I shot my first film when I was about 7 or 8 years old. It was a time-traveling crime caper shot on 8mm film. My little brother played a sort of “time bandit,” traveling back and forth in time stealing valuable treasures. We shot on location at Disneyland and Universal Studios (not the actual lot, just the theme park areas). At Disneyland we used the different worlds to represent the different time periods, e.g. Frontierland for the past; Tomorrowland for the future; etc. At the time I did it just for fun. It wouldn’t be until over a quarter of a century later, as an adult, until I’d pursue the business of filmmaking full time.

In the summer of 2002 I left a well-paying job as a business marketing manager for Quicken to start my business. What an amazing time. I was now getting paid to do things I had just done for fun in the past. And I was pretty darn good. My work was praised by my peers, both online and off. I was videographer of the year for two consecutive years for my local PVA (professional videographers association) at the time. Filmmaking was in my blood.

But somewhere along the line, as my company evolved, so did I. I was no longer just a filmmaker. I was an accountant, an HR manager, and most of all, I was a marketing guy. I came up with all sorts of creative and inventive ways to get my work seen by prospective clients. Some people took notice and my wife Tasra and I were blessed with the honor to write a book for Peachpit Press. It got to the point where I was more recognized in my industry for my marketing prowess than my art. I had left a job as a marketing guy to pursue filmmakiing, only to become a marketing guy again. What happened?

Michael Gerber puts it so well in his book the E Myth Revisited. The realities of running a business happened. In the process of doing sales and marketing, administration, and everything else, that which I loved started to fall to the wayside. Do you ever feel like that? Like the thing you got into this business for in the first place is no longer the thing you get to do the most? In fact, sometimes, you kinda hate it. Because you HAVE to do it. Be honest. Don’t you feel like that at times? I know I do.

I want to get back to my first love. My roots as a filmmaker. But, I can’t deny the fact that I still have a business to run. What’s a distraught marketing-guy-turned-filmmaker-turned-marketing-guy-again supposed to do? REFOCUS.

GETTING BACK TO MY ROOTS: REFOCUS AT INFOCUS

Tasra and I have the honor of being the opening act at this upcoming InFocus event in Austin, TX, January 17-20. Inspired by our book, our presentation ReFocus at InFocus will be designed to inspire you. To light a fire in your heart and soul and pave the way for the masters who will come after us. But first, we want to get your heart right. We want to get you ready to go. We’ll see and discuss inspiring short films. We’ll talk about our evolution in this business and how we’re evolving again. We’ll talk about strategies you can do to help you set your business up in such a way so that you can get back to doing what you love to do—whatever that is. But most of all, we want to inspire you.

WHO SHOULD GO

You should go to InFocus if…

• You’re an event filmmaker or corporate video producer looking to learn how to take your shooting and editing to the next level
• You’re a professional photographer looking to add video to your repertoire of services but don’t know where to start
• You’re a visual artist looking for inspiration and ideas on how to market and evolve your business
• You want to network and build friendships with colleagues from around the world

TODAY IS LAST DAY OF PRE-REGISTRATION

Today is the last day of pre-registration and getting the best price for this awesome event. If you need more convincing, check out some of the very creative short speaker intros. You can see all them here, but below are some of my favorite in terms of giving a broad perspective of what to expect.

Ray Roman: a cop turned award-winning event filmmaker. Oh yeah, and he’s very cool.

Loyd Calomay: if you are a fan of The Longest Day (the first online reality TV show for and about pro photographers), you may remember Loyd as the consultant filmmaker for the winning team, Dane Sander’s Team A).

The full line-up of incredible speakers includes (in no particular order):

• Patrick Moreau of StillMotion
• Ray Roman
• Loyd Calomay
• Mark & Trisha VonLanken
• Steve & Laura Moses
• Joe Simon
• William Gaff
• David Perry
• Josh Smith
• Joe Terravella
• Chris P. Jones
• and your truly

So what more convincing do you need? Register now and join us for three days of inspiration, education, and just plain old FUN!

Are you ready to ReFocus…at InFocus?

