Freelancer vs Business Coach: How to Build a Profitable 6-Figure Creative Business

One of the things which I'm feeling a lot of is scarcity. Is that a familiar feeling?

Yeah, very, yeah, yeah.

Treat yourself like your best client. It's about waking up in the morning and going, what's one small step I can take to change and inspire somebody's life?

Hiya.

Hey, how's it going? So what's your name?

I'm Sam.

Sam, what does Sam do?

So I'm a filmmaker and I run a production company called Essential Cinematic, and then I freelance at kind of the BBC Natural History Unit.

Fabulous. How long have you been doing that for?

I've been working professionally as a filmmaker for about 7 years.

Fantastic. And what is your biggest pain point, problem, or challenge?

Not enough cash, not enough high-paying projects.

Ooh, so there's 2 problems there, cash and high-paying projects. Okay, fabulous. Do you want some help with that?

I'd love some, yeah.

Okay, let's get to work. Quantify the size of the problem for me.

So I get busy being busy, you know, doing lots of little— I have cool jobs on little TV shows, on broadcast shows. Smaller clients and projects, which I do enjoy. They take up all my time, and what I've noticed is the production company works really well when I have these bigger jobs, which I've done quite a few of now, and they're really enjoyable to do. They're sort of like documentary-style films. They require a bit bigger budget and they have like a bigger goal around them. And basically I kind of pour my heart and soul into them, and then I finish them and I'm kind of depleted, and I feel like I have to sort start up the whole thing again. And those best projects come— I'm not sure where they come from exactly.

So one of the things which I'm feeling a lot of is scarcity. Okay, is that a familiar sort of feeling to you?

Yeah, I've just moved to London and the expense has gone up, so yeah.

Well, I'm not talking necessarily just in terms of financial scarcity. It feels like time is scarce. It feels like there's just, there's just a lack of abundance at the moment in your life. Would that be sort of fair?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right.

Yeah. Is that a familiar feeling?

Yeah, very.

Tell me more. Where else has it shown up in your life?

It shows up in the work itself, and it shows up—

But in the past, where's that familiarity come from?

Probably like, yeah, lack of opportunities and growing up, you know, in quite a like rural place where I felt like I had to get away to get opportunities. Like, I felt like there weren't that many opportunities around me.

So there's a bit of a feeling of scarcity, but also you're constantly chasing as well, chasing something.

Yeah.

Escaping from the country, trying to chase those, like, you know, that you're always after something.

Exactly.

Oh, I earn enough to go back to the country as well and be able to It's interesting because it can be a bit like a carrot or a stick sometimes when people are sort of experiencing that, because it's a bit of both which has drawn you out of the rural, you know, the countryside into London to live that life. And that's where, you know, the BBC is based there, and there's other opportunities from a production perspective.

Mm-hmm.

But yet still you've made that move and there's still that lack of There's that lack of abundance and feeling like you've achieved, right?

It's like I'm making enough now that I would probably have that abundance, but my costs have come with me, and so I'm in the same place.

And so what happens then when you make it in London and you, you make loads of money and now you're in London and like, what's next? It's like, oh, bigger house, maybe a mortgage and a security and a family and all this sort of stuff. Now we're back to scarcity and chasing and like, it's always going to be the next thing. And I think it's one of those things. How old are you, if you don't mind me?

I'm 30 now, just 30.

30 now, okay. So I mean, I'm a dinosaur now, I'm 44, right? So I've lived that thing which maybe you're chasing. I mean, I won't sort of project my version of it because you'll have your version of it. In fact, it might be interesting. What does that future look like to you?

I guess it's just like creative freedom, autonomy, I think. Yeah, autonomy.

Why is that important to you?

I've just found that I'm generally like at my happiest and my most creative and my work's at its best as well when I feel like autonomy over my kind of life.

Okay, but why is that important? I mean, happiness is obviously important. There's got to be more to it than that.

Because I care about my work. I want it to be really good. I want it to stand out. Because I really enjoy, like, it. Yeah.

You see, it's hard to articulate.

It's hard to articulate.

Hard to articulate.

Yeah.

Step outside of you for a moment. Why are you doing what you do? Think about the clients you work with, because I've seen a lot of your work and it's excellent. So think about, like, why are you doing that particular work for those specific clients you've done the work with?

