Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Brighton West, Founder of Brighton West Video, located in Portland, OR, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I'm a videographer for service-based videos - but with one major difference from most videographers. I'm 100% online. I'm never in the same room as my clients - often not in the same country. I create videos using my client's smartphones or webcams. I work mostly with coaches (life coaches, executive coaches, etc.) and consultants. I also run a few of my own YouTube channels (the latest about moving to Mexico before you retire) and also create videos for Amazon products.
Tell us about yourself
I have always enjoyed creating videos - entertaining or educational. I was living in Portland, Oregon, when the IFC show Portlandia became popular. I had an idea about making a parody of this show (itself a parody of life in Portland) when I met an actor who looked strikingly similar to Fred Armisen. Together we started filming the web series "Vancouvria," based on the conservative suburb of Portland, Vancouver, Washington. With this YouTube success, people started asking me if I could help them on YouTube. So I realized there was a business opportunity. I enjoy helping clients create online videos, and I also enjoy creating my own online content. This business allows me to work from anywhere in the world with clients that I choose.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I think my biggest accomplishment is creating the business I set out to create. I had two goals: to work from anywhere in the world and to work with clients I liked. In the beginning, I had to fire clients, and I didn't like being tied to a physical location. Now I can definitely say that I love all my clients, and I'm looking out my window at the bay of La Paz in Mexico. That's success.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The one thing I don't like about being a solopreneur is that I have to run a business—things like accounting and taxes. But the good news is that I've hired people to do that stuff for me.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Start by imagining what the perfect job would be - including how that impacts your life. When you're a business owner, your life and business are really the same thing. You need to make money but start with setting out to create the perfect life, then work on how to earn money.
- Be creative. My business model didn't exist 5 years ago. I invented virtual videography (and then the pandemic forced many videographers to adapt to this model.) I also get a large chunk of my revenue from making Amazon product videos - that didn't exist 5 years ago.
- Remember that you are not your customer. You need to market to your ideal client - not market to yourself. Draw up an ideal customer avatar and use that "person" to test each marketing or product/service concept.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.brightonwestvideo.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brightonwest/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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