Listener Questions: Alex in New York

This is a listener questions episode, based on a set of emails I’ve been exchanging with Alex in New York City.

Alex worked for many years in a full-time video production role. In the last year or two he’s stepped out on his own and started building a business. From what he’s told me, he’s doing well. Work is increasing, he’s rebuilding his website, and he has a small team of contractors and part-timers helping him.

Alex, thanks for reaching out. One of the reasons I started this podcast was to connect with video production business owners around the world and talk about the real challenges that come up when you’re trying to build something that lasts.

Alex also mentioned he often listens to the podcast in the gym, so there’s a good chance you’re reading this between sets. Let’s get into it.

1. What backend software do I actually need?

Alex asked this question with the word “need” in capital letters, which tells me two things. One, he’s trying to keep it simple. Two, he’s trying to avoid the trap of signing up to every app under the sun.

That’s a smart instinct.

I see extremes on both sides. Some people get obsessed with tools and systems and spend weeks setting things up instead of doing the work that brings in revenue. On the other hand, I’ve seen experienced business owners running strong six-figure businesses resist paying $25 to $50 a month for a tool that would save them time and make them look more professional.

So the answer depends on where you are in the journey. Early on, you want strong foundations. You also want to protect your cash flow. As your income grows, you start choosing tools that improve how the business runs.

The other part of this is personal fit. If you hate a tool, you won’t use it. You can have the best system in the world on paper, but if it doesn’t suit your brain, it won’t stick.

Sometimes Google Sheets is better than a fancy CRM because it forces honesty. If you’ve got a simple sheet with names, contact details, and notes, there’s nowhere to hide. You can see what you need to do. You either do it or you don’t.

That said, there is one tool I consider essential.

The one tool I would prioritise: accounting software

If you’re running a serious business, you need an accounting system. Xero is what I use and I’ve been on it for over a decade. In North America, QuickBooks is common. There are other options too. The specific brand matters less than having a proper system.

Here’s why it changes everything.

A lot of business owners start out with the shoebox method. Receipts get thrown in a drawer, then dumped on an accountant every few months, and you find out how the business is going after the fact. If it’s been working, it’s easy to keep doing it.

But once you can see your numbers clearly, week by week, you run the business differently. You know if you’re hitting targets. You know what you’re spending. You know which parts of the business are performing well. You know which invoices are overdue. You stop guessing.

Years ago I started setting monthly sales targets and monthly profit targets, and it made a huge difference. I’m still surprised how many video business owners avoid doing this. Targets create focus. They also force you to face reality. If you’re behind, you see it early and you can act.

Modern accounting systems make this easier because they connect to your bank account and credit card. Income and expenses feed in automatically. Many also let you photograph receipts and attach them to transactions. You get visibility without a mountain of admin.

I use my accounting system almost daily as a dashboard. I check sales, expenses, profit and loss, and overdue invoices. I send reminders. I track what’s happening. I don’t leave it to someone else to tell me how my business is going twice a year.

There’s another reason to get this right early. I’ve seen the same pattern play out many times. Someone has a great year, they’re proud, the business feels like it’s working, and then they get hit with a surprise tax bill. The pride turns into panic very fast.

If you’re growing, that’s something to celebrate. It is also a signal that you need to level up how you run the business. Accounting software is part of that.

Proposal software is the second tool worth considering

The next tool I’d look at is an online proposal system. I’ve done a full episode on writing good proposals, and it’s worth a listen if you want the deeper breakdown.

A good proposal tool saves time because you can build templates. It improves presentation. It can show you when a proposal is opened. It can allow digital signing. It can reduce the mess that happens when you send PDFs back and forth.

It’s not essential on day one. But once you’re doing consistent quoting, it’s one of those tools that can pay for itself quickly if you use it properly.

Other tools that can make sense as you grow

Beyond those, most businesses will end up using some version of the following, depending on what kind of work you do.

You’ll have your editing software. You’ll likely have video hosting. We use Vimeo and their review tools work well for us. You’ll need storage, like Google Drive or Dropbox. You’ll probably need Microsoft Office because clients will send Word and Excel files. If you record interviews remotely, Riverside is a solid option.

Later, if you reach a certain level of complexity, you may want a CRM and a project management tool. Those two can be powerful once you have enough volume that you feel the pain of not having them.

The important thing is that tools add up. Even a simple business can spend $5,000 to $6,000 a year on software without going crazy. It’s worth reviewing your stack regularly and asking simple questions. Do I still use this? Is it paying its way? Am I on the right plan? Can I downgrade? Can I remove it?

2. How do I keep part-time staff and contractors happy and invested?

Alex asked how to keep part-time employees happy and invested, and it’s a smart question because once you start bringing in help, people become the biggest variable in the business.

Where possible, I’ve built a core team of full-time staff. In general, they’re more invested because your business is their main focus. They’re not splitting attention across multiple clients. They also improve faster because they’re immersed in the work every day.

