Transcription
What's good, family? Hey, Dez here. This my boy, Jerel. We are here in Nashville, and, uh, we had the opportunity to connect with someone, and he had a list of questions. But we rated these top eight questions that we think that you're going to want to know the answers to. Let's level up. All right.
So, hey, like I said earlier, we had a guy who came into town. Uh, he came actually from Jerel's corporate community. I'm not going to lie, the dedication to see him come here to ask these questions and to want to know how we get to do what we do every single week, uh, was amazing. Now, the one thing that I will say is this. When we were talking to him, we asked him, "Hey, what other questions do you have?" He said, "Man, I have a whole list of questions." And I mean, this list was a long list. But we said, "You know what? Hey, we answer all those questions." We went through the conversation. We talked to him. Definitely let him see some of the equipment that we were using. We also told him about some of the numbers of how we made our money, as well as we also even gave him a hands-on being able to look at the interview setup that we had. He was right behind us every step of the way as we were shooting. So much so that the client even recognized him and was like, "Hey, will you be here tomorrow?" So, it was a great experience just because, of course, he was able to have a hands-on, what I would like to call, maybe what an on-the-job training of what we get to do.
And so, what we're going to do is, because his list was really good, we looked at it after dinner and was like, "Yo, the community needs this. YouTube needs this. You guys need this. But we're not going to give you all 400 questions that he had. We're gonna break it down to the top eight that we thought." I promise you, it wasn't 400, but we're gonna... It was close, but it was eight hours. So, he, he asked, and it was, we, we just gave whatever it was that he had, um, to ask, and we wanted to make sure that we continue to keep pouring out. And so, what we did, what we're going to do today is, we're actually going to break down the top eight questions that was on his list and just give you our thoughts. Jerel's going to answer four, I'm going to answer four, and then we'll see how, how this goes. Let's keep leveling. All right, Desmond, go ahead and kick us off and go ahead and start with question number one, and we going to, uh, go every other. Let's get this thing going. You got it.
>> Let's do it. All right, so, Jay, so the first question was, where do 80% of your leads actually come from? What you got?
>> All right, so 80% of my leads, I'm going to give you two use cases. Okay, if you're beginning out, then 80% of your leads are likely going to come from cold calling, cold emailing, and referrals. It's going to be a mix, right? The other 20% is probably going to come from marketplace leads. Now, I don't know what your pockets look like, but starting out, you're probably not going to have a lot of discretionary income to throw into Bark or Thumbtack or other, or other, uh, things like that, other platforms. So, starting out, 80% of your leads are going to come from grinding and hustling, calling, emailing, reaching out, networking, introducing yourself, and just good old elbow grease, clawing, and well, I hate to use that terminology, but really pushing for those first leads.
Now, the beautiful thing about corporate photo and video with repeat clients is that for me personally, but the great thing about corporate photo and video, especially for me, for Desmond, and other people that we know, is that after a couple of years, you get that repeat business. So for me right now, I would honestly say almost 80% of my business is repeat customers. And I'm not even lying to you. I have an entire April booked out. Currently, as we're recording this, it's late February. I have an entire April booked out. 90% of that business is repeat business. So it's going to be grind and hustle at the beginning, but long-term, it's just going to be repeat business. It's going to be butter, bread and butter.
>> That's real. That's real. That's real. Uh, so I think one of the things, just to even throw on to that, is for those starting out and definitely in that corporate hunt, you got to always keep putting in the work. You got to put in the energy. You got to constantly look at it. Throw me number two.
>> Number two, what marketing channel is performing best for you right now?
>> Ooh, I think this is a good one. So honestly, when I, remember when he asked us this question, and I think one of the things that I had to process was, of course, a lot of people are using social media like Instagram, Facebook, and those are great. But reality is this, corporate right now, they have a lot of their marketing directors and those that's over their events, they're in, they're in the, the, the social media space. However, for me, the biggest thing that I say when it comes to marketing is guerrilla marketing. It is just getting out, emailing people, asking questions, getting to know people, showing up for maybe your chamber of commerce, or maybe showing up for that local networking event. That is what works for me, especially right now as I'm on my corporate hunt, as I'm constantly building, as I'm constantly searching and working for better leads, especially for those that's more nationwide. I pick up the phone, I email them, I call them, I follow up. And then what I also do, I think number two, if I, cuz I have to rate it as number two as well, is going back to my list from 2025, 2024, and 2023, and reaching back out and saying, "Hey, this is what we do. I just want to reintroduce myself, and I want to remind you that we're here." You got to understand, every single time that you've shot a client, that person has now become part of your role a day. The other part of this is also understanding, every time a client tells you no, that just means they're saying no today. That doesn't mean they're saying no for next year or tomorrow. You never know what their experience was with the one that they chose over you. So the reality is, go back to them. As soon as you get your response or your reply for even some of those emails that you're sending out, definitely if you get a response, that means they at least took the time to look at your information. So you should definitely go back, mark your calendar, and send out another email this time next year, or around that time next year. Sometimes it may say the response, which we all heard, we've heard it, and we've seen it. Hey, we've already selected it. We selected this a little bit earlier in the year. So, guess what you should do? Mental note, let me just extend the time in which I respond and request that RFP. I would think that's the biggest thing for me. What's your thoughts?
