Biggest lesson I learned early in my creative career: No matter how big the client is or how much money they may represent, It's good to say no. It's good to 'fire' the client. Once I learned that - clients I said no to and or / fired... eventually came back with better money and more respect for me as a creator
No that wasn’t your best client. Best clients don’t put their contractors into situations that are unnecessarily difficult (for their greedy bottom line) and then fire them for it. Don’t feel bad dude.
This was one of my favorite videos ever and the storytelling kept me engaged the ENTIRE time. This is gold haha. Thank you for sharing your experience Chris!!
Dude! Thats a tough lesson to learn. But it's a very good lesson! I had 25K product photography gig that I turned down because it was one of those "need now, need perfect and did I mention I need it yesterday... oh we also need video of all 100 products..." Never be afraid to say no or negotiate. Great video!
Have to admit, saw the $300k title and expected tons of clickbait... But still clicked of course since, you know... you're Chris Hau ❤. Although I'm super sad for your own situation and loss of client, I'm super grateful you share this with us. This is life. Especially as an independent creator and entrepreneur. Refreshing to see it's also happening to someone as talented as yourself. Thank you, and I'm sorry.
Well, this WAS and IS clickbait... You can't lose money you never got so... Wtf, he never lost 300k but he lost customer that COULD'VE pay them 300k IF they've had successful 3 years more. What are the odds that they could actually lose this customer on the next project!? The video would've been "I lost 275k" or whatever was the number 😄
It's good to own up to your failures, we've all been there. That said, it's for this reason in my estimates I have a clause that states " a client representative must be present on set at all times or client agrees to go with the photographer/videographer's best judgment". Might not have saved the client but could have saved you legally if they refused payment. Secondly, $25-$30K for a car video and photoshoot including pre and post in 2 weeks doesn't give you the opportunity to hire the support you need or leave much in profit (unless that was only your fees and expenses were on top).
I am honestly really happy you posted this. I always put myself down when I would mess up with a client and this video has helped me realize that it just happens sometimes and you just have to learn from it.
This is what I love about you. No matter how big or amazing youtube path was for you, you grew up humbled by situations like these and learn from it. And its amazing to me that you have shared it, where others wouldn't dare to share!
Being folcing scared f***** up my whole business last year. I'm glad to know my gut feeling was right and I'm going to trust it and look for the red flag moving forward I appreciate you guys sharing your experiences with us. It makes a huge difference believe it or not
This is SO validating to hear. Such a fan of the work Lizzie and yourself do. So hearing mistakes like this honestly lessens the professional perfection that tends to paralyze my decisions!
Flipside of the Coin: I said "No" to an unreasonable turn around project with a client I had worked with and made good money from. (Had to shoot on Saturday, then edit a 45 minute cut & have it delivered Monday.) It was recording a performance of an artist who had referred me to this Client for a past project that everyone was really happy with. The Artist Acquaintance agreed that the deadline was ridiculous and flat out said "I really respect that you set this boundary, I'll definitely call you again for future projects.". They proceeded to hire some other local Videographer to do it, and I've never heard from the Client or Artist again. So damned if you do, damned if you don't sometimes. I don't have nearly your experience in the industry, but sometimes folks don't respect art, not even other artists.
One of the BEST videos! The RUclips world and the world in general needs more of this...You didn't even try and sugar coat it or defend yourself, it was just flat out screw up... People are so caught up in the perfect edited unrealistic world of RUclips / Social Media. Everyone thinks they're expected to be & everything is perfect. We're humans , we F**k up , get through it, learn and roll on!
Sharing this type of story is like ultra helpful to others, so big props to you. It also scares the crap outta me as someone in the very very early stages of hoping to create some form of name for myself in this world 😄😄
I have to say Chris…. Out of all your content this is in my top 5 most useful/helpful videos. I think content creators have to realise that There is no shame in sharing bloopers of any kind. Because those are the lessons learned… if one has never touched a hot stove after the million mum warnings… they will never understand the heat… Thank you so much.
Totally agree on that... I said yes to some projects, being worried I would loose future projects, and sometimes closed door in the future, because I wasn't setup for success, and couldn't do the job well.
