It has been a while since I’ve appeared on video for some sort of interview. If you’ve ever been filmed for video, you are fully aware of how awkward and uncomfortable it can get.

When Grant mentioned the idea for the interview for his blog, we did not have to think twice. We loved the idea for a video show that tells the stories of entrepreneurs (we believe that their stories are not told enough) and we love to support and be a part of projects when people do not simply talk about their ideas, but they make it happen!

I was able to see Grant’s blog and videos move from idea to reality and it is such an encouraging sight. Keep an eye on Grant, his blog and more interviews.

PS – It will be great to hear feedback on the interview. Any questions, topics you want us to elaborate on, clarification needed etc. Might just jump in front of the camera again in the near future…

The post Interview: Grant van Zyl appeared first on iaan van niekerk.

To be honest, the whole idea of turning 30 has been a bit underwhelming. I expected a bit more. More emotion, more excitement, more wisdom, more adventure, more change, more. (Don’t get me wrong, being in New York City on you birthday is more than you could ask for, but this was more coincidence than “because of”).

Life surprisingly goes on pretty much the same as the day before or after the birthday. I even feel stupid writing that because it should not be regarded as a significant thought. Things go on. Like they always do. Unless something changes.

And that is the thought that seems much more simple than it is. Things can change. More importantly, you can change. You can change things.

By choosing what I do, what I value, what I prioritize and focus on, I decide what I want to change. 30 does not change anything. I do.

The post Thirty. Something. appeared first on iaan van niekerk.

2013 was a rough one for us. We took on massive tasks, work too many hours, neglected important relationships and pioneered and moved forward with a naïve disregard for some very obvious basics that should have been I’m place.

We confused “doing more” with “getting better”.

During the holiday I took some time to consider what exactly took place in 2013, what I can learn and so improve in 2014. (This is a very sensible personal and business exercise to go through as soon as you can).

We kicked off our 2014 working year on Monday morning with meetings to chat about what the team sees ahead for 2014 and what we can do and improve etc.

What I realised was that without acknowledging honestly and admitting sincerely that things did not go according to plan, there is no space for improvement.

We could have accepted a tough 2013 as being part of this “wild start-up journey”. We could have accepted that things “are not always as easy as they seem” and simply continue doing what we were doing in the past. But as the cliché says “you will get the same results if you do the same things”. So taking a moment to say, “things were not as it should be” or “we made mistakes” or “this is wrong” allows you to open a space where you can start to look for things to change.

Before you create this space for improvement to take place, you are bound to stay the same, face the same problems and make the same mistakes.

Don’t get me wrong – I don’t think this will ever become easy. If it was easy, everyone would be doing this. There will always be problems/challenges, but this is how we grow, learn and become better. The key is to not learn that same lessons over and over. Do something, make new mistakes and learn new lessons.

Be open to see the times when you have messed up (even just to yourself) and so allow yourself to learn from those mistakes and grow and become better.

Here are some practical tips to help you go through this process:

1. list everything that made 2013 a great year.
2. list everything that made 2013 a tough year.
3. write one reason why you are grateful for what you have listed in 1
4. write one lesson for each thing you listed in 2
5. decide on one action you can take for each lesson learnt to not repeat the same mistake

This is a real life example application of the above list:

1. We grew the teams of all three businesses we (Christine and I) are involved with.
2. We took on massive projects and worked crazy hours to meet our own and project deadlines (specifically related to the re-launch of The Pretty Blog)
3. We get to work with wonderful people and do greater things than what we can do by ourselves.
4. We are people working together. Do not neglect the people and elevate the work higher than the person. People are more important than work.
5. Have personal meetings to discuss goals, progress, ideas and suggestions with everyone we work with.

I hope this helps you to gain all you can from 2013 and make 2014 a year like no other!

The post Reality checks allow you to get better. appeared first on iaan van niekerk.

As a way to start the new year, I decided to have a look at 2013 in review. Just to think again about some of the events that took place and try and figure out where this whirlwind of a year went and what I can learn from what has happened.

The result is this list of random events that took place in 2013, not in any particular order and not all as significant.

