Akua Konadu
The journey to success is never linear. There are lots of ups and downs. But the key to building a sustainable business is learning how to adapt and innovate. That’s why I’m so excited to have videographer and podcast host Alberto Mendoza on the show. In the midst of the pandemic, Alberto decided to take the leap and fully invest in his business. That investment led to him hitting six figures in his first year and he is just getting started. We talk about how learning to adapt and innovate can be one of the best ways to make sure that your business is here tomorrow. So let’s get into the episode. Hey, everyone, this is your host Akua konadu. And you’re listening to the independent business podcast, more people than ever are working for themselves and building profitable businesses in the process. So on this show, I get to sit down with some of the most influential authors, entrepreneurs and creators to break down the science of self made success so that you can achieve it too.
Akua Konadu
Hello, hello, Alberto. How are we doing today?
Alberto Mendoza
I am doing fantastic here in the West Coast. How are you doing?
Akua Konadu
Just splendid.
Alberto Mendoza
Love that. Loving the energy.
Akua Konadu
So yes. Oh, I am so stoked for this conversation. So let’s just hop on into it. Because I’m so interested to hearing more about your story and just hearing some key strategies of how you’ve grown your business. But you hit six figures within the first year of your business, which is just amazing. And and in the middle of a pandemic. So what were some of the major things that you learned throughout that journey?
Alberto Mendoza
Like most I’ve been consuming your guys’s podcast for a while now. And like most entrepreneurs or business individuals, I kind of fell onto this accidentally, i Long story short, I was in the medical field for six years, trying to do videography, or just doing videography, for fun after looking at a GoPro commercial that inspired me to pick up a camera when Hans halfsies was my brother, we got the GoPro Hero three, I remember it’s like 300 bucks. And that was like super expensive back then for us. And yeah, I eventually quit my job travelled for six months. And as I came back, I knew I wanted to do videography, landed on a local real estate boutique company here in San Diego. And I was a pretty much all around main go to guy doing content creation, editing, posting. So I learned a ton while getting paid. And I thought I was living the dream. And then as we know, the pandemic happens. While I was working with that boutique company, I was still doing my side hustle. Because there was cases where I would take on gigs that would pay me way more than the actual eight hours have been in the office, especially if we weren’t filming. So I would have to like call out sick if I knew I had a bigger gig to to play or whatever. And so once the pandemic happened, and I was forced to walk away, I still kept in contact with those individuals that I worked with. And as you guys probably know, everything went virtual, all the content went virtual. It was like a boom for content creators. And so I just capitalized on that. And somehow, I still don’t even know how but I was able to hit six figures, which to me, it was like insane, especially for me. That was a huge milestone for me. I’ve been eyeing that number for a long time, especially since I didn’t technically graduate college. I thought that was a huge milestone for me. And it was like one of the best days of my life.
Akua Konadu
Oh, I love that so much. Because, yes, it started off as a side hustle. But you were putting in the work you were doing what it is that you needed to do, you were already creating a sustainable business. So then when something unexpected happened, you were like, Alright, here we go. And you really created that foundation that really just skyrocketed you to that financial milestone, which is huge. And so just thinking about your journey, what were some key strategies that you tried that really impacted your growth.
Alberto Mendoza
I was pretty much repurposing content for social media purposes. So if I had a long form interview that I did, with some of the previous work that I did, I would chop up a three to four minute piece of content. And I would just make micro content. For example, like reels I would do 30 to 45 seconds of bites. And I would just add it to my social media. And I would just repurpose that almost daily and just posting a bunch of content. So it made me look like I was booked and busy. So like the people that are consuming that content, they by default thing, I’m booked and busy, but they probably don’t know that maybe I wasn’t working at that time. But I was still doing my little editing and admin and reaching out to people and whatnot. And I don’t know for some reason, it’s like a Jedi mind trick where people want to work with individuals that are kind of like booked and busy. They’re showing their selves off on social media. And so I knew that already and I just double down on social media content. I went crazy with posting a lot of micro content such as reels, little portions of interviews, little three by three videos that I love to do. Just I candy stuff. And I always have a call to action on my social posts. And I still practice this method till today actually just posted a video today of just BTS work. And I already have three inquiries just based off that social media posts. Granted, I’m not going to let all three inquiries, but it’s a numbers game.