>> Facts. Uh, yeah, I agree. When you start off, it's going to be you forcing your way into the conversation. That's what works in the beginning. Nobody knows you. Like, like you're unknown. You're a nobody. You're a question mark. You have to force your way into the conversation. You have to make people understand that you are a viable player in the corporate photo and video market. And if you do that enough times, and you guys know, especially in the corporate community, I love to talk about leverage. If you stack enough leverage, have enough conversations, the bag will be yours. But if you're thinking that you're going to kind of passively get out here and just make a few phone calls and make a few emails, you're already, like, you're behind. You know, it's just not going to work out for you. All right. Yo, question number two. Let's get it.
>> Absolutely. It takes work, man. I think, uh, one of the things my boy tells us often, even like in a separate space in ministry, we're all just turtles on the fence post. We're all working just trying to make sure that we can find that next client and be a resource. So, talking about resources and talking about working, uh, Jay, what did you try that didn't work? Especially, and I'm, and I'm going to say it like this, let's take it back. Starting out when you were, uh, when you were building and thinking about, hey, I'm making the switch in the transition from weddings to now corporate, what did you try that didn't work?
>> Well, safe to say, I've actually tried everything.
>> Everything?
>> Okay. I'm telling you, I, I've tried it all. I, I've shot it all. I've done it all. But over here, right?
>> Yeah. But honestly, what doesn't work, I don't want to say it depends. It is a two-part answer. What doesn't work is doing too many things as far as niches, right? You have to niche down. What does not work is trying to do pets, plants, the model in the woods, right? It doesn't, it doesn't work. You really need to pick one specialty. Now, it doesn't mean you'll turn away a wedding, right? I will still book a wedding if they find me, but I'm not actively pursuing it, and I have not positioned myself as a wedding expert anymore. So, it's, you need to pick, uh, what does not work is trying to do all things well. You need to learn how to do one thing well. Also, the second thing that does not work is being resistant to adding more services in your business or learning more services. I.e., If you're a photographer and you don't want to learn video, or if you're a photographer but you don't want to learn headshots, right? Be multifaceted because in 2026 and beyond, the economy is, is horrible. We do not say no to money. Listen, say yes and figure it out. It's not, it's not rocket science. It's numbers. It's math. Your camera is a, is a math equation. Balancing the exposure triangle. It, it's just a problem. But we're not going to turn down. Money is an invitation that says, "Can you solve my problem?" and they want to hand you money to solve the problem, and you're like, "No, I don't want to solve your problem. I'm taking that money every day." All right. So, don't do too many things, but then when you niche down, broaden those service offerings and get as much market share as possible.
>> That's good, man. That's real good. And I think, um, when, when you talk about broadening those services, it's really just making sure that you study and become a, um, a, a student of the niche that you decide on. All right. So, I'm, here's the next question that, that he asked. It was, "What happens from first inquiry to booked project?" And I, I think this is a question I think we both can partner on, but we definitely, we do the same thing. We're pretty much the same way. Um, so first and foremost, whenever a client reaches out, and let's just say that this client does reach out. You get an inquiry from your website because if you're going to be in this space, you got to have a website. You got to have a portfolio. Instagram's not your website. Facebook's not your website. A couple pictures and videos on your phone in the Google Drive. First off, we won't talk about the drive today. That's not your website. No. But what will, what will first attract a client is the website. So, the first thing that I'm going to say is, have a website. From that inquiry, then what you're going to be doing is, you're going to immediately, immediately read the email, see what they're wanting, look at the dates, look at your calendar, and you're going to say yes. I'm so, I'm telling you right now, you're still going to say yes. Even if you can't do it, your answer is yes. We are available. The one thing that I talk about often, especially in this space, is he can't do it alone. I can't do it alone. Our boy can't do it alone. A lot of our other people that we know can't do it alone. It takes a community. Whenever you go into a corporate event, when you're going into the corporate space, you'll realize it takes a team to do and pull off all of these types of conferences. And so, your answer will be yes, we can handle that.
