Business for Self-Employed Creatives

Marcus Weiss is an actor who's had an extensive career in theater, TV, film, and radio. You may have seen him in Blue Man Group, Le Reve, Hedwig & the Angry Inch, and Second City Improv & Comedy, to name a few. He's also a teaching artist for the Disney Musicals in Schools Program at the Smith Center for Performing Arts, and a performance coach with a Mastermind called “Express and Connect.”

In this episode, we talk about how growing up in Switzerland shaped his outlook on seeking "busyness," how formal training (he got his BA in drama from Dartmouth and a Masters in Acting at Temple University) gave him more tools for expression, which allows him more freedom.

We also discuss how the "Yes, and..." principle of Improv can be applied to your business or life outside of comedy, why mindset (or heartset, as he likes to call it) has become so meaningful, and the importance of getting out of your head and creating a path that feels good from the neck down.

Connect with Marcus:

IG: @themarcusweissexperience 

Facebook: The Marcus Weiss Experience and Marcus Jacob Weiss

Twitter: @swissmarcus

Mastermind: "Express & Connect"

--

Connect with me on your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl or on Clubhouse @aardvarkgirl

--

01:36 I have no sort of inherent, vague, foggy fears about communication or about expressing myself or about connecting with other people. 

03:18 There are those who consider being out of your comfort zone to be like a negative thing. And then there's those, and you can sort of train yourself, who consider coming out of your comfort zone to be an exciting thing. Like, Ooh! I am out of my comfort zone! I'm going to be growing! I'm going to be learning something!

06:00 I suppose the way that I look at training is, I just have more tools of expression. For me, more training and more knowledge creates more freedom, because it gives me more room. It gives me more toys to play with.

09:36 Improv has that foundation of a “Yes, and” mindset, which means that things that you see, things that you experience, people that you meet, conversations, situations, there's always a “YES! I'm going to embrace that. AND I'm going to add to it.” In other words, I'm going to take what's happening, and I'm going to incorporate it. I'm going to welcome it. And I'm going to change what my idea was. YES! I'm going to be expanded by that. AND we're going to create something together that didn't exist before. So it's a technical thing, but it's also a mindset.

12:08 Being flexible and saying yes to the possibilities of any situation can be really important.

14:00 When things don’t meet what our expectations, we don't feel good. Things that ultimately don't feel good, don't make us happy, and therefore, don't make those around us happy. And we're ultimately not making the world a better place or a more uplifted place.

16:13 Things take work, but there's a lot that we can do in terms of how we sort of look at the world. 

17:04 There was a certain philosophical, cultural, and political context that I grew up in (in Switzerland) that I perceived as very different when I came to the States. When I came back, I remember specifically that there was this, like, muscular, almost aggressive pursuit of like achievement, and happiness, and fulfillment.

19:36 What's important? I think whatever makes us feel alive. But some of us grab onto this notion of growing, and then we attach measurements to it, and that's where that sort of judgment comes in, like I gotta do more.

20:55 We're busy. But I think we have to be aware of the really underneath of that. What would you feel like if you stopped for an hour? Or an afternoon? Or a day or a week?

22:04 I think everybody wants to feel that we’re enough. It all starts with what you're saying to yourself, right? Feelings ultimately have to do with the story that you're telling yourself, and the way that you interpret situations. 

24:54 90% of what I did up to the slowdown went away, because I was teaching in classrooms live and I was performing virtually full time. And I had a lot of day jobs. At first, because we were in such crisis mode, I didn't really register it as much. The reality of not being able to connect with people in that way live didn't really sink in for about two months. Then I realized that that is something that I feel really attached to in my life.

29:39 If we ask ourselves the right questions, or if we ask each other the right questions, we can get to the issues together. And if the intention of those questions is coming from a… I was gonna say a loving place, or a joyful place, but even if it's just coming from a constructive place, or from an objective place, or from a place where we intend to solve things together, I think we can really go far. As two people hanging out, or as groups, or as a culture, as a society and as a world.

37:08 I want to be able to unfold, and I think it's interesting that a lot of what I've done have been pieces that have allowed me to go to those different kinds of places.

41:14 If you're having a real moment with somebody, a real intimate moment with one person, or maybe with two people, an audience of 2000 people will zoom in on it. And I think the reason they're zooming in on it is not because there's a lot happening, it's because our hearts are discovering something that all of us would like to experience.

45:03 If I give you my time, I'm giving the most precious thing I have. 

46:09 Life of a performer, it can be so uncertain. It can be filled with ups and downs, lefts and rights. It's completely nonlinear, but so is life a lot of time. And full of disappointment. It's like you work really hard, and there's a lot of stuff that doesn't seem like it's in your control, you know? So there can be a tendency to feel disappointed. So you're always working on that. If you graduated from medical school, you're not all of a sudden, like, hmmm, yeah, you're not gonna ever work. It's not like you’re like, oh, man, I did two operations this year! Oh, that was a good year for me! But with actors, it's kind of like, hey, man, I got a job this year!

47:59 I've noticed that every time I'm able to fully express myself with the intention of connecting with others, and sharing our hearts with each other, that's when life happens. And so whatever context that somebody might be in, whether it's a live Instagram video, or whether it's talking to your family, or whether it's being a being an actor in front of 2000 people, if somebody can find a way to express their voice, their story, their message, and connect with others so that they feel heard and seen and felt, then it will uplift everyone and it will give other people permission to do the same. And I think that will serve everybody.

55:36 I think we all just want the world to “Yes, and” us. But it takes it takes faith and courage. And then the experience that it might be happening. Your confidence will come from competence, but you have to take the action first, and then it becomes this loop. You just gotta find a way to say the right things to yourself and to your brain and to your heart. Take the action and do it. And then praise yourself, allow yourself to be kind to yourself, love yourself enough to take that in. That'll build your confidence.

56:55 Permit yourself to not give up. If you feel like doing it, even for a while, then do it. But keep on trying to check in with yourself and see if it's really where you want to head. And then there's always a way, no matter what. Keep finding a way to turn towards what feels good from the neck down. All the thoughts, that's great, and the analysis of things, that's great. But there's a lot of ways to live your life and to create your path anywhere, but particularly in the arts and creative professionals. But what's important is that it feels good in your in your whole self.

 

When you're feeling overwhelmed with all the things you need to get done, take a few moments to prioritize and make sure you're working effectively.

Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

--

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you feel like you just can’t catch up? Like every time you cross one thing off of your to do list, you’ve added three more? That’s the kind of week I had last week. I started off with what I considered to be a reasonable list of things to accomplish. Get all of the year-end reporting done for my business and for my clients. Send out all the 1099s. Produce a short video to kick off the new year. Get some podcast episodes finished so I can get ahead again. And all of my usual weekly client work.

