Starting a Video Business

When you take the leap to starting a new business, you want to learn the ins and outs from someone who’s not only “been there, done that,” but has made a success of it. If your business is videography, I recommend picking up a copy of Refocus: Cutting edge strategies to evolve your video business by husband-wife team Ron and Tasra Dawson (ISBN-10 0321635302, published by Peachpit Press in 2009). It’s available from amazon.com or alibris books for about $30, but if you shop around you may pick up a used copy for a bit less…or grab it at your local library.

Ron Dawson owns Dare Dreamer Media, a media marketing agency that boasts clients like Apple, Adobe, Intuit, and Kodak. He’s been named two years in a row (2008 and 2009) to the EventDV 25 (EventDV.net is an online resource for event videographers; they name the top 25 all-star event videographers annually). Wife Tasra Dawson is an author and founder of Dare Dreamer Press—the publishing half of the team. Tasra also hosts Real Women Scrap TV, a YouTube show that uses lessons from scrapbooking and life to help inspire people to pursue their passions.

Refocus presents an excellent overview of what it takes to make a video business lucrative. The Dawsons have the experiences to illustrate their practices and back up their advice, and their approach uses plenty of personal anecdotes and a healthy dose of humor to keep the reader’s interest and get their point across. They present fresh methods to manage time, brand and market your product, define and realize your dreams that serve to motivate while they instruct.

Whether your passion is indie film, wedding videography, or corporate promotion, you’ll find something in this book that you hadn’t thought of before. I can highly recommend.