Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Heacox.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story is not unlike many other entrepreneurs I know. I grew up on the east coast outside of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. When I was going through elementary and middle school I watched with fascination as my dad built two consulting companies after his firm dissolved unexpectedly. Watching him overcome adversity after adversity and seeing his resilience and determination throughout the process left me with a hunger to achieve something similar. I vividly remember bedtime stories being replaced with business problems (overgeneralized nonspecific and in middle school vernacular but business problems nonetheless) that he was currently faced with. I felt a lot of pride in offering up my creative solutions to him at the time, for as much value as a 6th grader can add to a financial healthcare consulting issue!
This is where I attribute the beginning of my love of business. As a kid, I was always told I had too many “big ideas.” I was constantly organizing events for the neighborhood kids – talent shows, “water parks,” haunted houses, Easter egg hunts, and “summer camps.” My first retail experience began like many others do, on the corner of my cul de sac in a refrigerator box stand selling lemonade (eventually we branched into various other product lines such as vintage jewelry donated by a neighbor cleaning out her closet, gel pen tattoos, face painting, etc.) My main customers were my brother and my parents but that didn’t stop my tenacity and the thrill of having some change of my own in my pocket. I guess those entrepreneurial qualities have always been there.
In 7th grade I started my first business with my best friend. We called it Ocean Dreams Jewelry. We sold our beaded jewelry creations at school festivals and craft fairs. The part I enjoyed the most was handing out our business cards and answering our “phone line” which was a number connected to my dad’s fax machine reserved solely for us.
During my undergraduate years at the University of South Carolina, I became even more enamored with business. I chose to major in Entrepreneurship and Marketing with minors in Hospitality, Advertising and Public Relations. Most of my classes were case oriented so I got to experience putting together marketing plans and pitching them to local small businesses in Columbia, SC. My professional business fraternity provided a similar outlet for this type of work with our independent consulting group Propensity that I was a part of.
My senior year, I was looking for an elective to take and stumbled across an Intro to Videography class that fit perfectly with my schedule. That class was the first place I ever picked up a camera and I was instantly enamored. I remember my professor calling me as I was walking to one of my business classes towards the end of the semester and telling me that my final video project had been selected by the university to be displayed on the Journalism School’s website. I don’t think I have ever been more shocked in my life by what he told me next – “Rachel if you want to build a career out of this you could. I know you’re not a broadcast journalism major but if you spend the next few months putting together a portfolio of 3-4 more videos I don’t see why you couldn’t apply for a job in journalism or production.” At the time, I had already checked out (It was second semester senior year!) and had long ago accepted a job with what I believed to be a guaranteed competitive salary, stability, and clout. I thanked him for his compliment and brushed it aside.
After graduation, I accepted a job in a leadership development program with one of the country’s top auto insurers and relocated to Dallas. I adjusted poorly to corporate life and found myself constrained by abiding by a strict formula for how to manage and lead people. I became miserable in conversations with my manager and frustrated by my performance because ultimately my heart just wasn’t in it. I spent more time designing my presentation deck then I did on the actual content and that was when I knew that creative strategy was what I was truly meant to do.
When I began thinking about what I wanted to do next and searching for jobs I felt sickened thinking about applying to work for someone else. That was when I realized I think my unhappiness was less about the job and more about ME. I was operating (as many of us do) under the assumption that success meant utilizing my education to climb a corporate ladder, afford a nice apartment, afford a nice car, etc. I was leading my life in a way that was designed to please other people without ever questioning what my definitions of happiness and success were. I had several conversations with my parents and close friends and ultimately realized I didn’t want to work for anyone else ever again. I wanted to be in charge of the culture and tone I set in my environment. I wanted to create something. I wanted to build a team of my own that focused on the creative work I was so passionate about in school.
In July of 2015, I invested in camera equipment and began shooting anything and everything I could on the side to build up a portfolio. Five short months later in December I established my website and Rachel Heacox Films was born. At the time, I was working from 3:30 to midnight at my corporate job, sleeping for a few hours and then working on my business from about 7:00am until I had to go into work. I was feeling burnt out and knew I needed to make a change. I eventually came to the realization that if I ever wanted this business to grow in the way I envisioned I needed to dedicate 100% of my life to it. I needed to take a giant leap of faith and see what I could build if this was my full-time gig. If in a year, I was living in a cardboard box like I was convinced I would be, I would get another job. So, I set a date, re-budgeted every unnecessary line item from my spending, saved as much out of every paycheck as I could, and on August 11th, 2016 I gave my two weeks’ notice and I haven’t looked back since.
I love being able to explore this passion of mine every day. It of course has been challenging but I wouldn’t trade a second of it for anything in the world. My vision for the company is continuously evolving every single day. I am proud to be able to help entrepreneurs and small businesses tell their stories in a way that is visually compelling and helps them reach their target audiences.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I vividly remember the first week after I quit my corporate job thinking I had made a huge mistake when I found myself without a place to live. My lease was up at my current apartment and I was set to move out in 4 days when I found out that my new living situation had fallen through. I was faced with project deadlines and the task of finding an affordable place to live in 24 hours. Mentally adjusting to the fact that I didn’t have a guaranteed paycheck coming my way anymore presented itself to be difficult in determining the rent I could now pay. Luckily, I have a pretty amazing support system that I leaned on heavily during this time. I ended up finding the perfect place just in time but man do I remember the stress of that. I am so glad that didn’t keep me from continuing to move forward!