I would strongly suggest taking some time to think about what has happened in your life in 2013, what you can learn and what you can change, improve or do differently in 2014.

Here’s to making 2014 the best year yet!

Traveled to:

The post Thanks 2013, bring on 2014. appeared first on iaan van niekerk.

This is the kind of of talk that everyone needs to watch. It is entertaining and challenging.

Almost everything i love and hate about the internet is covered in this video… Watch it and be challenged with what you create and how you do it.

Thanks to Andrew Shär for sharing

The post Let’s be responsible for the 10% appeared first on iaan van niekerk.

I was part of a conversation this weekend where someone referred to the photography industry as “cut throat”. Amongst all the things mentioned in a conversation long enough to fill a drama soapy series, this was the one part that stood out neck above the rest (please excuse the pun).

Immediately, the thought of someone slitting the throat of another for the sole purpose of selfish gain came to mind. The more this picture played over and over in my mind (I have watched the movie 300 a few times, so the scene is quite impressive) the more i thought of the implications:

• The only way to win is to get rid of everyone else
• Trust no one
• Helping others is foolish (and is assisting with your own demise)
• Anyone better than you is a threat
• The more people enter the industry, the lower your chances of survival are
• Anyone showing any form of growth is a threat

With this in the back of your mind, try and build a business where your aim is to serve, help, teach, grow, learn, improve and love. Impossible! Your only concern must be survival. How sad.

How about turning it around. Start acting like the industry is an amazing opportunity to meet/grow/learn with other people (not connections or likes or “friends” or follows). Real people. With dreams, hopes, aspirations, passions and emotions – many of which are quite similar to yours. Looking at any industry like this will cause us to act different. This is how you change an industry.

Less throat cutting. More learning, sharing and loving.

The post How to change an industry appeared first on iaan van niekerk.

I don’t like speeches. I like stories.
I actually also don’t like marketers. But i do like listening to stories.

We believe business is about stories. When The Pretty Blog was started “eendag lank lank gelede”, Christine and Nicola did not get together to come up with the best way to make loads of money. They did not do market research. They did not open a bank account, see an accountant or write a business plan – there is still no business plan! The story of The Pretty Blog is about a group of girls (and a couple of guys) who love making every day a pretty day. The only thing we love more than pretty things are creative people.

From the start of The Pretty Blog, Christine and Nicola noticed that the wedding industry was filled with creative people starting to write their own stories – beginning with an idea they had, motivated with the passion to create something pretty, to share that with the world and to add value o the lives of other people . The more we shared all the pretty things we found, the more pretty things found us. It is one of the most rewarding things to be able to share in the stories of our collaborators, advertisers and friends who are turning that initial idea of creating something into businesses that inspire others and create value for their customers and so continue to write their stories – filled with interesting characters, princesses and adventures, suspense, laughter, tears, stress and of course, a happily ever after!

When i think about telling the story of The Pretty Blog, we choose not to tell it in the pages of books, but rather on Twitter and Facebook, in our newsletters and with videos. The characters are not a mystical fairies and pirates living in enchanted worlds, but rather people like you and me, living behind their computer screens or workbenches in their studios, offices and 1 room apartments. There might not be fairy godmothers or talking animals, but that does not make our stories less exciting or without magic.

Branding

You see, when we start thinking about marketing as “storytelling”, it becomes less about the numbers and more about the people. You need to have a theme to your story. There is a good reason why Cinderella (a romantic, rags to riches princess) and Micky Mouse (a quirky, humorous talking mouse) does not appear together in a book. Your business needs a theme. This is your brand. What people experience when they meet you, visit your website and do business with you. Make sure this story is consistent. When you think about Louis Vuitton, you experience something completely different than PEP stores. This is not a question of right or wrong, but rather being fair to your customer and making sure the get consumed by the story of your brand.

Emotion & Loyalty

If you can think of the best story you have ever read, you do not remember the amount of pages, the font, or what the book weighed. You remember the story because of the emotions you felt. You felt like you were right there with every character, feeling the same emotions and experiencing the atmosphere that every scene painted. We need to have our clients experience the same thing when we talk about our businesses on social media or even in person. They need to share in our joy, our excitement and adventures. This is how you create loyalty and a trust for your brand that ensures your business will grow in the midst of a tough economy and loads of competition. People want to support businesses that they can relate to and that they can feel a part of. Social media is the only thing that allows you to have a personal connection with thousands of people. Let them share in your story.

