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

Wendell, 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?

I am very happy as a business owner. Fortunately for me, I had the experience of having a regular job first. I learned so much about myself and about running a business during those years that it definitely prepared me for having my own business. I could really appreciate putting in extra hours in preparation to make sure I was successful. There is a good felling about having a regular job because you can depend on getting that regular paycheck on schedule every month. In my first two years of being a business owner, I was definitely shocked with the amount of money I made because while it wasn’t extremely low, it was definitely partially offset by the many expenses I had. I just had to keep working hard and pushing through recognizing that when I had a regular job, that company probably went through some of the same growing pains that I did.

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.

My name is Wendell Timothy and I am the owner of Dell Productions Corporation dba Home Video Studio – Birmingham. I got into the business after unexpectedly losing my sales job after 24 years due to a corporate restructure. Over the course of those 24 years, I had always been involved in audio/visual work primarily at churches but also for some big corporate events. That work included videography, audio engineering and Image Magnification onto large event screens. After deciding not to look for another sales job, I followed up on a lead I read about on a social media platform and took the necessary steps to learn more about getting started with the opportunity. I specialize in preserving precious memories. My clients bring in old media from as far back as the 1940’s. The various media includes 8mm film, 35mm slides, photos, VHS/VHS-C tapes, Mini DV tapes, audio-cassettes, Hi-8mm tapes, Beta tapes, etc. Because most of the players for these media type are not in use any longer, my customers have no way of viewing some of the memories of a family Christmas, an ultrasound, a vacation, a graduation, etc. I am able to transfer their media into a digital format to be saved to a DVD, a USB flash drive or upload it to an online cloud account. I am most proud of my ability to solve problems for my customers in a relatively short time. Many of my customers have concerns about losing their precious memories. Many of them choose my services because of my location and fear of not wanting to ship their media and it getting lost. Even more choose my services due to my glowing reviews that many of my customers have left me. I will go above and beyond to make sure my customers get exactly what they were looking for at a reasonable price.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

After going through the initial call with the franchise owner, I learned that one of the funding options for starting my own corporation involved using monies accumulated in my 401K from the position I held working for someone else without tax penalty. That was a tremendous blessing to be able to do so. I created my C-Corporation and worked with a company that helped me get my business license, helped me register my business, open my business bank account and complete the necessary paperwork to have the funds transferred into my new business account.

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

The best source if new clients for me has definitely been the internet, specifically Google Search. At least 90% customers learn of my services via a simple Google search on either VHS transfer, or videotape to digital. I worked extensively on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and spent a lot of money on Google Ads in the first two years to get my listing on the first page of a search and also in the top three of companies that come up. Because of my passion to succeed and my willingness to go above and beyond, I have been able to get some really great reviews (over 50 5 star reviews to date). I have learned that potential customers find reviews to be especially telling on how well they will be satisfied.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://birmingham.homevideostudio.com/396
• Facebook: Home Video Studio – Birmingham
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendell-timothy-a5b54b184?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Image Credits
Chad Godfrey