Akua Konadu
I love what you said too about repurposing, I think we forget that there is power in repurposing your content. Because, you know, I feel like a lot of the times in our mind, especially now with how much social media has evolved, and how we’ve had to really change our strategies, we feel like we have to come up with things that are new and fresh, that maybe people just haven’t necessarily heard of. But at the end of the day, it really is like, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, you just need to take what works and you know, especially if it’s content, that is your strength, that you’re really good at. Repurposing can just be so powerful, because it’s not the same people that are I mean, of course, you are gonna have some people that interact with your content, but you’re also not everybody’s gonna see your content. So I think that’s so valuable. But it’s also like simple, right? It’s a really simple strategy that you implemented, even just today with you having three inquiries. And I think that’s just so powerful. And so another thing that I love, because I love your video content, like I love your style, everything, it’s really unique. And so, one thing that I’ve noticed about you is that as a creative entrepreneurs, like we have to adapt and innovate constantly, consistently. And especially for you, I the vibe that I got when I was like researching you and looking you up, it comes very natural to you. But I think it’s really difficult. It’s not a skill that everybody has. And so for you how were you able to do that? So well,
Alberto Mendoza
trust me, it’s like a lot of years of practice. I always knew I wanted to make content not just for like client work, but also for myself. I like to say I went to YouTube University and I just consumed so much YouTube vloggers travel vloggers BTS filmmakers as well, I just consume all that content. And just naturally, I always thought like, Wait, what if I make my own kind of content? How do I want to approach this and so of course, I overthought it in the first years of wanting to create content, and so I didn’t, I stopped myself from creating because I was just trying to figure out the perfect plan, when in reality, there is no perfect plan, just kind of have to do it and just tweak it as you go. And so yeah, in the very beginning, I was Trust me, I was very cringe. Like, my first ever podcast that we produced with my buddy was a photographer, I was very bad, I look at that, I’m like, Man, I could have done this better, I could have done that better. And so all those years of just putting myself out there in front of the camera, I mean, naturally, you’re only going to get better, you cannot get worse. And so just putting myself out there more and more, it just I got a lot more comfortable being in front of the camera, um, to the point where now I actually enjoy seeing myself in front of the camera and hearing my voice, which a lot of people can’t really say that for some reason, they just hate hearing their voice, they hate seeing their face, especially the client side producer content, they want to get into the consecration game because they know this is the wave, but at the same time, they’re just not as confident. So it just takes a lot of practice. That’s a lot of time and a lot of effort. And practice makes perfect.
Akua Konadu
I mean, you had me fooled, okay, because I thought that came natural, you know, but I think again, like but that’s how good you’re doing it. You know what I mean? Just how you’re consistently showing up how you’re consistently adapting because right now in the state video is going nowhere. And that is something that we have been prepped for since Snapchat days, you know, but now it’s just it’s at a whole new level. And the thing is, is based on a wise all video survey, I learned at 91% of consumers want to see more online video content from brands. And I think that you are a prime example of that the fact of like how you were able to hit six figures, and also to just consistently getting inquiries getting booked and busy. And also to like 92% of marketers, content creators, like yourself reported that video gives them a positive ROI. So they are seeing the returns from investing in putting in the work into video. And you have just, again, like social media is changing so much you have adapted and changed to every platform, and you have a very distinct style to you. And so another question I wanted to add to that is, because you said this is a practice, right, like you have practice. And so for business owners, is it number one? How what advice would you give to business owners that really do struggle to adapt and change like they want to get on video, or they currently have been getting video, they’ve seen results? And maybe it just kind of, you know, fizzled out and they’re wanting to get back into it. Like how would you what advice would you give for people just to continue to adapt and try new things in their business?