The “Why”

Lastly, you need to know why you are even telling the story. Doing business for the sake of only making money is a very bad reason to start a business. You don’t read a book just to get to the end of the story. You want to enjoy every word you read. You want to be consumed by the details of the story. A good story will do this because the story teller’s goal was not to finish the story, but rather to make you a part of a different world. Do you know why you are doing what you are doing? Why should people care? Why should they support you in your ventures. Odds are that the biggest part of your life is being spent trying to make your business and creative dreams come alive. Do what you can to make sure that the story is worth telling. Make sure that the people looking at you, the people reading your story and every character involved are so enthralled by your story that they would choose to be a part of no other story than yours.

We love seeing you tell your story and we want to share your story with the world. We look forward to meeting you, getting to know you better and seeing your creativity grow and inspire others.

Fluit fluit, my storie is uit.

This story was told by Roeleen Sieberhagen (who helps tell The Pretty Blog story to the world), in a 10 minute speech at a Kamersvol Geskenke event attended by small business owners in a primarily creative industry.

The post I hate marketing, but love stories (a speech) appeared first on iaan van niekerk.

I hate Banks, Queues and Call Centres. I choose to avoid them whenever i can. To me it is a massive waste of time. But this post is not about my pet hate for all things bureaucratic. This is a real life example of a Twitter conversation i had that made a terrible interaction with a call centre at a bank into something worth writing about.

The details of my frustration is not needed. Rest assured, i spent way more time than needed on the phone, writing emails and trying to log into my online banking profile with FNB. I followed all the prescribed steps and exhausted all available options (except going to the branch. i hate going to the branch) So after a call centre adventure where i got transferred and transferred just to start right at the beginning again, i chose to tweet.

I did not send the tweet to get attention from FNB (i did not even tag them). I also figured at this point that no one on Twitter would be able to solve my problem as it turned out that it is not simply something routine. So, the tweet was for my own amusement, trying to add some humour to the frustration with no expectation of anything happening afterwards.

Why were these couple of tweets enough to turn a rant on terrible service into a blog post on winning at Twitter?

1. The response was fast. 
   The first reply tweet came ±30 minutes after my tweet. Without getting technical – this is super fast as i did not tag (@) FNB at all. In the world of Twitter, you cannot wait hours to respond. Twitter is like listening to the radio. It is immediate and in real time. I was still feeling the emotions by the time the conversation took place. If the same message was sent 3 hours later, i might not have even replied as it would have been old news.
2. The wording was authentic.
   I would have expected a simple “Please send us your email address so we can discuss this matter further”. This seems to be the stock standard Twitter customer service response. Instead, “Not on!” does not seem like it was automated or approved by a PC official. Someone was really interested and upset by the issue (just like i was).
3. Helping me was the goal.
   I have had instances on Twitter where the goal of the conversation is to save face or prove that the company is not in the wrong. It is understandable that there can be consequences for admitting that you are wrong on a public forum. But this was irrelevant here. The question was not about right or wrong. It was about making sure i get help.
4. It was a conversation, not protocol. 
   A simple “We are sorry to hear about this incident, please send a DM so we can email you” would be sufficient to any person tasked with “handling the twitter” if they don’t get social media. This is not about ticking the right boxes or following the manual.
5. Expectations were exceeded. 
   Right now, in South Africa specifically, there are so few companies using Twitter as a tool for creating “wow” experiences, when the  conversation below takes place, it is surprising and delightful. Even more delightful than the initial call centre episode was terrible.

Below is the entire conversation:

Losing this round of call centre ping-pong with FNB. After 15minutes i'm transferred twice and back at the beginning. #fridayfun

— iaan van niekerk (@iaanvn) September 20, 2013

@Rbjacobs call center was not helpful, but personal banker at RMB was able to provide some clarity. Thanks again

— iaan van niekerk (@iaanvn) September 20, 2013

@Rbjacobs call center advice was to go to branch. Couldnt explain issue/reason for problems. Going to branch would not have helped. Thanks!

