At the Collab Club, we’re all about celebrating talented freelancers. That’s why we’re shining a spotlight on our community of amazing business owners. Meet Tom from Tom Juggins UK who is sharing his journey into the world of full-time videography and photographer. Tom uncovers the highs and lows of running your own business, alongside his top tips, and trust us, it’s worth the read!

Tell us a little about you and what you do:

Hi, my name is Tom. I am a freelance videographer and photographer and I do all sorts of work from filming weddings to street photography, corporate events to family photoshoots.

What drove you to get into your area of business?

I studied art and design at college and then Fine Art at university and I had always been interested in photography and video. When I had my daughter at the age of 30, I started filming family vlog style videos which really fed my love of film. When I decided to take the plunge and film my first wedding, I immediately knew I wanted to pursue a self employed career to spend more time doing what I loved and have more free time to spend with my daughter and my family.

How did it happen?

I had been taking photos a lot when I was at college and university but then I stopped completely. It wasn't until 2018 on my 27th Birthday with a trip to the V&A museum in London that I decided I would take my camera with me and start taking photos. After that trip I would take photos all across London, post them on Instagram and started growing my account. I wasn't earning anything from my photography, I just enjoyed taking photos and posting them online so continued to do so even when I moved back to Cambridge. When we found out we were having a baby in 2020 and I got furloughed due to COVID, I started to film our daily lives from buying our new house during lockdown and to having our daughter in November. My love of video grew and after filming my niece’s christening, I started to advertise, offering some very discounted wedding films and the enquiries started coming in. After getting a few under my belt for experience, I put my prices up and started to build my business until it was time to jump in and go full time.

What is your favourite thing about running your own business?

I really enjoy having the flexibility to work on projects that I am passionate about and being able to work in coffee shops when I like!

What is your favourite thing about what you do?

My favourite thing is definitely filming weddings, I love seeing two people get married, surrounded by all their friends and family, in a beautiful venue and learning about their love story on their happiest day.

What do you find most challenging in your business?

I've always found being productive the most challenging. I always have so many different ideas in my head that I want to try out but it's remembering that I need to focus on one task at a time.

How have you worked/are you working around this?

I have started to time block my day from start to finish on my calendar so I know what I am doing at what time and this has helped me become more structured. I also find it helps to put deadlines in my calendar and planning each day towards the deadline so I know I will get it done on time and avoid becoming too overwhelmed.

What is your biggest piece of advice for someone looking to start their own business/go freelance?

I heard a great quote the other day which has really stuck with me. "It's easier to steer a moving ship than a stationary ship" Sometimes the hardest thing is getting started. People mentioned to me before I set up my business about getting into weddings and I didn't know where to start. Lots of people can give you different advice. You can try all the different courses there are, watch all the different YouTube videos but sometimes you just have to go for it. My first wedding, I had no idea what I was doing, I hadn't taken a course or watched any YouTube videos. I just trusted my own skills and luckily, the couple absolutely loved it!

Take a look at Tom’s amazing work: https://www.tomjuggins.co.uk

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The Club Hub - Videographer and Photographer Tom Juggins