From there, what you're going to then do, you're going to pick up the phone. You're going to call that client. You're or you're going to, if they schedule a meeting, because what I have, especially in my system, is when a client sends me an inquiry, they immediately get an email. And when they get that email, that email is an automated email that says, "Let's put time on the calendar for me to connect with you." What I will do, I'll look to see when they've actually set that time. Typically, my calendar is set up to where they have the availability to literally either book me that day, which is about two or three hours from that timing, especially if I, if I don't have anything booked in there, or they're able to book me within the next three days. Meaning, I'm trying to talk to you within 24 to 72 hours.
>> That's my goal. That's my window.
>> Because reality is, you really only have about 24 to 40 hours before they forget about you.
>> Mhm.
>> So, from there, after they've done that, after we've made the contact, I'm immediately calling. I call, I pick up the phone. I call them. I say hello. I introduce myself. I immediately say, "How may I be of service to you?" I let them know, "We received your inquiry. How may I be of service to you?" From there, we have the conversation. They talk to me about what their needs are. They talk to me about what they're wanting. As we're going through that entire process, I'm taking notes. I'm walking through my notes. I'm actually in my CRM system. Studio Ninja, shout out to Studio Ninja. I'm already making sure that I have a proposal working. I'm working through the proposal. I'm writing out that proposal as they're talking. That's where my notes are being built at. From there, we're now talking about what they're doing. As that conversation is going, we're wanting to know the time, the date, how many hours are you needing, what is the, the, the scope of work. The last question, well, two questions that I always ask. The one question that I think is always important is, "What is going to be the asset in which I am providing to you?" Meaning, how many videos do you need? Are you needing a photo gallery? Are you needing instant delivery for headshots? Just give you a couple ideas. Are you needing three videos? Do you need this in vertical as well as horizontal? Do you need closed caption? All of these questions matter. The reason why is because for me, that's also helping me understand and gauge what I'm going to quote them, what I am going to quote them. So I will tell them, hey, well, you know what? Based on what you've talked about, I'm automatically going to have a number in mind. I'm automatically looking at what, what is my pricing setup. I'm looking at everything that I'm saying and I've taken the notes and I'm saying, "Hey, so we're looking at," and I then immediately give them a range. I never give a direct price. I never say it's going to be about $3,000. No, what I say is, "We're going to be right around between $2,500 and maybe $4,500." I'm giving them a range. What that is is a temperature check. That's a temperature check to be able to say, "How does that sound to you?" You'll either hear, "Okay, cool." Or they, there may be a stubble. And in that, I will then say, "So, what is, what's your thoughts? Talk to me." They may say, "Well, that was a little high." Because the reality is this. Not everyone says yes. I will probably tell you, you're going to get more nos before you get a yes. Let me help you out now. I don't want to deter you, but you're going to get more nos before you get the yes. At the end of the day, you're going to want to hear what their thoughts are. And they say, "Well, you know, we like what you do. We like all of that." And then they may say, "But your price is a little bit higher than what we expected to spend." I then say, "Okay, well, hey, we, we have no problem negotiating. Talk to me a little bit more. Maybe I quoted too high. Maybe I thought too big. Maybe I gave too much. From there, I am then now going directly into the part of the conversation of saying, "Let's talk about your budget range." Range. Y'all, the key thing is do not ask, "How much do, how much is your budget?" The question is, "Let's talk about the range in which you were wanting to spend." From there, they're going to give us a range. Well, between this and that. From there, I then say, "You know what? That's great. Let me take a look at this. I'm going to work up a proposal. I'm going to give you one to two options. From there, let's schedule a call within the next 24 to 48 hours and discuss it after you've had time to review it." We get off the phone, I send that proposal. Like I said, I've already been typing it. So, what that means is immediately I'm sending a proposal within one to two hours. Jay, how many hours do you send your proposal usually?
>> Man, listen. I can get a proposal out in 15 minutes. All right.
>> I ain't playing. I, same thing. I'm typing, and I've been using Studio Ninja so long, I have my templates built out. So, as soon as we're done, and as soon as we've talked about a price for whatever, whatever we have agreed on, I just put it in, click, click, click, and it can be out. So, especially if I have other things to do and I don't want to forget, I can literally send a proposal in 15 minutes. There have been a few times where I have sent the proposal on the phone.
