My name is Ethan Quinn and I have been running a successful media business in North Wales called EQMedia for the last two years. I started up as photography was a passion after receiving a small compact camera when I was around 8. Since that moment I fell in love with photography and videography. Through the years I built up my equipment to the point where I felt like I could do this professionally. I started EQMedia as a simple photography and videography business while doing a few little things for people I knew, nothing really happened. I kept active on social media which let me come into contact with people around North Wales who were in the media industry. This helped me come into contact with clients and ever since then I have been building EQMedia to what it is today and over the years I have gained skills in many different areas such as social media management, videography, graphic design and many others. I setup EQMedia by really taking advantage of social media by marketing efficiently and gaining connections with many different clients and people in the industry. I also made a website which I use to advertise my services, packages, portfolio and everything to do with EQMedia which really allows clients to see what EQMedia are about.
Whether it is buying and selling from local car boots, selling sweets in school or knocking on doors asking if someone needed their car cleaned, I’ve always found ways of making money since a young age. After, speaking to local business owners and watch hours upon hours of videos online from different businesspeople such as, Gary Vaynerchuk, Stephen Bartlett, Elon Musk and Eddie Hearn. All these different businesspeople inspire me as they show me what’s possible with determination, discipline and lots of hard work.
The biggest struggles would have to be starting up. As many people know, starting a business isn’t easy and EQMedia was no exception. After having zero experience in business and not having a job I had no experience or funding to start the business. I learnt how the media and business industry works by learning from my mistakes and researching into the industry. I also asked multiple people who were successful in the area such as Stephen Bartlett who is CEO of Social Chain, a multi-million-pound company. Another struggle is funding the business. I was lucky as I had been building my equipment for many years so there wasn’t much to spend money on. I couldn’t afford a website, so we survived just off social media as it is free. When I finally started getting jobs from social media and people who I’d come in contact with, I’d put that money straight into the business to further boost it.
I have also never liked the idea of having a boss so I always made sure to work hard so I could make sure that I was my own boss. Even though being my own boss has had it’s low points, I’m very proud to be self employed and the best parts are definitely finishing a project, hearing clients feedback and meeting/ talking with other businesspeople, you can never learn enough in business so anytime I have a chance to learn from someone who’s been there and done it, I grasp the opportunity with both hands!
In general, my top tip would be to learn as much as possible, always think about the long term before the short term and just do it! The number one thing I hear from business people is “I just wish I did it sooner”, and even if your idea doesn’t work, at least you can always say you tried, but, with passion, determination and discipline, anything is possible. I’d also advise you to meet as many people as possible, put yourself out there! Finally, always prioritize the short term, you want your business to last years not months! In my field specifically, I’d say to make sure you have an online presence, the world is becoming more and more digital by the day so make sure you’re established in that area!