Studio Sherpas Podcast

Video marketing is taking off. More and more companies want your talents to help them stand apart. But how do you stand out from all the other video marketers out there? As my guest on this episode, Anesha Collins, will tell you, the key is educating yourself. In addition to being a fantastic wedding photographer and videographer, Anesha Collins helps businesses grow through video marketing. She knows how to do this because she’s doing it herself. In addition to building her own successful brand as a video-marketing strategist, Anesha has spoken at many important conferences on the topic and has dedicated herself to educating people like you and me on doing it too. Today, Anesha shows us how many of us are missing out by not thinking outside of the box. The number of companies that want video marketing is growing. We talk about why it might be something you should consider doing and how to stand apart from the crowd when pitching your video marketing services to clients. We also talk about what it means to st

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 rememb

Wearing the badge of "The Boss" is not something that came easily to me. Even though I had been employing others for a long time, it took me years before I was comfortable with that title. I know I’m not alone in this. If you’ve ever struggled with owning the title of “boss,” then tune in to this week’s episode for some solid advice from the hosts of the wildly successful podcast “Being Boss.” Being Boss is the creation of “business besties” Kathleen Shannon and Emily Thompson, who started their podcast to help bosses like you and me navigate the murky waters of running a business. Their dedicated audience has downloaded their podcast’s 200-plus episodes over 6 million times. I’m so excited to have Kathleen and Emily on my show as they’ve been instrumental in helping countless creative entrepreneurs break the mold and find success on their terms. As the boss, identifying what works and what doesn’t is going to help you make it or break it. We talk about what it takes to wear the title of “boss” and the habits

As business owners and creatives we often struggle to find our identity. It’s a messy process, full of ups and downs, successes and setbacks. Trust me though, the mess is a good thing. Embrace it! As you’ll hear today, perfection will just get in your way. Today’s guest is someone you may have heard of. That’s because Jasmine Star has nearly 1 million social media followers. She’s crushing it helping businesses grow, especially on social media. Her passion and goal is in helping people like you and me build and monetize a fulfilling business that they can be proud of. In this interview, we discuss what it means to truly show up in your business every day. Jasmine’s perspective on being present for your work is both illuminating and inspiring. We talk about the creativity that goes to those with discipline to create and stick to a repeatable process to manage workflow. As is the case with most successful, Jasmine's journey has been its own roller-coaster ride. In this episode, she shares how the messy parts ha

ONE HUNDRED EPISODES. Where to even begin? I’ve been thinking a lot about the significance of this milestone over the past few weeks as we’ve been approaching this episode and while I recognize it as a meaningful achievement, it’s also incredibly humbling. And in this episode, I want to share some of my personal lessons, some insight into the exciting future of Studio Sherpas, as well as turn over the mic to our community. The past two years of Studio Sherpas have been filled with countless ups, downs, triumphs, and struggles, both personally, and professionally. But the constant driving force for me has always been you, the listeners and this incredible community built together. Whether you’ve been with us since last week, or from episode 1 over two years ago, there’s no such thing as Studio Sherpas without you. In this episode, we hear from a number of our listeners, past guests, a former co-host, as well as me, Ryan as I share some of my takeaways from our guests and community, as well as a look ahead at w

If you want your business to grow, you have to do sales. I don’t care if you don't like sales. You gotta do it. The good news is, you don’t have to be as sleazy as you might think. In fact, to do it right. you shouldn’t be at all. What you do need to do though, is have a clear process. My old college friend and roommate Jim Hoogewind is just the guy to help you define that process. Jim is a guru in sales and has given me so many amazing ideas to get me through the struggles I was having in the sales process. If it weren’t for him, I don’t know where my sales process would be today. I’ve relied so much on his wisdom. He’s encouraged me to approach sales in a different way than I would have considered otherwise. In this interview, we talk about what sales really is. It’s not trying to convince someone to buy something they don’t want. It’s about providing value. Once you’ve defined the value you bring to clients, you’re ready to sell them what you got. We go on to discuss how to set up a successful prospecting

All you business owners know that we spend a lot of time doing work that is necessary to run our business, but that falls outside our passions. You got into this to make videos, not handle accounting, payroll, and so on. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it’s so important to bring people on board who can free up your time and energy so that you can focus on what really drives you and your craft. My guest knows a thing or two about this and how to make it work. Marc Womack is the founder of Sub7 in Columbus, Georgia. For nearly two decades, Mark has been working with some really amazing brands to create some kick-ass programming on country and outdoor living. Eight years ago he started Sub7 and has been crushing it ever since making TV shows, commercials, and brand management projects about the great outdoors. Today we talk about what it was like building a business that fits into a particular niche. Marc tells us why you can’t do it alone and how he built a successful business by relying on the talen