>> There have been times I'm like, "Hey, just give me 30 seconds. I'm about to send you a proposal right now. You got it? Okay, great. Review that whenever we get off the phone." I've done that a few times as well. But the ultimate point, like he said, speed. Speed.
>> In the corporate world. Speed. If, if you can be the first on the phone, the first to quote, the first to make that impression and establish yourself as an authority, that drastically increases your chances of getting into the corporate bag. That's all it is.
>> Absolutely. So, after this, the client says yes. When the client tells you yes, guess what you're doing? You're now in. And the way I know they say yes, they accept my pro. They, they accept my proposal. It shows up in the CRM system, Studio Ninja. It's a great one to use. Not saying there's not any other good ones out there. That's just what we use. When they click on it, it immediately sends them an invoice. Like he said, speed. I am wanting to see how quickly are you willing to want to pay as well. So, they're going to get that invoice. They make their deposit. After they made their deposit, what I do probably about a day later, I send them emails saying, "Hey, thank you." Of course, they've already received the email from us from a receipt of the invoice, but I'm going to also send them another email just saying, "Hey, thank you. I'm going to go ahead and schedule some time for us to review what it is of the project that we're going to work on, what we're going to be doing. All I'm doing is making sure I'm crossing my eyes, dotting my tees, make sure that our team is ready, making sure we're set for the day and the, of the shoot." From that point, we're then going to go do the shoot. After we do the shoot, we kill it. We're amazing. They love us. They're like, "Thank you so much." This is where it makes sense to it. It's important. This is where it's important to make sure that you are going to really blow their mind. You're going to deliver not just when you said, but you're going to try and beat the time in which you said it. I like to look at this as like the video game effect. You always want to have a high score. My competitor is typically the person who I beat out on the, on, on this project. So, the reality is this. If I can deliver the project to them a day early, I've won. If I can deliver the project to them within the time frame, I'm still winning because your word is your bond. The one thing you do not want to happen is for your client to reach out and say, "Hey, where are we with this project?"
>> You don't want to hear that. You don't, you don't want to hear that. What you're doing is you're creating doubt for that client. So, immediately I get, get to, I get to work after we've completed the project. I get to work editing, doing what I need to do, or sending it off to my editor, or what, who, whatever my system is. You develop your system, however you choose to develop. But what we're going to do is we're going to make sure that we deliver. After we deliver, we then do this is the most important tip, and I promise you, and then we're going to jump into the next question, is I immediately after I've delivered the project, I've gotten their feedback, they love us, I then say, "Hey, thank you so much. Would you mind leaving us a review?" And I'm going to give them two review links. One is my Bark. My second is my Google. From there, I typically want them to go straight to Google. So, I'm going to definitely give them the Google, and then I may add the Bark depending on if they found me on Bark. Outside of that, I'm then asking right under that, "Please let me know if there are any other projects that you have coming up that you need our services." I then reiterate in that email the other services that we provide. Just because I may have did a video production with you today doesn't mean that we, within our niche, don't do your, can't shoot your conference. Doesn't mean that we can't, in your niche, shoot your headshots. Doesn't mean in your niche we can't shoot your client testimonials. I make sure that I expand that reach so that they know I'm here for them. And that's it.
>> Facts.
>> All right. So,
>> Number four. You got it, bro.
>> No, this is for you. All right. So, question for you. Uh, question number five. Do you...
>> Wait, we on four?
>> No, the fourth question was, "What happens from first inquiry to booked project?" It was a long question. That was...
>> Oh, lord. All right. My bad. I'm old, y'all. My bad. Question. Question five. Let's get it.
>> So, do you get on the call every time with new clients?
>> 100%. Yes. Um, so we talked about this briefly while, uh, we had the shadow opportunity recently. So, there's two situations, right? There's going to be clients that don't want to get on the phone. They're going to be clients that say, "Hey, either I don't want to, or I would rather just do email, or hey, I just need a quick quote." In that case, you're just literally not going to get on the phone. You can't force it. And even if you tried, you would, it wouldn't work. In that particular case, you got to send the quote however you like to send it. But yes, if your client is, uh, you know, agreeable to it, 100%, you got to get them on the phone. And most, more recently, I've discovered that you got to get them on Zoom or, or Google Teams, or however you do a, a, a video conference. Get them on the call because there is a certain level of nuance. Reading their body language, looking at their facial expressions, a, asking a question, but then being able to ask a follow-up question based specifically on how they answer the first question. There's so much you can gain from the, the phone consultation. It, it, there's no greater way, there's no better way, period, to talk to a client than to talk or be on the video.
