As part of our new Big Changes series we will be interviewing people who have made the move from employed to self employment or who have made a huge change in their career. We ask them how they did it and what it was like!
This interview is with Tom Woodrow who runs Geek Media. He went from working as a retail manager to running his own successful film production company. He bravely followed his big dream to make films and documentaries despite having to give up a secure income in order to do this and not having any formal training in film making. The move has been a huge success and has taken him across the world and back again making films with some of our best loved faces. The company currently has television programmes in production and a filmed trip to the South Pole planned.
Thanks for your time Tom, what an exciting journey you are on! What was your life like before you took the step to go self employed?
My life was very difficult. My work/life balance was completely wrong. I used to leave the house at 7 am and I wouldn't be back home till the kids were in bed. I worked Saturdays so I only really had one day a week to spend with the family. In work I felt unappreciated, despite the positive impact I was having on the business. I worked at least 60 hours a week and was only getting paid for 40. Also not as important, but I feel relevant, I was working in the motorcycle industry and the fact I was not enjoying my work with motorcycles left me without a passion for them - previously they had been a big passion of mine. Now I do some filming work with bikes and because my passion for life is back I have fallen in love with them all over again.
So what is your life like now as a comparison?
It would be wrong of me to make a blanket statement that life is now amazing. I do feel a lot better in myself. I love what I am doing now and I get to spend a lot more time with my family, but there are a lot of new adjustments that I have had to make. Firstly, money. Working as a freelance film maker is well paid, but the work is not regular. Sometimes I will have a month where I take half my yearly income, but then I have 3 months without any work, so I have to be really careful about managing my families money so we don't run out. This can be pretty stressful. Then there is working from home, this takes a while to get used to, not just for me, but the family too. They have to know that when Daddy is working he can't be interrupted, this is not easy for a 5 and 2 year old's to understand. Working from home also means I am suddenly not having any face to face interactions with people, which is pretty difficult. Overall though my quality of life has massively increased.
Leaving a full time job is a scary prospect in the current climate (or at any time!). Was there ever any point at which you regretted giving up a secure job?
So far, no. I do worry sometimes about making sure I get jobs in etc but no regrets yet!
Lots of people who start their own businesses with a family feel they need to save for a long time before hand or to have a secure investment that will carry them through the lean times. Did you have financial back up for the venture, like personal savings or investors?
My father, who has always been really supportive of my filming, offered to invest. This has given me enough money to pay the rent and bills each month for 2 years. But I have to find the work if I want to be able to put food on the table. It also means for 2 years I can push the TV shows, which takes a lot of time, but worth it when the money eventually comes through.
I know that you didn't start out with qualifications in film making or any experience at all really - that's amazing that you have broken into the industry through sheer hard work and determination. Did you do any extra training at all in order to learn any aspects of the business?
For the filming side no, I taught myself and went with my instincts but I am still trying to work out the ins and outs of accounts, tax etc you can teach yourself these with so much information out there on the web but it's still worthwhile asking the experts when you are not sure yourself - no one can be an expert at everything!
Everyone hopes that there is one technique to getting business that will be guaranteed to work, this though differs from business to business and person to person. What is the best move you've made for the business so far?
Networking. I always thought that this was an excuse to get out of the house but it really works! Most of my filming work has come through people I have met at shows and events.
We all like to learn from others mistakes and try to avoid them ourselves, what was the worst decision you made and how would you have avoided it if you had the chance to change what happened?
I think I'm too trusting. I never take deposits but I really should. I took a filming job, only a medium size one but I spent about 25% of the cost of the job on some specific equipment needed. Then they decided not to go ahead, 2 days before filming. The equipment is still handy but I spent a lot and turned down other jobs on the dates reserved. A non refundable deposit would have made this less painful.
How did you decide on your branding?
My branding was about telling customers a bit about myself and what I do. It is also a bit of an ironic statement about my school days. I was bullied in school, and often called a geek. I made the decision after watching a documentary on Derren Brown. He said "I was never really bullied in school, but most definitely a bit kind of picked on by some of those rougher kids. Thank God its the rougher kids that go on to have really boring jobs in adult life, while it's the kids that got picked on that grow up to do the really interesting things. " This really really struck a chord with me, and calling my company the name that had once been a bullies taunt made it personal and helped to inspire me. I do however also feel the meaning of Geek has also changed, being a geek is now cool, after the success of programmes like "The Big Bang Theory" and the geek movie boom (Batman, Ironman etc). It is also associated with attention to detail and a good knowledge of technology, all of which is important in the film industry. But at the end of the day, it just felt right for me. The branding was then easy, I wanted something simple and memorable, Something instantly recognizable. I asked myself what people would want to wear on a T-Shirt. So the geek face was born. When the business got bigger I considered changing the name but then I read what Simon Pegg said about being a geek "Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It's basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating." Again, this really spoke to me. I have a great geeky job and I love being a geek so why wouldn't I embrace it!
What is the most valuable advice you have ever received?
I have had loads of advice, some good, some bad but it is all valuable. There are simple things that I use all the time, for example reply to every email, no matter how small and even if it doesn't really need a response. The best however would be this "be honest about your abilities". Don't pretend you can do things you can't. Make sure you under promise and over deliver. You want customers to be impressed with what they got for the money, not feeling a little short changed.
What is your day to day life like now? Is it what you expected when you looked to make the change?
Life is varied now, mixed between meetings, editing in the studio and filming on location. It is exactly what I expected really. I think in my type of work it's easy to know what to expect though.
Thanks Tom! It's been really interesting to hear how you have been successful after quitting the 9 to 5. Good luck for the future of Geek Media Ltd and keep us updated!!
To visit Geek Media and find out more about the company please visit the website or go to the facebook page
Want to be part of our Big Changes series?? Get in contact via our facebook page or the blog and see if you could be the focus of our next interview!
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Love Nova xxx
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