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Dear listener,

There are two types of videographers who should listen to this episode: (1) those who feel under pressure and can hear the wolves at their door, and (2) those who are sittin' pretty but want to take their business to even higher levels of success. 

Here's a sneak peek at what you'll hear:

• A “2-minute marketing trick” any videographer can use in the month of November to help keep business rolling in the door during the notoriously quiet months of December and January. – 1:30
• The one & only time having a lean period in business is a good thing. - 3:00
• Is Cold outreach in December a good idea or bad idea? (Hear Den's thoughts at 3:20)
• The REAL reason most video production owners' Decembers and Januarys are leaner months. (And, what you can do about it. - 5:20)
• How to appreciate your current business situation when you're not enjoying your current business situation. (Hear this simple but powerful mind trick at 6:30)
• The surprisingly simple "Environment" secret for potentially ratcheting up your business's growth and profits. (Most people at the top of their industry are using this secret to gain a massive advantage over those who aren’t. Here's what it is and how YOU can take advantage of it, too. - 7:30)
• Dirty tricks your brain plays on you when money's tight and the wolves are at your door. - 8:15
• Why there are now zero excuses not to read. - 10:20
• 3 jolly good book recommendations. (The first book will help you develop a Navy Seal-like mental toughness that will have you running through brick walls, the second book is so damn motivational it will have you eating lighting and crapping thunder. The third book is less motivational but will help sharpen your marketing fangs to a gleaming edge. - 13:00)
• A bonus book recommendation you'd be nuts not to read. - 15:00
• A damn-near perfect formula for running a highly profitable business. - 16:00
• How to "Scotchgard" your mind so all the negative crap doesn't stain your brain. - 17:00
• The knucklehead's guide to meditation. - 18:00
• An almost “too-hard-to-believe” fact about Den's VBA members (Den's coaching clients). - 19:00

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Are you innovating within your business? It costs way more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain an existing one. So, think about how you can improve and engage your clients on a deeper level so they won't leave you. Businesses that fail to innovate, die.

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Dear listener,

Is all this talk about "purpose over profit" just fluffy sentiment... or... could it be the secret to great profits? If you're in the video production industry and the above question interests you... well, what are you waiting for?

Oh, you wanna know a little more about this episode? That’s fair enough. Alright…

Here's a sneak peek at what you'll hear:

• Why value-driven businesses attract new clients like bees to honey while most profit-driven businesses have to hunt down new business like hungry wolves. - 1:00
• How focusing LESS on money can make your business MORE of it! - 1:20
• The videographer's guide to creating a winning culture in their business. (Building a team that's motivated, energized, and happy is as harder than Chinese algebra, but the advice Den gives starting at 2:25  is sure to help.)
• How having a value-based business can make dealing with your clients an absolute pleasure. - 2:50
• How having a profit-first based business can be one of the quickest ways to cultivate an undying contempt for the human race. - 3:00
• A no-nonsense way to come up with your business's purpose. - 6:00
• Den's damn-near perfect breakdown of a business's purpose, mission, and plan, and... how they all work in concert to make a highly profitable business. - 7:00
• A surprisingly easy way to get crystal-clear on your business goals. - 9:00
• A hardly-talked-about strategy for earning bigger profits with fewer clients. - 11:35
• A clever "mind trick" for creating an almost perfect business structure. Hardly anyone thinks like this when organizing and structuring their business. (This is ridiculously simple and can give you a tremendous advantage. - 12:00)
• How "focus and clarity" are the business owner’s superpower. -16:00

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Onboard the client properly. Communicate the proposed timeline but also articulate the delays that might have an impact later on. Talk about how you like to communicate including what the milestones are. To help clients understand, ensure you have clear communication, a clear process, and a clear system.

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Dear listener, 

Everybody has business goals but not everyone achieves them. Why is it that some do and some don't? There are plenty of reasons, but one major reason (perhaps the biggest) is revealed in this episode.

Here's a sneak peek at what you'll hear:

• The single biggest bottleneck in your business, or anyone's business for that matter. (HINT: you can find this bottleneck in any bathroom. Just walk up to the sink, and lookup. - 1:05)
• A quick crash course in the 5-stages of business. (And... how knowing this can help you make smarter and more profitable business decisions - 2:00
• A nincompoop reason to stop advertising. (I'm sure you wouldn't stop marketing your video business for this reason, but if you have... you should get out your crayons and write down the advice given at 2:40)
• A shockingly good business maxim you should tattoo somewhere on your body or at least on your office wall. - 2:50
• Advice for video freelancers who aren't sure how to price their services. - 4:10
• A totally counterintuitive way to ratchet up your creativity. (Not only does this spark creativity, but it also makes the running of your business smoother and ultimately more profitable. - 7:00)
• A completely non-woo-woo look at how the stories we tell ourselves can attract things to our lives both good and bad. - 7:30
• When NEVER to make an important decision. (In this certain situation, your IQ can drop by as much as 50%. Unfortunately, most people make big - but silly - decisions in this very situation. - 12:00)
• A dead giveaway that you have a dirty big limiting belief. (We all have them, some are just better at identifying them than others. Here's how to spot them, and... how to change them to beliefs that serve you. - 14:00)
• There are two types of business owners: (1) business owners who make excuses, and (2) business owners who make money. You can't be both. Choose wisely, Freckles. (Hear Den riff on this topic at 16:00)
• How Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoons indoctrinate kids. (This is very subtle, but it can screw with a kid’s beliefs about money - like it may have done yours. - 19:00)
• The curious reason Den always avoided buying new cars, even when he really wanted to and had the money. - 20:00
• How to use your tongue to literally rewire your brain. - 20:20
• How to use an ordinary piece of cardboard to help change your beliefs. - 21:00

