We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bennett Win. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bennett below.

Bennett, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

In media production (especially on the freelance and small business side) I’ve noticed two main challenges to profitability. The first is that I’ve noticed people tend to put too much time into practicing skills that won’t necessarily grow your business and increase profitability. For example, if you’re a photographer, you will make substantially more money learning to sell your skills and market your photography than if you exclusively practice just the art of your craft. That’s not to say one is more important than the other, but you’ll need to strike a balance in your priorities.

The second is that many people over promise and under deliver. We all want to deliver the best possible products to our clients in the fastest manner possible, because that will keep them coming back, right? Well, kind of. I you you know you can deliver 100% quality to your clients, only promise them 90%. That way, when you actually deliver your true 100% it will come across as delivering 110%, when in reality you’re doing all of the same work you would have done anyway. Always under promise and over deliver!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Surprisingly enough, my educational background is in audio engineering. I grew up playing in bands and writing music, but never really wanted to be a performer, instead I picked a degree adjacent to my interests and kept an open mind. Towards the end of college I picked up photography as a hobby, which slowly blossomed into me picking up a lot of corporate freelance gigs around Nashville. Photography morphed into videography for me, and I began to work in the corporate media space as an independent, slowly building up my network and the scale of shoots I was working on. Simultaneously to this, I wanted a more creative visual outlet and began working with musicians on album art, promotional material, and music videos. Without really knowing it, I had taken on the role of producer in most of my work. This lead to a job at a production company, and now most currently at Industrial Studios where I produce branded entertainment pieces of a variety of sizes and for a myriad of clients. Additionally, I still do the occasional freelance gig if the project is creatively stimulating.

What I am most proud of in my work is my ability to successfully do my job as simple as that sounds. Producing takes a lot of logistical ability, incredible organizational skills, the ability to manage teams, manage client relationships, and make a profitable production. Not to mention the additional technical skills needed to communicate with and occasionally work as an editor, writer, director, or videographer within the lifespan of a given production. Given the fact I’m naturally pretty introverted and don’t have a degree in film or production, a big takeaway from my story is that is you want something bad enough and practice it long enough, you will see guaranteed success.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Good people work with good people. Even if your base of clients is small now, be a pleasure to work with and deliver on your promises consistently. It goes a long way.

Any advice for managing a team?

Check in with them regularly, see how they’re feeling about their work and what they want to be doing more or less of, take the time to listen to their needs, and give them more responsibility than they may think they’re ready for (if you think they can handle it of course). Oh yeah, and pay them on time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bennettwin.com
• Instagram: @bennettthomaswin
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennett-win/