Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brandon Miles. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Brandon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today

If I could start all over again I would put all of my time into doing what really matters instead of wasting it on endlessly fine-tuning every aspect of my business; and what really matters is – making money. If a business is a vehicle to success then money is the fuel that runs it. It is the lifeblood of the whole operation. Starting out I poured all of my time into things like the look of my website, the content of my portfolio, and my posts on social media while neglecting the weightier matters of sales, cold calls, and marketing. Don’t get me wrong, spending time to build your brand is essential, but the purpose of all your branding is to generate leads and sales. You have to get your brand out in front of other people in order to be successful. My beautifully crafted website has brought me zero sales, but my single cold call has opened the door to an ever-growing network of clients.

The truth is I was afraid to step out and engage with other people. Spending all of my time perfecting my brand was nothing more than fearful procrastination. I didn’t need a perfect website or portfolio, I just needed the courage to reach out. Clients do not book portfolios, they book people. If I could do it all over again I’d put MYSELF out there first and let the rest fall into place.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am Brandon Miles, owner of Phaeros Films, a production company that produces wedding films, marketing videos, and real estate highlights in the Central Florida area. I have been in business since 2019, but have been a filmmaker since 2012. I was injured in the Army in 2012, sustaining nerve damage in my entire right arm leaving me unable to work. I was recovering at my home when I decided to play around with the camera on my iPod touch (cutting-edge stuff back then). I made a ridiculous video called “The Hat Brother’s Tech Repair”, and I fell in love. The frame composition, the choices of cuts, the special effects, I loved everything about creating a motion picture. By the grace of God my nerves healed and I was able to continue with the Army (who paid for my college (thanks Uncle Sam!)). I changed my major to film and the rest is history!
Since then I have been serving couples as their wedding videographer, creating heirloom wedding films allowing them to relive one of the greatest days for the rest of their life. I’ve also been the director of half a dozen independent films shot here in Orlando. It is my goal to be a director of feature films, specifically feature films that I am/have written.
But in the mean time, if you’re getting married soon, trying to advertise for your business, or need real estate photos, feel free to reach out!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Cold calls! I went from having one booking a month (if I was lucky) to hundreds by simply mustering the courage to get on the phone and ask people if they need my help. It was nerve-wracking at first, but the more I did it the more I discovered that people are actually happy I called. Most of them have been looking for someone to do the very service I am offering. What’s more, I don’t just call one person, but dozens. This is helpful because it takes the pressure off during each call. If you call and they say no then you just call the next person. Plus, I begin to build a rhythm and confidence with each person I call, so by the time I’m done going down my cold call list I am excited and want to do it again!

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

My main hustle (or at least the one that I wanted to be my main hustle) was wedding films. Booking one wedding film paid out four times what some of my other smaller jobs could. I have everything for it: the cameras, tripods, the drone, and drone license. I was completely focused on getting wedding clients, but no one was biting.

One day I was riding my bike around my neighborhood and saw a vacant property that looked cool. I looked it up on Zillow to see the price. I noticed that all of the pictures were vague pictures of a bush or a tree which told me nothing of the scope of the property. “They need a drone picture,” I said to myself. A lightbulb went off.
I got my drone and flew it over the property, taking a dozen pictures. I found the realtor’s info and sent them watermarked photos and asked if they would like to buy them. They were thrilled to have these cool arial shots and said they would have paid even more.

Nowadays I am calling 40 to 50 realtors a week and flying dozens of photo shoots at a time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.phaerosfilms.com/
• Instagram: phaerosfilms
• Facebook: phaerosfilms
• Youtube: phaerosfilms656