So, a few pro tips. Number one, get a Calendly account. Whenever it's time to book, instead of doing the whole back and forth, "Well, when are you available?" "I'm available Tuesday, but I'm not available this Tuesday. I'm available the third Tuesday from now." You can just say, "Hey, here's my link. Book a time that works for you." And then they'll say, "Great, I booked it," and now they're on the call. Okay, with that Calendly link, you can add Zoom in there. You don't have to ask them if you can do a Zoom call. It's just the only option. So, every time I get a consultation, we're doing a video call. All right. Second pro tip, going back to the first time. If you have a client that does not want to do a phone call or a Zoom call, you're going to get your quote, but you're going to send what I call the video quote. Now, I've just kind of started doing this, but I believe it can work long-term. All right, follow me now. All right, don't, don't let me lose you. Get your quote in Studio Ninja or whatever your CRM is. Record your screen and talk through the quote to your potential client. "Hey, John, thanks so much for connecting with us via email. Hey, so while I'm sending over this quote, I wanted to walk you through it to make sure you have full context of what we're charging and why. Because without that context, your number, like your whole brand, is whittled down to a price. And if your price is more expensive than their price, without context, you're likely going to lose." The video quote could be three minutes long. You're just walking through, "Hey, here's our hourly rate. Based on what I got, you know, I gathered in your email, you're looking for this many hours, this many shooters. Here's the clear-cut math on why. Here's the final price. Let me know if I'm getting this wrong. Let me know if this makes sense. Let me know if, if you have any questions or want a follow-up quote or call." Then you send that video over along with the quote. I believe long-term that's going to drastically increase your chances of, of course, getting to the corporate bag. But 100%, got to get on the phone. Non-negotiable. Let's get it.
>> All right. So, number six, Desmond, how do you justify your pricing if a client's like, "Why is it so much?" or "Why, not so much, but why is it that much? Why, why that price? I can afford it, but why that much? How do you justify your price?"
>> So, the reality is this. We've been doing this for over 14 years. That, that, that's the reality. But to justify your price is not showing them how good you are. Meaning, you don't have to go into the conversation of the dignitaries that you've shot, the athletes that you've shot, the brands that you've worked with. That's on your website. Justifying the price is justifying what they're going to receive, the services that they're, that we're providing. I've had clients ask me from time to time, "Hey, well, what cameras are you going to be using?" And I have no problem providing them the cameras that I use. I've had clients ask me, "Hey, what are you going to do about audio?" We tell them, "Well, we have multiple audio options." And I break down to them the options that we can use. From there, if I'm justifying my price, the reality is all that I'm doing is letting them know how we deliver and how we perform for them on the day of service. Meaning, whether it is I'm booking the studio, or this price is included, if whether it is, or editing is included, whether it is in saying that, uh, it's based on the hourly rate. The justification or your price is the price in which you set. Now, my price may not be his price. His price may not be the other person's price. So, the, the, the idea of saying, "Well, I shoot with better cameras." That doesn't sell a client. That, that doesn't matter anymore. That went out the window when mirrorless came into the picture. If I'm being honest, that also really went out the window when DSLR came in the picture. The justification was back in the film days, if I'm being honest, of camera just seeing which camera was better. Reality is this. It is also, it's understanding the experience. Is understanding, have you done this before? And then the last thing I will say is just, how are you going to execute? How are you going to help make their job easier? That's it. That's how I justify it. Our goal every single time that we work with a client is for them to walk away saying, "Thank you. You made this so much easier than the last person." That's it.
>> All right. Facts. Facts. Listen, I, I'mma sprinkle onto that just a hair. Required, we required reading, rather, the, the book *Linchpin* by Seth Godin. And in the, uh, the book *Blue Ocean Strategies*, yes, you need to learn how to articulate to your client why you are their best option. And I, and I tell it to you like this. You don't have to be the best. You have to be the best that they have met so far. That's how you can justify your price. So, it starts with the work to get in the door. But then it's how you talk to them on the phone. How you articulate how much years of experience your team has. For me personally, or others like Desmond and I, how we are a nationwide option. So, our prices are a little more competitive because for me, I bundle in travel into my rate. So, if I'm unavailable, or the person local in DC is unavailable, I can fly someone in from California, which I've done, or Miami, which I've done, and I'm not going to pass that price on to you. So, our price does have to be more competitive. I also tell my clients, "Yo, like, this is what we do. This is all we do. I just flat out say, 'Hey, we're going to kill it. We're,' and I also say, 'We're going to take great care of you. I promise you, if this is what you want, if this is the deliverables, and you're talking to me, I promise you, we got you covered. You don't have to look anywhere else.'" So, justifying your prices, like you said, it's not about gear. Really, that's just like, the gear will get them to look in your direction. They're want to know, "Hey, why should I step towards you? Why should I, uh, shake your hand?"
