I’m thinking of the type of thing you wished you knew sooner. But if you have other advice, please share!
I’m a couple months (officially) into running a videography business and would love to use this post to share and help each other.
My Advice: I was into videography and doing it as a side hustle for almost a year but kept delaying registering myself as a business. If I could go back, I’d do that sooner.
The less shits you give trying to “be a real business” the better.
For example a “real” restaurant would have a hostess, perfect china, perfect decor, etc. We joke that we don’t have a “real” restaurant (our friends and neighbors say the same) and it took me a hot minute to realize it’s all about the food & people, if the glasses have water stains, if there is a plate with a small chip it isn’t the end of the world. My background in fine dining still makes me twitch every now and again but I get over it quickly.
Personal anecdote: we opened our restaurant 4 months before covid shut everything down and we found out real quick what was important: keep as consistent as possible, keep yourself & partner happy, know when to shut it down & take a break.
This is our 5th year, it’s just the two of us with one PT server in the summer, we know we aren’t going to be independently wealthy but we make what we need, don’t carry debt, go to the beach every day in the summer (high season), and enjoy our neighbors & friends when they come over to eat (especially during the low season).