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

Kenny, appreciate you joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

This is something I have been debating for months now. Would life be better as an employee working for somebody else? I could have paid time off, health insurance, a consistent paycheck, and a predictable schedule. These are all things that I don’t have working for myself.

I’ve been running my business for 5 years now. People say that things get easier after 5 years. While I am realizing the ways in which it could be easier especially with all of this experience I have, it is also exhausting and has left me unsure if I want to continue doing this.

This would be our first year passing six figures within the business; something that I waited 5 years to achieve. After all of the expenses, there is not enough money left over for me to live the life I thought I would be living by now. A life where travel was more plausible, where I could go out to new restaurants and now worry about how much the bill would be, a life that would allow me to save and invest consistently, and so on and so forth.

I thought, if my company doesn’t have to be my sole source of income then I could make more money and accomplish my goals with other income. So I began applying to jobs and to make a long story short, it didn’t go well. And due to lack of interviews or by not finding the right fit, it seems that running the business is the best option for me right now. The idea is not to dissolve the company but rather to minimize the amount of time and energy I put into it to allow for more opportunities to make money elsewhere. This would allow me to be more selective with who I work with and allow me to create the work that I really want to produce.

So while I am still running the business, I think a pivot has to happen by 2025. So I’m taking it day by day and letting the business tell me what it needs rather than forcing it to give me the things that I want/need from it. I see next year being a journey of taking on more projects that get me excited and creating a better work/life balance so that I am not overly stressed and anxious.

Kenny, 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?

I started a video production company called STBY Studio. We create cinematic and engaging documentary-style videos for businesses. Think of brand story videos, event recap videos, testimonials, mini documentaries, and social media content.

I always had a desire to start a business and in 2019 when I graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a degree in Film & Video Production, the journey began. I had the opportunity to work on a television show called “Road Trip Masters” which was airing on The Discovery Channel that season. It was a small team and I had my hands on everything from filming, assistant directing, audio production, and video editing. We ended up winning 5 Telly Awards that year! My plan was to work in the industry for a few years, pay off some debt, and then start a company. However, the hype that we got from this television show seemed like the perfect time to launch my business. I had confidence in my ability to produce quality videos and now I had the proof to back it up.

Shortly after I launched the business, the pandemic hit and the whole world changed. I am so blessed that I was able to find clients and keep the business afloat. We went through many different industries trying to find work that was meaningful, sustainable, and profitable. Within the past 3 years we have been focusing on the documentary niche and it has been really good to us. We have worked with some pretty big clients over the years such as The Philadelphia Eagles, FIFA, Roc Nation, Chick-fil-a, Nike, and the City of Philadelphia!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to realize that very few people in business, and even in life, have it all figured out. The more I talk to people, the more I’m able to listen to their stories. A lot of business owners have to get another job at some point in their journey, most people are extremely stressed running a business, most people are in enormous debt because of their business, most people have to sacrifice their marriage, family, or friendships in some way to pursue entrepreneurship, most business owners are lonely, and most people who are running a business aren’t even doing what they thought they would be doing.

For me the lesson is to avoid comparing myself to other people who seem to have it all figured out. It’s really hard to have role models in business because the people who really have the money, power, and freedom often are selfish people, horrible bosses, and e*ploit their employees and other people.

So focus on your goals and take your time. If you’re able to make a living or make extra income through your business, that is already a success and you should be proud of that!

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

There have been numerous times when I almost went out of business. The moment I remember the most was a few years back during the pandemic. I had been living paycheck to paycheck for months and was taking every job I could to make ends meet. I was working all day, every day but barely had any money to show for it.

I was at a point where I had enough. I tried everything I could think of and nothing was working. I went down the street to print some documents(which I have never done before) and I ran into an old friend. We caught up for a few minutes and I told him about my situation and he referred me to this grant for business owners. I felt like I wouldn’t get it because I was competing with hundreds and thousands of people. I applied for it anyway and I actually ended up getting the grant and received $15,000! That grant literally saved me and my business.

This taught me that even though I was ready to give up on the business, God still had a plan for me. It reassured me that maybe I was actually following my purpose in life. So if you can’t seem to let the business go or running the business is your only option right now, just know that there is a reason for it. You will be surprised by how things will work out for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stbystudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stbystudio/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennywooten/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@stby3398