Alberto Mendoza
I get this question a lot from clients that want to work with me and they want to do, of course, everyone wants to cloud everybody wants to post contents three to four times a week, if not a lot more, and they want to see those numbers. I like to ground them and slap them with a case of truth like hey, it’s not going to happen overnight. If you want to do this for real, it’s going to take weeks, if not months, if not probably years until you see real organic reach, unless you want to put some funds into social ads. I’m all about that. But do not buy followers do not buy engagement because it’s only going to destroy your social media. And so I just Tell them the truth, like, hey, like, if you want to do this, it’s going to be a long journey, we need to get to know each other well, I need to get to know your style of content, I need to get to know what you like what you don’t like. So it makes things a lot more easier for both of us, I save you time, and just makes things a lot more efficient. And so for the most part, they also like their their game, but after a few weeks, it does get draining producing content, it does take a toll, it takes a lot of energy, and especially if you’re not monetizing it, or if you’re not seeing that ROI, I understand why individuals cannot invest in into video content. So it’s a it’s a very tricky situation, because people want to produce content, but at the same time, they want that fast ROI, which unless you go viral is very rare to go viral. That’s less likely going to happen. But I try to encourage it. I know that sounds really like a downer right now. But I try to encourage them like, Hey, we’re gonna see some real growth. If we stick to this point, I try to give them a game plan. And if they’re with it, perfect if they’re not, and I’m probably not their best guy. So I try to keep it as positive and as honest as possible. If they’re wanting to hit a million views really quick, I’ve let them know from the jump, like, Hey, I’m not your gonna be your guy. Like if you want to a kid that just to film you just to film me, then I could point you to the right direction. But if you want to really make this and grow this, I could definitely help you out.
Akua Konadu
I love that though, because I would love your take on this too, because I it is true content creation takes a lot of work. And you can get burned out very, very easily. But I think I always say this, that social media should fit into your life, not the other way around. And so do you believe that, you know, if you were able to create a plan that is sustainable for you, whether that’s once a week, twice a week, three times a week? Do you still see it feel like you could still see the same type of results?
Alberto Mendoza
Well, I can only speak for myself, for example, my podcast, I made myself a promise that hey, you know what, I took a year off of podcasting, I started a brand new one. And I said I want to create and post every single day on Instagram micro contents. And so it’s been, I just dropped episode 36 yesterday, and so it’s straight. And I haven’t missed a week. Like even if I go on vacation, because I take a lot of trips. I’m a huge believer of work life balance. Even if I’m a trip, I am going to film a podcast right there. And then I don’t care if I’m in a hotel or a or an Airbnb or whatever. So is it time consuming? Of course it is. It’s but I know this because I get again, I’ve been consuming this for a long time. And I know what it takes to create content. I’ve been in both ends from behind the camera, shooting people and being in front of the camera as well. As far as growth goes, I think if you have a certain strategy, like my strategy was to post every single day, and I know that’s not sustainable for everybody. I understand that because it does take a different kind of energy to make that happen. I got rewarded, one of my videos hit 2 million views out of nowhere. And ever since then my following has definitely gone up and that specific podcast page again, I know it’s not sustainable for everybody to do that. But if you really want to do this, definitely have some sort of plan. Like if you if you say you’re gonna post three times a week, do it three times a week. It’s kind of like HBO, if you’re watching your favorite show, let’s say Game of Thrones or something. And if they don’t drop on that Sunday, people are going to be pissed. So you you got to deliver to your audience.
Akua Konadu
1,000% And even though okay, yes, like you post once a day. Yes, it’s true. Not all of us can be able to sustain that. But I think, again, it’s really asking yourself, What does growth look like for you? What does success look like for you, our goals are so different, and really creating a plan that aligns that but what matters is you stick to it because I love the Game of Thrones reference, because people were in that show like I mean, riots, rioting, if anything was missed, right. So exactly, I love that like really being able to commit because your audience is going to be able to trust you when you are really being sticking to those expectations. So again, folks, if it’s one day per week, or three days or every single day, just make sure that it’s something that is really realistic, and that can fit into your life so that you’re able to sustain it and also enjoy the process because you can feel I can feel your passion in your content, which is what is so fun. And so you love creating content every day, but not everybody’s like that. And so I really love just like your aspects of and being realistic about it to like, I know, you said that you were being a downer. I didn’t view it that way. I think it’s just honesty. You know, this takes a lot of work. Being a business owner isn’t easy. And, you know, we are content creators, we are accountants, we you know, we play so many roles in our business and so I think just honoring ourselves with where we’re at and I just I love just like you being very realistic about what it takes to for your business and what it is that you do.