Some of the things on that list, mostly related to the podcast, I had planned on doing the weekend before. New Year’s Day fell on a Friday so it felt like I had an extra day. I had every intention of being productive. I did get some things done around the house that I’d been wanting to do for a while. Remember back in March of 2020 when everyone was organizing their pantries? I took a bit longer to get around to it. But organizing my pantry turned into organizing every single thing in my kitchen. It took a bit longer than I was expecting. And there was a new season of Cobra Kai I had to watch, of course. That was very important.

Then Saturday I just wasn’t into it. I woke up with a headache and I knew I needed a day of rest. I always think it’s important to listen to your body when it’s telling you what you need. So even though I kept hearing in the back of my mind that I should get some stuff done, I knew I needed the break. Sunday is my food prep day and I got a bit ambitious with all of the recipes I wanted to make for the week. And then suddenly the long weekend was gone. Oops.

I wasn’t too concerned about it though. I only put things off when I know there’s enough time to put them off. So I often bargain with myself. For example, “I’m going to binge this show this weekend and then if I need to work later than usual next week, that’s fine.” Or “I am going to spend all day Saturday on my personal projects this weekend and next weekend I’m going to stay away from all screens.” When you run your own business, you get to do things like that because you really only have to answer to yourself. And maybe your clients, but I would never put off work that needs to be done for them.

I always say you have to put yourself first sometimes. Whether that means taking a day for self-care or turning down a client project because you have things you need to do for your own business. But sometimes the right move for you and your business is to delay your plan and focus on what they need. Within reason, of course. The level of service I give to my clients is why they’re so loyal to me. They know they can depend on me. And I never want to be the person that someone is waiting for. I get frustrated when I’m delayed on what I need to do because someone else hasn’t done their part yet. I know how many times I’ve been venting to someone that I’m at a standstill because I can’t do anything I need to do until someone else gets back to me with something. I don’t ever want to be the person someone is venting about.

I think it’s important when you’re running your business, or just in being a human in general, to keep in mind what it would feel like if the roles were reversed. If you were the client and were being held up because someone you were paying wasn’t getting their work done, would you want to keep working with them? Again, within reason. I’m not talking about those clients who don’t respect boundaries or expect you to drop everything any time they need you. That’s a separate topic. But being considerate of other people’s workflow is really important.

And when your workflow involves managing several clients who are all on their own schedules and timelines, you have to balance those with your own. That’s where prioritizing comes into play. Determining which tasks you need to do first and which can wait. There are a number of ways to do this, and the best way really depends on how you process information, because we’re all different. For me, I do best with good old-fashioned to do lists. Well, I guess not TOO old-fashioned because mine are digital, but every now and then I do go back to my trusty post-it note system. That’s where I actually write down things I need to do so I have something right in front of me (versus a to do list in my phone that I only see when I’m intentionally looking at it). When I’m done with it, the post-it note goes away. This is what I used to do when I worked in an office. It was simple and effective.

And don’t worry, I fill up both sides so I’m not just wasting paper. And I recycle.

But for the most part, I stick with my digital lists. I usually have a few – one for the day, one for the week, one for the bigger picture, one for a specific project, etc. I’ll start by listing everything I know I need to do. Once it’s all there, I start moving things around in order of priority. Anything with a hard deadline gets put to the top. Anything that’s going to take less than 30 minutes is next, mostly because I can knock those out and get them off the list - and the fewer things on the list means the fewer things my brain is thinking about, which means a lower possibility of feeling stressed.

Sometimes it’s best to take a few minutes, even when you feel you don’t have a few minutes to spare, to make sure you’re working effectively. Prioritizing is a huge part of that. Take a few deep breaths, and then make a plan. Look at your list and check in with yourself – are you stressing about things you can get done tomorrow? Stop. Focus on what you legitimately need to get done today. This isn’t about procrastinating, it’s about being realistic with how much time you have and making sure you aren’t burning yourself out trying to get it all done, especially if some of it doesn’t actually have to be done right away.

That’s where last  week got a little tricky for me, though. While I know the importance of prioritizing, and I have my own systems in place for doing that, I wasn’t paying attention to them. Or I was, but my systems collided a little bit. I would be making progress on something, but then a client request would come in. I knew that it wouldn’t take me very long, so I’d get that done and then go back to my own stuff. But what seemed to happen, in a way that became almost comical, is that everyone needed something little at the same time. I also wasn’t expecting the final episode of the series I’m working on to get cast this week. So I was already managing one shoot, and then had to start prepping for another, so there was a lot added to my plate in the middle of the week.

And the silly thing is, one of the things that was bugging me was feeling like I had all this extra stuff to do. I’ve always spent the first week of January getting everything done for taxes – for myself and for my clients. Filing quarterly and annual reports, reviewing P&Ls and balance sheets, 1099s, making sure we all have what we need for our CPAs. I love getting that done early for two reasons. First, I just like to have it out of the way. I usually get my taxes done in February. I feel like I get more attention from my accountant because she gets busier and busier the closer it gets to April. Secondly, as I mentioned before, I don’t want anyone waiting for me.

But the thing is, none of that is actually due in the first week of January. I have 3 more weeks to get 1099s done. Even longer for the tax stuff. So there’s no reason to feel like I’m behind on that. Sometimes we just have to acknowledge when we’re not being rational, laugh about it, and move on.

So here’s what I did. Anything related to the show got done immediately. There are a lot of people involved and a lot of moving parts, so that always has to take top priority. Then I worked on any client requests that would take 30 minutes or less. I periodically checked all of my various client email addresses to make sure all questions were answered. Towards the end of the day, when it seemed everything pertinent had been addressed, I started working on my own projects. I worked later than usual, but stopped when I knew it was best for me, which is usually when I need to eat dinner. I rarely work after dinner unless something is truly urgent. That is my time to decompress and make sure I’m at my best for the next day.

I got the important things done by the end of the day Friday. Did I get to everything on my list? No. Will I have to take time on Saturday to make sure I have a podcast to publish on Monday? That’s what I’m doing right now. Will I get all that tax stuff done? Nope. That’s not weekend worthy this far ahead of the actual deadline. I’ll do my best to get to it next week. Because doing my best is all I can really do. And best can have different meanings. To me, my best is not working so many hours that I’m exhausted. My best is not beating myself up because I couldn’t get everything done in the amount of time I had hoped. My best is a balance of setting ambitious goals and accepting my limitations.

So if you’re feeling like you have too much to do, you can’t get caught up, there’s not enough time… we’ve all been there. We will all be there at various points in our lives. Take a break, give yourself a break, and do the best you can to prioritize and get back on track.

Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

I'm on Clubhouse @aardvarkgirl

--

Because of everything that happened in 2020, I think a lot of people are putting a ton of pressure on 2021 to be better. But things don’t suddenly change overnight because the calendar says it’s a new year. So let’s not focus on the date so much as how we approach the current moment.

I’m not against New Year's resolutions as a concept. I think it’s important to set goals, intentions, and make plans. But I think those activities should be ongoing throughout the year. What usually happens is people get these grand ideas of all the positive changes they’re going to make in their lives. They get excited. They talk about the great things they’re going to do. Things they’ve been putting off or haven’t been focused enough to accomplish. And everything is instantly going to change when the ball drops.