>> Yes.
>> Oh, now I see you. Why? Why should I? The hands behind? Why should I? Why should I shake your hand? Huh? Why? Why should we continue the conversation? You're like, "Come, come on over here to my office, Joanne."
>> BECAUSE I GOT YOU COVERED.
>> That's it.
>> All right. And listen, I could go deeper into that, but just really think about how you can articulate to your client why I am the best person you have talked to so far. And if you trust me, it's going to be the last time you want to hire a vendor for a very long time. If you can figure out how to do that, and it's different for everyone, that's how I have thought through how to articulate. He articulates it differently. But the point is, he can articulate it.
>> The question is, can you? You got to figure that out for you, and you'll start making more money. That's how it works.
>> You know, I'm going to say one more thing. Think about the elevator pitch. You, we've all heard about the idea of when you're looking at your business plan, uh, you have to have an elevator pitch. The elevator pitch theory is real simple. From the time you get to the first floor until the time that you get to the next floor in which you're trying to go, can you tell a person who you are, what you do, and they walk away saying, "I need to know more about you."
>> That's it.
>> The goal is for them to say, "I can trust you." That's, that's the whole, that's how you justify them wanting to spend the money with you, wanting to spend time with you, and wanting you to be a part of their project. That's it.
>> Come on, preach with it.
>> That's it. All right. Hey, next question. Next question. Um...
>> How many more we got? What we, what we working with?
>> We only got two more.
>> All right, let's get to it.
>> All right. So, uh, this is a question, and I'll be honest with you, we can answer this question together. Do you outsource editing and use contractors? The answer is yes.
>> A little bit.
>> Yeah, a little bit. All right. So, on the photo side, no.
>> No.
>> Y'all, imagine is a thing. AI is a thing. Emoto is a thing. All right. Even with the controversy, y'all know y'all still using the photo. All right. So, stop acting like you mad. On the photo side, not really a thing anymore, hiring a contractor. But on the video side, yes, it's, uh, video editing, it's very important to build a team of editors because video, just, there's no way around it. It takes time. It takes effort. And him and I, I mean, we have a, a core group of people. We are starting to like build a team that we can kind of pass around to each other. Um, but any thoughts on that about video editing or photo editing?
>> You know, I will say this, there are times in which I've hired a video editor. Um, and this was more so, and I'll just give an example. I shot a project, um, and this project was 5,500 pieces of metal part, and the client said, "Hey, can you edit these?" The answer was yes. However, for me, it's...
>> Always yes.
>> And they said, "Well, how much?" And from that, what we did is we went ahead, we hired editors so that they could go in and edit those images to get them to where they were, um, able to go onto their website directly and showing those pieces. But that is a different, that, that's a different type of scenario in which you're hiring someone to do maybe mass editing versus something like delivering a gallery for an event or something of that nature. Those are the tasks that we can do that we can take on for ourselves, and you're not having to be stressed about it. The other part when it comes to video editing, um, I will say this, yes, you can hire an editor, but I also think it's important for you to also understand the skill. It's also important for you to understand, if this editor doesn't, doesn't succeed in providing the client what they're wanting, can you fix it?
>> I, I, I have to, I have to preface this. There are multiple times that our editor, and think about this. When I look at AI, when I look at ChatGPT right now, or any of the systems that we are using, they are providing you a draft. They're providing you a foundation. You still have to sprinkle who you are onto the product so that the client sees you and not the same thing that everyone else sees across the board. So, it's important to have your own style. It's important to have the look that you're wanting. And the way to do that is knowing how to be able to accomplish this. I'm not saying that you can't hire someone, but what I am saying is, you better know how to fix it if they don't be, if they can't succeed. Because the reality is this, time is money. And every time someone is not able to deliver accordingly, it's going to cost you more money, which then you can't always push to the client because the client just said, "I hired you. I didn't hire everyone else." So, with all that being said, um, I look at it from a level of, make sure that when you are bringing on contractors, bringing on a team, vet them, know who they are, look at their work, understand their portfolio, understand their style, understand their system, their workflow. For your editors, understand what software are they using? These are all questions that if a client was hiring them directly, they're going to ask those same questions. Guess what? Your contractor, you, you're their client. Now, your editor, you're now their client as well. So, just think about it in the same format as if I'm hiring someone to help build and expand on this project, I need to know how they accomplish the goal so that if I need to go in, I can. That, that's a very simple thing. And then you also set your standard. Understand what it is that you're wanting to look for and what, what, what you're needing from them, including how many drafts do you get? Because the same way that I have a draft limit for my clients for video, that editor may have a draft limit for you. And you do not want to get stuck with multiple drafts going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and then we're like, we've wasted, we've literally spent the whole bag. So...