Full-time teams also allow you to build culture properly. Values become real through repetition. Attention to detail. Client experience. Professionalism. Follow-through. Whatever matters to you as a business owner, those things become normal when a team lives inside them consistently.

With part-timers and contractors, the reality is different. They’re spreading their energy across multiple businesses. So you have to be deliberate about the relationship.

A lot of it is basic human stuff. Respect. Support. Clear communication. Training where needed. Paying promptly. Paying well. Making people feel appreciated and trusted.

At the same time, leadership is not just being nice. You also need boundaries and expectations. If you want quality, you have to set the standard. If you want reliability, you have to make commitment normal. If you want people to take the business seriously, you have to do that first.

The skill is learning when to be supportive and when to be firm. If you can get that balance right, contractors can still feel proud to be part of your business, even if they’re not full-time.

3. Working from home, schedules, and getting more out of the day

Alex also asked about working from home tricks, daily schedule hacks, and better use of mornings and afternoons.

This is one of those areas where a lot of advice sounds good but breaks in practice. Early in my business I assumed there must be a perfect system. I had a business coach tell me it was all about scheduling, and he got me to create a whiteboard with every hour mapped out.

I tried it. What happened is I spent a lot of time planning, then a lot of time rubbing things out and moving them around. It created stress, and I thought I was failing. Years later I realised the truth. I wasn’t failing. The system just didn’t suit me.

Different systems work for different people. It’s a bit like diets. You can follow one for a while, but if it doesn’t fit you, you won’t stick with it. The goal is to build a system you can actually live with.

For me, I don’t like locking tasks to specific times unless they genuinely need to be scheduled, like meetings. If I need to write a proposal or create marketing content, the commitment is that it gets done that day. The time of day is flexible. If I can do it when I’ve got natural energy and motivation, that’s better. If I don’t feel like it, that’s where discipline kicks in.

In general, my mind is clearer in the morning. There are fewer distractions. As the day goes on, more people want your attention and more little issues appear. So earlier in the day is often the best time for focused work, even if that focus is only one or two hours.

The bigger point here is consistency.

I’ve coached a lot of video business owners and the most common issue is not knowledge. It’s inconsistency. It’s far better to do one or two hours of focused work on your business every day than to rely on occasional heroic efforts. The small daily actions compound. The sporadic big days do not.

If you spend the day bouncing between emails, social media, news, messages, and small admin tasks, it feels busy but doesn’t build much. If you carve out a focused block for marketing, sales, and systems, that changes the direction of your business over time.

There’s also a harder truth here. Many people fall in love with the fantasy of what they want their business and life to look like, but avoid what it actually takes to get there. If you want the outcome, you have to do the work. You have to stop waiting for luck. You have to do the activities that most people avoid, even when you don’t feel like it.

4. AI, “slop”, and the future of video

Alex asked a question I hear a lot right now. How do you differentiate yourself as a filmmaker in a world of AI-generated content, and what does the future look like?

The fear underneath that question is simple. What if the market doesn’t care? What if clients accept generic content because it’s cheaper and faster? What if the difference between good and mediocre stops mattering?

I think the most useful way to look at this is to accept that different parts of the market will choose different things. Some clients will want high-quality, custom work, and they’ll keep paying for it. Other clients will be fine with lower quality if the price is right, and that will also be a rational choice for them.

I had a good reminder of this recently. My wife and I went to a new Italian restaurant near our place. The restaurant was full. The food was barely edible. My wife would say it was inedible. It was the food version of slop, and yet the place was packed.

That tells you something. There is a market for everything. The job is to choose who you want to serve and build your business around that segment.

I also think it’s important not to take a moral position on AI. You don’t need to join a camp of believers who talk like it’s a religion. You also don’t want to join the camp of deniers who insist it won’t affect them. In business, fewer beliefs and more facts is usually safer.

The facts will be in what the market buys. If an AI solution is cheaper and good enough for a particular purpose, people will use it. Fighting that is like trying to swim against a river.

At the same time, it’s easy to waste energy worrying about a future you can’t control. It’s fine to spend some time preparing, developing skills, and paying attention to the direction things are moving. But your business is built in the present. The main job is still to understand what your best clients want right now, solve real problems, and deliver good work.

There has never been more demand for video. There is still a huge amount of opportunity. Your best move is to keep your eyes open, stay practical, and keep taking consistent action.

Final thoughts

Alex, I hope this has given you useful food for thought, and I’m looking forward to hearing how your business progresses.

If you’re reading this and you’ve got your own questions, send them through. I enjoy doing these Q&A episodes because they reflect what people are actually dealing with, not what looks good in theory.

Keep asking questions, keep wrestling with the real challenges, and keep taking consistent action.

If you’re in a similar position to Alex, growing your business, building a team, trying to tighten up systems, or figuring out where AI fits, this is exactly the kind of work I do with coaching clients.

We look at your numbers, your positioning, your sales activity, your structure, and your leadership. We simplify what’s messy and strengthen what matters. If you want help building a more focused, resilient production company, you can learn more at ryanspanger.com/coaching.