It can feel pretty daunting to imagine yourself stuck in the same job for the rest of your life.
Especially if you're dreading showing up every morning.
But what if it's all you've done so far and that you don't know how to do anything else?
Is it too late to change?
And the answer is NO.
Meet Ravinol Chambers, founder of the award winning Be Inspired Films who's literally re-invented himself over, and over again. From being a broker to a monk to getting his MBA and setting up one of the first Corporation certified companies in the UK.
This is truly inspiring story of why it's never to late to re-invent yourself. No matter what you've done in the past.
In this episode, you will learn:
How people used to promote films before the internet!
What a B-Corp is and why you should care.
The story of how Ravinol became a monk.
How much to charge for a speaking gig.
How to price your services for your market.
Tips for how create great video content on a budget.
If you enjoyed today's episode please share it with one friend who could benefit from hearing our interview today!
Mark
What do you think?
I love how Ravinol is a great reminder of how there isn’t just one way of doing things! I hope it’s inspired you to go out there and make even just a small change to be able to do more of the work you love. Let me know what you loved about this episode by commenting below!
Don’t have time to listed? Stand Out Snippets:
On what ‘impact’ means to him:
“I think it means making a difference and there’s a concept that I really gravitate towards which is on the edge of insight so anything I’m involved with, I always feel more comfortable at the edge of it. So if you’re too in the middle of it, you can be blinded by that viewpoint. And if you’re too on the outside, you can feel an affinity with the concept but you can also appreciate the other side of it. So if you’re too much on the social impact side, or too much on
So impact tome incorporates both the for profit side and the not-for-profit side… For me, impact impact means giving whatever tools and resources are available and trying to utilise them for a purpose that benefits lots of people.” [6:35]
On what a B-Corp is
“B Corp is a movement of for profit businesses that are acting as a force for good in the world. It’s one of a range of movements where businesses are trying to be more impactful and more aligned with purpose...You can do the B-Corp certification questionnaire, it’s a really good way to benchmark yourself, even if you don’t get certified.” [8.39]
On building a team:
“For quite a number of years, I started the business in 2009, I was the everybody! Two years ago, I recognised I couldn’t do all of this on my own - I was the bottleneck. I employed a few people. Some of them worked out, some of them didn’t work out! Last year, shrunk the core team back to just me again and this year now I’ve grown the team again. So we’ve got one full time member of staff, two interns… Sometimes you don’t get it right the first time. I was so much more diligent and careful this time and really interrogated what roles do I need and what does that role look like to help that person succeed just as much to help me.” [10:37]
On the most exciting project he’s been involved in:
“We did TedX at the Royal Albert Hall.... We started doing live streaming around 2010 / 2011 which is why we often hired for the big stage gigs.” [12:22]
“It’s huge but it has a really intimate vibe at the same time... We got in at 7am...There were times during the day when we were down in the basement shouting ‘does this one work? No does this one work, no!’ It all came off fine but it was exhilarating!” [14:05]
On spirituality:
“As a young guy, I was asking my mum these questions: ‘so if I didn’t exist would all of these things exist’... and it was really on my mind and I was only 7! And then as I went through my teens there was a side of me that was really materialistic and enjoyed the pleasures in life and I still do and I don’t think they have to be at odds with each other. But I wanted to understand the meaning behind it.” [16:45]
(On attending the Hari Krishna Temple) “I found myself really finding it tangible and down to earth...it kind of feels relevant. I was atheist and I totally wasn’t religious.” [20:25]
“It was an incredible part of my journey and forms the backbone of my universal view in a way... It was a very specific time in my life so when I started realising maybe I’m going to get a job and have a family and stuff, it was a bit like coming back into the Earth’s atmosphere from outer space.” [16:11]
(On why he stopped being a monk) “The main thing was you’re aiming for such a rare thing - pure love is very rare to see in this world, let alone to take it to another level… You reach a point where you go this was so rewarding this was so good, it’s really difficult for me to maintain this level.” [27:22]
“You can still practice a spiritual life if you’re a billionaire… If you really understand spirituality, you see that everything you have is kind of in your care anyway.” [29:00]
On trauma:
“My experience is it’s like carrying around dragons inside you it’s not that they finally come out, they can be quite volatile in the interim period and they can cause a lot of havoc in your life. Probably because you feel like you can’t.” [24:11]
On why early stage entrepreneurs struggle with mentality around making money
“I think it’s about your frame of reference... It’s kind of linked to your self-worth, what you think people will pay for your services… And there is a sweet spot because I don’t think any amount of you know believing I’m worth this much because there’s a point where you become an absolute deluded tosser because your value in the market doesn’t equal the figure that you just pick out of the air just because you want it. But at the same time, you have to feel your way. You experiment, you charge something, you increase it a bit. But I think every time you increase it, you have to deliver more value.” [32:00].
“Money is something people give you based on your value in society. It all depends on the market you’re serving...It’s all about understanding the client and what they expect.” [33:09]
“If you can, do a little research, but you’ve got to experiment!” [36:04]
“Daniel Priestley said something a while ago… That British people find it hard to big themselves up. You’re not bigging yourself up for your benefit, you’re bigger yourself up for their benefit because if they don’t feel you’re someone won’t listen to, they won’t listen to what you say.” [38:31]
On how to make good video
“There’s three things to look at: strategy; story; and skills. Either hire in the skills, or you can do something yourself... You’ve got to become a good storyteller. Why should they give a shit about what you’ve got to say but then you tie it back to a strategy.” [48:06]
“There’s a lot more value in relationship videos. If people pop up regularly in your newsfeed, even if you don’t watch the content, it’s on their radar.” [42:15]
“It’s about finding an audience, building it up organically… Put out good value, be consistent.” [43:32]
On what being unconventional means to him:
“Challenging the status quo, not accepting anything on face value, speaking your mind, being honest, testing the boundaries, not being afraid to be in many categories and letting people box you into one and sailing your own course!” [48:02]
SHOW NOTES
Website: www.beinspiredfilms.co.uk
Twitter: @Ravinol
Instagram: @beinspiredrav
Facebook: Facebook.com/RavinolC
Email hello@beinspiredfilms.com
Video Course: Video Know How
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