Chris-- first of all, great video by the way. I appreciate the honesty and you sharing your experiences--they are helpful and instructional. I have a slightly different take that I'd like to share with you based on an experience that I had when saying essentially, no, and it can't be done... Nobody wants to hear that--not a client, not a boss, not anyone who is in charge of trying to get something done, regardless of how ridiculous or impossible the initial objective is. What I've found is rather than saying it can't be done, explain how it CAN be done. In other words, what are the barriers that need to be moved, the constraints that need to be lifted, the "givens" than need to be tweaked, such that you can say yes instead of no. Showing that you care, and that you're creative, and that you're making an effort to find a solution will go a long way, even if ultimately the result is still "no". Better that the client/boss/etc says no to you and your suggestions rather than you say no to their project/need. The result is the same, but the look is night and day different. You'll be respected. AND, if no really is the result, then chances are that client will not be able to find someone else that says yes and can meets their demands. Your value is your service, not your commodity.
TRUST LIVES AND DIES OFF COMMUNICATION! I’ve lost a lot of money before. I’ve also avoided losing a lot. Basically it all comes down to communication: up front and as you go. I will never ever ever ever do a job without a contract clearly communicating critical expectations both ways. It’s more work on the front end, but always worth it. When making wrong assumptions cost you a ton of money, you get better at communicating or you get another job. Honestly most clients and most creatives I’ve worked with/hired are poor at communicating. Some VERY poor at communicating. With long term clients where trust is established (and can be lost) I don’t get quite as anal about my contracts, so I use a shortened version. But I will never do a job without a written/detailed contract. Ever.
Chris, thank you so much for sharing this story. With all the good things that happen to us, it's also good to hear the bad sides sometimes. Helps us learn from them. I definitely learned a lot from this situation. But honestly, you tried you best. You wanted the best for the client and yourself but the universe was like "nope I'mm keep making you go through more challenges". And sometimes things happen for a reason. Overall, great video. Would love to hear more stories in the future!
One of the problems with being in an artistic type of business is that it is subjective, and everyone fancies themselves “an art director.” NOT an easy business and kudos to you and your team for “making it” nonetheless.
We had a sales guy that didn't know when to say no - we sold websites for like £20k a pop - he'd go out and sell websites for £3k a pop and the issue is those £3k clients still want the £20k service, then when they don't get it you have bad customer experience and its just not commercially viable, he'd have been better off just saying.. NO...
It was Mercedes-Benz, wasn't it? ;) Plus, I loved the video. I like that kind of content where you tell a story to teach something, like that video with the guy who got in jail by mistake in Cuba. You should do those more often!
I know it doesn't make sense, but you actually gained an important lesson at such a young age. It's awesome! YES, you could have made a ton of money. BUT, some people learn about red flags and such while loosing a ton of money to the point that they can't go anymore. You are still here and you shared an important lesson to more than half of a million people. Thank You.
This actually makes me feel better about missing out on more freelance work I DIDN’T want to do anyway with a guy whose business is entirely based on him helping to create podcast opportunities and DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO MAKE A PODCAST HIMSELF. But did Chris really lose a deal with Mercedes?!
This reminds me of something I should have said no to or pushed back on with a larger restaurant ownership group. I did it, it got done poorly because of time of day, what they wanted shot, and an over promise with underwhelming results on my part. Needless to say, I lost that client lol. Glad to know I’m not the only one.
Oh man I probaby lost like 20K in revenue due to poor communications with clients. It's hard to think clearly when you have crazy deadlines.. Thanks for sharing Chris!
My General rule for video work...$500-$1500 per minute of final fully produced video depending on how many days it takes to shoot...(3 min video $1500-$4500)
This was such a good video. It is so interesting to see the side of a project gone wrong as it happens to so many people. On the FLIP side, if the weather conditions were ultra snowy, you didn't get stuck, the 3rd party editor did a good job, and you CAME THROUGH for the client, they may have never looked backed and you could have been their #1 company to work with forever. I totally understand your decision to go for it while respecting Liz's decision to say no. Great content! Cheers 🍻
I kinda needed this video to pop in my YT suggestions today… I guess imma just send an email rn in order to avoid losing one big client over super tight time constraints that I’ve « “ folcingly “ just agreed to… thanks Chris!
Damn, that sounds like a lot of fun haha!! Thanks for sharing this and having the courage to reveal major mistakes that you have made in your journey. It takes a lot of character to admit when you messed up and even more courage to document the whole thing step by step.
Great tips, great story. I can't help but want to try to deflect a little back on the client, they still hired you, they put their trust in a couple of 25 year old entrepreneurs, they gave you a tight timeline and they asked you to shoot in the snow and slush. But like you said, you could have said no as well, which is definitely the key takeaway here. I'm sure you guys have learned a lot that doesn't need to be said since then, but I totally get how when you're younger it's much more difficult to set boundaries and to work by your schedule and process.
