Skip to main content

Business Downsizing Pros and Cons

Adrian Video Image has posted a new item, 'Business Downsizing Pros and Cons'

20120626-085839.jpg

This is the day. The day I reverse my dream. The dream to create a big business.

The big business dream was to have at least 10 staff busily serving clients for their videography and video production needs.

I had only two staff. They seem rather busy everyday, yet there is not enough assignments coming in to feed the three of us.

I earn twice the current revenue when I was working alone. We have three people, but we are earning less.

I analyzed the situation and concluded the following observation.

1. When I was working alone, I work 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. Staff work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.

2. When I was working alone, I deliver fast by working overnight and over the weekends. Staff take a break at night and weekends.

3. I can charge higher when I was the only specialist with a highly honed skill. Staff skill level is not on par with mine yet hence cannot justify premium pricing.

So you may think… What am I doing anyway in the organization? Am I contributing my skills, after all I am still inside?

The reason I hire staff is for them to take over my role as a videographer, so I can move on to a higher role, especially in training, speaking and writing.

So I did go into training, speaking and writing. A new kind of business which I find exciting. (a side note, I never stayed in one career for more than seven years)

So I left videography for a while and focused on the “information” business, which never took off.

Although there were little videography business coming in, they were sufficient to cover staff salary (not mine). I was happy with that…

Then one day… One staff fell sick… And had to rest at home for two to three weeks.

At first, we hired freelancers to cover the assignments. Then it hit me that it does not make sense… I had to pay the freelancers… AS WELL AS pay the salary of my staff laying in bed!

So instead of hiring freelancers, I took over the camera (reluctantly) and did the assignments. It was like nostalgic… It felt great… I was like ME again… BUT WAIT…

Another thought hit me…

I was doing all the assignments, which collectively generate enough profit to cover the salary of my staff resting at home… While I earn zero cent…

What’s more… When I am in the field shooting, I cannot focus on my training, speaking and writing… And therefore I am earning nothing!

WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING!!!???

At first I thought… Let’s have compassion because we do not fall sick all the time. However this is not the first time. Staff are entitled leave, off days and are protected by law to work certain number of hours.

I finally admitted to myself that I have made the wrong decision to expand the videography business.

I realized that (to the ignorance of many gurus) my skill is a valuable asset that is not immediately transferable… Just like an artist… Can you imagine an artist hiring freelancers to do his art? Can you imagine Lady GaGa getting someone else to sing for her?

My staff are dedicated and responsible people. It is my duty to let them know the company situation, my dream and my ultimate decision.

So this is the day I asked all my staff to return the keys to the studio and find new jobs, so that I can revert to the one-man-show business it used to be.

Adrian Lee

http://AdrianVideoImage.com

PS:
My office is in a mess now while I make the transition to working alone.

20120626-095330.jpg



You may view the latest post at
http://adrianvideoimage.com/2012/06/business-downsizing-pros-and-cons/


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Macbook Air M1 Case

I bought a transparent case for my MacBook Air M1 . It came with a free screen protector, a keyboard cover, and some rubber plugs to cover the ports. Check it out! https://youtu.be/d-wALSd3nn8 I didn't expect the rubber plugs. It was a nice surprise. The case fits snuggly, with access to all the ports. The keyboard cover is almost invisible to the eye. I have no intention to use the screen protector. Why? I need to see the true color of the display for my YouTube videos. ~ Adrian Lee  @Adrian Video Image  The video was recorded on iPhone 12 Pro Max with Filmic Pro app in 4K 60fps and edited with Capcut.

Sony Vegas Pro 8 Tutorial - Multicamera Editing

Sony Vegas Pro 8 makes it easier to edit videos from different cameras right from the timeline. You can capture and edit video for a single scene from 2 or more cameras or for a single scene shot a few times with one camera. Here is a tutorial of a Multicamera Edit of a drama I shot. The drama was acted out four times to the public and being a non-profit organization, the client have budget only for one videographer. For each of the 4 acts, the camcorder (Sony HDR-FX7 High Definition Camcorder) was placed at 4 different positions and shot in various angles. Multicamera edit is accomplished in only 8 steps with the Sony Vegas Pro 8. Step #1: Capture Multicamera Video Clips Use the normal Sony Vegas Video Capture function to capture recordings from each camera. Give each capture filename a unique name. Enable scene detection before capturing so that each segment is captured as a separate clip. Step #2 : Layout Video Clips on Timeline Drag and drop video clips over each other on the...

How to Connect an External Video Camera to MacBook Pro for Live Streaming

How to use an external camera on Mac? In this video, I demonstrate how I connect my GoPro (or other cameras) to my Macbook Pro for live streaming? See the links below the video for the list of equipment required for the setup.  Links... - Micro-HDMI to HDMI cable... https://amzn.to/2VnZNcC - HDMI to USB Capture Device...   Elgato Cam Link 4K... https://amzn.to/3a0Gcob   Alternatives...   Ansten... https://amzn.to/2W4mzGM   Unisheen... https://amzn.to/2y9BDKS   Magewell... https://amzn.to/3b2StJX   ATEM Mini... https://amzn.to/2RtsDam   Treaslin... https://amzn.to/2YidpHJ - USB to USB cable... https://amzn.to/2VnhpVX (Not required for Elgato Cam Link / USB to USB-C required for New MacBook pro) - GoPro Hero7 Black... https://amzn.to/3a8oiA9 - Gekkopod Flexible Tripod Stand... https://amzn.to/2yOyosF Like this video? Buy me coffee... 😋 https://www.buymeacoffee.com/VideoLane