That time my business tried to kill me...

When you start a business you usually try to take on the world all by yourself and no matter how busy you get it's hard to let go or to release some of the responsibility. This was the case for me in March 2019 when Incite Video was at its busiest to date. Our work in the Microsoft community had led to bookings all over the globe. From larger conferences such as SPC19 and Microsoft Ignite to working directly with companies such as Rencore, AvePoint, or Valo Intranet. So please do read on and let me guide you through the troubles and mad ramblings of a jet-lagged videographer.

Ironically I hadn't yet developed a deep hatred for airport lounges, airplane food, or hotel rooms but the seeds had been planted by this point

In 2019, we had a newly created team of editors working for us to support the workload that I was bringing home from each trip and from the multiple UK-based projects ongoing at any one time. Terabytes of footage landed between each flight. At other times, the entire team flew out with me to support the filming, photography, and occasional on-site video editing. For Amsterdam in April, we even flew out the sales team and treated the trip as a team bonding session.

On select projects we offered same-day delivery edits and it was a joy to see the faces of the attendees lighting up when seeing themselves

Essentially for the majority of 2019, I was on the road, jumping from country to country but as you can imagine it started to take its toll and this is where things got serious. After a 3-day conference in Washington, I took a red-eye flight home to Heathrow and then drove 3 hours to Minehead to help my team film a Sports event. After the event, I drove directly back to Heathrow to jump on a flight to Sydney to film with a tech company celebrating their Oceanic partners.

Still, following? Essentially it was four long-distance flights and 10 hours of driving in 11 days.

So it's no surprise that landing in Sydney I was in a somewhat vegetative state. It was here that I began to notice a dull pain in my left leg. Like cramp except more persistent. I knew something was wrong but put it down to a niggling football injury that the long flight had somehow enraged.

To make matters worse I only spent three days in Australia, as my schedule wouldn't allow for more. That's almost as much time as it takes to travel there and back but just about enough time to have a beer beneath the opera house (thanks to my Airbnb host for the invite) and to explore Bondi beach for half a day with the team at Valo Intranet. Just to add insult to injury, it was Winter in Australia... so no Sun!

After my flight back to the UK the dull pain had become a sharp shooting pain and I was quickly referred to Leicester Royal Infirmary for a scan on my calf. You may have guessed by now that it was in fact a DVT - Deep vein thrombosis. DVT's are caused when a blood clot forms in one of your veins and can be deadly if left untreated.

A blood clot! I'm only 33? I'm fit and healthy and active! How can this happen? My kids!? I have a trip to Vegas in 5 weeks!?

I was confused. How could this have happened? Well, long-haul flights mostly spent eating and watching movies don't help, but even in between these flights I would be hunched over my PC at the studio working on the video editing. I was immediately put on blood-thinning medication for 3 months to help break up the blood clot and I wasn't allowed to fly for 8 weeks. The meds made me sleepy and miserable and our filming schedule was completely out the window.

This was an important moment in the history of Incite Video and for my mental and physical health too. It was my light bulb moment as a business owner. My mindset went from freelancer to video agency almost overnight. This was the moment that I learned the power of delegation, letting go, and allowing myself to relinquish responsibilities.

We had built a great team at Incite and it was time to build off of this and create a network that can support each other and thrive whilst doing so. To deliver high-quality videos and hit deadlines across multiple projects. Not one man and his camera hopping continents and pushing himself to the brink. An amazing network of videographers, animators, and creatives to complement our editors.

This new approach allowed me to concentrate on the role I was built for - creative director. Working on pre-production, managing the projects and logistics and customer care from initial proposal through to delivery. It's a setup that was worked wonders for us at Incite Video and using this template we have delivered some fantastic projects for companies such as Gigaspaces, Sturgess Motors, Crown Bevcan UK, Miss Kick, and many more.

I also brought a stand-up desk, literally a lifesaver

So, there we have it, that's how my business almost killed me. I've had plenty of time to reflect and as much as I miss exploring new countries and cities ... I don't miss the airplane food!

Looking for a video production agency? Reach out today or visit www.incite.video for more information.