Damn. Glad you are able to learn from this lol I'm personally so glad I'm not in my 20s. I was so awkwarddddd 😅😅 increasing my social skills has massively helped my biz
I think Aston Martin. Loved the tips Chris gave, also loved the skit in the beginning....so accurate! My tip: clients/ potential clients may innocently not give you enough info to complete a project, which means they'll end up with an unpleasant experience in the end unless you do a lot of extra work...so ask as many questions and repeat your interpretation of what they want back to them for confirmation/ validatino to execute it efficiently and save yourself reshooting/ reediting. (i suppose this is a detail in "improve your communication skills")
Thanks for sharing this story/lesson. It's a good teaching/learning moment on what not to do and I'm glad you can be happy in this video discribing it. Love your Vids!
This is so funny. I literally came from a very similar situation over the past week with a client. And the biggest problem is the fact that they wanted a quick shoot done with little to no planning 🤦♂️I'm still getting paid but I know for a fact 8 ain't hearing from them again 😂😂
If you're willing to speak about it, I would love to see a video talking the strategy and thought process it took to agree on what you delivered to that client. How did you come up with quarterly, what was discussed then agreed to what was delivered within the quarter? I am still throwing out random numbers and talk to clients about just doing monthly retainers and sometimes they cancel the retainer after a couple months. Love the business advice You gove and hope to hear more
I had a potential client contact me and they wanted a shoot done the following week (today actually) and they wanted the raw video files turned around the same day or the next morning AT THE LATEST. My wife wanted me to say yes because the money would be nice to have, but I said no because there were way too many red flags!
It reminds me about a client who contacted me during the global COVID-19 lockdown. They wanted me to shoot a music video for an upcoming artist. The budget was great, and I was SO ready to do this, but then the bomb exploded, they wanted me to fly to the US to shoot the video (I'm located in Sweden), but that wasn't possible when we were in a global lockdown, so I had to say no to the job. It hurt so bad, because 1. it was a great job and 2. I could live off the earnings from the job for a good 18 months - and keep in mind that I was almost broke at the time, when I got the offer. Oh well, that's life :)
Oh dude I've been exactly in this situation, I'm sorry to say but it was sort of nice to feel your pain because at least I know I wasn't alone in the frustration haha
This is so unfair! You get a client that wants perfect results out of an impossible situation, if you say no, you lose them, if you say yes, you lose them too, because obviously you can't get it right, so you mess it up, and they never call back. So, what should we do??
The "no" does not mean that you lose them automatically. It just means you lose the fee for the currently offered project. They give that project to someone else, and that company takes the hit for disappointing the client, and they come back to you for your good work. Maybe your rate goes, up, too, because now you are the "go-to" company for quality results. Even if you lose the client, the "no" is better because you don't have a negative experience as your last impression with that client, which could lead to other work through referrals.
Chris, this was a really great video. Thanks for outlining it all in a playful and humorous way (although I know it must hurt). So sorry that Mercedes never called you again... (right? right?) ;)
Brutal. LOL. So much about the timeline for a car shoot your describing sounds all too familiar. However, I always have the client be responsible for the car. They are in charge of cleaning it and driving it so it poses no financial risk of responsibility on my company.
Man that sucks. So easy for things to spiral and end up having knock on effects. Such a shame it ruined the rep you had with them. Hopefully you've now got new systems in place to avoid this in the future which is always a positive. Thanks or sharing and being so transparent about it, not enough creatives share the failures, so nice to see you embracing the mistakes.
Learning curve can be steep. Without the right producer you can go down a one-way street that the client does not want to visit. I've worked on both ends of photo/video. Previously a director of photographer and also a producer and now for the last 20 years freelance photographer/videographer. I think the first think you might have done is told them your initial worries before taking the job and they may have altered their asks. And the model swap was really a bad call. These brands have meeting after meeting about talent and how that fits into their marketing plans and their core audience so any shift from that will not make for happy account people. And was the $25K a fee or did that include all the production costs? Lots of my clients now come at us with "here is the budget" these days and then we have to figure out if we can provide them with all their needs within the framework of the budget. Often, with a little explaining, the client can find more money. We've been shooting for one of the largest retail chains in the world and their budget for our shoots is very small. We took the job initially because "it is just one shot". Then one shot turned into "with two variations" and then two shots with variations and the last job we did was two shots with variations and then GIFS. But luckily the budget seems to have been flexible and now we are billing out more than the first job. One final piece of advice is if you are completely stoked to get a certain client and shoot for them you might also want to look at certain jobs less as income and more as a way to get your foot in the door and produce some polished material--almost as a paid test (I know this is not possible for some people). In other words spend more money then in the budget and make the client swoon over your images and video and then on the next job you can try to get more fee/expense. I just was asked yesterday to bid a job for a national food company and all the pics of mine used in the deck were shots I did on my own and paid for out of my pocket so testing works.
