Have you ever thought about starting your own video production company? Maybe you are already in the industry and you are tired of working for other people. Maybe you have some good connections and feel like you could find clients, but you don’t know how to start a business.
Well, if you’ve ever thought about starting your own video production company, this post is for you. We’ll cover a few good resources you can use to find work and get your business up and running the right way.
Starting Your Business
Starting a business from scratch takes a lot of work and a lot of knowledge. It’s not quite as easy as finding a client and shooting some video. In order to do it right, you need to set up your business with your state and local municipalities.
You should think about writing a business plan so you know what to expect in terms of expenses and income projections. And then there are all of the jobs that aren’t related to making videos like bookkeeping, marketing, and legal services.
Before you even start doing business with your new company, be sure to check out Indie.biz. This site is a great free resource for all things related to starting a business of any kind. Just because it’s not geared towards video production, doesn’t mean it’s not relevant to you.
You can choose to make an action plan for free at Indie.biz, but a great place to start is in the Guides section. Here’s you’ll find plenty of essential reading to help get you on your way.
The “Starting A Business Checklist” is a simple document that will help you make sure you don’t leave anything out in your preparation process. And it includes links to other key guides from the site.
You’ll also want to check out the “Business Model Basics” and “Business Model Worksheet” to help you work through how you will make money in your business.
This is not to be confused with the “Business Structure Basics”, which is also important. The business structure documents outline how to legally set up your business in order to properly track income for taxes and employee compensation.
Once you work your way through the guides, you should have a pretty good handle on how your business will operate and how to make sure you are following the law, be sure to check out the Marketplace section on Indie.biz. Here you’ll find links to lots of services that can help your business like accounting software and legal services. Some of the tools are even free.
Finding Work
Once you have your business legally set up and you have a business plan in place, it’s time to find some work. This can be a huge challenge for some. If you don’t already have a ton of connections, finding work isn’t always easy.
There will be lots of competition for jobs and it’s not like people are asking for video producers on the streets. However, there are some sites out there where people are trying to hire video producers.
ProductionHUB is one of those sites, and it’s one of the biggest and most used. Be sure to visit ProductionHUB often as a way to find jobs in your area.
There are several ways you can find work on ProductionHUB. You can start by setting up a profile on the site for your business. It’s free to set up a basic profile for the first 30 days. This should give you a sense of what to expect from the site. After that, it’s $4.99 a month to keep your basic profile active. There are also two higher paid tiers starting at $59 a month and $119 a month which will give you extra services and rank you higher in search results.
By setting up a profile, you are allowing yourself to be found by potential clients looking to hire. Alternatively, you can do your own searches for jobs listed on ProductionHUB. Jobs are broken down into categories like full-time and part-time jobs, freelance/crew leads, company/vendor leads, and casting.
It’s a good idea to start with the freelance/crew leads where you may be able to land a job working with another company or even as part of a crew. This is a good way to start making connections and start building a portfolio of work. You can also check out the company/vendor section to see if someone may be looking to hire a company like yours for their project.
ProductionHUB can also be a good resource for other things like used equipment, and a place to find employees or freelancers of your own to help you out as your new business begins to grow.
Learn To Manage
Now you’ve got your business up and running. You’ve set everything up properly and you’ve started getting jobs. What now?
The rest of the work lies in building and growing your business. In order to do so, you need to be constantly learning new things. Both about your field and about business in general. Being successful isn’t just about creating good work, it’s also about being efficient, organized, and ahead of the curve.
For advice on running your business, head over to theselfemployed.com. The Self Employed is a site dedicated to those who work for themselves. And it’s chock full of articles and resources to help you build a better business.
You’ll find general advice like “10 Resources Every Startup Should Know About” and very specific posts like “Four Tips For Better Health When Working At A Desk”. We’re looking at you, video editors.
There are enough articles here to keep you busy for weeks. Check-in from time to time when you need a fresh take on something or you are just looking for ways to be more effective.
The site also features advice on taxes and legal matters that will serve as a good follow up after you finish at Indie.biz.
The Self Employed even has a podcast with great interviews from smart business owners and managers that you can listen to while you are searching for work on ProductionHUB or building out your business model.
Owning your own business is never easy. You have to be prepared to work long hours and put up with a lot of ups and downs. But, it can also be quite rewarding. You get to call your own shots, build your own portfolio, and maybe even create jobs for others. With these resources at your fingertips, you’ll be a lot closer to starting a successful video production company than you might have ever thought possible.
