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Does your creative business struggle to bring in the right clientele and financial leverage, leaving you feeling stuck and frustrated? The Outsmart the Hustle podcast will show you how to turn hard work into smart work! I'm your host, Hannah McGinty, helping you focus on the high-impact moves that drive your business forward without the endless grind. Whether you've been running your business for 20 years or 20 minutes, I'm here to bring you clear, practical strategies from industry experts and successful entrepreneurs who know how to create a sustainable business. I've been running my creative video production business since 2019, where I primarily work in the wedding and event space. And since 2021, my business has continued to hit six figures in revenue. Now imagine that for yourself. What would it help you achieve in life if that meant your passion could turn into a consistent paycheck? Tune in each Tuesday for fresh insights, tools, and ideas to help you streamline, scale, and find freedom in your work—so you can build the business and life you truly want to live.
Every time you say, I can't afford to invest in x, you're really saying, I can't afford to grow.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Outsmart the Hustle, where we turn hard work into smart work, helping you
Speaker 1:focus on the high impact moves that drive your business forward without getting stuck in the grind. Hey, smarties. Today, we're diving deep into a principle that has transformed countless businesses, including my own. It's simple but powerful. I'm Hannah McGinty and today we're talking about self investment.
Speaker 1:If you don't invest in yourself, how can you expect others to invest in you? Potential clients can sense the hesitation to invest in yourself. Have you ever considered that you might be wearing your confidence on your sleeve during sales calls? If your potential clients were ever to ask about your process, your workspace, your continued education, would your answers reveal that you weren't fully committed to your own growth, but that you're still asking someone to purchase from you? Think about it, guys.
Speaker 1:I mean, like, would you hire a doctor who hasn't updated their medical knowledge since med school? Of course not. The same applies to your business, Whether it's courses, certifications, coaching, staying current, licensings, you know, anything. It just it's not optional. This is essential.
Speaker 1:Now, I know some people really don't like to debate gear. I'm not here to do that. I do believe that there is some truth to the experience of the camera operator could even make, like, flip phone footage look good. I'm joking, but I'm not at the same time. They couldn't turn it into something vintage.
Speaker 1:But I'm like, outdated tools isn't being frugal, you guys. It's literally holding you back. There's just something about getting to be more creative when you have a better Gimbal or you have amazing lighting that reaches even further than before, and you have like good lenses that can give you a good depth of field. Like, there is just something about the the creativity and the art that you will get to make once you have the proper tools in your hands. Now, I do think that, like, investing in your knowledge and your how to does come first before investing in your gear is kind of like the person that drives the big truck around and they have a small ego.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean? And so it's kinda like you don't need the camera in order to make good films. I'm not saying that. You need to know how to use the gear to make the product you want to create. So take it and leave it.
Speaker 1:When you invest in quality equipment and software, it's like you're not just buying things, you're buying your time, your efficiency, your credibility. So think of it like that way the next time you need to invest in a big thing. I might be preaching to the choir on the next thing. It's about, like, our desks and our workspaces because my desk definitely goes through phases of messiness and clumbliness depending on how busy I am that week. I don't know about you, But your workspace genuinely reflects your professional value.
Speaker 1:This doesn't mean you need like a fancy office, but you do need a space that allows you to do your best work and present a professional image to clients. Like when I'm on Zoom meetings with my clients, I make sure I have like my nice monstera in the background, my doors are closed, my dogs are not in the room with me, and I'm just really trying to cultivate this sense of warmth. Yeah, warmth. Let's say that. So your personal brand includes everything from like you, how you dress, but like your website, your business cards, your personal appearance, how you talk even, when you present yourself as a premium service provider, you can attract premium clients.
Speaker 1:If you look like you just rolled out of bed 30 minutes ago and can't finish your sentences because you still are sleepy, it's just not gonna go well. So my own personal story with this is crazy. I am from a very frugal family. And guys, I mean, like, frugal. We would not buy new clothes even if they had holes in them.
Speaker 1:Like, I am actually still driving my first car ever. It's a RAV 4. Whoop whoop. And so, I am like literally in this culture of growing up where we drive things literally to the ground and we don't replace things unless they're absolutely broken. And we make sure to use every last bit of the bone per se, and it's just not that way in the business world all the time.
Speaker 1:In fact, if you wanna grow, you have to take a leap of faith and you have to take a step forward and do some investing in yourself. And some of the big educators that I was following, like Amy Porterfield, Jenna Kutcher, they have put so much into their own education, and a lot of my own mentors have invested in themselves. Like, I've probably invested over $50,000 at this point just into my own education. This doesn't even include, like, all the gear upgrades, software, people, assistance. Like, it doesn't even include that.
