There are wonderful benefits to owning a company, but growing the business takes an incredible amount of work, dedication, and patience. The farmer doesn’t see the results of his labor as soon as the seed is planted. In like manner, the young entrepreneur can’t expect immediate returns on his investments. Times will be good. Times will be bad. In the years that I have been running my business I have experienced quite the roller coaster ride. During slow periods, it’s important to make good use of your time and plant sees from which future successes will grow.
- Don’t Be Negative. I place this one at the top of the list, because we have all experienced feelings of discouragement, despair, and hopelessness. However, it’s important to remain positive. Negativity will result in apathy, which will do nothing for your business.
- Attend Networking Events. When other projects consume most of your time, you can’t afford to attend social events. However, when business slows, take advantage of opportunities to get out and meet new people. The relationships you develop today will benefit you in the future.
- Follow Up On Existing Leads. As I’ve mentioned on this blog before, I like to use Gmail as my email client. It allows you to create labels to easily organize and archive your messages. I have an entire list of conversations labeled “Leads.” When I have a slow period, I go back through those contacts to see if there are any deals I can close. When things are busy, it can be easy to overlook an existing lead, so take the time to follow up.
- Brush Up On Local Business News. Keeping up to date on what’s happening in your market is a great way to find new leads. Subscribe to the local business journal, or follow blogs that provide local business content. Staying on top of current business events will help you to better understand how your products and services can help those around you.
- Improve Your Marketing Efforts. Re-examine your brand. How are you reaching out to others? Is it time for your website to be updated? Have you neglected your blog, or other social media profiles? Sometimes when business is slower I take a look at my demo reel to see how I might re-organize it and improve it. You might also consider creating and sending a free monthly e-newsletter (see my sign up form to the right of this page) or writing an informative article and submitting it to local publications. Think of anything that will help you get your name out in front of people.
- Practice Your Craft. If you are a photographer, cinematographer, writer, graphic designer, or web designer, you can take advantage of slow times by improving your skill set. Create some work on spec. Get out and shoot something. Update your portfolio. If you are an editor who really needs to learn more about using After Effects, sign up for a class and learn something new. Watch some tutorials. The quality of your work will only get better.
For a business owner, slow times can be frustrating, but staying busy and staying productive are the keys for staying successful. Invest in yourself and your business. Use your time wisely. The small seed planted today will grow into a strong plant, if properly cared for.
When I first started in my business, one of the biggest things I worried about was the caliber of my work. After landing work with those early clients, I was afraid that they would hate the final product once it was delivered. I was unsure of my abilities. I was faced with a lot of doubt early on. Although I had plenty of production experience as a college student and as a freelancer, I knew that there was a lot yet to be learned. And I knew that working for someone else on a particular shoot is a lot different than running your own business.
Perhaps you are currently facing a similar situation. You’re passionate about your creative work - whether it be video production, writing, graphic design, web design, etc. - but you’re just getting started and don’t yet have a strong reel or portfolio. You want to make it on your own, but struggle with self confidence. If you’re in this situation, remember the adage, “Never let them see you sweat.”
It may be simplistic to say this, but despite your own fears, you have to maintain a self-assured appearance. Always portray confidence, no matter what. A potential client can pick up on self-doubt from the moment of the first hand shake. Here are a few reminders:
- KNOW YOUR STUFF - When a potential client starts asking you questions about your particular field and what you have to offer, you have to respond in a clear, confident, knowledgeable manner. Read books if you feel as though you need a little more education. Get out there and practice your craft, even if it’s on your own time. Talk to more experienced people in your field and ask them questions about their particular style.
- GET SOME BUSINESS CARDS - It’s professional and it provides your potential client with all pertinent contact information. And if you can, get rid of that email address from your high school years - the one that says “misshottie123@yahoo.com.” You don’t have to have a business domain, but everything about you should be professional.
- GET A REEL - If you haven’t edited a demo reel, do it. Even if all you have are some short films from college, it will give a potential client an idea of your particular style of writing, cinematography, editing, etc. Believe me, in three years you will look back on that first reel and gag with horror as you see the quality of your work, so that’s why it’s crucial that you keep the reel up to date. And always put your contact info on the reel and on the disc label.
- NEVER SAY NO - Some people debate this point, but I think it’s important when you’re first starting out to accept any job, even if you feel as though you don’t have the resources. Go ahead and take the job, then hire others to come on board to help in areas that might be beyond your level of expertise. You can build their cost into the budget, then mark that up 15% as a commission for yourself (after all, it’s your client). There are always a number of available freelancers out there. You just have to know where to look. And working with people more experienced than you will only help you to learn more about your field.
- FREELANCE FOR OTHERS - I did this a lot when I was first starting out. Landing my own clients was a rare occurrence in the early days, so I would jump on board with any other production company hiring freelancers. I worked as a PA, cable wrangler, camera assistant, camera operator, etc. just to fill in the gaps. Once you have built up your own client base, you can slowly cut back on how much you have to work for others.
Remember, the more confidence you demonstrate to your leads, the more inclined they will be to hire you. It won’t be easy. It will be slow and sometimes it will be very discouraging. But don’t let those slow periods drain you of your own self-worth. If you’re passionate enough about what you do, it will pay off.
