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

Tawfiq, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I am happier owning a business. Having experienced both sides, having a job does create a semblance of stability and security. Owning your business comes with more stress and anxiety. Business challenges my spirit more than anything. Am I capable? How well can I compete in the market? These questions can lead to remembering what my work-life was like as a nurse. I was making $8-9k/month so long as I clocked in, did my job well, and clocked out on time, 3 days a week. It was that simple.

“You were making good money and it was challenging, so why not go back?”

Feeding that thought leads to: “You would have more time to do the things you love, and be with family.”

Then I think about how I am my boss. I can travel if I want or need to. I can wake up early for my business or late for my well-being. It’s always up to me. The stress and anxiety are signals that I am uncomfortable. That discomfort leads to my growth if I allow it. It can also lead to my dismay if I allow it. Ultimately creating the opportunities in your business is taking a drastic level of control over your life. For me, owning that responsibility is worth it.

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

A rebellious nature brought me here. Refusing to give up autonomy of my personal health choices, I was “laid off” from my critical care nursing position. Learning that the oath we took was more for marketing purposes and less practiced, led me to sitting on my couch, bored, wondering what would be next. Across the room, atop a bookshelf, dusty and unloved, a Nikon D5600 starter camera pointed directly at me. So, I started taking pictures. That quickly led to following a local band from event to event, taking stills and video. Those adventures brought me across the state and even to Ghana within the first 1.5 years of my business working with global foundations, nonprofits, and local/state governments.

Original Studios is a photo-video business. We focus primarily on events. Our mission to to fill every member of our network’s calendars with simple, and financially rewarding work. We aim to leave the artist hat at home for a few days, and do less than exciting event work, that often gets overshadowed by the more exciting, and more competitive commercial jobs. While are clients are the ones that hire us, Original Studios also aims to be a cooperatively owned production company. That means our network members are our clients as well. We find the photo/video world to be grossly fragmented where it seems like everyone is wearing every hat, never trying to work together for more than an allotted project. We are different because we focus on people and not money. It probably makes me a bas businessman to be honest.

I’m most proud of how simple our model is. Check this out — mainly decision makers attend foundation, gov’t, and nonprofit events. They’re directors, CEOs, etc. So, this is the flow: go to event > take great photos > network with decision makers at event> hand out beautiful business cards > repeat. Essentially, the goal is to make every organization in the room our clients. If they see our faces and our logo enough, they can’t help but notice. Keep in mind…I went to Ghana, Africa…multiple times and was able to bring a team! Simple and effective.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Presence. Being able to have an intentionally present conversation with the people around me helped to build my reputation. That energy found other like-minded individuals and now my network is growing quickly. The net worth of my network has skyrocketed. And as the saying goes, your network is your net worth.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The hardest lesson I had to unlearn was the need to make money, and learning that the real focus was providing a value to the marketplace. Solving real-world problems for people naturally brings money as a byproduct. At our first meeting, my mentor asked me, “What’s your noble cause?” After I gave my answer, he then proceeded to explain that my noble cause will keep me grounded when the situations get tough. In all of his wealth, the thing he cares most about is his honor and his word to carry out his noble purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.originalstudios.net
• Instagram: originalstudios_

Image Credits

Original Studios