But then what often happens, is they drop the ball. The resolutions weren’t realistic. Whatever the reason, that excitement that was building in December plummets, and they’re often left feeling worse about their situation than before. Why? Because they feel like they failed. They made a declaration and didn’t follow through. So now they not only have to deal with all those things they still want to change, but also an enhanced disappointment in themselves. It’s too much pressure, and it’s often not fair.

We should always be striving to improve the way we run our businesses, and there is no blueprint for what the “right” way is. Success is very personal because we all want different things, so goals are very personal, too.

The other tricky part about setting goals at the beginning of the year is that things change between January and December. As business owners, we always have to be prepared to pivot. To go in a completely different direction than what we initially expected.

I think about my role as a producer. So much of that work is about anticipating changes and expecting the unexpected. And then when something happens that wasn’t in any of your backup plans, you have to think quickly, take charge, and find a solution. 

And that’s how life works a lot of the time, too. You may have spent a ton of time planning what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it and what it’s going to be like when you reach that goal. But sometimes something out of your control is going to happen and totally throw you off course. When that happens, you basically have two choices. You let that change defeat you and give up, or you figure out a new plan and keep moving forward.

Changing course doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Changing your mind doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Sometimes that thing that happens, that thing that’s out of your control, is you. You change your mind. Somewhere along your journey, you decide that it’s not the right path for you after all. Your priorities shift. You find something new you’re more passionate about. No matter what happens, you have every right to change your mind. Don’t hold yourself hostage to an idea if it no longer resonates with you. You haven’t wasted your time if you’ve learned something, even if what you’ve learned is that you don’t actually want what you thought you did.

So how do you set goals, whether they’re for the new year or any other time, when the only constant is change? You’ve probably heard about SMART goals, and if you haven’t, do a quick Google search. The gist of it is to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Specific means detailed. You don’t want a vague resolution like “I want to lose weight.” Instead, be specific – “I want to lose 20lbs.”

Measurable means there is some kind of statistic you can reference. So instead of “I am going to do better at pitching my services,” you would say, “I am going to reach out to 10 potential clients every week.”

Attainable means to be realistic. Is your goal practical? If you made $50,000 dollars last year, is it reasonable to set a goal of making $500,000 this year? Maybe. I hope so, for your sake. But unless you have a really strong plan in motion to make that happen, maybe you should set the goal to make 10% more than you did last year. Aim to beat your goal, but don’t make it so far-fetched that you’re setting yourself up for potential disappointment.

Relevant means it’s significant and really matters to you. If you’re like me and don’t love social media, and it doesn’t really convert to business for you anyway, it probably doesn’t make sense to set a goal to post every day. You might have a goal to shift your mindset and try to embrace a platform to see if it does improve your business, but make sure the goal is relevant to what you’re doing, and not just because the experts out there say you “have” to.

Time-based means give yourself a deadline. Every goal should have a deadline, even if it feels arbitrary. Without it, it’s too easy to put things off for every reason in the world. So don’t just tell yourself you’re going to write 10 new blog posts. Tell yourself you’re going to write 10 blog posts by January 31^st. It’s a way to keep yourself accountable.

I think it’s helpful to balance out short- and long- term goals. It’s great to have those big picture ideas for the entire year, but break those down into smaller pieces with checkpoints along the way. 

So if your goal is to increase your income by 10% for the year, think about what you’re going to do to accomplish that.

Is it more client outreach? Email 5 potential clients a day.

A bigger investment in advertising? Create a new social media ad campaign in the first quarter and create one element of it every week.

Do you need to spend more time networking? Dedicate 2 hours every Wednesday to engaging in your Facebook groups or Clubhouse rooms.

Developing a new product or service? Plan out the different modules of your online course so you can complete one every two weeks.

Whatever it is, lay it all out there and keep breaking it down into smaller steps. Make it so detailed that all you have to do is start crossing things off your list.

And as you start working through the pieces, what do you do when things change? Update your plan! You want to find that balance between accountable and flexible. If one step doesn’t work out the way you intended, don’t give up on the whole thing. If you don’t accomplish one of your goals, don’t abandon the idea of setting them altogether. Instead, replace it with something new. Keep working towards something, whatever makes the most sense for you.

My goal with this episode is not to sway you against making New Year’s resolutions, or any other traditions you might have for this time of year. It’s only to encourage you ti think about the practicality of what you’re resolving to do. Be conscious of how you really feel. What is your motivation for that goal? Are you doing it because you really want to, or is it just because you think you should? Or if you’re almost there and it suddenly doesn’t feel right, is it because you’re not sure you want it anymore? Or could you actually be afraid of what happens when you get there? Fear of success is a real thing. When you spend so much time and energy working towards something, you often don’t know what to do when you get it. And then there’s a tendency to jump right into the next goal.

I think it’s great to be motivated and to strive for more. But I hope you at least take a little time to appreciate what you have accomplished. It’s okay to stay still for a bit to acknowledge your achievements and take a break from the hustle to honor yourself.

So go ahead and make your New Year’s resolutions, if that’s the right thing for you. But while you’re thinking about what you want to do differently, take a minute to remember what you want to stay the same. Make new goals, sure, but don’t only focus on the things you don’t have or that you don’t think you’re doing well. Balance that out with what you do have and what you are doing well, and keep that in mind as you work your way through this year.

You’ve already done so much, so give yourself some credit. And while you’re at it, give yourself permission. Permission to go after what you want. Permission to be proud of what you’ve accomplished. And permission to change your mind if what you’re thinking isn’t working for you. Whatever it is you want to do, you can start taking steps now, no matter what date is on the calendar. Happy new year!

Molly Sullivan had a successful career in entertainment reporting before starting over to fulfill her lifelong passion for sports. She made her way to the NBA and NFL, and is now back home on the sidelines for the Las Vegas Raiders - at the same place where she got her first internship. Talk about full circle.

In this episode, we talk about Molly's career path and how she's had to create the opportunities she wants for herself. Even when people told her she didn't have "it," she never took "no" for an answer because she believed in herself and knew she could do it. Hear how she made it happen, what she's learned, and why it's so important to stay true to yourself.

Connect with me on your favorite podcast platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

Connect with Molly @MollySullivanTV

--

01:02 I was a tomboy in a dress, so sports is totally in the blood. The NBA was my first love.

02:41 I'm a firm believer in the universe and everything attached to it and somebody is always listening. I always loved telling stories.

04:47 I'm super grateful for the bad moments. At the time, I was kicking and I was screaming because I wanted to continue covering the NBA, and it just wasn't in the cards. But that was the best move of my career, and I didn't make it. I owe those people a thank you card because it led me to the NFL. It led me back home to Las Vegas where I grew up, and now my daughter can grow up in the same community that has been so tremendous to me. So it's crazy how things work.