When I describe the past 6 months of my life to people I speak in terms of receiving my “experiential MBA.” I am not just a Creative Consultant and Videographer. I am also the salesperson, accountant, marketer, legal expert, payment collector, etc. for my business. One of the things I learned quickly was the need to find harmony between working ON the business and working IN the business. It seems like every day there are new challenges and the learning curve has been steep at times. What sales tax do I need to be charging in Texas? What are my legal rights in terms of my copyright? What systems can I be using to automate my contract and invoice processes to eliminate so much of the admin time spent on paperwork? What is the better way? Asking for help from experts in the area in which you are struggling is a huge help in relieving the stressed that can come from running the business. I have reached out for legal and financial help quite a few times and sought the advice of other creatives in the community.
One of the things I have struggled with the most over the past year with starting my business is vulnerability. There is nothing scarier for me than the thought of being authentic and being “rejected.” This is something I’ve really had to work on as a creative. In the beginning, every time I posted my work I felt nauseated. Once you put something out there you never know how it will be received. The work that I put together is a unique expression of someone or something from my perspective and if I’ve done my job they will view it and see that I have captured their brand identity. But it is not always an easy task! Putting my name in the name of my business has inadvertently made me the face of every single project that I put on there. I have learned that my clients appreciate my authenticity – communicating in this way builds trust so I continue to share my work and my journey with my followers on social media for this reason. I have immense respect for everyone who has the courage to be vulnerable and share their work publicly.
Adapting from a corporate environment to a home office was also a challenge. Although I knew the corporate environment itself wasn’t a place I necessarily fit in, the first couple months of working alone without other people around was really difficult for me. There are pros and cons to being fortunate enough to set your own hours and work from home. I think a big reason I overcame this discomfort was actively networking on a weekly basis and surrounding myself with other creative entrepreneurs. Who you surround yourself with is crucial. Your circle should inspire and motivate you – and it definitely doesn’t hurt to chat with other who are experiencing similar challenges and figuring things out together! I found more and more reasons to get out of my apartment office and go to meet up sessions with other creatives and joined new communities within Dallas where I could spend some time to achieve a more consistent work life balance. Investing in a laptop and being able to work out of local coffee shops didn’t hurt either – now the search for other unique places to work from is an adventure for me! I love finding hidden treasures in this city!
Every challenge that I have faced since starting Rachel Heacox Films thus far has been conquered by mindset. Most of the time all it takes is a simple reflection on the true problem, recognition that you are strong enough to push through to find a solution, and intentionally switching your mindset and moving forward in a positive way. I know that no matter what challenges I face my dreams are bigger and more important to me and I refuse to let setbacks keep me from those goals.
Please tell us about Rachel Heacox Films.
As an entrepreneur or small business owner the first impression you make on your target audience is everything. Rachel Heacox Films is a boutique videography and creative strategy company for entrepreneurs and small businesses that focuses on visually communicating your story and brand identity. We specialize in personalized small business brand videos, event videography, social media content generation, product advertising and marketing strategy. Our services include but are not limited to: videography, photography, social media content creation, web design, and curated event planning. Although we are based in Texas we currently serve clients in several states across the country.
What sets RHF apart is our mission is to deliver an affordable product that captures the mission of a brand, the emotions of a special occasion, or the identity of an organization/place. I believe it is so important – whether you are a business owner, blogger or event host – to give your audience a deeper way to connect with you and your brand and I think video is the perfect medium to accomplish that. If I can get a client’s message across correctly to the right person and helped them achieve their ultimate goal – whether it’s forming a cohesive identity as a brand, optimizing click through rates, increasing their website conversion rates, etc. – then I have done my job!
I am extremely proud of the dedication we have to the larger community of entrepreneurs in Dallas. Nothing makes me feel more pride then being able to help a fellow entrepreneur grow their business, I feed off of that.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I had a wild imagination as a kid. I think I still do and that has become one of my strengths as a creative – I identify as a big ideas person. My favorite memories from childhood are of spending time with my brother and our neighborhood friends in the summer time. There were eight houses on our street that all formed a circle with a circular field area in the middle. Every house had kids around the same age and we were all inseparable the moment our respective schools let out. We invented new games constantly. We would put on shows for the neighborhood parents with scripts, costumes, lighting and music. We formed our own street hockey league and insisted that the other streets in the neighborhood do the same so we could form a league. We hosted talent shows with prizes. We created haunted hay rides and forts in the woods for the younger kids to enjoy. I really loved creating things.
My brother Ryan and I used to shoot movies on a toy video camera and edit them together on a clunky Dell desktop computer in our basement. It started out as highlight videos of time spent at the skate park showing off the few tricks he knew how to do and morphed into creating comedies, action and horror movies with our friends. Now that I think about it I’m not sure we ever even allowed anyone to view the final products but we had so much fun making them it didn’t even matter!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rachelheacox.com
- Phone: 443-564-5824
- Email: rachelheacoxfilms@gmail.com
- Instagram: @rachelheacoxfilms
Image Credit:
Lexie Faucher Photography
Eliza Kennard (Black and White Image)
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