This is Day 1 of BRIMM. If you’ve ever had the dream of entering the movie business, well, this movie just might change all of that. Swimming with Sharks is a 1994 film starring Frank Whaley as Guy, an dough-eyed, naive film school grad who gets a job as the assistant for one of the hottest, and meanest, movie execs in the business, Buddy Ackerman (played brilliantly by Kevin Spacey, who was also a co-producer). Written and directed by George Huang, it supposedly illustrates some of the real situations George went through himself as an assistant for a movie executive. This dark comedy left me in stitches the first time I watched it. Kevin Spacey’s Buddy is hilariously mean. From the way he yells at Guy in the office (dropping F-bombs like there’s no tomorrow), to the sneaky, and devious ways he takes credit for Guy’s work. Add to the mix Guy’s love interest, played by every Comicon and Trekker geek’s poster girl, Michelle Forbes (True Blood, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek:TNG). Michelle plays Dawn Lockard, a high powered producer who’s supposedly slept her way to the top, but is now looking to be redeemed by making “important” films. Dawn and Guy get involved, and that adds complexity to Guys working relationship with Buddy.

THE DARK SIDE

Note that this is a dark comedy. The movie actually starts at the “end” (a la Sunset Boulevard) where we’re at the scene of a crime and we know someone has been killed. Guy is outside the crime scene and we journey back to the night before to see him take Buddy hostage with a gun. The movie then cycles back and forth from the hostage scene to Guy’s life at the movie studio over the past year. He apparently has had enough and snaps. If you’re sensitive to torture scenes, you may find yourself turning your head from time to time.What I find interesting in the movie is that we learn something about one of the characters that offers a completely new light and insight into their persona. You end up pondering the question, “what right do I have to judge anyone given the life they may have had in the past.” Not to say one’s past excuses crimes today, whether actual legal crimes or just crimes of conscience. But it does make you stop and think.

FINAL COMMENTARY

If you’re at all interested in the movie business, I have no doubt you’ll thoroughly enjoy this piece. It is very funny and from what I’ve heard from my friends in the movie biz, casts a pretty accurate picture of what life in “Hollywood” is like. My main criticism of the film is Frank Whaley’s Guy. I just could not picture a wimpy “guy” like that with a woman like Dawn. There’s a scene where she’s cuddled up with him on a coach, and it just doesn’t fly for me. He seems more like a boy to her woman.

QUOTABLE QUOTES AND LIFE LESSONS

“Before you go out and change the world, ask yourself, what do you really want?”

And one of my favorites:

“If they can’t start a meeting without you, well, that’s a meeting worth going to, and the only kind of meeting you should concern yourself with.” Buddy Ackerman, Sr. EVP of Production, Keystone Pictures.

If you saw the movie, what was your take?

UPDATED: Tonight I’m watching the Robert Altman’s The Player. Check out the Movie Marathon link at the top of my blog to see what other films are coming down the pike.

Today marks the one year anniversary of my mom’s passing. This is an excerpt from the memorial service held June 3, 2008. It’s my daughter singing “Fragile Heart” by Yolanda Adams. Took me a year to watch it.

It was 18 months between the time I saw my mom last and when she died. As I wrote in my original tribute post last year, take time out for those you love. Don’t let too much time go by without saying how you feel about them. And above all esle, keep everything in life in it’s proper perspective.

I miss you mom.

The savvy sci-fan fan will recognize this blog title as the official title of George Lucas’ 4th episode (but, first release) of the “Star Wars” saga. So, it’s only fitting that I name this blog post after the aforementioned movie. First, because it’s the fourth blog post in a series that started April 2 when I encouraged the real YOU to stand out. Second, because I hope the information contained herein will bring a new hope to what’s possible in this industry.

In that original post I lamented the fact that in spite of all the education out there about the importance of having a unique brand, there seems to be a sort of homogenization going on in the photo industry where websites, blogs, and videos are all starting to look alike. I used as an example a promo video by Lauren Harris which looked very, very similar to a promo by Scarlett Lillian.  I had no idea what would follow.

The topic obviously touched a nerve, because a whole lotta folk came out to give their 2 cents. Most agreed with my lament. Others called me mean-spirited for “outting” Lauren’s video (I’m still trying to figure out how one can “out” a video that is already public. Hmmm?) Some attacked Lauren, calling her a copy cat. Some attacked Scarlett, calling her unoriginal, a knock off of Jessica Claire (congrats by the way JC on the engagement. BTW, Jessica also chimed in and cleared the air that she does not consider Scarlett a knock off.) Some defended Lauren. Some cowards left biting remarks but refused to post their real names. (That was the impetus for post #2). It was drama at its best…or shall I say worst.