— iaan van niekerk (@iaanvn) September 20, 2013

@Rbjacobs will do. Ps This conversation completely changed the emotion involved with this issue. appreciate it!

— iaan van niekerk (@iaanvn) September 20, 2013

@Rbjacobs no, thank you!

— iaan van niekerk (@iaanvn) September 20, 2013

The post How terrible service and Twitter made my day. appeared first on iaan van niekerk.

I have said many times before that i LOVE video. The mix of sound, movement, angles, effects etc is such a powerful storytelling medium. To say that i’ve had an interest in DSLR video for a few years now might be a bit of an understatement. I love the cameras, accessories, rigs etc and own a couple of very underused tools.

Every now and then i shoot some footage, but since my video skills is below that of a hobbyist, i never really get to do anything with the footage. To be honest, most of the footage i’ve shot gets dumped into the trash can before even landing in any form of editing software. (If you have ever played around with video, you will know that the editing part is really the hard work.

When Christine and i got invited to photograph a wedding at the wonderful Zeavola Resort in Thailand, i could not let the opportunity to try my hand at an island wedding video slip past me!

Equipped with some great equipment from Nikon and Sunshine Co (more details below) we headed to Thailand to shoot the wedding of Taryn and Ed… And with that, ladies and gentlemen, this is my first ever publicly shown video! I shot everything with one camera, one lens and one rig (except for the little time lapse at the end). I did however do absolutely no editing. This was done by  Jonathan Piercy from JDP Videography & Photography.

I did learn a lot:

• Shooting a live event like a wedding is tough.
• If you have no backup camera, you need to get every shot.
• Thailand is very hot.
• Carrying lots of equipment is not smart – i was sweating so much it looked like i took i dive in the resort swimming pool (we almost did).
• Being the video guy and Christine’s assistant at the same time was not a well thought through plan.
• The right equipment makes your life much easier!
• I shared some more technical lessons in another blog post on KIKI

What equipment did i use?

Nikon D600 Camera

I used the Nikon D600 as it is the lightest, most compact full frame DSLR on offer. We knew we were going to travel with equipment, so did not want to pack any extra kilograms. I enjoyed the camera, but should probably not have used a new camera on my first video shoot – i had to learn slightly different controls VERY fast

The whole shoot was done on the wonderfully versatile 24-70mm Nikor lens.

Swedish Chameleon DSLR Rig

The one piece of equipment that made the entire shoot possible (this is no exaggeration) was the Swedish Chameleon rig provided by Sunshine Co. I used the S3 Medium configuration. This allowed me to have the camera mounted and in position without having to use my hands at all. This was much more important than i imagined it to be.

While shooting the video, i was also carrying Christine’s camera bag and a lens bag with me the whole time. Because we were shooting on a beach resort, we had no opportunity to put equipment down as everything would get filled with sand. I could not use a tripod, or monopod or any other DSLR rig that i know of as i would have to put the rig down or need an extra pair of hands to switch Christine’s lenses or carry the bags as we ran from the groom’s room to the bride as she was getting ready to walk down the aisle.

As you can see in the photo, i had my hands full during the wedding, but with the Swedish Chameleon rig, i managed to still get some good, stable, in focus shots that allowed us to create a video that is not half bad (even if i say so myself )

Time-lapse Tools

For the sunset time-lapse, i used an FLM Tripod (one super compact, light and sophisticated tripod!). I was able to carry this with me the entire time during our travels as it was so extremely compact and light.

To get the shots and to control the camera, i used an amazing little gadget called the TriggerTrap. I used the TriggerTrap to connect the camera to my iPhone and set up the intervals, exposure time and other settings. Then the camera and sunset did the rest! If you like gadgets and cameras, have a closer look at the TriggerTrap – way too many cool options to talk about here!

A big thank you to the great team at Sunshine Co for suppling the equipment and making the recommendations to use the rigs i did. Without it, there would have been no video to show!

Do you think the video is alright? Should i start shooting a bit more or rather stick to carrying the bags?

The post My first attempt at shooting a wedding video with a DSLR appeared first on iaan van niekerk.