Love the story, if anything it was definitely an insightful lesson. Do you think you could make a video on how you built your company from the ground up? I would love to start a business in commercial photography but don't know where to start. Thanks Chris!
Totally get FOLC! Great video. Great learning lesson. I once turned down a 1-week freelance gig because I wanted to go to Vegas. That gig turned into a 3 month job. And when I got back from Vegas...I spent the next 3 weeks looking for work. And to top it off...I loss money in Vegas. Boy did I screw up. FOMO!
Hey Hey Hey... Slow down there! I resent that "Canada" in November thing. What he means, to the international viewers, is "Ontario" in November. Here in beautiful BC, winter is picturesque af :)
A lot of us would have made the same mistake... but it's OK to make mistakes. It's not OK to make the same mistakes. Great story well told... again. :)
Thanks for the info. I think a lot of people struggle with export settings as well. Would you be able to touch on that? Some people post videos with super sharp quality but the avg person has so much compression.
Classic mistakes that many have made! Great that you used yourself as a prime example!👏🏾 I find the only drawback of saying NO when a job just does not feel quite right is that it gets easier and easier to almost the stage where I am saying no to almost everything!😂🙏🏾
Hey Chris! I wondered if you could include in one of your videos advice on getting the right insurance? It sounds like a silly question but for some reason I'm baffled at which insurance would be the right one. Thanks!
this video is great. thanks forthe cautionary tale. Its always nice to know that pobody's nerfect. It may be pretty cool to hear about the other side. Not just a "how to get clients and keep them" video (you've done those in the past, im pretty sure) but a point by point on how things went EXCEPTIONALLY well with a client that you didnt expect to go so swimmingly.
I 100% agree with you, it is quite scary to say no if the timing is not good enough. At the same time it is good to push your boundaries some times to be able to grow. With that said, if it looks impossible, it most likely is :D Thanks for awesome content as always!
Great video with a great lesson. Given the time of year and time frame that this happened, it sounds like this was possibly part of the Acura RDX release.
Oh my god thx so much. Something similar happened to me..... Im petrified to shoot again... Being depressed x a yr now...... Lost my confidence feel so bad still 😢
Anyone want to guess what client we lost? If you're a creator - what's a lesson you've learned over the years that you could share with everyone?
Audi?
Is it Mercedes-Benz?
Biggest lesson I learned early in my creative career: No matter how big the client is or how much money they may represent, It's good to say no. It's good to 'fire' the client.
Once I learned that - clients I said no to and or / fired... eventually came back with better money and more respect for me as a creator
Tesla?
This is a huge one!
No that wasn’t your best client. Best clients don’t put their contractors into situations that are unnecessarily difficult (for their greedy bottom line) and then fire them for it.
Don’t feel bad dude.
This was one of my favorite videos ever and the storytelling kept me engaged the ENTIRE time. This is gold haha. Thank you for sharing your experience Chris!!
Bro thank you so much! That means so much :)
Dude! Thats a tough lesson to learn. But it's a very good lesson! I had 25K product photography gig that I turned down because it was one of those "need now, need perfect and did I mention I need it yesterday... oh we also need video of all 100 products..." Never be afraid to say no or negotiate. Great video!
Have to admit, saw the $300k title and expected tons of clickbait... But still clicked of course since, you know... you're Chris Hau ❤. Although I'm super sad for your own situation and loss of client, I'm super grateful you share this with us. This is life. Especially as an independent creator and entrepreneur. Refreshing to see it's also happening to someone as talented as yourself. Thank you, and I'm sorry.
This is so true!
Well, this WAS and IS clickbait... You can't lose money you never got so... Wtf, he never lost 300k but he lost customer that COULD'VE pay them 300k IF they've had successful 3 years more. What are the odds that they could actually lose this customer on the next project!? The video would've been "I lost 275k" or whatever was the number 😄
Wow, I have never seen a filmmaker taking so openly about a failed project. Really appreciate the transparency! Lessons learnt
It's good to own up to your failures, we've all been there. That said, it's for this reason in my estimates I have a clause that states " a client representative must be present on set at all times or client agrees to go with the photographer/videographer's best judgment". Might not have saved the client but could have saved you legally if they refused payment. Secondly, $25-$30K for a car video and photoshoot including pre and post in 2 weeks doesn't give you the opportunity to hire the support you need or leave much in profit (unless that was only your fees and expenses were on top).