08:09 I don't take myself seriously, clearly. I take what I do incredibly serious. My former boss said, "She may be able to write, but she's not a reporter. And she doesn't have that ‘it’ factor." It's just because I didn't love what I was reporting about. 

10:03 Maybe when you're starting out, you're trying so hard to be somebody that you're not because you’ve studied things and you think that you need to be a certain way and dress a certain way. When I talk to young sports broadcasters coming up, I just say, “Listen, you got to stay true to yourself, because if you don't, this business is cruel. And if you're true to yourself, then everything kind of just always falls in place." And I'm a testament to that.

12:13 Moving back home to Las Vegas, I found a school project from the seventh grade saying that I wanted to work for Channel 8, which is where I'm working now as a sports broadcaster.

I had reached the national level for entertainment and with sports, I started at ground zero.

I call my time in Philadelphia basically an 8-year boot camp where I learned everything, I saw everything, and now I'm back home to utilize that knowledge with the Raiders.

19:22 I chopped my hair because I was bleached blonde at the time. and long extensions, and tons of makeup. I wasn't being true to myself. And I knew that at my core, I am a reporter. And certainly the rules change from a red carpet to the sideline, but I knew that I could do it. And I've always wanted to do it. That's the athlete in me. But I can't tell you how many times I was told that I just didn't have "this" or "that" or I was lacking "this" or you want to put me in a box.

23:20 I got the call from Philly and they said, "Listen, you got two days. Get over there." And then I covered the 76ers for seven years.

26:21 All you need is one person to believe in you, one person to understand what this city, what our community, is really all about. And we got that, and we showed what we can do. You think the Raiders weren't watching how the city of Las Vegas rallied behind the Golden Knights and everything, and that it's the best story, not only in sports but in life period, that we've seen in modern day? And that's what sport is all about. It's about bringing people together, and what a privilege it is for me to cover the Raiders’ inaugural season here in my hometown. It's still surreal. I still pinch myself. 

33:46 I was gonna find a way to cover the Raiders in their inaugural season one way or the other. I don't take no for an answer when I know that I can get something done. And certainly in Las Vegas, I feel a great responsibility here because we are no longer an amateur sports town. We are no longer an entertainment city. We are no longer an events-only city. We are a professional sports town. And we are an NFL city. And that means something. 

36:48 Maybe there's something to chasing perfection, because you know what, sometimes, you might come pretty darn close.

38:03 I wanted substance. I was craving substance. I was craving more. I could do that job in my sleep. As grateful as I was for it, it got to the point where I could just go through the motions if I wanted to. Now that's not who I am. That's not in my blood. So that's when I kind of knew it was it was time to move on. And lo and behold, I was moved on, and therein is the beauty of it. There's a lot more in life that I want to accomplish. 

41:28 Stay true to yourself and fight for what you believe in. And don't let go of it. for me, it was just always important to walk into that locker room on day one and set a standard and to never let go. My daughter was my number one priority, and no one was going to get me off track of that. Like, I cannot be bothered, get out of my way, my daughter's my number one priority, and ever since continues to be my number one priority, and I will fight for her with anything. So I think just understanding your why, and understanding what matters most, and be prepared to fail. Gosh, you got to be prepared to fail. Because if you're not failing, then you know what? You're not learning.

Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

Because this episode is publishing the week of Christmas, I figured I should do something festive.

Just kidding.

If you know me, you know I’m not a Christmas person at all. I wouldn’t say I’m a grinch, because I would never deny others their joy in the holiday. I’m not an outward humbug either. My grumpiness during the season is more internal. It starts with the first time I’m forced to hear Christmas music. Yeah. I’m guessing it doesn’t surprise you that I’m one of “those” people who does not get “into the Christmas spirit,” whatever that really is. Every time I walk into a store between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, I cringe and do my best to conjure up some superhuman noise blocking rays to my brain so I don’t have to hear it. But there’s no escaping it. It’s everywhere.

I think I was traumatized as a teenager when I worked at TCBY. During the holidays, we had to play Christmas music all day. The radio station played Mariah Carey at least once an hour, often twice. I worked 10-hour shifts. Hearing Mariah Carey Christmas songs 10-20 times a day is not good for anyone’s mental health. Although I know many of you love it and don’t agree, I stand by my view. Luckily I convinced the store owner to let me find my own Christmas music to play. I could handle the older albums from the Rat Pack, Elvis, and BB King. Some local Vegas artists had put out a compilation disc of rock-based covers. I made it work.

Because that’s what you have to do when you’re in a situation you don’t necessarily want to be in but can’t avoid. You make it work. It’s the same in business. Sometimes you’re stuck with a client or coworker you don’t particularly care for. Sometimes you might love most of a job, but there’s one element of it you could do without. It’s not worth turning it down, so you find a way to get over it and get it done anyway. As much as we’d like to have everything exactly as we like it all the time, it’s just not realistic.

Even as a business owner, you don’t get to control everything. If you don’t like a client, you can fire them, but you have to consider doing it in a tactful way, which is not in the middle of a project. Give them notice, fulfill your obligations, and THEN walk away. But you have to stay professional until it’s over. Well, I guess you don’t have to, but you should be prepared for the consequences if you don’t.

Sometimes you might love your client, but not another person on their team. You can’t do much about that either. You do your best to keep a positive working relationship with that person and do what you need to do. If you find that it’s impossible to do that, you can part ways. It’s a matter of deciding which you want more – to keep working with that client despite the annoying interactions, or if you need to let it go to save your sanity. If that client relationship is more important to you, you find a way to make it work with the other person. Try different communication styles or other ways to improve the working environment. Sometimes you have to do some work to make it work.

Other times you might land a project that’s right in your wheelhouse but includes one aspect you really don’t enjoy. What do you do? You have to consider if it’s worth doing that one thing or if you truly hate that one thing and know it’ll ruin the whole experience. If you can make it work, you might end up with a great client. Of course, then you might get stuck with a someone who always wants you to do something you hate. But once you’ve built that relationship, it’s easier to convince them that it’s best to let someone else handle that part.

This happened to me recently. I decided a while back that I wouldn’t take any location job. In production, that means finding locations for filming, scouting them to make sure there aren’t any potential issues, and getting all of the permits and other paperwork in order. I don’t mind that last part at all, but finding and scouting isn’t for me. I don’t enjoy driving around and trying to determine if a place has the right look and structure and all the other details that go into it. It’s something I’ve done, but it’s not my expertise. There are people who specifically do this and love it, so I prefer to let them do it.

For the last several months, however, I’ve been working on a show where locations are needed, and I’m the only local on the crew. It has been particularly challenging because of COVID. Places are closed or have limited staff, and many don’t want to deal with a film crew unless there’s a giant budget or they’re renting out the whole place for months. I’ve never heard or had to repeat “no” so many times, and I don’t like it. I always find a solution, but there are forces completely out of my control here and I’ve had to say “we don’t have that” or “no one will allow us to do that,” and that’s never what I want to say. I want people to keep coming to Vegas for their productions, but it’s not always as simple as they want it to be. Especially when it comes to shooting inside casinos, and this was pre-pandemic. It takes a lot of time and planning to get the right access, and even then, they don’t always approve.