A WORD TO THE WISE
Lately I’ve been reading the book of Proverbs. It’s a book about wisdom. I think it’s been having some affect on me because yesterday I had a crazy idea—let’s try to take this really bad, melodramatic situation and turn it into something positive. So I made Lauren an offer. I would re-do her promo video for FREE, and use the process as an educational opportunity by creating a behind the scenes “making of…” video.

I  called Lauren personally after making the post. First to apologize for any stress my blog post caused her (she said she’d gotten over 100 emails since this all started, some chiding her, some offering moral support. And just this morning I found out that the poor woman’s website went down due to over 200,000 hits. Note: I have never actually linked to Lauren’s website in any of my posts). I also called to explain my offer. She was amazed. I told her not to decide right then, but to think about it for a day.

A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
So, as  my work day came near to an end yesterday, another wild and crazy idea came upon me. Lauren said she didn’t have a lot of experience in creative design, and as a relatively new comer in the industry, she did what she saw a lot of photographers do, get a popular template. So I thought, “Hmm, she doesn’t just need a new promo, she needs a new website. And while I’m at it, let’s get her some branding help too.” Then I just kept going. What resulted is what I’m calling Operation Brand Aid.

OPERATION BRAND AID

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the creation of Band Aid, a group of British musicians gathered by Bob Geldof to help raise money for AIDS in Africa. Now, I’m no Bob Geldof. And I’m certainly not even comparing this case to that of the plight of those in Africa. But as a play on words, I thought it apropos. And, like Bob did, I went to people in the industry to come and pitch in.

I sent an email to a few friends in the industry asking if they’d like to join me in this project. They all responded with an enthusiastic “yes.” I’m excited about the opportunity to work with a group of terrific companies and people to shine some light in an industry that lately has been beset with a lot of drama.

So, without further ado, the dream team.

My friend and co-WPPI presenter was the first person I thought of.  I was amazed that David Jay was actually the first person to reply, within less than 15 minutes I think. (If you’ve every sent DJ an email, you know how rare an occurrence it is to get a reply from him, not his auto-responder. ) ShowIt Sites is going to offer Lauren website hosting…forever! PLUS, consultation to make it look unique. Thanks DJ. Rock on!  (This alone is worth over $2500!)

Kevin Swan is a marketing pro and someone who I think totally “gets” it. He has a new venture offering brand consultation to photographers in need. Even though they are at their client maximum right now, he agreed to participate and offer Lauren brand consultation to ensure the uniqueness of her brand. Thanks Sevin, er, I mean Kevin.

One of the things I mildly criticized both Scralett and Lauren about was the use of a copyrighted song for their promo videos. I knew music was going to play a huge role in this project. Me and my friends at TSM go way back, lending songs for all the videos we’ve done for our many, many photography industry videos. Triple Scoop Music will be offering music for the promo, for the website, and for the the “making of..” video. Thanks Roy, Jen, and Ali!

One of the things that excited me most about my move to the Atlanta metro area was that  I’d be physically close to my good friends Rachel and Andrew Niesen, owners of LaCour and co-founders of the amazing studio management solution ShootQ. Every good business needs a great management system. So, ShootQ has agreed to offer Lauren at least a year subscription to their service. Thanks Rachel and Andrew. That’s a very generous offer. (BTW, I still want to have that “Last Star Fighter”/”Never Ending Story” double feature movie nite).

I would be remiss if I did not bring in the current evangelist for all things YOU-nique with regards to wedding photography branding. Author, inspirational speaker, coach, and a pretty darn good photographer to boot, Dane Sanders will offer a free consult with Lauren to help define who she is as a photographer. Naturally she’ll get a free copy of the book (assuming she doesn’t already have it), a free pDNA, and a year subscription to Dane’s monthly coaching program. (Note: I have to admit that I forget to ask Dane about the monthly subscription part. I’m hoping he’ll be okay with it. But, if it should magically disappear from this blog, then you know I goofed.