I am honestly really happy you posted this. I always put myself down when I would mess up with a client and this video has helped me realize that it just happens sometimes and you just have to learn from it.
This is what I love about you. No matter how big or amazing youtube path was for you, you grew up humbled by situations like these and learn from it. And its amazing to me that you have shared it, where others wouldn't dare to share!
Being folcing scared f***** up my whole business last year. I'm glad to know my gut feeling was right and I'm going to trust it and look for the red flag moving forward I appreciate you guys sharing your experiences with us. It makes a huge difference believe it or not
This is SO validating to hear. Such a fan of the work Lizzie and yourself do. So hearing mistakes like this honestly lessens the professional perfection that tends to paralyze my decisions!
Flipside of the Coin: I said "No" to an unreasonable turn around project with a client I had worked with and made good money from. (Had to shoot on Saturday, then edit a 45 minute cut & have it delivered Monday.) It was recording a performance of an artist who had referred me to this Client for a past project that everyone was really happy with. The Artist Acquaintance agreed that the deadline was ridiculous and flat out said "I really respect that you set this boundary, I'll definitely call you again for future projects.". They proceeded to hire some other local Videographer to do it, and I've never heard from the Client or Artist again. So damned if you do, damned if you don't sometimes. I don't have nearly your experience in the industry, but sometimes folks don't respect art, not even other artists.
One of the BEST videos! The RUclips world and the world in general needs more of this...You didn't even try and sugar coat it or defend yourself, it was just flat out screw up... People are so caught up in the perfect edited unrealistic world of RUclips / Social Media. Everyone thinks they're expected to be & everything is perfect. We're humans , we F**k up , get through it, learn and roll on!
Sharing this type of story is like ultra helpful to others, so big props to you. It also scares the crap outta me as someone in the very very early stages of hoping to create some form of name for myself in this world 😄😄
I have to say Chris…. Out of all your content this is in my top 5 most useful/helpful videos. I think content creators have to realise that There is no shame in sharing bloopers of any kind. Because those are the lessons learned… if one has never touched a hot stove after the million mum warnings… they will never understand the heat…
Thank you so much.
Very good lesson indeed. Thanks for being open and sharing this!
OUCH Dude! Appreciate your transparency as always!
Totally agree on that... I said yes to some projects, being worried I would loose future projects, and sometimes closed door in the future, because I wasn't setup for success, and couldn't do the job well.
"Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur! Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr!"
Dude, always incredible to hear these type of stories. Especially as someone just getting my feet wet.
Chris-- first of all, great video by the way. I appreciate the honesty and you sharing your experiences--they are helpful and instructional. I have a slightly different take that I'd like to share with you based on an experience that I had when saying essentially, no, and it can't be done... Nobody wants to hear that--not a client, not a boss, not anyone who is in charge of trying to get something done, regardless of how ridiculous or impossible the initial objective is. What I've found is rather than saying it can't be done, explain how it CAN be done. In other words, what are the barriers that need to be moved, the constraints that need to be lifted, the "givens" than need to be tweaked, such that you can say yes instead of no. Showing that you care, and that you're creative, and that you're making an effort to find a solution will go a long way, even if ultimately the result is still "no". Better that the client/boss/etc says no to you and your suggestions rather than you say no to their project/need. The result is the same, but the look is night and day different. You'll be respected. AND, if no really is the result, then chances are that client will not be able to find someone else that says yes and can meets their demands. Your value is your service, not your commodity.
TRUST LIVES AND DIES OFF COMMUNICATION! I’ve lost a lot of money before. I’ve also avoided losing a lot. Basically it all comes down to communication: up front and as you go. I will never ever ever ever do a job without a contract clearly communicating critical expectations both ways. It’s more work on the front end, but always worth it. When making wrong assumptions cost you a ton of money, you get better at communicating or you get another job.
Honestly most clients and most creatives I’ve worked with/hired are poor at communicating. Some VERY poor at communicating.
With long term clients where trust is established (and can be lost) I don’t get quite as anal about my contracts, so I use a shortened version. But I will never do a job without a written/detailed contract. Ever.
Awesome business tips, especially that tip about cleaning the car during winter :D
Wow what a story. That project sounded like it was set up waiting for things to go wrong. Thanks for sharing the story!