The best ones is because I care about what they're doing and I want to, like, elevate what they're doing and help.

Give me a specific example. So who's your favorite client? I know we're not supposed to have favorites, by the way, but who's your favorite client?

Well, in a sense, I guess—

Most meaningful client, like what was the most meaningful piece of work which you've done?

Probably making a film for National Landscapes where we, we help inspire young people to care about nature and go out into nature and then get the funding for them to go out into nature. Epic.

So here's a thought for you, and again, I might miss the mark with this, but whilst you're there busy chasing the carrot or the stick, running away from the stick, whichever way around it is, going from the countryside into London created more scarcity for yourself. There are kids who could be really benefiting from getting outside more, but because you're so focused on your world, getting what you want to, want to get out of it, is there a chance that people could be missing out on your creativity?

Yeah.

All of those children's lives that you could be changing. But here's a thought. What if there was a way that you could have poured more into that, then further down the line, thinking abundantly, that you could have actually reaped some more rewards back for yourself? And then it creates this positive cycle, whereas at the moment it feels like a bit of a cycling where you're spinning up in this negative, scarce, scarcity-based cycle. Does that resonate? Does that make sense?

Yeah, yeah. And that is what happened with that, that film and another client I had recently as well, where he sells like eco-friendly products in a shop and it like him making the film for him and seeing how happy he was.

Yeah.

And then but also using the time to create in a way that I found enjoyable to market our work more.

So I'm going to ask you again, right, what is it that you do?

Tell other people's—

I've led the witness, by the way, just to—

Tell other people's inspirational stories.

Let's have another go. Let's have a redo on that one. What is it you do?

Create cinematic films that make a difference.

Explore that a bit further, like the difference piece.

Move people.

Move people.

Yeah, keep going. Sometimes bring people to tears with the films. Yeah, do meaningful work, help other people.

world one meaningful movie at a time.

Yeah.

Right, one meaningful short story at a time. And I think you're not embracing that, you're not living that just yet because there is— and there's nothing wrong with it, by the way, it's just that it sounds like there's that historical familiarity around scarcity. You kind of— we always turn back to that because it is that, it's familiar. Despite the fact we know it's not necessarily dangerous or unsafe, but we know that it's familiar even though it's uncomfortable. So you'll keep retreating back to there. But we've got to somehow pick apart, like, what is it that you're doing or not doing? What is it that you're doing or not doing that is going to allow you to make more meaningful impact with those stories which you're producing, that's going to help more people?

Yeah, yeah. I don't think I'm tapping into my gratitude enough and the abundance I do have around me and the opportunities and the—

Who or what are you grateful for?

The talent I work with, like my editors.

No, but think there's one really important person that you're forgetting, that you haven't really mentioned a lot.

Um, myself?

No, one more. You are, you are. I'm not negating that you are important, but there's one more. Um, the client. It's the client and the mission which they're on, right?

Yeah, obviously.

Yeah, and I think if you can— I'll share, it's probably easier to share a little bit of a personal anecdote. A lot of people come up to me and say, why are you doing this thing for Mavericks, like Atomicon, Andrew and Pete? Why are you doing these projects for like Denton, Daniel Priestley? Why are you doing these projects for Ali and stuff like that? Because I do have feelings, I have my own business to do, but I also know that the groups which I can touch, the more groups I impact, the broader that impact is going to be for the small business community, the wider business community. I've only got 200 clients in my group, but between all of the different partnerships I've got, there's 2,500 people here that I'm having a little bit of influence on and impacting them positively. So my— I come to this, I'm not interested in making any money from things like Atomic Con or any of those other partnerships I've got. For me, it's about that broader impact.

You're right. Yeah, and I know that.

Yeah, this is fun, like, don't get me wrong, but I also turn up to things like this that have a massive dose of imposter syndrome throughout the day, right? And, and other things like that. But at the moment, there's— you're very insular. It's that scarcity mindset. Just, I, I think the word you use is gratitude there, and I think next time you're doing some work with, with a client, stand there and be like truly grateful. Like, just soak it up, see the work and the impact which you're creating and playing a small part of. Because I don't think you're quite owning that yet. For some reason you're kind of like, oh well, that's, that's their business, that's their movie. I, I've done my bit, which is I've made the film, I've got my team organized, and I'm living my life in London. And you're seeing those 2 very separate things.

