Staying small or going big?

[Paul Nguyen]

Originally Posted by Peter Jefferson

"That and the fact that our studio is a home based studio which automatically puts us at a disadvantage in relation to this higher end clientelle's mentality. Here in AUs it makes a difference anyway..
Home based business' dont mean much and dont get teh appreciation that a "shop front" would recieve
Its also the equipment we use and the public perception of the product itself..
There are many factors to consider

Yes I agree with Peter, as we're also a home-based studio in Sydney AU. Furthermore we've found that many of the clients we call on actually question why we don't use large shoulder mounted cameras (we use DVX & XL2) and a small proportion have even asked us how much our cameras cost, only to tell us that other videographers they've seen use $30,000 cameras!! Unfortunately perception (shop-front and size/cost of camera) seems to play a big role for the Sydney market.

The majority of work I've seen from large companies during expos seems to be typical production line quality lacking inspiration and employing the same old staged antics you see in most videos thus reducing the perceived value of wedding videography.

Is it any wonder many couples are choosing to get their uncle Bert to shoot video altogether and spend $4,000 on a photographer.

I really wish we had a WEVA in Australia - we're always saying that we want to go to Vegas but are always grounded by reality when we think of how it will impact our business. Maybe next year!!

Sorry for hi-jacking this thread.

[Bryan Daugherty]

I am reaching the point where expansion would really help but given the current economy I have trepidations. I really enjoyed reading this thread and would love to hear any updates on how you and your respective companies are doing in this current economy. I am looking to bring a few subcontractors under my umbrella in a more official capacity but not as employees as the jobs are not quite steady enough. I trust these people and am planning to hammer out non-compete and work for hire agreements with an attorney but am just trying to get a bigger picture of how everyone is running in this economy. Thanks!

[Ryan DesRoches]

We are still part time and chugging along. This year is a slower year for us, partly due to the economy and partly due to choice, as I am planning my own wedding for this August. So we didn't even advertise during the fall of last year right up until the end of April (normally our busiest booking periods).

We have enough right now to keep us busy, but also allows us to enjoy some weekends this summer and plan for our own wedding.

2010 though looks like it will be a good and busy year. I did lower my prices a little bit to deal with the economy, and am advertising again (facebook is working the best for me right now). I'm thinking about taking an ad out on the Knot and seeing what that will bring me, we'll see. $4000 for a web ad is a little bit nuts, but I also know that the Knot is guaranteed to bring me a lot of good leads.

We did buy a new HD camera at the end of last year - the Sony Z7U (which I love!). So I might end up getting another one (for my second shooter - right now we rent one when we need it). The plan going forward is to keep my day job for another year and see what happens, unless bookings really go through the roof for 2010 - then we might reevaluate that plan!

Ryan