Speaker 1:It just includes, like, me investing in myself, like, reading books and, like, all the time. And, like, if you wanna get good at something, you gotta invest time into it or you won't you'll just be looking at Instagram all the time and wishing that you could be that. And that's not what we're here for. And that's why you're listening to this podcast because you wanna know how to do it yourself. Right?
Speaker 1:So I just kind of went ahead and, like, adopted that mindset and started investing in good gear. I wanted to invest in, like, knowledge and mentors that would really help me go to the next level even faster. So I was being mentored by people 10 years or more in the industry, and then also in the business world. And so I was like getting both best of both worlds there, but I had to sometimes pay to get their mentorship, and that's totally fine. There's just so many people I've learned from, and I've been so grateful for their help.
Speaker 1:Do have more than one mentor because they can provide so many different avenues of wisdom that more than just one person could ever do. So I feel like I was able to leap years ahead just because I had the right people really pouring into me, but I went and found them. And like like, that's literally how I met Justin Porter. I was like, hey, do you need a 3rd shooter? He goes, I don't need a 3rd shooter, but you can be a BTS videographer.
Speaker 1:Right? And so that's what I did. And, you know, all these connections that I've made in the industry over the years were just for taking a leap, taking a step out there. And I've even paid to go to workshops and I've met some really amazing friends at these workshops. And you just never know who you'll meet.
Speaker 1:But if I didn't pay $4,000 to go to this high end workshop, would I have learned what I needed to do, now to be in a luxury space? No, probably not. Like, I am so keen on be surrounding yourself with good apples because if you can surround yourself with people who believe the same thing that you do and aren't just gonna be like, oh, I can't afford that right now. Well, then you're gonna be like, oh, well, I can't afford that right now. Right?
Speaker 1:But if you go with the people who are like, you know what? I'm gonna figure out how I can afford it. Not, I can't afford it. You're gonna go so much farther because you're gonna surround yourself with people who are doing the same thing. So find those people, whoever they are.
Speaker 1:If you are in a crowd that is in the stuck mindset, just, I don't know, try to help them or leave or don't hang out with them as much because it will affect you personally. So I want you guys to take out your calendars, look at your bank statements from the last 3 months, and look at like how you've spent your time and how you've spent your money. Ask yourself these four questions. What percentage of my revenue am I reinvesting into myself or my business? It's kind of the same.
Speaker 1:Number 2, when was the last time I upgraded my skills? Number 3, does my working environment reflect my desired income level? And what I mean by that is like, is my clientele that I'm currently working with actually reflect that certain type of clientele I want to stay with? And then the last question is, what's one investment I've been avoiding out of fear? Because remember, every time you say, I can't afford to invest in x, you're really saying, I can't afford to grow.
Speaker 1:And in today's competitive market, not growing is the same as falling behind. You guys, I'll say that again. In today's competitive market, not growing is the same as falling behind. And let me be clear, this isn't about reckless spending. Okay?
Speaker 1:I grew up from a very frugal background. I'm not about that. You have to make wise decisions, wise choices. It's about strategic investment in areas that will directly impact your business growth. Start small if you need to, but just start somewhere and don't tell yourself no all the time or I'll wait until this person books me or I'll wait until I have this much in my bank account.
Speaker 1:I mean, like, every dollar in your bank account should be working towards something. Right? Everything that you do should have some sort of purpose to it, including your dollar bills. So for this week, you can try identifying an area of your business that needs upgrading. You could research the cost of making that improvement.
Speaker 1:You could even create, like, a 30 day plan to make it happen, and then tell someone so that you're accountable to making it happen. And then document the impact of this investment. So the next time you have an even bigger investment on the horizon, you because you won't get there by saying no to everything. You'll just stay the same. Because you won't get there by saying no to everything.
Speaker 1:You'll just stay the same and we're not here to just stay the same. We're here to improve. Remember, the business is a reflection of the owner. When you invest in yourself, you're sending a powerful message to potential clients about your commitment to excellence. They're not just buying your product or service, they're buying into your vision and your value.
Speaker 1:So the question isn't whether you can afford to invest in yourself. The real question is, can you afford not to? Thanks for listening to this episode of Outsmart the Hustle. Be sure to send this to a friend who needs a little less grind and a lot more growth in their business.
Speaker 2:Outsmart the hustle is produced by Memoir Mastery, a film business course. Hosted by Hannah McGinty and edited by Manuel Mesa. Follow us at Memoir Mastery literally anywhere for more creative business tips.