Chris, thank you so much for sharing this story. With all the good things that happen to us, it's also good to hear the bad sides sometimes. Helps us learn from them. I definitely learned a lot from this situation. But honestly, you tried you best. You wanted the best for the client and yourself but the universe was like "nope I'mm keep making you go through more challenges". And sometimes things happen for a reason. Overall, great video. Would love to hear more stories in the future!
One of the problems with being in an artistic type of business is that it is subjective, and everyone fancies themselves “an art director.” NOT an easy business and kudos to you and your team for “making it” nonetheless.
We had a sales guy that didn't know when to say no - we sold websites for like £20k a pop - he'd go out and sell websites for £3k a pop and the issue is those £3k clients still want the £20k service, then when they don't get it you have bad customer experience and its just not commercially viable, he'd have been better off just saying.. NO...
It was Mercedes-Benz, wasn't it? ;)
Plus, I loved the video. I like that kind of content where you tell a story to teach something, like that video with the guy who got in jail by mistake in Cuba. You should do those more often!
Either Mercedes or Porsche I think.
I know it doesn't make sense, but you actually gained an important lesson at such a young age. It's awesome! YES, you could have made a ton of money. BUT, some people learn about red flags and such while loosing a ton of money to the point that they can't go anymore. You are still here and you shared an important lesson to more than half of a million people. Thank You.
This actually makes me feel better about missing out on more freelance work I DIDN’T want to do anyway with a guy whose business is entirely based on him helping to create podcast opportunities and DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO MAKE A PODCAST HIMSELF. But did Chris really lose a deal with Mercedes?!
This reminds me of something I should have said no to or pushed back on with a larger restaurant ownership group. I did it, it got done poorly because of time of day, what they wanted shot, and an over promise with underwhelming results on my part. Needless to say, I lost that client lol. Glad to know I’m not the only one.
Oh man I probaby lost like 20K in revenue due to poor communications with clients. It's hard to think clearly when you have crazy deadlines.. Thanks for sharing Chris!
You’re always trying to make the best decision based on the information you have at the time.
@@thechrishau 💚 indeed. Sales are such work. I'd love an episode that goes into your tips for onboarding and closing. Or is that Patreon material ?
My General rule for video work...$500-$1500 per minute of final fully produced video depending on how many days it takes to shoot...(3 min video $1500-$4500)
This was such a good video. It is so interesting to see the side of a project gone wrong as it happens to so many people. On the FLIP side, if the weather conditions were ultra snowy, you didn't get stuck, the 3rd party editor did a good job, and you CAME THROUGH for the client, they may have never looked backed and you could have been their #1 company to work with forever. I totally understand your decision to go for it while respecting Liz's decision to say no. Great content! Cheers 🍻
I kinda needed this video to pop in my YT suggestions today…
I guess imma just send an email rn in order to avoid losing one big client over super tight time constraints that I’ve «
“ folcingly “ just agreed to… thanks Chris!
Damn, that sounds like a lot of fun haha!! Thanks for sharing this and having the courage to reveal major mistakes that you have made in your journey. It takes a lot of character to admit when you messed up and even more courage to document the whole thing step by step.
I love the honesty man. You can't learn without making mistakes. Great video.
This video is mighty! The experience was very expensive but sharing it is priceless
Great tips, great story. I can't help but want to try to deflect a little back on the client, they still hired you, they put their trust in a couple of 25 year old entrepreneurs, they gave you a tight timeline and they asked you to shoot in the snow and slush. But like you said, you could have said no as well, which is definitely the key takeaway here. I'm sure you guys have learned a lot that doesn't need to be said since then, but I totally get how when you're younger it's much more difficult to set boundaries and to work by your schedule and process.
Now I just want to see Chris petting a cat for a solid 7 minutes.
You got it
Bahaha, got a kick out of the Chicago edit. Overall man expensive lessons are the best learning experience.
Damn. Glad you are able to learn from this lol I'm personally so glad I'm not in my 20s. I was so awkwarddddd 😅😅 increasing my social skills has massively helped my biz
the email exchanges at the start were too accurate - great video!
Haha, that drone shot of chicago is mine! Was watching this video like…wait a second, where’d he get that? Lol
Love the channel!
I think Aston Martin. Loved the tips Chris gave, also loved the skit in the beginning....so accurate! My tip: clients/ potential clients may innocently not give you enough info to complete a project, which means they'll end up with an unpleasant experience in the end unless you do a lot of extra work...so ask as many questions and repeat your interpretation of what they want back to them for confirmation/ validatino to execute it efficiently and save yourself reshooting/ reediting. (i suppose this is a detail in "improve your communication skills")
Thoroughly enjoyed that experience Chris. Very honest of you to put that out 👍🏻👏🏻
Dude this is so relevant to me..thanks for sharing! Luv you guys!!