Mm-hmm.

But you can also be very grateful to the client. You playing a part of that?

Yeah, yeah. And when I have done that, that's when it has been working well.

Okay.

Yeah.

So stepping into that sort of mindset with that approach to it, is that, is that, is that version of you worth more or less or the same?

Yeah, more. More?

How much more? Yeah, quantify it for me. So think of a project which you've done.

Yeah.

How much did you charge for it?

Yeah, I mean, those, those like 8 grand video productions are a good deal, you know, they're good, they're valuable.

So you've done a project for 8K?

Yeah.

Okay, so this is where we get into the realms of, well, yeah, we can show up and do a story or sort of a little batch of 3 stories, but wouldn't you like to have a whole, you know, almost documentary done over the course of the next 12 months?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That'd be amazing.

Let's meet some of these kids. Let's tell their story. Let's see them out in the wild enjoying themselves. Let's go into their homes and let's document the difference between the two of them. Let me tell that story for you and your business. I'd be so grateful for that opportunity. Can you see the shift in energy?

Yeah.

It's not about, please can I have £8K to do this project? Yeah, I'll do a great job. I'll do a good job. I'll do an okay job. I'll do what you expect. It's more about, let's create something amazing together because I love working with you. Do you see? And it may not be perfect for that particular client, but you can see the shift in energy over time. You see that it only takes one of those to say yes to a $60K documentary series over the course of a year that all of a sudden, through changing what you're doing for them, it benefits you.

Yeah, definitely. And that's— that is interestingly how it does work. And I have that energy when those projects are happening. I guess it's like holding on to it when they end and staying there so it can just keep flowing as opposed to closing off.

Where does it start?

Well, it can start now with looking for these problems that make me enthusiastic to go in and say, look, I can help you solve this problem with this, with the film, you know.

Let's dig a little bit deeper into it. Where does it actually start? This shift, where does it begin? You can be practical and tactical if you want to. You could use it strategically. You can use it from a vision, mission, purpose. You come at it from the direction you want to come at it. Where does this shift start?

Maybe with championing the work that we've done more and going back and saying, how did it go? It's been a year now.

Could be. I think it's a long way before that.

Yeah, yeah, I'm not sure. I felt a bit stuck in it for the last few months.

Where did that— where did— so where did the— what was the organisation called?

So it's National Landscapes.

So where did National Landscapes find you?

They just reached out to me.

Oh, through a referral? Yeah, but they probably did a bit of research. What is it that they saw?

So they saw a film that I made for another client that they knew.

Okay, yeah, so it sounds to me like we could just amplify some of that. Yeah, I mean, we've discussed this before, like, you know, you weren't making movies for yourself— I keep calling them movies— but you weren't making films for yourself. Yeah, so you've now got out there and you've started to make short films demonstrating your work in the way that you want to tell the stories for your clients. Treat yourself like your best client. And, um, and it's about amplifying, I think, that I, I'm here to change the world. Like big words, like big messaging, and like, hey, abundance, right?

Mm-hmm.

And that goes through, like I said, practical tactical, like your marketing, your website. When you're talking on your videos, it's big, it's abundant, you know. Um, it's in your sales conversations you're having with a client. You could say, well, yeah, Yeah, we can make this film. I can do that if you want me to. That doesn't get me excited. Would it be okay if I shared with you what does get me excited?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And they're like, sounds interesting. So you're piquing their curiosity. Remember the storytelling element, it's all about that. It's about getting people gripped.

Yeah, yeah.

Do you see the storytelling isn't just about getting behind the camera and telling a good story, it's actually in sales, marketing, how you're talking and communicating to your clients. like you live it every step of the way.

Like the film we made for the guy with the eco-friendly shop, that got seen by like Theo Paphitis on LinkedIn, and then he shared it with his network. And it's like, we, we couldn't have done that if I'd— if I— if it had been smaller, if we'd just done a few videos for the products, you know. Yeah, it had to have that, which he trusted me with, you know. So it's nice just to have that like payoff as well.

So what insights are you getting so far? What are you going to do from this point forward?

