Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in videography but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jinbon Lau, Owner of Films by Jinbon, located in Ottawa, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Films by Jinbon is a wedding videography company based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I create story-based wedding films that are honest and true to each unique couple. My goal is to capture my clients' wedding day naturally as it unfolds so that they can retell their authentic story for the years to come.
Tell us about yourself
I am the main videographer and editor of Films by Jinbon. When I was younger, I used to always carry around a camera on family trips and outings. Eventually, after many years of taking photos, I decided to venture into the world of videography. Knowing absolutely nothing about it, I ended up documenting my travels for fun, which in turn, led to a friend asking me to capture their wedding day. Fast forward more than ten years later, I am now capturing love stories on a full-time basis.
This is definitely not something I envisioned myself doing for a living after graduating from university in Finance and Economics. However, what I can say is that leaving my nine-to-five job has been one of the most rewarding and satisfying decisions that I have made to date. What motivates me the most to do what I do now is the positive vibes and satisfaction that I receive from my clients. I am so grateful for having turned this passion of mine into Films by Jinbon, a drawing board where I can display my couples' authentic journey.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner so far is being recognized for my work within the wedding industry. Not only does it take years of experience, dedicated work, and trust, but creating strong working relationships with other vendors and clients is not an easy task. I'm glad to say that after years of improving my skill set and ability to produce a high-quality, unique video product, the sense of recognition is finally there. I can now show up to a wedding and feel like I am part of the team.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The hardest thing that comes with being a business owner for me is managing all my tasks, staying organized, and not burning myself out. As a self-employed individual, there are always so many tasks on my to-do list. Whether it's updating my website, responding to emails, or editing videos, it all becomes overwhelming at some point. The key to success here is outsourcing some of your tasks to experts so that you can focus your time where it matters most in your business.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
These tips will be quite specific to the wedding videography/photography industry:
- Develop a strong portfolio in a specific niche that you enjoy. When you are first starting out, it's easy to jump into every form of videography. I found that once I started to specialize in one field (weddings), my business grew significantly faster as I developed the skills specific to my industry.
- How expensive or updated your equipment is doesn't matter. If you invest in education on how to use your equipment rather than purchasing the most expensive gear, the results will show. I run a very minimalist style of shooting, so for me, having less gear and more mobility is a key factor on a wedding day. Knowing how to use your gear, determining what gear suits your style of shooting, and having the right pieces of equipment at the right time, is much more important than one might think.
- Invest in a customer relationship management system. Automating your tasks (emails, scheduling, invoices, contracts, etc.) to your leads/clients will save you hours of work on a weekly basis.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://jinbon.ca/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsbyjinbon/
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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