Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elisha Sumo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Elisha, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I have been very comfortable over the last several years creating content for individuals, brands, companies, ministries, and corporations. It was not until July 2022 that I decided to step out of the boundaries of comfortability. July 15, 2022, I decided to launch an online network and magazine.
Sumo Studios & The SumoTV Network
The goal of this network is to create content that will educate, inform, and inspire creatives, leaders, and entrepreneurs. In this endeavor, we started a campaign to raise capital to ensure we complete the project in excellence. It was a risk because it could have been a complete failure but in a few short weeks we raised the $10K out of $100K. Big risks are necessary and the pandemic has taught us is time is changing on an entirely different level. I have determined within myself that I will not allow excuses to make me second guess my dreams and goals.
www.gofundme.com/f/sumostudios100k
Elisha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Elisha Sumo. I’m a content creator in Atlanta, Georgia. I pride myself on telling everyday stories with excellence. Story telling for me includes pitches, interviews, documentaries, live recordings, graphic design, web development, and more. I pride myself on being able to present the client’s dream with quality.
My content creation journey began because of basketball training. I trained athletes fresh out of college. I ended up documenting their games and workouts to help them get into school. That jumpstarted a business that would create content to help people reach their goals.
Everyone has a story to tell. The restaurant owner has a story. The painter has a story. The basketball trainer has a story. Your local pastor has a story. Our job is to connect with and create content that will give that story life.
Once Upwardnow now Sumo Studios, we have a new name but the same goal.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
The funds for our initial capital was passion and drive. I would use money that we made and invest all of it back into the business. As money came, I was able to buy the next camera, light fixture, stabilizer, drone, and the list goes on. I would learn more about cameras, their function, their use, and then would trade one for another. The goal was to always upgrade the quality of the experience presented to the client. That process was duplicated so many times. Our first time publicly and/or privately raising capital was in July 2022. We launched a campaign and at the date of this article have raise north of $10,000.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients during this pandemic has been word of mouth. Until recently, I had not done a good job pushing our services, prices, or brand changes publicly. Social media has given us great leverage as well but the majority of our clientele has come from word of mouth. I’m grateful that the level of our quality content has encouraged our clients to keep the word going. We are currently remodeling how we do business and marketing which in turn will become our floor and the trampoline this business takes to leap into the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thesumostudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesumostudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesumostudios
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisha-sumo-b-s-236543b6/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesumostudios
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/thesumostudios
- Other: https://www.gofundme.com/f/sumostudios100k
Image Credits
Christian Bates – @christianbatesphotography
RJ Paulk – www.peculiarimages.us @peculiar images
Elisha Sumo – www.thesumostudios.com @thesumostudios
Mélisa Miranda – https://www.