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> That's all I got on that.
>> Facts.
>> All right, last question.
>> Yeah. If you had to double revenue next year, what would break?
>> What would break? How would I answer them?
>> Well,
>> I got a few. What you got?
>> That's a good question. Actually, I can't even front. That's a great question. Um, if, if I had to double revenue next year, what would break? Meaning, what would have to give?
>> Meaning, what system...
>> ...would not be able to, the systems that you have set up right now, and you had to double revenue? What system would break? And then let's take it to the, let's, this is like a brainstorm. So, so I'm gonna break this down real quick, y'all. So, we talk about community, right? It's Jerel. This is myself. And this our boy Jiren. Every single day we talk corporate.
>> Every single day.
>> Every single day we talk vision. Every single day we talk, how do we fix? How do we solve? How do we get, make ourselves better? There's this saying that, there's this thought of, "Iron sharpens iron." Guess what? We sharpen each other. And the reality is this. We have to ask, based on our systems, what would break if we had to, if, if our revenue doubled?
>> M. I got an answer. I'm not going to lie. If, if we doubled the bag next year, it would be editing.
>> Mhm.
>> It would be editing. There are times this year where I got four projects happening at the same time, or six. There, there, there was a time, uh, last year, um, rather, where I think I had like 25 videos I had to edit. There was one client, we spent two full days recording client testimonials. I had to do like 10 to 15 of those. Then I had another client with some recap videos, and another client with, blah, blah, blah. So, if I doubled that, at some point last year, or at some point this year, I would have like 40 videos to edit on top of photos to edit, on top of invoices or emails to send, on top of outreach, on top of consultation calls, scheduling associates, paying associates, booking flights, booking hotels, rental cars, like the list goes even further. But that would be probably the biggest bottleneck is editing, uh, editing, right? That's just, well, video editing. Photo is fine. You can edit a gallery in an hour and a half. But video editing, y'all, man, listen.
>> If you want to get to the bag,
>> Come on.
>> Just start editing video.
>> For real.
>> Be great at it and don't charge a whole lot. Charge enough to be able to survive.
>> But if you, if you really... The reality is this, there's so much to being in corporate. And video editing is one of the most essential elements of what we do. How can we tell the story? And so, I will say for me, the system that would break, of course, editing would be one. I think that is something that you talk to any photographer videographer, they're going to say, definitely videographers, they're going to say editing is going to be their biggest bottleneck. But I think another area for me, if I was to double revenue, it would probably be the admin work of managing multiple teams at the same time. Meaning, not the invoicing, but more so just managing flights, hotels, um, arrangements, making sure equipment is where it needs to be. That is the task that I believe in 2026 into 2027 is my goal of trying to solve now so it doesn't hurt me in the future.
>> Yeah.
>> Because the reality is, I have a great system now. I have assistance, but that would be the biggest bottleneck for me if I had to. That would be the second bottleneck. First one is editing for sure, but the second one for sure would be the idea of managing the load all on my own.
>> Yeah. Yeah. So, I will say this, two things. Every time we, you know, call each other or text each other, "What are you doing, man? During our busy season?" What's the answer? "Man, I'm about to, I got to cut this video. I got to, I got to revise this video." That's almost always the answer. "I got, I got to cut this video." We, we, uh, called our buddy Jiren last night. He's like, "Yeah, I got this client video I'm working on already." So, like, take it seriously. But the second thing is, and this is a little pro tip, once you're able to reach that level of revenue, man, get you a virtual assistant. Um, now, shout out to Justin Porter. He was at Imaging USA in Dallas, what, a year and a half ago, and he was talking about doing it yourself is not a flex. And I, we had a chance to chat with him in person, and he talked about, you know, how he was going through some trials and tribulations in his business. And now he's at a point where his virtual assistant runs his entire business from start to finish. And he is responsible essentially for closing consultation calls on the phone and showing up and shooting the weddings. And so, I have, I've had a virtual assistant for probably four or five months now. She's incredible. And to your point, man, she, she answers and replies to my emails.
>> She does.