I think I'm going to think more about what the work can do for other people and let that drive me and pull me forward, as opposed to having this kind of anxiety about my bills and, oh, am I going to get another nightmare client that doesn't leave me alone and, you know, makes me fall out of love with the craft and stuff? just focus more on the stuff I know works.

Yeah.

And feeling great, being more great, you know. I've been there and it's easy to forget, isn't it? And yeah, get out of my own way.

Yeah, and you'll fall back to it. It's familiar.

Yeah, it's comfortable.

Uncomfortable but comfortable. It's safe, but you know, you know all of But it's it sometimes it's hard when you wake up in the morning and you've had a nightmare neighbor keep you up all night.

And yeah, you know, true story. Yeah.

And you know, maybe maybe yeah, the cash flow is a bit short. I get it. But it's always trying to. It's that identity as like these the films you're making are changing. You know, what were the words which you used?

No, insert. I'll like blah blah blah. I'm gonna put it in. Yeah.

What were the words which she used?

Well, changing people, inspiring people, changing people's lives.

So it's about waking up in the morning and going, what's one small step I can take to change and inspire somebody's life? I mean, what, like, I don't know, it's just whether you want to do this sort of stuff or not, but you know, there's these wonderful YouTube channels where you see people just go and sit down on a park bench with their flask and tea, and then, you know, they've set up their tripod and then they just have a chat, don't they? It's like, there's like, you know, have a cup of tea with Rick or whatever. But is there an equivalent of that which you could do, which you could just get your phone out and just go and chat to somebody and just say, hey, look, tell me a story. What difference would you like to make in the world? Hey, have you thought about doing this, this, and this? Then maybe you could create an impact through video, you know. So again, there's a strategy, the ideas, but it's actually like living it every day. And I think you might find as well by doing that stuff free, it'll just unlock that abundance. They can pay for that stuff. Yeah, I'm not getting paid for doing this, but yeah, doing it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I might be tired after an event, but yeah, I'll do this and I'll— that, like, this warms me up. This is like my pep talk to myself to go and enjoy the after-party, right?

You know? Yeah.

So maybe there's a little bit of something like that that you can start to introduce bit by bit to your daily life that's low friction, because I like your films You make your YouTube epic, absolutely epic, but heavy lift, right? There's effort required in that. But if you could get your phone out and just be, hey, I'm going to get somebody to tell us a meaningful story today, maybe that's something somewhere where you can start little and often.

Yeah, yeah, that sounds good.

So it's up to you to choose how you want to do that bit.

Yeah, I do definitely— I definitely need to hire myself more because I don't hire myself very often. And when I do, it pays off.

There you go.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Awesome. All right, thank you, Robin.

So what's the one— let's break it down then. What's like the one thing or 2 things or 3 things that you're gonna see or do differently or think differently?

Yeah, I'm gonna focus more on the problems I can help other people solve and help other people inspire— help inspire other people, help them re-engage with their own business, like show them how amazing they're actually doing. You know, I spoke to someone the other day and she had like an amazing testimonial and she wasn't even— I was like, that would be such a brilliant film, you know. And it's like, it's almost like a duty to— even if I don't make it, it's like, that's the idea.

Love it.

Like, you can— I don't have to make it. Like, you could do it just by writing it, but that's the— that would be the film, you know.

I don't know if anybody watching this just picked up on that energy that Sam just demonstrated there. Did you feel that lift?

Yeah, yeah.

Just in that last little bit, like your energy lifted.

Yeah, yeah.

So let's find— let's recreate that like more and more and more when you feel it.

Okay?

Yeah, definitely.

I love that.

Yeah, absolutely.

Awesome.

Awesome. Folks, I hope you've enjoyed this episode of The Business Bench. Uh, if you want to have a conversation with me like I've just had here with Sam, uh, do drop us a message in the comments. We'll make sure that we try and get back in touch with you. Um, and maybe see you at Ideas Fest in September. Uh, we're running The Business Bench there. We're going to have 12 to 15 guests up there, so If you're watching this, you're going to be at Ideas Fest, hit us up, maybe we'll have a conversation. How was your time on the Business Bench?

Yeah, awesome. Yeah, looking forward to Ideas Fest.

Good.

Okay, B-roll shots.