The 20 Percent That Builds a Profitable Video Business
Let me ask you something.
Have you ever had the experience of working harder than ever, but still not getting the results you want?
You’re up late replying to emails. Jumping between shoots, edits, quotes. You’re grinding. Always grinding.
But deep down, there’s a question starting to form.
Is this really how it’s meant to be?
If you’ve been feeling that way, this might be the most important idea you hear all year.
Because there is another way to run a video production business. One that brings more clarity. More profit. Less chaos.
And it starts with something called the 80/20 Rule.
Let’s break it down.
A Different Lens on Success
You might have heard of the 80/20 Rule before. But if you haven’t looked at your business through this lens, you could be missing out on the most powerful way to create leverage.
The principle comes from an Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto. The story goes that Pareto was out in his garden one day and noticed something strange. About 20 percent of the pea pods were producing 80 percent of the peas.
That observation stuck with him. And later, when he studied patterns of wealth in Italy, he found something similar. Twenty percent of the population controlled about 80 percent of the wealth.
The more he looked, the more he saw this uneven pattern repeating. In nature. In economics. In productivity.
Over time, the 80/20 Rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, became one of the most useful concepts in business strategy. Because it reflects something we all instinctively know. Not all effort produces equal results.
Some actions, clients, services, and decisions simply matter more.
It Can Seem Unfair. But It’s Real.
Before we go further, I want to acknowledge something.
The 80/20 Rule can sound harsh. It can even sound unjust.
That a small percentage of people or effort get the biggest results doesn’t sit well with everyone. And I get that.
I’m not saying it should be this way. In a perfect world, effort would always match outcome. Rewards would be evenly distributed.
But we don’t live in that world. And if you try to run your business based on how you wish things were, instead of how they actually work, you’ll struggle.
This isn’t about taking more than your share. It’s about aligning yourself with reality. And using the leverage you do have to create something strong and sustainable.
Because if your business is profitable and calm, you’re in a far better position to help others. You can support your team, take care of your family, and do more meaningful work.
This principle is about building something solid, not just for yourself, but for those around you.
Why Most Video Producers Stay in the 80 Percent
Here’s what I see over and over again.
Talented, hardworking video business owners get stuck in a cycle of low-leverage effort.
They’re overloaded with work but underwhelmed by results. Chasing jobs. Doing favours. Delivering great videos. Still not getting ahead.
Not because they’re bad at what they do. Often, they’re excellent.
But they’re treating everything as equal. Every client. Every email. Every task. They’re missing the patterns. They haven’t stopped to ask which actions actually drive results.
So they live in reaction mode. Taking what comes. Saying yes too often. Undercharging just to keep the work flowing.
That might have worked a few years ago. But things are changing.
The industry is moving fast.
Budgets are tighter
Clients are more selective
In-house teams are expanding
AI is pushing costs down
Competition is increasing
If you’re still operating the way you were three or five years ago, you’re probably feeling the pressure.
What used to work isn’t enough anymore. This is one of those turning points. One of those moments where staying in the 80 percent becomes a real risk.
The gap is widening.
What It Means to Be in the 20 Percent
Being in the 20 percent doesn’t mean you’re the most talented. It doesn’t mean you have the best gear or the biggest network.
It means you’ve stepped back and looked closely at what actually works. You’ve chosen to focus. You’ve made deliberate decisions.
Let me show you a few areas where that focus pays off.
1. Clients
Not all clients are equal.
You don’t need dozens of them. You need a few great ones.
The ones who come back. The ones who trust you. The ones who pay on time and refer others.
That’s how I built my production company. Not on volume. On long-term relationships.
Some of our clients stayed with us for over a decade. We worked together again and again. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in value. And a real sense of partnership.
That’s your 20 percent.
So ask yourself:
Who are your top three clients?
Are you treating them like VIPs?
Are you making time for them?
Are you turning that goodwill into case studies, testimonials, and referrals?
Because your best clients are likely doing the heavy lifting.
And if you have clients who waste your time, push your boundaries, and drain your energy, you need to ask whether they belong in your future.
2. Services
Not all video jobs are equal either.
Some are custom, complex, and low-margin. Others are streamlined and profitable.
Figure out which of your services fall into that second category.
If you know that a case study video, for example, is easy to sell, simple to deliver, and high margin, why not make it central?
That’s what I did. My go-to was the 10k case study video.
Template-based. Straightforward. High value. Clients loved it.
Too many producers chase big, complicated projects. Swinging for the fences on 30k or 50k jobs.
Those projects are fine, but they’re not always reliable. Or profitable. Especially if you’re not set up to deliver them efficiently.
Sometimes it’s smarter to lead with something simple. A clear offer that gets the relationship started. That builds trust. That makes it easy for the client to say yes.
3. Marketing
Marketing is another place where the 80/20 Rule shows up clearly.
A lot of producers feel pressure to be everywhere. Instagram, YouTube, email, ads, cold outreach. They spread themselves thin.
But when you look at what’s actually working, it’s usually just one or two channels.
Maybe it’s LinkedIn. Maybe it’s referrals. Maybe it’s a single service page on your site.
The key is to double down on what already works. Then, you can start to build on it.
With my coaching clients, we select one major channel and one minor channel. That’s it.
For example, if your strength is LinkedIn, we optimise your profile, sharpen your outreach, and build a content rhythm.
If referrals work well, we create a system around asking, following up, and rewarding.
That’s how I’ve built both my production and coaching businesses. I went deep into one channel at a time. This podcast is a good example. I didn’t try to do everything at once. I focused.
What’s the one channel you could go all in on for the next six months?
4. Time
Let’s talk about how you spend your time.
Most business owners spend nearly all their hours on delivery: shooting, editing, quoting, emailing.
Which means they have almost no time left for strategy.
But it’s the strategic time that matters most. That’s when you review your pipeline. Think about pricing. Create a new offer. Build a process. Adjust your positioning.
That’s the real leverage.
The challenge is protecting that time.
You have to block it out. Treat it as non-negotiable.
This is part of what coaching creates. A protected space where you stop reacting and start thinking. Where you work on the business, not just in it.
You probably already know:
Which clients are your best
Which projects are easiest and most profitable
Where you’re wasting time
What you’ve been avoiding
That’s where your growth lives.
Final Thoughts
The industry is changing. Fast.
The producers who thrive will not be the ones who work the most hours. They will be the ones who think clearly. Who simplify. Who take action on what matters.
This doesn’t require luck or special talent.
It requires the willingness to let go of the noise. To focus on the small number of things that actually move the business forward.
So ask yourself:
What’s your 20 percent?
What’s already working that you haven’t fully committed to yet?
What could your business look like if you built everything around that?
Because most producers never do this.
But you can.
If you’re ready to step out of the 80 and into the 20, I’d like to help.
That’s exactly what I do through my coaching program. We work together to simplify your business, strengthen what’s already working, and build the systems and strategy that most people avoid.
If that sounds like something you’ve been needing, you’ll find all the details at https://www.ryanspanger.com/get-started. The pricing is transparent. No sales calls. You’ll know if it’s right for you.
Thanks for reading. Speak soon.