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

Alright, Zach thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

If I could go back in time I would not start my business any sooner or later than I did.

In 2014 I was working as a software developer. I loved the environment there. Great boss, great co-workers and I never dreaded that aspect of it. But having to come into the office every day, work with clients that were sometimes less than ideal and not have control over my schedule I quickly learned that I might need to seek starting my own business in videography as I had wanted to since high school.

That opportunity came that same yea when my soon-to-be co-owner reached out and said that someone at her church needed a fitness DVD made for their gym. It was a HUGE project being our first professional job but we somehow did get it done. It required editing on week days after work and shooting on the weekends.

After this job was complete and we got paid I realized there was a potential to make this my full time job. So for 3 years straight I lived at home, saving up money and building up my equipment and skills until it was the right time.

If I had started sooner I wouldn’t have learned the valuable lessons of managing clients/sending quotes/other business related things that I learned from the software development job. If I had waited any longer I think I may have just grown comfortable with the position, especially in a post-covid world where many software developers can work from home.

Zach, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into videography at 16 in 2007 when my friends and I started making YouTube videos. The moment I found out that my mom’s new digital camera that we were playing with could take not only photos but videos and how easy it was to put them on the computer I was hooked. After that it stayed as a hobby until 2014 when I started doing it professionally, finally leaving my job in 2016 to pursue it full time.

We offer wedding videography and videos for businesses in the Cincinnati, OH region along with the occasional music videos here and there!

When I first talk to clients some are very clear on what they need and others have no idea but know they need a video for their business. We’re good at holding the clients hand from start to finish and it’s fun to see the client’s eyes light up as we problem solve together and to get all the way to the final edit of the video.

What sets us apart is many in the industry start to have formulaic processes to complete the videos for customers and they start to seem the same. We put the work in and give our customers our full attention and make their videos unique to their business so they can use it to best achieve their goals. It’s one thing to have a process you go through with each client but creativity is not a copy and paste attribute, it takes time, care, and most of all listening to what their needs are and the unique properties of that business. This is the same for the weddings we shoot.

I’m most proud of the finished edited video and that I make sure we do not close out a project until the customer is happy. We take an intimidating process and chop it into parts where the client and ourselves are always on the same page and that has helped us tremendously throughout the years.

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

Funding for the business took years upon years. While it was still only a hobby for me, I bought the cameras and other equipment on my own dime. As the years went on before I left my job to go full-time I was putting away money, saving where I could by living at home with my parents and slowly building up all the equipment needed.

When starting this business we both came into it with no debt. This isn’t possible for every business venture but to others interested in this field it definitely is possible if you have patience and the right circumstances like we did.

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

To this day the best source of clients for us is previous clients. Wedding couples will recommend their friends or guests will see the finished videos of their loved ones and keep you in mind. I have a handful of great returning clients that not only need new videos but will recommend us. Word of mouth is vastly important as they’re hearing a recommendation from someone they trust versus you, a stranger, saying “hey, buy from me!”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vixelvideo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vixelvideo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vixelvideo/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/vixelvideo

Image Credits
Cinematography: Zach Pike & Jacob Stewart