I would guess that when you first launched your business you felt isolated, lost, and on your own. It’s okay, I did too. Deciding how to advertise, what to charge, and how to get on your feet is new and uncertain ground. You might have felt pressured to be the best out there and stand out among all the competition right out of the gate. I bet that was exhausting! Today, Jeff Pickett is going to share some great lessons he learned when he got started to help you navigate your own journey. Jeff is the founder of Media by JP in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where he does video production for commercial social media content and weddings. Before recently reinventing his professional life as a video producer, Jeff worked in healthcare marketing and restaurants. Now Jeff makes videos that get right to the emotional heart of his subjects. In this interview, Jeff talks about how he transitioned to video production after working for years in other fields. Jeff wasn’t too afraid to ask other video producers for advice about

Have you been chasing one new idea after another so much that actually building and running your business has gotten away from you? Don’t sweat it! You’re not alone, and the good thing is there’s help. You have to get focused and organized, and I’ve got just the guy here to help tell you how to do it! Smackdowner in chief Preston True helps entrepreneurs get organized so that they can realize their business’ full potential. He has the superhero ability to bring people clarity in designing and running their business around the EOS model. As he puts it, “I simplify, strategize, and challenge in order to create clarity and action from chaos.” We lay the collective smackdown on how to pursue your professional dreams without making excuses and getting distracted. We discuss defining and harnessing your unique ability to create value and move your business in the direction that it needs to go. It takes a lot of self-reflection and commitment, but the value you’ll add as a result will be incredible. What unique abil

I get it. Your passion is video, not the nitpicky ins and outs of business. But using that passion to put money in the bank is crucial to keeping your passion going. If only you had a roadmap to success. All you regular listeners know I used to struggle with productivity. Deciding exactly where to take my business was nearly paralyzing. Well, my guest today has her own passion for helping you find the clarity and direction you need so your business can take off. Lauren Goldstein is the founder and CEO of the internationally successful consulting firm Golden Key Partnership. For nearly ten years Lauren has been helping business owners make strategy both offline and online simple so that they can grow. She sees herself as a doctor for your business who will create a treatment plan for what ails your company. Deciding exactly where to focus takes clarity. Lauren shares some amazing strategies to identify what is most important to you and the success of your business so that you can ignore all the useless parts a

Knowing your core values and implementing them into your work is perhaps the most important thing you can do to stay in business for the long haul. Your core values are the roadmap to getting the jobs and clients you’re excited about while staying flexible enough to ride the inevitable changes in the market. Today, Krista Chapman is going to tell us how it’s done! Krista is an event planner turned business and marketing strategist. She’s the founder of Path & Compass where she helps creative business owners think critically about their audiences and appreciate what they create so they can be intentional about their work. In this exciting episode, Krista drops some truth bombs about the importance of valuing your self-worth as a business owner and creative. You have to understand that you are worth more than that nagging voice inside your head would have you believe. You also need to be adaptable. The world is changing and so is the market. Staying true to your core values while adapting to the changes aro

What does it take to create a successful or viral video campaign? There are so many parts to the process, from selling clients on an idea, setting a budget, and assembling a creative team, that it might seem out of reach at times. Today, Daniel Harmon shares how he's been able to do it over and over again. Daniel is Chief Creative Officer at Harmon Brothers whose work you might be familiar with from their break-out hit Poo~Pourri campaign. All said, his projects have been seen over one billion times and Harmon Brothers has been consistently turning out smash-hit campaigns and winning awards for years. Daniel’s journey into creative directing has been a combination of hard work, determination, and happenstance. He’s a pro at coming up with creative ideas and putting them into action to create some unforgettable ad campaigns. We discuss Daniel’s journey to creating a successful ad agency, he shares tips on growing a thriving business including dealing with staffing, putting creative ideas into action, and setti

As creatives, we often think we have to do everything ourselves. But there’s usually too much to do without losing your sanity. I feel ya! I know I’d have so much trouble running Studio Sherpas without my own awesome VA. (Shout out to Tina!) What VAs give us is freedom, peace of mind, and the opportunity to slow down and remember what’s important to us. Trivinia Barber is the founder and CEO of the boutique virtual assistant agency, Priority VA. Her company matches entrepreneurs with highly-skilled assistants who help them make the space to run only the parts of their business that they want to. Today we talk about why hiring a VA is going to free up so much more room in your life and business. There are things that you might not know how to do, don’t want to do, or just don’t have time for that a VA can get off your plate. There are a lot of reasons why you might be hesitant to bring on an assistant. Trivinia shares her advice on how to work well with assistants so you don’t have to worry about having someon

Have you ever worked hard to create an amazing video for a client and then nobody sees it? Maybe it’s not placed well on the client’s website or the client just doesn’t follow through effectively with their campaign. When this happens to me, I know my job isn’t over, but just how can we help? In today’s episode, I speak with Mike Schmidt, CEO, and founder of the digital marketing agency Anchor Wave based in Tucson. He and his 20 person team build websites, run Facebook ad campaigns, handle SEO, and all sorts of online promotions for many small, local companies. Mike has always enjoyed helping other businesses achieve their goals using technology. In this sense, what he does is not dissimilar to video production. We discuss how to build those important early client relationships that are so crucial when getting your business up and running. Once those trusted connections are established you can go back to the client time and again to offer them your services - a much easier prospect than hustling for new work.

