Swiss Army Knife
All right, business owners — let me put my coffee down. Let's talk!!
I've got one question for you. Would you rather spend a little more and know the product you're getting actually works — researched, proven, done right time and time again — or spend less and know, deep down, that it's not going to work?
I Niched Down on Purpose
I run a video production business and I'm a photographer, and I did the one thing most people in my world refuse to do: I niched down. People avoid it because it feels like it lessens what you do — fewer clients, a smaller circle, a tighter lane. But I did it on purpose, for two reasons. One, I KNOW it works, because I've proven it in my niches over and over. Two, I can charge more, because I know my product and my style deliver for the clients I serve.
So here's the funny part. A business owner asks me for a quote, passes on it, and hires someone who doesn't niche down — the one-trick pony, the Swiss Army knife that does everything, wants every client, and takes every job. And then this happens.
The Quote They Turned Down
A couple of years ago, back when I was doing motivational-speaker work, a client reached out for a quote — a sizzle reel, a marketing video for the speech they give to students across America. I'd done this many times. With my nonprofit youth-development background, I know how to build the relationships that actually make it work: the principals, the students, the superintendents.
They looked at my quote and said, "dang, that's a big quote." I said, "yes, but it's worth it, because I know exactly what I'm doing." They denied it.
Three months later, I found the result online. They'd brought in a production company that shot a commercial with genuinely bad acting. Not a single student looked like they cared what the speaker was saying. It looked terrible on film. I sent it to a few colleagues and close friends, and the reaction was unanimous: the kids looked like they'd been sent to detention, not like they were watching something worth watching.
That's the issue. They'd rather go with someone cheaper and walk away with less quality, less passion — less everything.
What to Actually Look For (and This Isn't About Me)
So if you're going to hire a videographer or a photographer — and I'm genuinely not talking about myself here, I'm talking to you — make sure they actually know what they're doing. Make sure they understand your world. The big things and the small things, the details only someone who's been in your space would even notice. That's what makes the video or the photos come back at the quality you're paying for.
Because if you don't get that, whatever you spent isn't worth a dime. It's not going to work. And a cheap product that doesn't work is more expensive than a good one that does.
Experience, or a Rusted Swiss Army Knife?
So ask yourself the real question. Would you rather go to the depths of your budget and know you're getting something that works — or keep a little budget left over, get something that doesn't, and then spend the next six months wondering why you paid for it at all?