LET THE HEALING BEGIN
I’m particularly enthusiastic about the next two generous participants of Operation Brand Aid. Much of the drama that has surfaced as of late is centered around these next two companies. I really hope that  their participation and collaboration in this project will send a powerful message of unity and the hope to move on.

In the past year, SmugMug has exploded on the scene. From hosting Vincet Laforet’s videos to partnering with PhotographyMentor.com to provide an online HD school. Seems like wherever you turn, there’s that “mug.” They have graciously agreed to host the “making of…” TV show of Operation Brand Aid as well as the new promo video we’re producing for Lauren. Thanks Jeff Jochum for joining the party.

Last, and certainly not least, I had to hook up Lauren with my friends at Pictage. The undisputed leader in online lab processing and photo management for the wedding and portrait industry, Pictage has seen a lot of changes recently. Not the least of which is a new and visionary CEO, Jim Collins, who personally accepted my invitation to join this “dream team.” Pictage will be offering a year membership to their premium service. Thanks Jim. I look forward to what you have in store for your members.

MORE TO COME
Whew! That’s it for now. Put your hands together for your Operation Band Aid Dream Team.

Stay tuned to this blog, Twitter, or Facebook for further developments. I just may have 1 or 2 more friends join in.

After a lot of drama, negativity, and hoopla, let’s look at this as a shining example of all the GOOD that exists in this industry. I think it’s pretty cool I get to make this announcement on Good Friday.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I called Lauren again yesterday evening and she formally accepted my offer.

Mark your calendar folks for a major event in the world of wedding and portrait photography. Celebrity wedding and lifestyle photographer Mike Colón will be the next featured guest on “F-Stop Beyond: In Living Color”. We are partnering with PhotographyMentor.com to produce this episode, in association with Brooks Institute. I’m very excited about this event. It will be a sort of Inside the Actors’ Studio, but for photography. In true FSB style, I’ll be sure to ask Mike deep and personal questions to learn more about the man behind the lens. But, we’re also going to discuss some of his best photos and take questions from the audience.

What’s even more thrilling about this episode is that PhotographyMentor.com is going to stream it live to their chat room. So, if you can’t make it to the event in person, check it out live. You won’t want to miss this one!

The episode will air online as usual later this year.

DETAILS

The event is FREE. That’s right. Zero dollars. Zilch. Nada. Just bring a warm body and a good question. First come first serve.

Date: Next Monday, October 6, 7:30 pm PST
Location: Victoria Hall, 33 West Victoria St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Stay tuned to this blog, F-Stop Beyond, the F-Stop Beyond:In Living Color, or Ron’s Twitter for further details.

MORE BIG NAMES ON F-STOP BEYOND: IN LIVING COLOR

Also in the can and soon to be on the show is our interview with Kevin Kubota. Find out what it was like for little Kevvy-Kev growing up on the isle of Hawaii (FYI: I just made up the nickname. As far as I know, he was never called “little Kevvy-Kev.”) And, the original bad boy of wedding photography himself, the [b]-man will be on after that. We got chock full of exciting projects in the works. Tune in.

It was about 5:15 pm, Thursday, May 29. I was driving my 3-year-old son Joshua home from daycare when I got the call. I looked down at my iPhone and saw that is was my step dad (even though he and my mom have been divorced for over a decade, I still call him my step dad). Something in my gut told me something was wrong. It wasn’t unusual for him to call on my cell, but for some reason, this time it didn’t seem right.

“Hey Dennis, what’s up?”

“Hi Ron, I’m afraid I have bad news. Your mom died.”

Honestly, I don’t know if those were the exact words or not. But it doesn’t really matter. They hit me like ton of bricks. I got home as fast as I could, tears streaming from my face. I called my wife, Tasra, to come out so our daughter wouldn’t have to see me. Joshua was already crying because he knew something was wrong with daddy. I still couldn’t believe it.

A Mother’s Legacy

Saundra Aflreda Faye Adams was born April 30, 1946 in Winston-Salem, NC. She was the daughter of William and Ruth Adams. She had five other siblings. I won’t go into a long detailed history of my mom, but will share with you this one aspect of her life that most shapes my image of her.