Thanks for sharing this story/lesson. It's a good teaching/learning moment on what not to do and I'm glad you can be happy in this video discribing it. Love your Vids!
This is so funny. I literally came from a very similar situation over the past week with a client. And the biggest problem is the fact that they wanted a quick shoot done with little to no planning 🤦♂️I'm still getting paid but I know for a fact 8 ain't hearing from them again 😂😂
One of your best videos man, highly appreciated! You learn the most from your mistakes! 😅
Your videos keep getting better, you are becoming one of my favorite RUclipsrs.
If you're willing to speak about it, I would love to see a video talking the strategy and thought process it took to agree on what you delivered to that client. How did you come up with quarterly, what was discussed then agreed to what was delivered within the quarter? I am still throwing out random numbers and talk to clients about just doing monthly retainers and sometimes they cancel the retainer after a couple months. Love the business advice You gove and hope to hear more
I had a potential client contact me and they wanted a shoot done the following week (today actually) and they wanted the raw video files turned around the same day or the next morning AT THE LATEST. My wife wanted me to say yes because the money would be nice to have, but I said no because there were way too many red flags!
It reminds me about a client who contacted me during the global COVID-19 lockdown. They wanted me to shoot a music video for an upcoming artist. The budget was great, and I was SO ready to do this, but then the bomb exploded, they wanted me to fly to the US to shoot the video (I'm located in Sweden), but that wasn't possible when we were in a global lockdown, so I had to say no to the job. It hurt so bad, because 1. it was a great job and 2. I could live off the earnings from the job for a good 18 months - and keep in mind that I was almost broke at the time, when I got the offer. Oh well, that's life :)
Man - I am so sorry to hear this :( these things happen.
All client relationships come to an end…WE JUST DON’T KNOW WHEN! Listen to your gut and don’t be afraid to say NO.
Oh dude I've been exactly in this situation, I'm sorry to say but it was sort of nice to feel your pain because at least I know I wasn't alone in the frustration haha
This is so unfair! You get a client that wants perfect results out of an impossible situation, if you say no, you lose them, if you say yes, you lose them too, because obviously you can't get it right, so you mess it up, and they never call back. So, what should we do??
The "no" does not mean that you lose them automatically. It just means you lose the fee for the currently offered project. They give that project to someone else, and that company takes the hit for disappointing the client, and they come back to you for your good work. Maybe your rate goes, up, too, because now you are the "go-to" company for quality results.
Even if you lose the client, the "no" is better because you don't have a negative experience as your last impression with that client, which could lead to other work through referrals.
The way you tell the story is like a suspense movie man. Hilarious! XD
Great lessons! LOVE YOUR VIDS CHRIS!
Btw, is it Aston Martin?
Chris, this was a really great video. Thanks for outlining it all in a playful and humorous way (although I know it must hurt). So sorry that Mercedes never called you again... (right? right?) ;)
Chris, thank you. I Know-how That Kind of Stories. The learning Prozess Never Ends.
Thank you for sharing!
Brutal. LOL. So much about the timeline for a car shoot your describing sounds all too familiar. However, I always have the client be responsible for the car. They are in charge of cleaning it and driving it so it poses no financial risk of responsibility on my company.
The storytelling of your videos as of late have been REALLY GOOD.
Thanks Brandon. I really appreciate that you noticed. I’ve been working hard on it :)
@@thechrishau Typically “bits “are kinda lame but the last few that you’ve done have actually been really enjoyable great work
I can relate. Saying no is important. Thanks for sharing.
Man that sucks. So easy for things to spiral and end up having knock on effects. Such a shame it ruined the rep you had with them. Hopefully you've now got new systems in place to avoid this in the future which is always a positive. Thanks or sharing and being so transparent about it, not enough creatives share the failures, so nice to see you embracing the mistakes.
