SSP 103: Most Common Mistake That Creative Entrepreneurs Make And How To Avoid It w/ Bryan Caporicci

What are people buying when they’re looking for video? I bet it’s not what you’re thinking. It’s not your videos, believe it or not. There’s so much more to it than that. They’re buying an idea and an experience. Even though you make beautiful videos, none of that matters if you can’t sell the experience you offer.

Bryan Caporicci is the lead content creator at Sprouting Photographer and the host of his own podcast. He teaches workshops across North America including at some big conventions and conferences like WPPI, Shutterfest, and Canada Photo Convention. He’s built an incredible business helping photographers in a similar way that we at Studio Sherpas work to help filmmakers. Bryan is a business person first and a creative second, but that’s hard to tell if you only see his work.

In this episode, Bryan shakes up the narrative by explaining that your clients are not looking to buy video. They probably think they are, but they’re not. What they want is an unbelievable customer experience that they’ll remember whenever they watch, or even just think about the videos you made for them.

We go on to talk about surviving the natural feast or famine cycles of this business. Bryan suggests you lean into the slow season and use it as a break to assess your business and prepare for the next year. Otherwise, you should be proactive to lay the foundation for getting low season work well ahead of time. Either way, you can use this period to your advantage.

What do you do to ensure your clients have an unforgettable experience? Drop me a comment on the episode page!

 

In this episode:

Identifying your role as an entrepreneur in a creative business What you should actually be selling your clients instead of video One of the most common mistakes that creative entrepreneurs make and how to avoid making it too How to strategically design and implement an effective and compelling brand Useful ideas you can use to survive the ups and downs of high and low seasons Taking the reins of the selling process instead of letting the client be in total control The importance of being intentional with everything you do with your business

 

Quotes:

“Business is business. Whether you’re doing filmmaking for a living, whether you’re making pictures for a living, or you’re building software for a living, whatever it is, the basics of business are still the basics of business.” [10:47]

“You’re selling the end product and you’re selling who you help your clients become and what you help them do more than you are the actual thing you’re making for them.” [12:19]

“You have to realize that marketing has a half-life. It always has a delay. What you market and message and do now, you might not see the effects of that for another two, three, four months.” [32:18]

“We as the entrepreneur, as the business owner, as the creative, need to be the ones who are guiding the experience for our clients. If we’re order takers, if we’re bending over backward for them, if we’re reacting to them, there’s no room left for us to say ‘okay, here’s what I’d suggest we do next.” [40:55]

 

Links:

Find Bryan at Sprouting Photographer

Follow Bryan on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Vimeo

Business of Photography Podcast

Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller

 

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