238: Why Diversification Will Make Your Business Stronger w/ Jeffrey Johnson

Grow Your Video Business

Diversification in your business is essential to its survival. I think that’s something we all learned recently. Yet, you can’t always do everything yourself. Today’s guest explains how he learned to use outside expertise in order to keep his business agile and profitable.

Key Takeaways

Bringing in outside experts allows you to take on a wide variety of projects. While this is an extra expense, it will likely lead to higher quality work which you can charge more for.

Always be looking for more and different opportunities. Complacency will not help you when situations unexpectedly change.

About Jeffrey Johnson

Jeffrey Johnson has been around cameras all his life. His dad managed a camera shop, and he helped him develop photos in a makeshift darkroom at home. He grew to be passionate about art and music and studied design. But Jeffrey lost his drive to be creative for years, working in sales and management. After a life-changing event and a cross-country move, he decided to take photography classes, which reignited his creative passion and propelled him to quit his proverbial day job and start freelancing in 2012.

Jeffrey slowly niched down to commercial work, specializing in architecture, interiors, and tabletop. A few clients wanted video, and he decided to dip his toes in the water. Bam! He was pulled in by the opportunity to be a visual storyteller on a whole other level. When the pandemic presented an opportunity to rebrand and relaunch, he joined the VBA to optimize his business so he could offer a full suite of creative services under one roof.

Flexibility as the Key to Survival and Success

In this episode, Jeffrey explains how he gradually transitioned into video. One central aspect of freelancing is being open to new opportunities. Say yes and figure it out later. Jeffery certainly got his start in video this way.

A key part of this process is being open to all sorts of new opportunities. Since you may be new to what you’re doing, having a trusted network of people who you can rely on is crucial. By bringing in experienced experts when needed, you’ll improve your own craft. You’ll also create mutually beneficial opportunities that might come back to help you out later on.

Getting Outside Help in Order to Achieve More

Jeffrey knows that he wouldn’t have survived as a business owner on his own. While it’s natural to want to be protective of your ideas and creations, sometimes you need to share them with others to bring your work to fruition. If not calling in outside help means your work won’t go anywhere, what do you have to lose through collaboration?

Is it worth it to create a passive income opportunity for your business? How has bringing in outside help improved the way that you do business? Leave a comment on the episode page!

In This Episode:

• How Jeffrey got his start in photography and transitioned to video [4:40]
• The power of your network to expand the type of work you do [9:45]
• Having a vision for your business that remains flexible when circumstances change [12:55]
• Passive income opportunities that can see you through hard times [15:44]
• Why being protective of your work is the wrong mindset [21:45]
• Recognizing your achievements that took time to materialize [28:45]

Quotes

“Maybe life is too short to be doing something that I’m not super excited and passionate about. I wanted a creative outlet.” [5:42]

“The work really needs to come first. Buying the gear is not going to make the work come to me. I need to seek out the work that will justify acquiring the gear.” [9:33]

“If you’re doing really great at something and you get too comfortable, then the world is going to up and change and you’ll become outdated, obsolete, and left in the dust.” [21:08]

Links:

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Core

Find Jeffrey Johnson online

Follow Jeffrey on Instagram | Linkedin | Facebook

Additional Links:

Check out the full show notes page

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