When I was about three (1971), Saundra Dawson packed up everything she could fit into her VW bug, including her two sons, Ronny and Brandy (my brother was about one and a half), then drove cross country from Pennsylvania to Hollywood, CA. She was a single mom, separated from my dad, and about 24 or 25 years old. (I think back to my level of maturity when I was 25 and realize there’s no way in a million years I could have raised two children on my own. Much props go out to all you single moms out there). Saundra was a registered nurse and got a new job at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles (hospital to the stars).

She was starting a new life. Leaving the pain I only now can truly understand she must have felt having separated from my dad and still so young. (The divorce was finalized a few years later. I remember her telling us that she and my father weren’t going to get back together. It was a hard day.) For the next ten years (until she married my step dad in 1981 and became Saundra McIntosh), my mom raised my brother and I alone. And she made amazing sacrifices that more than anything, shaped us into the people we are today.

• I remember spending the night at my mom’s nursing office in the hospital the days she had to work the night shift. We’d stay up till ten watching “Wonder Woman” then drive over to Cedars and sleep on the floor behind her desk. It was so much fun. But, in retrospect, I imagine it might have been hard or embarrassing for her to have to drag your two kids with you to work. Or worry about leaving them in an office alone while you made your rounds.
• I remember her driving 90 minutes to two hours (each way) every week day from Playa del Rey to Altadena when I was in the 4th grade so that my brother and I could attend a private school. (Eventually we ended up sleeping at a friend’s house three days a week, another hard thing for a mom to do, I’m sure.)
• Every Christmas we had all the toys we ever asked of Santa, and then some.
• Every summer she let go of her two boys for a month for us to visit our dad back east in NJ so that we could still have somewhat of a relationship with our biological dad.
• She brought her dates home to meet us so that they’d know, if they married her, they were “marrying” us too.
• She bought her first home while still a single mom.
• She bough her second home while still a single mom.
• She got us a dog (which we later had to give up because we never walked the poor thing).
• In April of 1981, she married my step dad so that we could have a better life (he was a successful anesthesiologist).

My mom and step dad had a tumultuous, 14-year marriage wrought with lots of loud arguments. Admittedly, they were probably not really right for each other. She was a sweet, Christian lady and he a very cynical, outspoken, agnostic/atheist (I’m not sure he knows which he is.) Even after their divorce they’d fight. Much of it over the raising of my half-brother, Maquon. But, as my step dad said through tears at her memorial service, tumultuous as it was, it was due to passion. Passion can be bad and good. In his own way, he still loved my mom. (This week was the first I think I’ve ever seen him cry. I don’t even think I remember him crying at his mother’s funeral),

Her Greatest Gift

My mom’s memorial services were held Tuesday, June 3, in Inglewood, CA. Frank Wilson (an old and dear friend of the family and my mom’s pastor) and the congregation of New Dawn Christian Village pulled together quickly so that we could have the services on very short notice. Food, flowers, and friends were in abundance. Some old friends I hadn’t seen in years were there. This past week I even talked to my biological dad (who I haven’t spoken to in years…that’s a different story). He told me that my mom was a sweet and kind soul. That she, more than anything, was the reason my brother Brandon and I are the people we are today. And that the greatest gift she gave me and him was our love for God.

Friends and family shared many great stories about my mom. About how compassionate she was. How she cared for others. How she fought against injustices. (My aunt told how back in high school, my mom was taken away in a paddy-wagon as part of a civil rights protest. I never knew that. Hard to imagine my little mother being dragged off in handcuffs. You go mom! How she hated to fly. I mean, she’d literally scream on a plane. (One friend told of a time when the plane had to land and let her off it got so bad.) How she loved clothes and shoes. (My brother joked that up in heaven, as the angel was giving her her new angelic robes, she probably asked if it was Gucci). How pretty and vibrant she was. Many great stories were told. It was such a blessing to hear so many wonderful stories about her.

The last few years for my mom had been hard. Financial troubles, physical pain, and loneliness often got to her. I know now she’s in a much better place. And at peace. Next week she will be cremated and her remains placed alongside my grandfather, her dad.

The Take Away

The last time I saw my mom in person was about 18 months ago when I went down to L.A. for my high school reunion. Had I known that would be the last time I’d see her in person…well, you know. Woulda, could, shoulda.

I always like to have some sort of educational take away from my blog posts here. So I leave you with this: love on your mother. Take time to be with your family. Don’t let work get in the way of what’s really important in life. And remember, we’re only here for a relatively short time. Make the best of your visit. Find out what you’re really meant to do in this life, then pursue it with passion.