Learning curve can be steep. Without the right producer you can go down a one-way street that the client does not want to visit. I've worked on both ends of photo/video. Previously a director of photographer and also a producer and now for the last 20 years freelance photographer/videographer. I think the first think you might have done is told them your initial worries before taking the job and they may have altered their asks. And the model swap was really a bad call. These brands have meeting after meeting about talent and how that fits into their marketing plans and their core audience so any shift from that will not make for happy account people. And was the $25K a fee or did that include all the production costs? Lots of my clients now come at us with "here is the budget" these days and then we have to figure out if we can provide them with all their needs within the framework of the budget. Often, with a little explaining, the client can find more money. We've been shooting for one of the largest retail chains in the world and their budget for our shoots is very small. We took the job initially because "it is just one shot". Then one shot turned into "with two variations" and then two shots with variations and the last job we did was two shots with variations and then GIFS. But luckily the budget seems to have been flexible and now we are billing out more than the first job. One final piece of advice is if you are completely stoked to get a certain client and shoot for them you might also want to look at certain jobs less as income and more as a way to get your foot in the door and produce some polished material--almost as a paid test (I know this is not possible for some people). In other words spend more money then in the budget and make the client swoon over your images and video and then on the next job you can try to get more fee/expense. I just was asked yesterday to bid a job for a national food company and all the pics of mine used in the deck were shots I did on my own and paid for out of my pocket so testing works.
Love the story, if anything it was definitely an insightful lesson. Do you think you could make a video on how you built your company from the ground up? I would love to start a business in commercial photography but don't know where to start. Thanks Chris!
Best skits on RUclips! love you bro
That intro sums up my whole 2021
Totally get FOLC! Great video. Great learning lesson. I once turned down a 1-week freelance gig because I wanted to go to Vegas. That gig turned into a 3 month job. And when I got back from Vegas...I spent the next 3 weeks looking for work. And to top it off...I loss money in Vegas. Boy did I screw up. FOMO!
What a great story! Honestly hearing you tell this would make me want to work with you more given all the insights you learned from your experience
Hey Hey Hey... Slow down there! I resent that "Canada" in November thing. What he means, to the international viewers, is "Ontario" in November. Here in beautiful BC, winter is picturesque af :)
Thank you for sharing the helpful but painful story!
A lot of us would have made the same mistake... but it's OK to make mistakes. It's not OK to make the same mistakes. Great story well told... again. :)
One of my favourites videos Chris!! So related to this yesterday dealing with a client 😂
really love this content!
Thanks for the info. I think a lot of people struggle with export settings as well. Would you be able to touch on that? Some people post videos with super sharp quality but the avg person has so much compression.
Made a whole video about this on my channel
Classic mistakes that many have made! Great that you used yourself as a prime example!👏🏾 I find the only drawback of saying NO when a job just does not feel quite right is that it gets easier and easier to almost the stage where I am saying no to almost everything!😂🙏🏾
What admire the most about Chris is the fact that he does the storing telling and acting flawlessly 👏
And purring.
Hey Chris! I wondered if you could include in one of your videos advice on getting the right insurance? It sounds like a silly question but for some reason I'm baffled at which insurance would be the right one. Thanks!
this video is great. thanks forthe cautionary tale. Its always nice to know that pobody's nerfect. It may be pretty cool to hear about the other side. Not just a "how to get clients and keep them" video (you've done those in the past, im pretty sure) but a point by point on how things went EXCEPTIONALLY well with a client that you didnt expect to go so swimmingly.
I 100% agree with you, it is quite scary to say no if the timing is not good enough. At the same time it is good to push your boundaries some times to be able to grow. With that said, if it looks impossible, it most likely is :D Thanks for awesome content as always!
Brave…and thanks for sharing. We have all done similar things but not too many share…well done
But I still admire the fact that you run your own company at 25 years old. And it was a learning experience, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your honesty sir. 🤙
I feel you bro 😭
That trust your wife was so funny hahaahahh
Oh wow! Thank you for sharing it. ✌️
This video was so well done great didn’t fast forward watched all the way through great storytelling!
This is a valuable lesson for you (and us) because you shared. Thanks for that. This is a great learning lesson. Kudos!.
Great video and info
Great insightful lesson btw 👌 Also 12:35 LOOL😂
Thank you for sharing. Definitely a learning experience albeit an expensive one.
Great video with a great lesson. Given the time of year and time frame that this happened, it sounds like this was possibly part of the Acura RDX release.
Thanks a lot for this sharing 👍I always like to learn from others errors, it often allows me to avoid to do the same. Chris from France
Intro is the best ever. haha
Oh my god thx so much. Something similar happened to me..... Im petrified to shoot again... Being depressed x a yr now...... Lost my confidence feel so bad still 😢
Always trust the wife! 😂 😂 Great vid Chris 🙏🙏
Thanks for sharing 🙌🏻 grtz from Belgium
am grateful for this bro