Alberto Mendoza
Yeah, and again, the way I approach this as well as like with social media, social media makes things look so damn easy. Have a you’ll see Instagram reels or take tours and say hey, you want to make six figures in three days. This is how you do it. Follow these six steps like Dude, that’s all BS. It’s not true. So, again, I know some people are just going to eat that up and just believe it I’m not mad had heard that but at the same time, like do like ask more questions like, this is not this can’t be real. So same with social media how to go viral in three, these three steps just follow these three steps or whatever, by my program or something like that. It’s like, dude, like, it’s all about consistency. It’s all about giving quality content. It’s all about giving your audience something, that they’re going to gravitate and take that with them. And I love that you said that it’s all about building trust, because it is about building trust, essentially, if you are, if you keep it real with your audience, they are going to build that sort of trust. And that’s, I don’t know, that’s just it’s so simple to me. But it’s it does. It’s a long it’s a long journey.
Akua Konadu
I really am interested to to hear about because, you know, you’re all about work life balance, and, and you saying that you’re pushing out videos a day, I’m really interested to hear more about what that workflow looks like for you. Because I think again, as business owners, number one, I think people are really burnt out right now with social media. I genuinely feel that I think people especially now where it’s so hard to grow organically, especially on the more popular platforms like Instagram, Tik Tok, I mean, I am not on Facebook, I don’t even know Facebook is still one of those, you know, prominent platforms anymore, but I think people are tired. I think there’s just so much overconsumption of content. And so what, especially for somebody who’s posting every single day, and work life balance is something that you truly value. I’m really curious to know about your workflow, and what that looks like, and how you’re able to sustain it.
Alberto Mendoza
Well, as far as like work life balance, I like to, to me, it’s, it’s quite simple. I know, I may think sounds so simple, but it really is, in my opinion, I just really post the content, and I put the phone down and I step away, that’s all I do, I don’t unnecessarily consume a ton of content. And if I feel like consuming content, I will. But for the most part, I’ve been catching myself putting my phone on Do Not Disturb when it once it hits 7pm. Sometimes I even turn off my phone and just enjoy a good TV show with my wife, you know, at night, something like that. And for example, like I like to take a lot of trips, because to me, the way I got into the filmmaking or videography space was to create travel content. I consume YouTube travel contents from the very beginning from 2014 2015 days. And it’s something I just naturally fell in love with. And booked myself a trip to Tahoe, which we’re taking off tomorrow for the weekend. And to me, that’s what fills the cup for me, that right there is just going to like rejuvenate me and make me once I’m done with that trip, I know I’m gonna go extra harder on my work, because right now I’m starting to feel like alright, I’ve been groaning for the last three to four months time for me to do to step away and just go on a trip and nothing about nothing and just filming create content for myself, which is like travel, self photography, landscape photography, drone photography and video as well.
Akua Konadu
Yes, I love that. I love that you have found what it is that brings you joy, and you are just diving into it wholeheartedly to be able to use that to rejuvenate you and your business. And so when you come back now, right? And like, what does that workflow look like with YouTube of like building out that content, especially as repurposing, right, right?
Alberto Mendoza
Well, for like my personal cell content that’s not including podcasts, or like my business pages as well. I just kind of, I just produce stuff based off feeling. I know, it’s not the sexiest thing to say. But if I’m feeling it, I’m going to open the laptop or start on my computer and just see what I can cook up. But if I’m not, then I won’t do it. Like I have archives of amazing footage from different parts of the world that I haven’t even touched yet. So I should really get into that. But like, I just kind of creates when I’m really feeling creating something for myself, I just let it happen natural, I don’t want to make it feel like it’s a job. Because I already do that with the podcast and with content for my clients and whatnot. So I try to keep that as freely as possible.