I actually did convince them it would be better to hire a location manager, but unfortunately even that person wasn’t able to find what we needed. I suppose that made me feel a little better, that at least it wasn’t just me who couldn’t do it, but at the same time, I want them to have everything they want to make sure this season is a success. I know it’s out of my control, though, and I’m doing the best I can.

The point is, when this opportunity came my way, it seemed silly to turn it down based on one element of the job. Sure, it comes with some headaches, but it’s such a small part of it. Beyond that, I’ve gotten to spend half the year working with some great people. And I’ve added some pretty entertaining production stories to my arsenal, which is always a good thing. I haven’t loved the location part, and it definitely reminded me why I don’t take those specific jobs, but I’ve made it work. Because that’s what I have to do. Just like the other people on the show – they might not be getting everything they hoped for in Vegas, but they’re making it work.

Another way of making it work is what I talk about often – focusing on the positive. I suppose that’s the closest I can come to being festive. Yes, 2020 has been a weird year and we all know about the bad things that have been happening. But, there is always something good. Being trapped at home means I’m not exposed to that awful Christmas music all month. It means I haven’t had to drive much at all this year, which I appreciate because I don’t really like to drive. I only spent $47 on gas this entire year, and that was all before March. So that’s pretty cool. I’ve had lots of time to appreciate how cute and funny my cats are. There are so many little things to be grateful for every day. You just have to look for them. So when the things you don’t want to have to do come barreling into your life, find something good and make it work.

COVID may have canceled all of my hobbies – concerts, travel, and pilates. But it also gave me time to learn a lot of new things and figure out something else I love doing – this podcast. It took away all of the jobs I had lined up, but it gave me new ones that kept me busy while allowing me to stay home and be safe. All things considered, I can’t really complain. I made it work. Because that’s what I do, and I hope it’s what you do, too.

Happy Holidays! I can barely say that without cringing, but there it is!

I'm back for round #2 of the Aardvark Girl Q&A series. This time I'm answering some questions based on podcasting. Why I started one and what advice I have for anyone else who's doing it or thinking about it. It seems appropriate to have a podcast about a podcast, right?

Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

Why did I decide to do a podcast?

From a nagging feeling one night to more than a year co-hosting the Womanpreneur Podcast with my friend Melissa, I talk about my journey into the podcasting world and why I'm so dedicated to being consistent with it.

What do I recommend for someone who wants to start a podcast?

From being prepared to do the work and the importance of consistency to investing in the right equipment and choosing the best software for you, this is the advice I have for anyone interested in creating a podcast.

If you have any questions for me for the next Q&A episode, email info@aardvarkgirl.com or DM me on social @aardvarkgirl. I would love to hear from you.

Fernando Delgado is an Emmy Award-winning audio consultant and owner of Stickman Sound in Las Vegas. He's an audio expert who truly loves what he does, and he recently developed a remote recording solution that allows people to stay home without sacrificing sound quality. He also happens to be a great human in general with some wonderful business advice.

--

Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

Connect with Fernando:

Stickman Sound

Instagram @stickmansound

Twitter @stickman_sound

Facebook @stickmansound

--

00:23 How Fernando started his career in TV & Film audio. "I think the sound thing really just came from my music passion. I had planned on being a recording engineer, a music engineer. It just didn't pan out that way."

03:27 About mentoring others: "The people that helped me helped me by sharing what they knew. I have found over the course of my career that you get better at what you do when you can explain it in a way that somebody that doesn't think like you understands. Teaching has been a big part of who I am as a professional, selfishly so that I can understand what I'm doing even better."

04:52 On sharing opportunities with others: "I don't consider my peers to be competition, I just consider them to be my peers."

06:29 The great feeling that comes with turning down work that you don't connect with personally. "I actually wish that I had achieved this state of mind years ago, because I think I would have found happiness, like real happiness a lot sooner in my adult life as well. Today, my kids are older, and I feel a personal sense of responsibility to work on stuff that makes me prideful, so that I can invest myself into it a little bit more. And I also care about, you know, when my son asks me what I did today, I don't want to be embarrassed."

10:18 "If you're at the very beginning of your career, be frugal. The better you can be with your money, the more you can wait for those opportunities that you are really hoping for."

12:24 Adapting a business to the changing world & industry.

14:49 Using challenges from the pandemic to create a new remote recording system that allows people to get the same quality sound they need without having to have an engineer in the room.

18:11 "We all work in a service business. Our job is to serve the client, and every client is going to need to be served a little bit differently. So it's imperative upon us as being professionals to say, 'Okay, what is it that you need? Here are the skillsets that I have that can solve that problem or bring you whatever that outcome or solution you're looking for.' And that's how I approach every job. I think that's also why I'm so versatile and can bounce from one area of television to another."

20:36 Dedicating time to spend with family: "I know a lot of people have suffered with their relationships. I have not. We're closer today, I think, than when we met, which is amazing, because we've been together 21 years. And I'm closer with my kids. I know my kids, like what they're into and how they're doing. And it's not just a quick side conversation anymore. That's been great."

22:26 "I treat my engineering like a lot of people treat the gym. I get up in the morning and I'm doing gear exercises, and I'm always trying to learn new software."

25:03 "If you're a business owner, you need to be money smart."

 

Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

There has been a big trend in the last few years with decluttering. Suddenly organization has become trendy, which is something I’m not mad about at all. Shows on Netflix like “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” and “The Home Edit” have inspired many people to look at all their stuff and find better ways to put it away or display it. With more people at home during the pandemic, we’ve heard a lot about garages, pantries, and closets getting cleared out, organized, and looking better than ever. I’ve never heard so many people excited about spring cleaning.

But what we don’t hear about is digital clutter. All those desktop icons, random files, and “miscellaneous” folders you plan on going through soon but never get around to. Trying to remember where you put a document because it’s not where you think it should be and you can’t remember the exact name to search. That nagging thought in the back of your mind that you really should back up your computer, but you never seem to think about it when you actually have time to do it.

Digital clutter can have the same negative effects as physical clutter, especially when you’re trying to get your work done. It can be distracting, slow down your productivity, and drain you of your energy. The problem is, once you close your laptop or turn off your computer, you don’t see it anymore. It doesn’t take up space the same way as too many clothes in a closet or a bunch of unlabeled bins in the garage, so it’s easier to ignore. But it can take up a lot of time if you can’t easily find the files you need throughout the day. I know I’ve mentioned how I feel about notifications and how just seeing that little red circle can irritate me. I’m the same way with a busy desktop on a computer. When I see someone working and there are folders and files all over, especially when they’re not even in alignment, all I can do is wonder how they function.

