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I used to be 23 years previous, recent out of school and touchdown what I believed was my big break. The corporate seemed authentic — it had knowledgeable web site, a gradual stream of marriage ceremony purchasers and an workplace in Orange County, California. I had spent years filming weddings by myself, grinding to earn cash and right here was a enterprise that had all of it discovered. Or so I believed.
Inside three months, I might be drowning in shopper complaints, taking livid calls from brides and watching a so-called enterprise unravel in actual time. The second that broke me got here when a crying bride referred to as me in sheer panic — her marriage ceremony videographer by no means confirmed up. Her father was livid and I used to be the one individual choosing up the cellphone.
That was the day I stop and that was the day I discovered what sort of enterprise I might by no means run.
The “too good to be true” supply
I had been filming weddings since highschool, operating my very own small video enterprise. I skipped the scholar movie section in school as a result of I did not see the purpose. Why make films for a grade once I may make them for a paycheck?
At some point, John (not his actual identify) contacted me. He owned a wedding video firm and had seen my work. “I like what you are doing,” he mentioned. “Wish to shoot weddings for me?” It was a straightforward sure. No promoting, no advertising — simply $400 per marriage ceremony and go dwelling. Then, after just a few months, he made me one other supply: VP of Operations.
I used to be simply out of school and somebody was calling me a VP. I did not even know what it meant, but it surely sounded essential. A management function at a longtime firm? I accepted.
The enterprise seemed legit
On my first day as VP, I walked into the workplace able to study, however John wasn’t there. The cellphone rang and I answered. “The place the hell is my marriage ceremony video?” I apologized, took down their data, and promised to comply with up. Minutes later, one other name. Identical drawback. Then one other. I checked my e mail. There have been a whole bunch of messages from livid {couples}.
John, it has been 18 months. The place’s my video?
John, I am taking you to courtroom.
John, you ruined our marriage ceremony.
Besides I wasn’t John, I used to be simply the man dumb sufficient to indicate up. I began digging and what I discovered was a catastrophe within the making. John’s enterprise mannequin was constructed on one factor: being the most affordable choice. $799 for a marriage movie. Seems like an incredible deal, proper? The typical marriage ceremony videographer prices $4,000 or extra, so brides jumped on the cut price. However right here was the true breakdown:
- Lead shooter: $300
- Second shooter: $200
- Editor: $200
- $99 left for “revenue”
That “profit” was presupposed to cowl hire, advertising, payroll, refunds, and errors. It did not. To maintain the enterprise afloat, John booked as many weddings as doable. We have been filming eight, ten, generally twelve weddings a weekend. There was no high quality management, no customer support, and no plan for delivering movies on time. And since we paid so little, videographers began not displaying as much as weddings.
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“She’ll get it when she will get it“
It wasn’t simply the purchasers getting screwed. Videographers — a lot of whom had been with the corporate for years — began emailing me instantly. Hey, when do I receives a commission for final month’s marriage ceremony? Hey, it has been three months. Any replace?
I went to John. “Jennifer has been capturing weddings for you for years, she simply desires to know when she’s getting paid,” I pleaded on behalf of one of many longtime employees.
“She’s advantageous,” he shrugged. “She’ll get it when she will get it.” That was the second I noticed this wasn’t even an actual firm.
The breaking level
I caught it out for 3 months, hoping issues would flip round. Then got here the cellphone name that broke me. I used to be at a commencement celebration when my cellphone rang. It was a crying, panicked bride. “My videographer is not right here,” she sobbed. I stepped away from my household, my abdomen in knots. I checked our system. There was no videographer assigned. John had forgotten.
The bride’s father took the cellphone. He was livid. I needed to repair it, so I virtually wired $1,000 of my very own cash to get somebody there final minute. My dad stopped me. “You will by no means get that again,” he mentioned. “This is not your battle.” And he was proper. I stop the subsequent day.
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The teachings discovered
That have formed every little thing I do now. I discovered that being the most affordable choice attracts the worst purchasers, the worst distributors and the worst issues. It additionally confirmed me the significance of buyer loyalty. It is not nearly delivering a product, it is about caring when one thing goes improper. Reply the cellphone. Do the work. Make it right.
Busy doesn’t suggest worthwhile: John bragged about doing 300 weddings a yr. However his enterprise was shedding cash. Development with out revenue is simply speed-running to bankruptcy. And whereas we’re on that word, I discovered {that a} web site, an workplace and a emblem do not make a enterprise —execution does.
Lastly, I discovered that some companies aren’t meant to be saved. I could not repair this catastrophe, I may solely study from it.
Strolling Away Was the Greatest Choice of My Life
The enterprise collapsed inside a yr. Me? I built a company that does the precise reverse of every little thing I witnessed there. We do not undercharge and we do not ghost purchasers. I like operating Franchise Filming — and we love serving to franchise manufacturers inform their story on video. And when a franchise model hires us, they get precisely what they paid for. No lies, no chaos and no crying brides. That is how a enterprise ought to be run.
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