Akua Konadu
I like that though. I like that you give yourself the freedom and the space to change and flow like right innovate wherever that you feel necessary within your workflow to be able to produce the type of content that you would like to see. Because I feel like with content creation a lot, we have a tendency to put ourselves in a box, you know, where it’s really difficult to explore other avenues like we kind of overthink things. And we’re like well, I’m this this is what I focus on. So I’m going to talk about and I think sometimes we forget that like it is your business, you can talk about how everything’s you want to talk about you can show up any way that feels good to you, because that’s what’s going to lead you to see success. And so one thing I’ve loved is that just how social media has evolved, and how has your content strategy really changed from back then to now
Alberto Mendoza
I try to follow as many trends whatever I do my research, what’s the newest trend for Instagram was the newest trend for Tik Tok, or YouTube. So I tried to adapt. I feel like a lot of people don’t want to adapt. I know people were like hating on reels when they first rolled out because traditional filmmakers like myself, they’re like oh It shouldn’t be. It shouldn’t be vertical. It’s got to be standard. It’s got to be 16 by nine, not not by 16. And so like, I thought it was a cool Avenue. I thought it was interesting. Sure. I don’t love it. But if I want to play the game, I’m going to play by those rules. And I’m going to see what happens. And I enjoy creating vertical contents. For example, like I enjoy creating, I literally posted a video with one of those templates that really, Instagram makes it so easy for you to create rules now. So they have all these templates. And so I created a BTS video with those templates, and it’s performing pretty decent right now. I just got to learn to adapt. It’s as simple as it gets. And I’ll keep saying simple so many times, but it’s as simple as it gets. just adapt.
Akua Konadu
Yeah, but I think I love that though, because I’m gonna be real so we can hop into this discussion. I’m anti trends. That’s me.
Alberto Mendoza
What kind of trends are we specifically talking about? I mean, there’s, there are certain trends where I find really cringe. But again, you got to stay true to yourself, like, yeah, I can be an NPC character, if like that trend is so cringe for me. I don’t like to do the whole pointing at things. So that was like a trend from like, last year that I’m not going to do, yeah, I can produce it for my clients. Sure, I could do that. Because they always want to ride that wave. You know, they want to see what’s trending. And then when they get on that the algorithms and for me, like I try to stay true to myself, if it’s something that I enjoy, if it’s not me, I’m not gonna force it.
Akua Konadu
But what I love about that is that you are taking trends and then you were making it work for you. Because we have a tendency, especially when Tik Tok came out was all the rage when Tik Tok came out, and then reels and that was the thing. We were like, well, I don’t want to dance. And I don’t want to do this. I’m like, Well, you don’t have to in order to still be successful. But like, the fact is that you are so educating yourself on the trends, keeping up trying to figure out what what’s working, you’re experimenting with it, and then taking what you’ve learned, and really innovated it, like made it into something that really, truly works for you. And I think that is like the roadmap to success, especially in terms of content creation, and that types of things. And really taking that time to do that. I love that. Because yeah, when we hear trends, it’s like people are like, well, I don’t want to get into it. Because it’s so exhausting. It’s like, yeah, because you’re doing something that does not work for you do something does not align for you, you take what you love what you saw, and really shape it and make it fit for yourself. So it feels good to you. And you are like a prime example of that. And one thing that I love about your content, like you have people go check out his content, cuz it’s really fun to watch, especially with your video content. It’s very distinct, very distinct, like you can tell your voice, everything that you use in your video is just it’s Alberto style. And so I wanted to ask you just how what techniques key like any strategies that you use to really figure out what worked for you and you’re like, alright, this is it. I’m gonna keep moving forward with this.
Alberto Mendoza
That’s an interesting question. I mean, I’ve gotten so much inspirations from traditional filmmakers like the Christopher Nolan’s or the are the James Cameron’s and also have gotten influences from YouTube filmmakers like the Peter McKinnon’s the Casey nice. That’s, I, as far as creating what I love to create, I just, I don’t know, it’s just, I create pretty much whatever I feel like it. I know it sounds, it’s not probably not the answer you guys want to hear. But for Instagram reels. For example, I like to still film and edits on a 16 by nine time that which is why, and then from there, I pretty much rotated into reels. And so right there, I make you flip your phone, which I know like people do not like that. But to me, it’s like I want to show you the nature of where I’m at, like, for example, for Tahoe that I’m going to go to, I’m going to film the most epic landscapes, and I don’t want to crop into a nine by 16, because it takes away from the beauty of the atmosphere that I’m at. So I’m going to make you flip your freakin phone, see, you could actually consume that specific piece of content. So I’m probably going against the grain with that. And maybe Instagram is not going to like that, and shove me down into the algorithms and not show it to my core audience. But to me, it’s like, it’s I don’t want to create content for the viewer, I want to create content for myself.