Some people will say they actually function better in chaos. That things might be messy, but they know where everything is within the mess. And I’m sure that can be true to some degree, but that’s more of a band aid than a solution. It’s like taking the giant pile of receipts and other documents and sticking them all inside of a drawer rather than filing them where they belong. Sure, then you don’t have to see the clutter, but somewhere inside you still know it’s there. And yes, I say this from experience. I used to do it all the time because, for whatever reason, I really don’t like filing. I don’t have to do it much, it’s not hard, it doesn’t even take very long. I just don’t like it. But, I also can’t handle stacks of papers and other things on my desk while I work. So I have to keep up with it, whether I like it or not. We all have our things.

The best way to digitally declutter is to put a system in place and follow it. Make it part of your workflow so it becomes a habit you don’t even have to think about anymore. The worst thing is to say, “I don’t have time to do that right now,” and put it off and then by the time you get around to it you have so many files it’s going to take you significantly longer to do. Remember my 5-minute rule – if it’s going to take less than 5 minutes, do it now. Naming a file or creating an email folder shouldn’t take more than a few seconds, and you’ll be glad you got it out of the way.

The trick is to figure out a process that works for your brain so it’s easy to follow and maintain. It has to make sense to you or you won’t keep up with it. The easiest and greatest system in the world for one person might be incredibly confusing to someone else. So keep that in mind, whether you’re listening to this, reading a blog about a similar topic, or actively searching online for the “best” solution. Getting ideas can be helpful to get started, but chances are no one else out there is going to do things in the exact way that’s perfect for you. And you don’t want to spend so much time searching that you don’t get anything accomplished. I’ve been there plenty of times and it’s not a good place to be!

That being said, I’ll take you through some of my digital organization systems to give you an idea of what I’m talking about. Starting with the most important part of my business, my clients. Without them, I don’t have any work, so that’s why they are priority.

I have a “Clients” folder that lives within my documents and is linked under my favorites so I can access it easily. Within that folder, everything is separated by year. That helps me keep track of specific jobs better. I don’t want one giant folder with everything I’ve ever done because that’s just more clutter! I’ll talk about archiving later, but I generally keep the current year plus the two previous years on my computer because, in my line of work, I do have to refer back to older jobs fairly often so it’s easier to keep those files accessible to be safe.

Within each year, each client has its own folder, which is labeled simply as the name of the company or person. Inside of that, each project gets its own folder, and everything related to it goes in there. Sometime that folder will get organized further, depending on what is needed. Like for a production, I’ll have folders for receipts, releases, permits, internal procedures, and those kinds of things. It all depends on what makes sense for each project.

Each file is named specifically as well. You won’t ever find IMG_3568.jpg or a series of jumbled letters and numbers for the name of a PDF I downloaded on my computer. As soon as I download something, I name it what it is. I have a system for this, too. I’m sure you’re not surprised. It’s usually something along the lines of CLIENT_Date_Description. As an example, a handout I created for a workshop I teach at the Voice Actors Studio is labeled TVAS_091020_BookkeepingBasics. One note here, I give each client a 3- or 4-letter code so I’m not ending up with ridiculously long filenames. Do you know why? Because that looks like more clutter to me.

Basically the idea is that everything says exactly what it is. In theory, anyone could intuitively understand how my system works. Meaning you might not have any idea what I do, but if I give you my laptop and ask you to find a FedEx receipt for a shipment related to job X in 2019, it wouldn’t take you very long because of the way it’s all organized. Consistency is important with everything, and this is no exception. If you structure everything the same way, you don’t even have to think about those little things anymore.

This naming convention also helps if I need to search for a file on my computer. That’s why I include the client or vendor code in the filename, too. In some cases, I’m working with the same file types for a lot of different companies. I’ll use W9s as an example, because I have a lot of those. Say I need to find a W9 for Person A and it’s not where I think it should be, but I know I have it. I can do a search for W9 and find it easily because the person’s name is right there. But if I labeled each one with just W9 because it’s in a folder that says that person’s name already, doing that search would present several files and I’d have to open each one to see if it’s the right one. Not efficient.

I use this exact same method for managing emails as well. I briefly mentioned this in the episode where I talked about how I accidentally deleted all of my inboxes. Fortunately, when that happened, this system is what saved me and made what could’ve been a complete disaster nothing more than a funny story. My inbox is my to-do list, and once something is done, it gets filed into a folder. It’s organized by year, by client, by project, and whatever specifics apply to that job. The only things I delete entirely are things I know for certain I will never need again, like a Zoom invitation or the 23 people responding “Thanks!” to a group email. Everything else gets filed in case I need to reference it again at some point in the future. This has been beyond helpful in many situations.

Digital organization is important beyond my client work as well. This podcast is a perfect example. I have a podcast folder and inside that, each episode has its own folder. Within that is another folder for the various assets, which are the audio & video recordings, images, graphics, my intro, and all that fun stuff. The only files I put into the main folder for each episode are the finished pieces – the MP3 file of the podcast, the video file (if there is one), the image graphic, and the transcript. I also have a master spreadsheet, color-coded of course, to help me keep track of each step of each episode. I have tabs on that sheet for planning, content, topic ideas, potential guests, and more. I like spreadsheets because I can keep everything in one file. Less clutter. It’s a pattern, see?

Decluttering isn’t just about getting a clean desktop or being able to search for files, though. It’s also about record-keeping and taking care of your business. When you’re organized, you don’t waste time looking for things or trying to figure out what happened 3 years ago when a client has a question. You might think you don’t need to know anything that far back, and that might be true most of the time, but I’ve been called some names by my clients. Magical. Superhero. Things like that. I’ve been able to find details that seem impossible solely because of my process.

I’ve mentioned that I was a project manager for the 2016 Presidential Debate in Las Vegas. I worked on that event for 9 months. It involved a lot of people and a lot of details. It was changing constantly. I was in charge of the budget and had to show the numbers in so many different ways - detailed, simplified, a pie chart, categorizing information in multiple ways, and how it evolved from one version to the next. There is no way I could remember all of that stuff years later. But, in 2019, that client was trying to find out a specific piece of information – on what date the debate had decided to eliminate the option of a third party candidate. They had been trying to figure it out internally without much success, so they called me. It only took me a few minutes – I got the hard drive, plugged it in, opened my client folder, and because of how my files were organized, I was able to pinpoint it to a period of 4 days that the decision was made. Not magic. Just organization.

I also have a system for my invoices and payments beyond my actual accounting software. Yes, everything lives in Quickbooks. But what if something happens to Quickbooks? You can never be too cautious with your business. So I keep digital copies of client invoices and payments. If I receive a check, I scan it and add it to the invoice PDF so there’s an easy reference of what it was and how it was paid. I have PDFs of every expense receipt, whether it was emailed, downloaded, or a scanned paper receipt, all labeled by date, vendor & purpose. I rarely need those files, but it’s a matter of having a backup for those “just in case” moments.

