We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bruce Riley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Bruce, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Starting a business, there were countless times that I struggled with confidence in what I was able to offer compared to other digital media specialist. However, there were a couple things that I learned that helped me to overcome that. First, I learned to be aware of what I could provide my clients and what I could not. Secondly, instead of distancing myself from people who were better than me, I chose to lean in to the wisdom that they gained over the years. This in turn, helped me improve much faster in my craft. Lastly, and very importantly, I had to learn to believe the praise that was given to me for my work. Sometimes it can be hard to believe that you’re good at what you do when all you do is beat yourself up over the mistakes that you make. But if your client loves your finished product and others constantly tell you that your work is great, believe it. This is what I’m learning to do. And it has done a lot to boost my confidence in the work that I do.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a digital media specialist. I help people, businesses, and other creatives, build, organize, and create content for their brand. In today’s time, there are many people who have wonderful services and things to offer the general public, but don’t know how to effectively create the media to fit their vision. Goodsoil Productions is to make vision visibly come to life. The name Goodsoil came from the idea that everyone has a seed, a thought or idea, that they want to express creatively to the public or their clients. Goodsoil Productions is the “Goodsoil” in which your creative seed can grow into something amazing and productive. As a result yielding the fruit of success for your brand. Whether you are a podcaster, architect, or a bride, we want to hear your vision and make it happen. When we accomplish that then we have done our job right. So far, we have not disappointed any of our clients. And we intend to keep our record!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The areas of knowledge that I think have been most impactful in my journey is the importance of listening, learning, and leaving. Always listen well to what the client wants and give it to them. After you understand, give them a touch more so they can know that what is important to them is just as important to you. If you fail at listening, you can wind up giving someone a great product that they never asked for. And that can be an uncomfortable conversation for you and your client. Secondly, always be learning!! You never know when you may use it. My father had a business in videography when I was growing up and he made me learn everything about video. When I left for school I was determined never to go back to video, but almost 20 years later, it has become a profitable skill that I can return to. And I love it! Always learn. You never know when you are going to need it. Finally, it is important to know when to leave. Once I found out what my value was a digital media specialist, I was able to know when to walk away from a potential client. There are people who want to work with you and do fair business, while there are others who are not willing to invest in their business and value what you bring to the table. Being able to leave a project is so much better than working hard for someone who wants talk you down on your prices. It’s hard, but something else will come. Don’t quit!!
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
When I started my business things had significantly changed with upgraded technology. Growing up I used to shoot with a camera that recorded with a VHS tape. Our editing systems were huge machines that operated much slower than what you can do on a laptop. I needed an upgrade. As I made the transition to start my business, I reached out to someone who had been creating video content for a while. His name was Paul Bailey. I was so blessed to meet such a generous person like him. Not only did he teach me so much about the equipment I needed, he also gave me work and handed some of his clients over to me. If ever you can find someone with that kind of heart, make sure you latch on to them. And always be willing to be of help when they call, because they have sacrificed for you. Thank you Paul Bailey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.goodsoilproductions.org
- Instagram: @goodsoilproductions
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-riley-ii-06273395/
Image Credits
Personal Photo: done by JoCopeland Photography.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
