I make enough money to print it! 🙂 (you might ask why I don’t work in programming… well, I did for a while but the pay here is surprizingly low unless you have 3 – 5 years of expirience, so maybe I’ll get back to that one day or combine it in the business. Who knows.

Once again, I thank you guys and please feel free to criticize when needed! I won’t take it personaly, but try to learn from it.

[Zvi Twersky]

Yes, there are differences in culture. But first, we don’t need to be sarcastic here… I made a first draft of a business plan on paper over night, but this was of course after weeks of jotting things down on paper and talking to people and researching the market. Tonight I’m going over with the 35 page plan to show it to someone to review and go over more issues. I’m taking things step by step.

About the pricing, I know that there are people that charge in the thousands, I even read about someone that chaged $7000 for a wedding. It’s quite different here. Weddings range between $850 – $1500 and most companies will do a wedding (2 cameras) for $1000. People here don’t spend that much on weddings here. But before you start saying then there’s no way I can make a living, remember another thing that here, everything costs less. Average annual sallery here is $15,000 – $20,000. I know that in the States that’s peanuts but just for example, health insurance for a family with 5 kids can be almost $10,000 a year there, can’t it? Here it’s just $100! School for 5 kids here is about $300 where if I’m not mistaken, is in the thousands there… So it’s a quite different picture here.

Anywho, thanks for the reply.

[Zvi Twersky]

Yes Doug, that’s what I was looking for.

Thank you also for your other reply in that other issue of the $7000. I responded to that too. You are a big help.

[Zvi Twersky]

Robertbeck, thanks for sharing your story, and Doug, thank you too for your reply. I agree with both of you, actually, ALL of the replies here gave me a lot to think about (except the $1,000,000 one 🙂 ) I would like to further reply:

What it comes down to, is not that I CAN’T succeed… but if you don’t come up with a business plan you WON’T succeed. I know MANY people that are very successful in the video production business. Seems that the “secret” is starting smart. Not only (but also very important) doing a good job.

So I’ve read all you had to say. I researched how to start a small business and even applied to a 15 hour course on how to run a small business. I also am making a professional business using “Business Plan Pro 2007” https://www.nolo.com/product.cfm/ObjectID/E…4910EAD1E1/111/ that’s I think is worth every penny.

There were two issues that were brought up a couple of times:
1. Working for someone for a while first.
2. Renting equipment at first when needed.

Here is my own personal 2 cents on this. Of course, this may be the way to go for some people.

I have spent the last 2 months “working” for someone. I did it for training purposes and not for money, even though he did pay me something. He let me do some of his editing (and liked my work very much) and I went to some of his events where he would show me and explain his shooting techniques. I myself am not a complete amateur when coming to shooting techniques, though I know I will learn something new with every event, which is what I hope to do.

I don’t think (personally) that if I work for someone for a year to get experience, and THEN start my whole business… that anything will move any faster. I think I can pick up my own techniques and learn along the way if I start now on my own. (shooting wise… since I HAD been editing for a few years now as a hobby and have also shot some family occasions. Ok, so I used a $500 camera, but the shooting techniques were pretty good for a starter with no learning experience at the time).

So yes, I understand that I don’t need to buy ALL the equipment at once. Understood. But now to the second thing… renting equipment….

I’m not talking about the general idea to rent equipment, which I personally think is a good idea when able. My problem is that the closet rental place is an hour drive away and just a camera costs $80 a day. Now my own thought is that I will want to go over the whole manual… TWICE! I will need at LEAST 2 weeks that I will want to practice and get a “feel” of this new, powerful machine. To rent a camera for 2 weeks will cost almost half the price of the camera!

Someone told me that I can use the camera at the store and that these places even WANT you to use it so that you will rent it. Maybe this can work, but again, there’s the 4 hours of travailing every time I need the camera (back and forth). It’s just not worth it I think.

Maybe other things can be rented. Things that you might not need at EVERY occasion, like lights (at an already well lit hall or a day time occasion). But all the lights I inquired about were $1000. Just renting them 10 times would be about the price or buying them (travel and time).

