Owner Spotlight Series: Shawn Beltran - Spacekraft Media

The Spiro Podcast: Managing your Real Estate Photography & Videography Business

This week Shawn Beltran, owner of Spacekraft Media in Denver, CO joins Craig on the Spiro Podcast. Shawn shares his experience as a Real Estate Media company owner, and some of the things he's learned that has helped him grow in a major market.

0:00-0:47 Sneak Peek

0:48-7:31 Intro to the podcast and Shawn

7:32-14:39 How Shawn started out

• Shot his first house in 2003
• Shot portraits for a time
• For Shawn, composing a shot was like putting a puzzle together
• It was hard to get started- many people got their work done for free by photography students
• Found he was not passionate about marketing for others, especially social media marketing
• Joined networking groups, including BNI
• Can track 80% of his current business back to one agent from whom he gained referrals
• Being genuine is key to networking
• Giving referrals is important to gaining referrals

14:40-26:12 Shawn’s business

• Business has shifted to commercial shoots for builders
• Averaged three shoots/day when he was shooting MLS listings
• Busiest season is April-October
• Now averages 1-2 jobs/day because they are bigger listings
• Contracts some work to other photographers who own their own businesses
• It’s more important to be part of a community than to look at everyone else as competition
• It sticks out to people when you deliver what they need in a timely manner and they will pay for that
• Sometimes you have to decide between being busy or being well-scheduled
• Being well-scheduled at the right price can sometimes be more sustainable
• Work-life balance is hard as a business owner

26:13-39:12 Shawn’s brokerage experience

• Have been working with this company for 7 years
• 3rd or 4th tier referral, business that specializes in luxury homes
• Did timelapses and stop-motion videos for this company and the company realized that they wanted that content for every listing
• Found that it is the same cost to use Shawn as to bring someone in in-house
• Considerations for a photographer who is offered an exclusive deal with a brokerage:
  • You will no longer be making your own schedule
  • Copyright and ownership rules change (if you feel like you have reached your potential, the wisdom you can offer others may be valuable)
  • Can you keep growing your business?
  • Are you happy owning a business or do you want to be employed and be able to turn off work?

39:13-46:44 Advice for other business owners: be aware of your mental health and get a business coach

• Therapy is not a bad word; it’s okay to show your weakness
• Have somebody you can talk to who is willing to help you grow as a person
• Shawn’s business coach: new business owners will grossly overestimate what they can do in one year and grossly underestimate what they can do in five to ten years
• Put in consistent effort to see growth
• Contact Shawn via email at [e-mail] or by text or call at 720-369-9169

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