Akua Konadu
I like that perspective. And that’s what I love, I love that there’s, you just have so much freedom for yourself, which I love. Like you knew that was something that was against the rules. And I feel like too, that social media content creation has come up with so many rules that we feel like we have to again, put ourselves in a box where we feel very restricted, and it’s not fun, and you’re doing them it’s bringing you joy, and it’s paying off. Right. And I think again, it’s like doing what’s best for you, even if it’s considered against the grain, doing what’s best for you and experiment that’s that time where you really experiment trying to really figure out your style. And of course, you know, as you’re creating stuff and like if you see the the numbers, the analytics that are working out for you then lean more into that and what does that look like for you? I think it’s again, a really, it’s supposed to be a really fun time to really learn more about yourself and your audience. And you can do you don’t have to choose it’s not one or the other. You can do it both where you’re still serving your audience you’re speaking to your audience but also to you’re doing things that may not like may not fit the rules, right. And Mikey very opposite of what everybody else is doing. But that’s what makes us business owners you want to stand out and so I love all of that that you shared.
Alberto Mendoza
Correct Yeah. 100% of Gary, I think one of the reasons you mentioned, this is why people get burnt out on social media is because they’re chasing the algorithm, you’re chasing the trend. And if it goes against who they really are, it’s like, alright, I see why you’re getting burned out. Because you’re, you’re forced to do something that you really don’t want to do. You’re just doing it because you’re hoping to get the views or you’re hoping to get the likes or whatever. So if you stick to like, what you like to create, just go full throttle on that. And let’s see what happens. I mean, you never know, like, I can’t guarantee you success, you can’t guarantee anyone’s success, because the algorithm is a is a huge question mark. So I think it’s just, I think it’s just best, at least for me is to just to create for myself and kind of see what happens.
Akua Konadu
I love that. Yeah. And I feel like a lot of people do when they’re struggling on social media, especially right now. And if you’re burnt out, especially right now, we want this really easy recipe of like, this is how I’m going to be successful. Step 123. And it’s just not like that my account is so different from the person next to me. And so it’s again, really, truly experimentation and doing what works for you. And I agree with you wholeheartedly as like a storytelling strategist, like, just lean into what you already have and lean into what is already working for you and feels good to you. Because you matter to in the process. And the business is your business, you equally as mattered just as much as your client does. So do what also feels good to you. Because I feel like it’s a lot easier than to attract the people that you’re trying to, to attract. And so another question that I have, too, I’m really curious to know, especially again, everything is just evolving, social media has evolved. What do you think the future of businesses like, especially in terms of content creation, for business owners will look like? Because one thing that I thought was really interesting was that like 85%, of small businesses that are innovative, they saw more growth in their business compared to other business owners that really weren’t innovative, that didn’t adapt well to change. So what do you think the future looks like in terms of content creation? How can we again, just be more adaptive and innovative?
Alberto Mendoza
Well, that’s a pretty tricky question. Because I can’t tell the future. I don’t know what the trends are going to be in the next six weeks or whatnot. But I think if you see something that you like, and okay, I’ve never seen that before. Let me see if this works for my business, then all go for it. If you are ones that do not want to adapt to the game, then good luck. I mean, unless you want to put some dollars in social media marketing, or on the newspaper, if that even still exists, you need to like play the game too, in order to succeed successfully, and have a social presence for your business. So I think it’s be adaptable. That’s as simple as it gets just be adaptable to the game. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the near future. I’m constantly consuming knowledge and information from a variety of content creators. To me this, this kind of thing excites me like I don’t. That’s the beauty about this. Like, we’re in such a unique time. I always said this is like the gold rush of content creation. Because there’s so much going on, there’s no roadmap to How to Succeed into this, because we’re still trying to figure it out. As we speak.
Akua Konadu
Yeah, I love that. You said that. And I’m giving it myself. Like, I shouldn’t ask that he you just read like a free bird, you just go. You know, you’re just living your life and going with the flow, which I love that about yourself. Like, I love that about you. Because Can
Alberto Mendoza
you tell from California?