Getting your business up and running when you have 1,000 ideas and expectations of what to do, but no real roadmap to work with might be the most daunting task imaginable. Deciding what clients to work with, prices to charge and staff to hire is enough to scare many people away. Caleb Maxwell, the co-founder of Hebron Films, has figured out a way to work with clients he is truly excited about, that align with his values, but that also can pay the bills. Caleb’s company produces high-quality films in Bendigo, Australia. Although Hebron Films is only five years old, Caleb already has a process nailed down for working with the best clients for him and producing stellar videos. He started by literally walking into his favorite businesses and asking if they wanted a video. Now his company makes all sorts of videos from TV ads to charity camp videos to art films. Today we talk about what it’s like to be a small business working with other small businesses. We discuss how to create your business from the ground up w

If you’re anything like me you probably started your business because you love making videos. Being creative might come naturally to you, but authentically selling your value to clients may not be your biggest strength. Sometimes we might put on a persona that isn’t true to ourselves, or we show up unprepared. It’s often a deal breaker, but all too common. My longtime friend, Jason McCullough is an expert communicator. He started +1 because he wants people to find clarity in what they do. Through his articles, courses, and coaching he helps people communicate better so that they can maintain the best client relationships that they can. He joins me in the studio today so we can discuss how creative entrepreneurs can communicate more effectively. We share some stories of when we’ve struggled to communicate well with our customers. If you are a person that needs to be able to sell better and more authentically, if you ever have a problem critiquing something or receiving criticism, or have ever been in an argume

Scaling up your business without sacrificing quality and customer service is a complex, daunting challenge facing any business owner (yup, I’ve been there). You have the potential to grow, make more money, find new clients, and create a larger impact in the world, but setting up the systems you need to do so is a minefield. It doesn’t have to be though. Kate Erickson knows just how to help you implement these systems. She is passionate and gifted in project management and has lived the entrepreneurial journey herself. Kate knows that this is one of the hardest parts of scaling up a business. As a creator, engager and implementer at EOFire she helps break down this process so that you can build the business that you always wanted have. On today’s exciting episode, we discuss how you can grow your business into something you are passionate about. We discuss what it means to take hold of your dreams and how to grow your business while also discovering how to effectively provide great customer service. I personal

Identifying your ideal customer sure is an overwhelming process. So is crafting a clear message that shows them that you understand and empathize with their problems and needs. My friend Mark Wallenwine understands that problem as well as anyone and I am so thrilled that he joins us today to discuss his step-by-step process of helping you craft the message you need to grow your business.   Mark is a StoryBrand certified guide and copywriter. He helps million dollar companies craft clear messages, clarify marketing assets, and discover the character of their brand and their target audience so that their business can grow. I am so thrilled that Mark was good enough to join me to share his proven methods for achieving this.    In this episode, Mark explains the steps of his workshop so you can see just how he helps brands narrow down their picture of their ideal client and clarify their message. It’s truly exciting and brimming with aha moments.    Have you been struggling to define your brand’s message and your

This week we're throwing it back to one of my favorite interviews I've done, featuring Mark Winters. Rocket Fuel, the book he co-authored with Gino Wickman is one of the most impactful books in my entrepreneurial journey and I highly recommend you check it out.  If you’re like me, and most other creative business owners, you’re really good at starting projects, but not always at finishing through on them. You have a ton of amazing ideas but most of them never get acted upon, and it feels like if only you could find the time to actually implement these thoughts your business would be unstoppable. If that sounds familiar, this is completely normal. You’re most likely what Mark Winters calls a visionary. Mark is the co-author of a book called Rocket Fuel, where he and his co-author Gino Wickman detail the two essential roles that need to be filled for any business to truly thrive. As we discuss, most business owners and entrepreneurs are Visionaries, people who excel at coming up with ideas, but often lack the

Being a filmmaker often means chasing the clients and the work while leaving your passion projects on the backburner. It’s often easier, even “safer” not to do the work that truly speaks to your creative side, even though that work can open more doors and help you grow as a creator and artist. Lee Morton is the founder of Mozell Films, a company that helps brands tell their stories through video, while also doing freelance work as a director. In today’s episode, he not only shares his knowledge on how to build successful business connections, but we also go deep into what it means to create work that you’re truly passionate about. Lee’s entrepreneurial journey is truly inspiring. He built his company from scratch by making gutsy decisions and snagging the best opportunities that came his way. Today, we discuss how to chase your dreams without regret and how to grow as an artist while also building and running a successful business. Do you have a passion project you’ve been putting off? Or, has such a project