Thanks mom for helping me become the man I am today. Until we meet again, I love you.

My wedding day.

Joshua (3) and Imahni (13)

I am so happy that my mom had the opportunity to know her grand kids before passing.

If you’re in the Santa Barbara area around 4 pm on Tuesday, May 27, we invite you to stop by David Jay’s to participate in the latest taping of “F-Stop Beyond:In Living Color.” This is the video taped version of our weekly audio podcast. We plan to get up close and very personal with Mr. Jay (if you listen to the show, you know the deal). We’re looking to put together a small “studio” audience to do an “Inside the Actor’s Studio” style interview. Should be a lot of fun.

If you’re interested, please RSVP by Monday, May 26, to feedback@fstopbeyond.com. First come first served for this unique, “televised” event.

Cheers and happy Memorial Day weekend!

No, this isn’t a post on how to encourage more responsible behavior among the youth of our generation but telling them drugs are bad for them. This is part 2 of my short series on “Getting to No.” When we left off, I was discussing that there are times in business when it’s better for you to decline a job, rather than take it. Now, I’d like to briefly discuss some strategies you can use to make saying “no” easier. These are by no means exhaustive, and I am definitely not an expert at saying no. In fact, it’s one of the hardest things for me to do. Not because I always want the business, but because I’m one of those people who always wants to help out (if I can) when people ask. I tend to feel guilty when I tell people no. That’s a big problem I have to over come. But, when I have had the strength to say no in business, some of these reasons below have helped.

• Choose an area focus: for the first five years of our business, our focus was on high end wedding and personal event work. We took a small number of personal event video jobs per year at a higher rate. Any commercial work we did was totally referral based and represented about 1/3 of our business. As our rates raised to well beyond twice the average cost in our area, it naturally became more challenging to sell our services. I wanted to take the company to a new level, so last year we switched our focus to commercial work and it has really opened the world for us. We get a much more diverse range of projects to do. We still do wedding and event work, but it’s a lot easier to say no to those clients who I know may be more difficult to work with because it’s no longer our bread and butter. Commercial work now makes up more than 80% of our business.
• Specialize: I know this sounds similar to my first point about focusing, but there’s a slight difference. Here I’m talking about specializing in a particular area. For our company, we focus on commercial work, and we specialize in serving the pro photography community—photographers and companies that serve photographers. We also do a lot of work for non-profit groups looking to raise funds. If you become a specialist in an area, you can typically charge more, and you’ll find you’ll be busier since most clients in that area of expertise will turn to you. More business means it will be easier to say no to jobs you don’t want.
• Develop additional revenue streams: let’s face it, the easiest way to say “no” is to be bringing in enough money where you can afford to turn down work. If your main service isn’t at a level to do that, then look at carefully and strategically expanding your business to bring in other sources of revenue. It could be anything from selling a product to getting a part time job, doing contract work for others in your field, or relying on the spouse to balance out the budget.
• Believe in yourself and your worth: one of my favorite soap boxes to stand on is “getting paid what you’re worth.” For my event videography brethren out there, this is often a very difficult challenge to over come, particularly in the wedding world. Often times the videographer is one of the last vendors booked when the budget is almost used up. It’s hard to feel a high sense of self worth when you know a bride is paying more for her center pieces or her chair covers than she is for you, the one vendor who can capture both imagery and audio. But, it’s imperative for you to embrace your self worth, recognize the value you bring to the table, and stick to your guns when putting a price on your services. Don’t negotiate yourself down to the equivalent of minimum wage just because you want to get a gig. If you want to make three, four, five thousand or more per job, then don’t take the $2,000 jobs. It’ll be hard at first, but be resolute and work on marketing to and finding those clients willing to pay you what you’re worth.
• Set clear boundaries: sometimes saying “no” isn’t necessarily about turning down a job. It may be about what kind of hours you set, or how and when you meet potential clients. If you have a spouse and kids and you don’t want to meet clients after 5:30, then don’t. If they really want to hire you, they’ll find a way to get off work to come see you. Don’t be afraid to say “no” in situations where you will have to make family or personal sacrifices you don’t want to make. Publish your policies and stick to them. This could even work to your advantage. You’ll find that many potential clients will respect you more and be that more intrigued by you if you stand firm on such policies.