Speaking of backups. That’s an important part of digital decluttering as well. It’s not just about having important files in multiple places in case a hard drive dies, although that’s pretty important. If you’ve ever had a hard drive quit on you, I’m sure you know how devastating it can be if you can’t recover something. Sometimes they can be repaired, but it can be costly and there’s never a guarantee. So having copies somewhere is good for peace of mind.

Here’s what my backup system entails. My devices are all set to automatically back up. My phone & tablet go to the cloud and my computers use Time Machine so everything is backed up to an external hard drive every hour without me having to do anything. Beyond that, I save important files to separate external hard drives every month. And I use another cloud service for additional storage of certain things. Is it redundant? Yes. Do I care? No. I would rather be overly cautious than not cautious enough.

These extra drives aren’t just for backups, though. They’re also for archiving files I no longer want to keep on my computer at all. Just like you probably function better when you have clean space around you, so do your machines. If you are using most of your storage, they have to work harder and it can slow down everything you do. So it’s helpful to get stuff off of there if you can. Like I said earlier, I usually keep the current year plus the previous 2 years’ files on my computer. Older years have been archived onto external hard drives so I still have everything, but it isn’t slowing down anything I’m doing currently. The biggest files I’m working with are related to this podcast, so each month I archive the episodes that have been published. It’s part of my routine that helps me stay uncluttered.

I got a new iMac earlier this year. The one I had was about 9 years old and not very robust. It had been fine for what I was doing, but it became clear that because I’m working with more video & audio files, I needed an upgrade. Typically, when I get a new computer, I copy everything from one to the other. But I realized I’ve been doing this for so long, there’s a good chance there was plenty of stuff on there I didn’t actually need, and I didn’t want to bring that onto the new one, so I started from scratch. My brother gave me some good advice about only storing documents and small files on the computer’s main hard drive and keeping the larger files on external hard drives. Back in the day, that could get pretty clunky, but hard drives are so tiny and cute now, it’s easy to have some 2TB SSD drives connected for all that stuff. So between the new, more powerful, less cluttered computer, & my upgraded Internet, I’m so much more efficient than I was when I started. A video that used to take me an hour to upload now goes up in minutes. So there’s something to be said about making an investment in new equipment. Sometimes we hold off because we don’t want to spend the money, but we don’t realize how much time it’s costing us. Something to think about.

Digital decluttering might not be the most exciting topic. I get it. But maybe we can find the same joy in tidying up our machines as we do organizing a pantry. I apply the ideas I’ve talked about here to every document, spreadsheet, photo, and anything else that lives digitally on my machines. It helps me stay focused on what I need to do without wasting time figuring out where things are. I have been told I’m too organized. And I’m okay with that. I love having a place for everything. I love a good color-coded spreadsheet. This is what works for me and keeps my brain happy. Find what works for you and get rid of that digital clutter. You might not be able to show it off in a pretty picture, but you’ll still feel good inside.

We all know how important communication is in business, but we can easily get overwhelmed by the amount of communication we get. But remember that the details are there for a reason, so instead of rushing through and potentially missing them, slow down and pay attention so you don't end up creating extra work for yourself or the others with whom you're working. Nobody wants that!

Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

--

I’m guessing we’ve all been in this scenario. You send an email to a client with some questions. He responds, but doesn’t answer everything, so you have to follow up with a reminder about the other missing information. Or you send an email giving someone two choices – would you rather do A or B? And she responds, “Yes.” So you have to reply asking which option she’s saying yes to. How about when you put all the details for a project into an email. You take the time to make it clean and organized so someone can reference it for everything they need. And then you get a text that says what time is this thing? And it’s the first thing on the list you sent. Eventually you end up wondering why you even bother spending your time crafting thoughtful emails when they’re just going to get ignored anyway.

I don’t know about you, but I find this incredibly frustrating. Most of the time, waiting for these answers slows everything down and you know that if they would’ve just answered in the first email, you could’ve both moved on and saved time. And we all know how important time is. But the extra back and forth actually creates more work for both of you. I don’t know anyone who wants more emails in their inbox. Most of us are trying to get rid of them.

Now, I’m not talking about when someone asks, “How are you?” or some other small talk question that doesn’t necessarily need to be answered. I’ve mentioned how I feel about that before, and if it’s in an email I’m not going to answer it unless it’s somehow relevant to the job. I also don’t mean when someone writes a novel and you genuinely don’t have time to read through everything. But even then, rather than giving a half-hearted response that makes it obvious you didn’t read it all, I think the right thing to do is to say something like, “There’s a lot of information here and I don’t have time to give it my proper attention today, but I will get back to you when I’m able. If there is anything pressing, please send the specifics to me separately.” That way you’re acknowledging that you’ve seen the message and managing their expectations about when they’ll hear back from you. It’s also a less offensive way of saying, “Hey, this email is way too long.”

I just did that today. I got an email from someone who wants to be a guest on the podcast and he sent me a ton of links to his bio, his podcast, interviews he’s done on other podcasts, and more. I don’t have time to research him yet so I sent a quick note saying, “I’m in the middle of a project so I might not be able to get back to you for a few weeks, but wanted to let you know I received it. Thank you for reaching out.” That took less than a minute to write and it accomplished two things – it showed that I respect the time he took to send me his pitch, and it spared me from receiving more follow-up messages asking if I had received his email or if I had any questions. And that was someone I don’t even know. But that’s how I treat everyone, whether it’s a client, a vendor, a friend… everyone gets the same level of respect because that’s important to me.

The details are there for a reason. If we’re asking, it’s likely because we need the answer to do our jobs properly. Most of us don’t waste our time putting frivolous questions in our clients’ inboxes. And if you do, stop. That’s not okay, unless it’s a humorous meme of some sort or something that will make someone laugh. Everyone needs that every now and then. But if you get an email, remember that someone took the time to write it for a specific purpose. So pay attention! You might have a deadline looming and you don’t want any distractions. You could be juggling a hundred different things and don’t realize that you’re not focusing on anything. But rushing through an answer and missing the important parts of a message isn’t good for anyone, yourself included. If you think you’re soooo busy and only have time to scan it, remember that if you miss something, you’re going to end up with another email to read. So take the time up front, read it carefully, and make it easier for everyone. Especially if the other person is trying to help you and your business succeed. Get out of your own way!

This is one of my tough love assertions that people sometimes don’t want to hear. And here’s my disclaimer: I know this isn’t always the case. I think it’s rarely the intention. But have you considered what message you’re sending when you don’t pay attention to the details someone took the time to send you? You’re basically saying that your time is more important than theirs. Now, before you get defensive, think about it. You’re not respecting the time they took on their end by giving the time on yours. You might not think about it in that way, but they might receive it that way. It’s important to remember that your time isn’t more important than anyone else’s, regardless of whether you’re paying them, they’re paying you, or any other reason.

We can consider this as it applies to working with clients, vendors, team members, and anyone else you are communicating with.

