Storytelling for a Better World - Olam Films
Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Benjamin Grayzel, Founder of Olam Films, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Olam Films provides video production services for clients who have a mission to create a better world. We work with Non-profits and corporate clients with a strong environmental or justice orientation. In addition to video production, we help these clients by providing a digital communications strategy. We can assist in web development and social media management.
Tell us about yourself
I was working in a digital agency, overseeing the video production wing of the business. We worked with a lot of real estate and resource extraction clients, and it was soul-sucking work. I quit and started my own company to gain the freedom to work on the projects that most feed my soul and make me proud of my work. Seeing my clients succeed and grow because of our services makes me proud to be working on something I truly believe in.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment has not been any one project but the gift of youth mentorship. Throughout Emerging Storyteller Program, Olam Films has begun mentoring Indigenous youth in filmmaking and digital storytelling to help raise a new generation of Indigenous storytellers. This work has been very rewarding and makes me feel good about the way we are engaging with the lands we work on and the people we work with.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment has not been any one project but the gift of youth mentorship. Throughout Emerging Storyteller Program, Olam Films has begun mentoring Indigenous youth in filmmaking and digital storytelling to help raise a new generation of Indigenous storytellers. This work has been very rewarding and makes me feel good about the way we are engaging with the lands we work on and the people we work with.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Love what you do. If you enjoy the work, you can put in the hours day after day and become great at what you do. Try to figure out what you love, which is also needed in the modern economy.
- Don't follow trends; create your own niche. There is a market for so many goods and services. Don't become a commodity provider by following what everyone else is doing. Instead, create something unique and find a market for it through the process.
- Be a nice person to work with. Toxic entrepreneur culture teaches people to be hawkish and self-centered. People don't like working with these types; you will lose relationships and money because of it. Be friendly and a pleasure to work with. Give more than you take, and it will pay off down the road.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.olamfilms.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olamfilmsvideoproduction
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olamfilms/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/olam-films/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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