Akua Konadu
You know, you’re just gonna go with the flow, I don’t really know what things will look like, but you’re enjoying the ride. We don’t know what things are going to look like. And that’s okay. But like, I know, today, this is what’s going to do, this is what I’m going to do. And this is just going to work. And if it doesn’t work tomorrow, that’s all good. I will just shift and I’ll figure it out. And I’ll change and I think that mindset is just so powerful, which speaks to why you have a successful business already. So I absolutely love that. So So one final question I would love to ask you is what do you think is the biggest differentiator between the businesses that succeed and the ones that fail? I think,
Alberto Mendoza
and we already touched on this, but I think is getting on social media and promoting your business. Let everyone know who are you? What is it that you do? And why should people walk with you? When I see businesses that don’t have a social media and if they do, they have not the greatest content? I think that’s a different stick to for example, a great example right here. We were looking for hotels or Airbnb s on for our taco trucks coming up tomorrow. We saw so much maybe because I’m a visual creative. I saw there’s so many bad photos and videos either through Airbnb or through like Expedia. And so like we went on Instagram literally went on Instagram, and we found some trendy hips response, but like they have great content and made me feel like I was already there in that specific hotel, or house or whatever, we’re going to rent. And we booked the spot because of their Instagram page because they had great aesthetics because they had a great vibe and the great overall presence social media presence and so like that right there got a super hyped about the place that we selected, because we were not finding anything pretty good or sexy on Expedia, or hotels.com or Airbnb. So that right there, they just they got our business because of their social media. And all it took for them was they had they definitely had high quality photos so they probably invested in a photographer to get those images and repurpose those images. because those are pretty much evergreen images and gutters are 600 700 bucks for our stay.
Akua Konadu
Yeah, but I think that’s just so important, right and of creating valuable content. And I think obviously, because you’re a filmmaker, you’re a photographer. So like naturally, right? You lean more towards beautiful photos, high quality videos, and totally Absolutely, but it’s also true of like, just adding to that of you just work with what you have, as long as the content is valuable, right, like, so don’t be intimidated or anything like that, like work with what you have, you have permission to be free. And however you want to show up in your business, and you’re going to be able to attract the right people, but it doesn’t mitigate the fact of what you said of like, it’s so important to have that presence so people can like know, and trust you. And I absolutely love that. So, Alberto, I have loved this conversation. It has been so fun chatting with you and just hearing more about your story and where can people find you if they want to connect with you more?
Alberto Mendoza
If you guys want to connect with me, feel free to reach out on Instagram at a underscore Mendoza underscore and if you are a filmmaker or a photographer or freelancer, I also have my own podcast at modern creative podcast where we discuss filmmaking tips, photography, tips, Freelancer tips. And guys, I love what do you guys are doing with the whole business structured podcast? Like I’ve learned so much through your guys’s podcast? It’s like insane like it’s it’s not even fair. You guys should be charging for this.
Akua Konadu
Oh, man. Okay, well, you were amazing. Alberto. I have like, honestly, y’all, please check out his content, check out his videos like I mean, it’s phenomenal. It’s been really fun just to get to know you more. And I am we here at how do you like I said, we are rooting for you honestly. So thank you so much for coming on the show.
Alberto Mendoza
It’s Josue HoneyBook. To like HoneyBook has definitely that’s helped a lot with my business as well, as far as like client relations, obviously. But like I’ve legit landed, I remember landing at a $10,000 gig just because I sent a proposal from honey book. And they were so loud. They’re like, I love the aesthetic. This goes back to like the online presence thing. It’s like I love that you actually took the time to give us a nice beautiful looking proposal, those little details matter. And so for me, like if I want to get to a level that I want to get to, I need to up my game and get fine tune those details. So little shout to HoneyBook. For that,
Akua Konadu
well, we do what we can. Oh my gosh, I love that. I love that so much. And I think again, it just goes to the importance of like, really just creating an amazing client experience again, like doing what works, adapting and changing and learning new things that you can really build the business a sustainable business that you love. And so I just It’s been fun. This conversation has been awesome. And thank you. Thank you so much.
Alberto Mendoza
Thank you. Cool. It’s been a pleasure. It’s been an honor being you guys’s podcast, and I can’t wait to hear more.
Akua Konadu
Absolutely. Well, everybody. Thank you so much for listening. And until next time. That ends our episode of The Independent Business Podcast. Everything we’ve discussed today can be found at [email protected]. Head to our website to access for shownotes relevant links and all the resources that you need to level up. And if you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss our future content. Drop us a review and leave our guests some love on social and thank you again for listening.
