Meet a Member: Matt Haley, Matt Haley Films

Matt Haley started his business after considering life options in a bar in Bolivia. He's winning work via word of mouth, sees the benefit of taking advice from the experts, and has plans for a new studio and more staff. Meet film-maker, videographer and Enterprise Nation member, Matt Haley.

When did you start your business and what were you doing before becoming your own boss?

I started my own business in August 2013. I came up with the idea while sitting at a bar in Bolivia talking about the future with my girlfriend. Before travelling, I worked in Burberrys Video department for 2 and half years and previous to that I had freelanced as an animator and video editor at various different agencies and broadcasters in London.

What does the business deliver and for whom?

We specialise in producing high quality video content, motion graphics and animation. We produce Corporate Videos, Explainer videos, Promotional Videos, Charity Videos and Animated videos. Basically if you want a video filmed, animated or edited, you're at the right place. We want to tell your story.

Do you think video will play an increasingly important part of story-telling for small businesses wanting to build their brand?

It is one of THE most important things that any business needs. Videos Increase People's Understanding Of Your Product Or Service by 74%. It gives you that short undivided attention time to explain to people what your all about. 76% of Marketers plan to add video to their sites, making it a higher priority than Facebook, twitter and blog integration (Social Media Examiner)

If you don't mind us asking, how much should a small business expect to pay for a short video clip about their business (and might you agree to do a special deal for Enterprise Nation members?!)

There are a few factors to consider when looking at investing in a video for your company. As with most things in life you get what you pay for. There are some companies out there who will do a short video for as little as a couple of hundred pounds. But"¦ you can tell that's what you've paid for it. Remember that the video is a representation of your company. If your video looks cheap you look cheap! Other points to consider are do you want it to be filmed or animated? Or a mixture of the two?

For a small business a 1-2 minute video you would be looking to spend in the region of £1500 - £2500. You can easily spend more. If you want a cast of actors and helicopter shots the price can increase dramatically! But I think simple is generally better.

For Enterprise Nation members we'd be willing to create a 1-2 minute explainer video for £1200. The average price I charge for small businesses is £1500.

How do you get your inspiration for what should be in the videos?

Philip Bloom is an inspiration to lots of Videographers out there. Some of his work is truly amazing. He's the Zen master of film. I regularly check out Vimeo to see what their staff picks are. There's so much good work out there and so many different ways of being able to see it. Gone are the days when "video" meant putting a VHS in the tape player. Video is mobile. It's in our pockets, in the car, when we travel. It's never far from grabbing our attention. That's why its so important to invest in good video.

How are you going about securing work and getting known?

A lot of work has come from people that I have worked with in the past, getting repeat business from them. Also we get a lot of recommendations from previous clients and friends so that's always nice.

Networking has been done in multiple forms really. Either through LinkedIn which is a great tool for professionals, Twitter, networking events or on different small business sites and design groups. Or people have been directed to my website and I've made contact with them through that.

I haven't spent a great deal of time being able to promote the business as we've been so busy which is a great position to be in. But I do have a bad habit of giving everyone in a 50 meter radius a business card if I'm in a social setting.

When did you become a member of Enterprise Nation?

Only a couple of weeks ago.

You recently made the most of one of the member benefits which is consultation calls with advisers - was it useful?!

I spoke to Paul Bailey founder of 1977 Design. He's a real expert in his field of design. He's worked with some of the countries biggest brands so he really knew what he was talking about. He gave me a lot of sound advice. He spoke to me like a normal human being. Which can be quite rare in the design industry. There's a lot of unnecessary "blue sky thinking" jargon from people at the top of their game in the design world. I would definitely recommend speaking to one of the advisers. Its always good to have someone check your company out. Sometimes you can miss the glaringly obvious.

What are your business plans for the next 12 months or so?

So far 2015 has brilliant and we're only 4 weeks in. I'm hoping to move to a new studio and possibly take on some more staff. We'll see what happens, but I'm looking forward to the future!

If you'd like to become an Enterprise Nation member and benefit from free consultations with advisers, exclusive invites to meet-ups, 25% discounts off events and books - sign up here.