Furthermore, in some article that was posted: https://www.fastforwardclub.com/Articles/Business/Fallacy-Market-Pricing.htm (very good article) and also in other forums, for some reason everyone only talks about weddings. There are SO many more projects that need shooting! Does everyone start off with weddings?? There are schools, organizations, Bar\Bat Mitzvahs, Parties, corporate, charity events, SO many things that need video productions.

Also, the only reason people use for “you will not succeed” is if you don’t make a business plan. Well… if you DO make a professional business plan and STICK to the plan… why shouldn’t you succeed? There are thousands (if not more) of successful videographers and I assume that all they did to be successful is to start off with a realistic business plan and run the production as a business and not a hobby! (like in the article).

But like robertbec said, getting a full time or part time job and working to build your business on the side, could work better. I have tried getting a job in the past and it wasn’t easy. I will consider this again.

So once again, thank you all for your replies. I am going to get my “business education” (and maybe a job first) and will ask you for more advice as I go along.

[Zvi Twersky]

Thank you all for the advice. It’s not that I CAN’T run a business, I just am not very familiar with business terms. That is why I have turned here and signed up for a course on starting small businesses and have been sitting here at my computer all night writing a professional business plan.

I am a quick learner and not a push over, but sometimes I need to hear something once so I can learn it and use it. I have worked out deals before in my life but it was in areas that I was more familiar with and knew where to start negotiating from.

Maybe I will have to take some falls in this business at first, but I have tried to find people that are hiring and it’s just not worth what they pay here. I’d rather work my a– off and learn all there is to know about running a business and succeed, learning from my own mistakes and from others.

I’m 34 years old, divorced with 5 kids and I am responsible enough to make it on my own. Since I know what I’m getting into, I am not afraid of problems that might come my way, and I will deal with them one at a time and destroy them before they distroy me.

I have good friends that have been in business all their lives that I consult with and I have you guys! I don’t feel alone. I’ll show you all, and get back to you in 6 months from now and tell you what’s going on. I’ll surprize you. 🙂

[Zvi Twersky]

thank you for the reply.

I totally inderstand what you are saying and I am researching starting small businesses as well.

I have thought about this very issue, “what comes first”… to get equimpment, or to get jobs lined up. I am afraid to get jobs lined up before I have ever held a proffessional camera. I have researched video filming and watched dozens of hours of tutorials, and have much practice with the shooting techniques themselves, but only via a small, SONY Hi-def $400 camera. I have had possitive feedback from my work and I fell if I don’t get a proffessional camera to learn and practice on, how can I commit to real job?? To rent a camera for 2 weeks in order to practice with (hardly enough time) would cost about half the price of the camera itself!

So thoses are my thoughts. I feel that I want to feel prepared to shoot with a proffessional camera before I commit to a job. (Maybe I can try to commit to jobs that are in a few months from now, and when I know I have commited jobs in a few months, I’ll feel better getting equipment, knowing that I have what to pay it off with… just a thought).

[Zvi Twersky]

Thanks for the reply. Of course I realized after I wrote this that a bank loan costs much less, so %100 is silly. Just shows that I lack business knowledge. But I can’t keep this from stoping me. I must start a business of my own. I will try to get all the advice and help I can, whether from sites or friends. But I’m at a point that I have no choice and must get out there and work my way through this and I know I will succeed!

I also realized that %100 is silly because a bank loan takes far less interest then that, but the question still stands, An invester will ask me what he gets out of this and I will have to have to realistic business plans for him and that’s where I need business ideas.

About renting… well, the camera is too expensive to rent since I will be needing it a lot to practice on and it’s just that kind of thing I’ll want with me at all times. The lights… maybe I can rent these but I still need the $7000 that I came up with and I’m ok with that sum since it’s not the biggest sum in the world for starting a business.

Here in Israel, where I live, the video business is better then in the States. It’s not as competitive and there is a market is more open, so I’m not worried about getting jobs.

I also realize that my lack of business knowledge is a big disadvantage, but I have no choice. I will fight and struggle to make it own my own. I will turn to forums and friends to ask questions before making deals (that’s what I’m doing now) and I WILL succeed.

Thanks for the reply.

[Zvi Twersky]

One more thing… It’s the deal I need advice on. Not the price. Thanks!

[Zvi Twersky]

Standard PAL settings. 720X576, 25.