If you’re the client, you’ve hired someone to do a job for you. That person most likely needs information from you to do what she needs do. So she’s going to ask you questions, and your answers are what allow her to move forward and deliver what you need. So if you only give her bits and pieces, you’re holding up HER progress to meet YOUR deadline. And let’s not forget, she probably has other clients, too. And even though you want to feel like you’re the most important, imagine what it’s like when everyone is missing details and creating extra work for her. It’s no surprise freelancers have to deal with burnout all the time.

If you’re the vendor, your client has hired you to do a job for him. He is going to send you the information you need so you can do what you need to do. If you then ask a question, when the answer is in the initial email, it’s going to be frustrating for him because now he has to repeat himself. He might think that he’s paying you to make his life easier, not to create more work for him because you aren’t paying attention. There’s a reason that “attention to detail” is something a lot of people like to list on their résumés. It’s an important skill in business. Let’s not forget to use it!

If you’re on a team or otherwise collaborating with others, the same concepts apply. One person missing a detail can interfere with everyone else’s progress. You never want to be the one in the group slowing everyone down.

Look, nobody is perfect. We’ve all missed things in emails because we’re trying to get through them quickly so we can move on to one of the other many things we have to do in that moment. I know I’ve done it before, and I always feel badly when it happens. The idea is not to achieve perfection, but to be cognizant of how our actions affect others and their ability to do their work. And sometimes our own inattention to detail can delay things for us, too.

This reminds me of a discussion a bunch of us had last year about voicemail and how some people don’t use it anymore. I get that technology has changed the way we communicate and the younger generation especially finds voicemail to be tedious. They prefer texting or apps. And that’s fine – to some degree, we all need to be able to adapt or we’ll get left behind. I don’t particularly love voicemail either, but it serves its purpose. I don’t answer my phone if I don’t recognize a number, so leaving a message is the best way to let me know you’re a real person and not a spam call or wrong number. And it lets me know why you’re calling, so I can get back to you with the answers. And then I know if something is urgent or if it can wait until later. So if you took the time to leave me a voicemail, I will listen to it.

In this conversation, the argument against voicemail was that it was an outdated method of communication and people should just text. But then some people weighed in that they don’t like getting texts from people they don’t know, or for work-related things. Like with everything, we all have our own preferences so it’s not to say that one is right or wrong, just different. But I remember a client saying that if he takes the time to leave details in a voicemail, and then the person calls back without having listened to the message, he gets really irritated because now he has to repeat everything he already said in the voicemail. So he feels that his time isn’t being respected and that’s a red flag for him wanting to continue working with that person. That might seem like a bit of an overreaction, but I kind of get it. I think the solution there is pretty simple – if you are the type who won’t listen to voicemails, disable your phone from accepting them. Then you won’t have to deal with them and no one can get frustrated about you ignoring them. Simple.

With one caveat. At the same time as this discussion was taking place, I was hiring a fairly large crew for a production job in another state. Since it was in a location where I didn’t know anyone personally, I was having to essentially cold call people from the local film directory. It was pretty time sensitive and one of those situations where whoever was available first would get each position. The number of people I called who didn’t have voicemail, or had voicemails that were full, was surprising to me. I had no way to leave a message. I didn’t have an email address. And I didn’t feel texting was appropriate at the time. So a lot of people lost out on the opportunity to work a cool job at a good rate because they “don’t do” voicemail. So it’s something to consider from a business perspective if you want to be stubborn about your preferences or be a little more flexible.

Communication is so important in everything we do. We hear it all the time. It’s a necessary skill in business but also in life in general. The majority of the work we are all doing involves people and we have to be able to communicate with those people effectively.

I like to consider myself to be a conscientious communicator. I’m a big fan of brevity in business emails. I can be wordy because I like to offer explanations, so I often start with something that’s way too long. I get my thoughts out first, but then I edit before I send. I consider my client and what details they actually need, and I get rid of everything else. There’s a time and place for chit-chat, and business emails usually are not part of that. Sometimes there’s no way around a longer email because something requires a lot of detail. But usually I will send it all and include a note at the bottom that if it’s easier to chat through everything on the phone, feel free to call. I find that the email is helpful because it gives everyone a chance to review everything before speaking instead of throwing a bunch of stuff at someone when they’re not prepared. Plus, then it’s there to reference later, which is something that is often needed.

But when your style is different than someone else’s, what is the best solution? Communicate about communication! Seriously. When I’m working with someone new, I ask them if they prefer email, text, or phone. That doesn’t mean I’m always going to accommodate their preferences if they contradict my own, but it’s helpful to know that ahead of time and to make concessions when it’s important.

For example, if you prefer email and hate the phone, but your client hates email and prefers the phone, chances are you’re going to get annoyed waiting for responses if you email them. But if you just called, you could get the information you need and you’ll both be happy because you can move on. You can always follow up with an email confirming the details you discussed so you have record of it – I recommend doing this because it’s too easy for information to get lost on calls and via text.

I’ve also had conversations with clients about email etiquette. There are a lot of people out there who want emails to sound personal and friendly and so they fill them with long greetings and, for lack of better words, fluff before getting to the point. I won’t do that. I’m busy, my clients are busy, so I get right down to business. But every now and then I find myself explaining to someone that I’m not doing it to be cold or unfriendly, but to be mindful of everyone’s time. I save the friendly chats for later. I find that most people I’m working with appreciate that.

I also have one client who has flat out told me she can only deal with 3 things in an email. If it’s more than that, she’s not going to read it for a while. And that’s really helpful to know because if there are a lot of things pressing, I can prioritize the top 3 and send those first. Because we’ve had that communication, it eliminates the frustration that could come about otherwise.

In general, if you do have to include a lot of details in an email, make it simple for the other person to read. Use bullet points, spacing, bold font, underlines, whatever you can do to make it easier to digest, comprehend, and respond. Sometimes people see a lot of words in a big block and they instantly check out, so do what you can to avoid that. I can’t even tell you how many of my clients have commented on how helpful little things like bullet points have been in our communications.

Remember, the details are there for a reason. Slow down, pay attention, and help make sure everyone has the information they need to do a great job.

Claire Hart is a a high-energy, fun-spirited photographer who can make anyone look good. In this episode, we're talking about why she loves her job, how she uses her Southern hospitality to put people at ease, building relationships with clients, what she's been doing during the pandemic, and more!

00:38 How Claire went from a degree in nuclear medicine to a career in photography

05:31 Shifting from "just a photographer" or "just a freelancer" to the mindset of a business owner

08:21 Staying relevant when cell phones make everyone feel like they're a pro photographer 

11:12 Enjoying the moment instead of staring through a screen all the time

13:26 Using Southern charm to make people feel at ease

16:23 Engaging a crowd

21:12 Claire's favorite types of photography

27:08 Using vacations to expand a client base, but also remembering to put the camera away so she can look through her own eyes

30:43 Adapting to shoots during COVID, and using down time during the pandemic to work on personal projects 

36:01 Claire's advice for other self-employed creatives

--

Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl

--

Connect with Claire

https://www.clairehartphotography.com/

@clairehartphotography