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It's about discussing business growth and expansion from different perspectives on the benefits of one over the other. It's bringing together like-minded people to add more perspective and value to solving problems. This is the power of a mastermind.

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Dear listener, you're in for a real treat. Why? Here’s why: Den interviews a grizzled veteran in the video production industry, namely, Chris Schwager. Mr. Schwager generously shares many secrets of the trade he's picked over 20 plus years in the trenches.

But first…

…here's a sneak peek at what you'll hear:

• Being ahead of the curve in business is always a good thing, right? (Nope! Not always. Sometimes it can backfire as it did for Chris in 2019. Hear Chris tell this rough story at 5:50)
• Proof that “assumption” is the mother of all screw-ups, especially in a business context. - 8:40
• Hear the #1 secret to sales at 11:08.  (This may sound ridiculously simple when you first hear this, but this is where the magic happens. Selling becomes child's play when you start doing this.)
• The “6-word sales” secret you should tattoo on your body. - 16:59 - exact enough?
• The videographer's dilemma: to edit or not to edit? (Sometimes it can be far more profitable not to edit. Hear one such time at 18:10)
• Why perfectionists should never start a podcast. - 19:30
• Den's highly sophisticated "Get Shit Done" business philosophy. - 20:00
• A special "type" of marketing video that can dramatically increase your odds of landing a new client. Chris says this type of marketing video has been a game-changer for his business. - 24:00
• An almost "stealth" way to sell prospects on your video production business on your very first point of contact. (Do this and watch your clients' eyes light up. - 24:30)
• How getting in front of the camera can blow up your video business. - 25:15
• Could videographers be the biggest hypocrites in business? (Quite possibly. Listen in at 25:25 and you be the judge. Whichever way you slice it, it doesn't look good.)
• The "Eat Your Own Dog Food" marketing method for gaining your market’s trust and respectability. - 26:30

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Identify all the possible avenues where videos can be used to connect to customers. Be the alpha and stand out as someone who's clearly done more work than anyone else on the scene and providing not just a video service but also a sense of partnership. Businesses that adapt to a more holistic approach will win the game.

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Dear listener, this may be the most valuable episode yet. If you follow the business advice Den freely (he could charge thousands for this information) gives in this episode and apply it to your video business, well, heck... unless you're beyond all help (and that’s not you), you can't help but start making bigger profits.

Okay, here's a sneak peek at what you'll hear:

• What business owners can learn from the Humpback whales' migration journey. - 2:00
• FACT: humans are far superior to animals due to our intelligence and creativity, however, animals do have one instinct humans don't... and it's this lack of instinct that causes most humans to be caught with their pants down financially speaking. - 4:00
• An almost stupid obvious (yet overlooked by most people) goal-setting tip that can dramatically put the odds of achieving your goals heavily in your favor. - 5:45
• A top-notch formula for goal setting you'll love, especially if you have trouble setting and executing your business goals. - 6:00
• The “3-word secret” to goal accomplishment. - 6:40
• A clumsy (and very costly) mistake many business owners make when testing out a business idea. (I'm sure you never make this blunder mentioned at 7:30, but you just never know.)
• The "10-Degrees" secret for quickly testing new business ideas and concepts with minimum effort, time, and money. - 7:50
• Are 4k cameras overrated for the average video freelancer? Hear Den's thoughts at 8:40
• Damn good business advice for videographers. - 9:30
• The four-letter word starting with "P" that's almost a dirty world for the average business owner. - 12:00
• A special "type" of business planning that can dramatically increase your odds of success. - 13:00
• The treacherous tale of two explorers who raced each other to the South Pole. (This story contains quite possibly the greatest lesson on strategic planning ever told. - 15:00)
• When using your "intuition" in business can cost you dearly. - 16:00
• A 100% guaranteed formula for failure. (Sadly, most people who are failing in life and in business use this very formula. - 17:40)
• The case for consistency over perfection. - 22:00
• A tried and true way to recession-proof your business. - 25:20

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You have to take profits. You have to enjoy the fruits of your labor. It's one of the treats and thrills of running a business. It's self-care. If you don't celebrate some of your success, you won't be in the right headspace to grow.

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