As I said, this list is by no means complete. But I think they are some of the best for getting your business to a point where you feel comfortable turning down work. Good luck out there and remember, “no” is not a four letter word.

The title of this post pays homage to the popular book “Getting  to Yes,” by Roger Fisher and William Ury about win-win negotiations. We as small business owners are typically very eager to close that next deal. We read dozens of books, articles, blog posts, and take workshops that we hope will help us in marketing ourselves and getting that elusive client to say “yes.” But, there are those times when we actually should be saying “no!” When, the stars don’t align, or the vibe is not right, or the client is just all wrong. The issue is though. For many of us, it’s hard to say “No.”

I’ve been thinking about this particular topic a lot lately. We have reached one of our busiest times in our six year history. We’ve been so busy that I’ve not been able to spend the kind of time with my family, or just for myself, that I’d ideally like to have. We’re at the stage where we’re bigger than a “mom and pop,” but we’re still a long way off from being what Robert Kiyosaki refers to as a “Quadrant B” company. A fully streamlined business able to run itself on autopilot, whether or not Ron Dawson picks up a camera or sits down at his Mac to edit. And I know that a lot of my fellow service providers out there are dealing with the same issues (particularly my videographer brothers and sisters). So, for all of us, the idea of “no” is one we need to consider for many reasons. Here are just a few times when it may be best to decline a job.

1. Pay not worth the work involved: this is a no-brainer. I’m a huge proponent of small businesses getting paid what they’re worth for their services. Aside from the times you may take a lower paying (or even free) gig for strategic reasons, don’t take a job that pays you less than you’re worth just to get it. I understand that when you’re just starting out, you may need to establish yourself first. But, once your quality is up to snuff, don’t be afraid to charge a fair rate for it.
2. Pay doesn’t reach a qualified level: there may be jobs whose pay is commiserate with the work that would be involved, but that pay level may not in and of itself be worth it to your company. Let’s say you’re a boutique photographer charging $10,000 for a full day’s work. Someone may ask you to do a job for $500, and it may be a fair rate for the requested work involved. But, if you get enough work as it is at your higher level, the incremental stress with managing yet another project may not be worth it. Also, if you take any job, no matter how low, you may need to consider a volume business model. If you’re a service provider, it’s much more difficult to build and successfully run a high volume business.
3. Job conflicts with your personal convictions: for those of you out there who make a living from your art (e.g. photography or video production), there may be jobs you don’t take because they conflict with your personal convictions. Early in my video career, I was contacted by a rap artist to shoot his video. The amount of profanity and the subject matter of the video was such that I declined. Don’t be afraid to stand firm to your personal beliefs or convictions.
4. Client may be “challenging”: we’ve all come across that client where you can tell from day one that they will be too challenging to work with. You know what I mean. There are certain names for such clients that I won’t bother to mention here. Let’s just say that your peace of mind and sanity aren’t worth selling out.
5. Quality of your service or product will suffer: a potential gig may meet all the qualifications to make it a worthwhile job, but the timing may just be wrong. If your workload is such that you cannot deliver a quality product or service commiserate with your established brand, you may have to say no. These are by far the hardest jobs to turn down. But, you could end up hurting yourself in the long run. We once took a gig from a high profile client because we really, really wanted to work with them. In any normal situation, I would have assigned myself personally. But we were already swamped and I was personally booked, so I assigned the gig to a junior member of my team. Given the nature of this client, it would have been better for me to pass over the job and hope to work with them at a future time when I knew I could offer our top talent. Unfortunately situations occurred that wouldn’t have otherwise happened if a more senior team member had been assigned. We live and learn. We may have hurt our chances or every working for that client again (or at least that division of that client. It’s a pretty big company).

Saying “No” ain’t easy

I completely understand  how hard it is to say “no” to someone willing to pay you for your services. I myself am guilty of all the above rules at one point or another (except for the convictions one). And I do understand that sometimes, by sheer nature of the fact your business may be your only form of income, saying “no” may not be an option. But, as your business grows, and your responsibilities grow, you’ll find that “no” may become the best way to establish proper boundaries between work and life.

In my next post, I’ll discuss some strategies you can use to help “get you to NO,” safe and in tact.