>> She knows how to build out and send quotes in Studio Ninja. She books all of our flights, hotels, Airbnbs, rental cars. She reaches out to my team members to see if they're available to shoot. She, um, sends them over the file request for them to drop the files after the event. She sends a reminder email 24 hours before the event to remind them that we have an event tomorrow. She does cold outreach for me. Like, she's incredible. And that is, if you're feeling what he's talking about, that pinch of, uh, the admin pinch. If you're feeling that, a virtual assistant is on the horizon for you. Uh, because you're not feeling the admin pinch unless you're making some, some decent money.
>> Y.
>> And then it's like a catch-22. Once you feel the pinch, you have to solve that pinch with money. But now you have the money to do it, right? So, shout out to those who have virtual assistants. He's going to be getting one soon. I've been telling him about it. He going to get one soon.
>> Listen. Listen.
>> All right.
>> I am. I am. So, and I'll be honest with you. Here's the thing. So, he has a VA right now. I have a travel agent that handles my travels. So, when it comes to like my hotels, she handles that for me. When it comes to, uh, finding a rental car, she handles that for me. All I do is tell her my date. But here's the, here's the one thing that I will say is, as you're looking at your prices, and I know this is a bonus, this is a bonus tip, really. As you're looking at your prices, I need you to also look at your subscriptions and say, "What dead weight can I cut?" Because there's going to be a time, and I think if we're really answering this question, there's going to be a time that you're going to look back over a year and you're so busy that you're going to say, "I am paying out way too much money on things and regularly." Typically, when we sign up for a subscription, we're signing up for that subscription because we need it now. But you need to set a reminder to say, "I need to at least check my subscriptions every three to four months to see what is coming out of that account and am I using it effectively?" Because that is what's going to be the thing that catapults you to being able to afford when that other area of your business breaks. Because the reality is this, life will happen. Life happens. We talked to, uh, some people earlier this week who were like, "Yo, it's slow season. We all know January, February, for some, it's slow." And so, the idea is, how do you get through slow season? You got to manage your money. You got to manage those subscriptions. You got to manage your business as a whole. And it's important just not just to have someone managing for you. You got to have eyesight to it as well. So that you know, I, I call Jerel my, my financial, um, restrainer. He, he, he, he, he helps me strain out all the filth and the junk of me spending money. It says, "Dad, cut that. You don't need that. You don't need that. I don't need that." But...
>> Put it down.
>> It, it, listen, it's, it's a habit because we love the, we love the shiny things. And so, if anything, we want to always make sure that as we are building this out, and as we're growing, as we're going to the next level, as we're staying on this corporate hunt, as we're, uh, continue to get after the bag, we got to make sure that we're doing it right. We got to make sure that we're managing it effectively. So, y'all, this is all we got for today. Those, those were the top eight that we looked at that list and we said, "This is what you guys need to know." Who knows? We may come back another day and record some more after we look at the list some more again and give you guys another eight, or maybe even another five, cuz this is a long one. So, we may give you guys four or five on the next one. Um, but the truth of the matter is, our goal is to continue to help you get after the corporate bag. Stay on the corporate hunt. I'm Desmond.
>> Hey, you already know. Let's get to the bag. Come on. Let's secure corporate JT. I'm out.
>> Let's go. Peace.
>> Peace.
>> All right. So, hey, y'all. Hey. So, that is question number eight. We've answered, uh, top eight questions that we thought were great for you. I will tell you this, there is still so much more, uh, within that list that we felt was really good and that we may come back at another time to give you an answer for. We probably won't do eight questions, we may do like four or five, just because this was a lot of information. But, um, one thing I remember even from, um, my, the guy that came and shadowed us, was he was like, "I'm going to have to come back and write this down." So, I'm going to tell you, rewind this. Watch it over again. Maybe today is Monday when you're watching this. Go ahead and watch this again on Wednesday. It may sound weird, but I want you to really think about, "How can I apply these tips to my business so that I can be successful on the corporate hunt?" The reality is this. Our goal, what, with what we do, is not just to scale our business, but we want to see you guys grow. We want to see you guys continue to, uh, tell us the good stories of how you secured the $5,000, the $10,000, the $20,000, heck, the $1,000 client. That matters. Every dollar counts. And what that takes is, of course, continue liking with us, subscribing to us, and of course, ask your questions. We're here. We're human. We make mistakes. That's why we're here today, telling you how to avoid those mistakes. We've been there. We've been doing this for some years, y'all. I'm Desmond, Mr. Corporate Hunt.
>> Hey, Corporate JT. We out here. The security bag. Let's go.
>> Let's get it. Peace.
>> Peace out. Let's go.