Student Spotlight Series #6 - Josh Berendes
Overview
Welcome to my ongoing Student Spotlight Blog + Instagram Live Series.
I created this episodic adventure to:
Flex the incredible wins my students are stacking while blazing their own paths.
Reveal the adversity they’ve overcome and/or are currently navigating in their day-to-day.
Showcase how they persistently show up like creative professionals who take their shit seriously.
Below, you have 2 ways to consume this interview:
Watch the Instagram Live full interview below where students expand on the 7 questions.
Read the Blog Post 7-Questions-based interview further down this page.
Note: Scroll to the bottom of this page if you’d like to be a student I feature here in the future!
Meet JOSH BERENDES
This 6th session highlights my 1:1 hitter student, Josh Berendes, AKA Brende.
Josh and I go back years to our early days of creating art and content when he lived in Iowa.
Back in January 2022, Josh hit me up about pursuing coaching with me.
Fast forward to today and he’s on his second 1:1, 6-month session working with me building his brand outside his 6-figure video services business.
Josh is a travel and lifestyle content creator making visual stories of inspiration and entertainment within his Video Journals.
He’s worked with major brands like EA Sports, the NFL, Top Dawg Entertainment, Gear Junkie, and more.
If you’re feeling stuck or stagnant, yet are ready to take the next steps in building your creative biz and brand…
You'll love this session!
Instagram Live Interview
Click to watch the full interview.
7 Questions Interview
1. Give us a little elevator pitch: who you are, what you do, and why you do it?
I’m a filmmaker, drone operator, and creative entrepreneur making visual stories of inspiration and entertainment in the outdoor/travel and music industries.
My work has taken me from deep canyons to sharing the stage with major musicians and ranges from long-form emotional storytelling videos to exciting, visually dope bite-sized pieces of content.
I create because I believe in the power of storytelling, helping businesses increase their brand recognition, and creating temporary escapes for people to be inspired and entertained.
2. Before we started working together, where were you at with your work, confidence, and direction?
Before I started working with Scotty I had built a business that went from grossing $10,000 to over $100,000 in less than four years.
Despite the rapid success, I found myself reacting to the business instead of acting on the business.
I considered myself lazy because I got too comfortable.
I had built a successful business on a horrible foundation.
I didn’t have proper systems, routines, or ways I went about my business.
Everything lived in my head and I lost the clarity I once had when I started the business.
This all came at the expense of being a little too hard on myself and not pursuing the types of projects I dreamed about…
Because I was too busy taking on what was being put on my plate.
I lost confidence in taking risks, being myself, and doing anything that was scary or intimidating because as I mentioned, I got used to being comfortable.
3. What were your top 1-3 biggest hurdles you’ve had to work hardest on to overcome—and what are some lingering blind spots you’re continually improving on?
1. Lack of System/Structure
One of the biggest hurdles I’ve had to overcome was setting up systems for how I went about my work.
I have never written down how I go about certain tasks nor did I really plan my week or day.
Writing down my weekly tasks on Sunday and then daily tasks the night before was always something I thought, “I should probably do that, but eh I’ll know what to do when I wake up.”
Man, was I wrong.
I had no structure in anything I did from delegating tasks, making a schedule, or keeping track of client projects and notes.
2. Organization
I was someone who had notes scattered all over the place, from Apple Notes, Google Drive documents, Evernote, emails, and notebooks.
Learning how to use Notion to manage my business, my personal brand, and honestly, my life has been a game changer.
Everything is in one place for me to access, refer to, and keep track of.
This has saved me time and given me clarity on what is going on.
3. Comparison Trap & Dreaded Imposter Syndrome
As artists and creatives, we constantly compare ourselves to others.
We also make ourselves vulnerable to being judged and critiqued by everyone on the internet.
I got too wrapped up in my head about hitting a grand slam every at-bat—like every piece of work I made had to be better than the last.
I lost the joy and excitement that creating gave me and got too caught up in being perfect.
It crippled my confidence. Making the video “Pursuing Perfectionism” and talking about my struggle openly was incredibly therapeutic.
So many people, not only business owners, and creatives, reached out to me saying they felt the same about their lives.
I was told many times that it was comforting to know they weren’t the only ones who felt that way and that it was inspiring to hear that they don’t need to be perfect.
I was able to make something I was passionate about, I faced a struggle head-on, and at the same time I inspired other people; what an amazing feeling as an artist!
4. What there any defining moment(s) of getting fed up AND/OR waking up to start taking your shit seriously?
For a long time, I’ve felt like I wasn’t hitting my potential and that I plateaued to the point that I needed some outside help.
I was very aware and in tune that, despite the financial success, there was a lot I needed to work on to build a better foundation.
There was no “defining moment” but rather a slow realization that I needed to level up.
I knew the importance of laying the groundwork to build, I just didn’t know how to do it nor did I have the willpower to do the non-sexy “under the hood” work.
5. What have been your biggest wins since we worked together?
My biggest win has been stronger confidence in myself.
You can’t get far without that and building it has helped build everything else.
Also, creating a new website + personal branding that showcases both the amazing things I’ve been able to accomplish along with my personality has been such an amazing feeling.
As business owners, we are constantly going from one thing to the next and always looking ahead.
Taking the time to write copy and gather all my projects gave me the powerful experience of reflecting.
I realized how far I’ve come and how much I’ve grown.
I remembered incredible moments, amazing people I’ve met, and the inspiring stories I heard and told along the way.
Making a website like this with Scotty’s experience with writing, personal branding, and website design gave me a polished look I would not have been able to accomplish on my own.
6. What was your biggest highlight/takeaway from working together?
Scotty has been an amazing coach to work with.
But rather than going into all the things he talks about on his website about how he can help creatives (which is 100% accurate), I’ll dive into something he doesn’t pitch himself for.
Having Scotty as a coach reminded me that it’s ok to be vulnerable.
Yes, he’s a business coach but I also see our calls as therapy sessions.
As one-man (and woman) bands, we are often alone with our thoughts, ideas, and struggles.
There’s no team for us to bounce ideas off or vent to about clients or internal struggles we face.
Having someone who I could go to for advice and when I’m feeling down was therapy in itself.
He’s a hype man, someone who can look at what you do from a different perspective and point out how far you’ve come and what you’ve accomplished.
I feel that Scotty is invested in me, not because I’m paying him but because he truly cares.
He’s a business coach, but everything about our interactions feels personal, no cookie-cutter responses or techniques…
But truly a program that is catered to my needs, wants, and the lifestyle I live/want to live out.
7. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone who’s dealing with the same struggles as your past self?
The faster you realize that you can’t do everything on your own, the faster you will reach your destination.
Just because you are a solopreneur doesn’t mean you can’t build a team or get some outside help.
In fact, not doing so is going to stunt your growth.
Take a leap of faith toward your dreams and the net will appear.
Connect With Josh berendes
Make sure to show Josh some love and connect with him if you found this helpful:
I’d love to work with you!
I’m always looking for the next Josh to make moves with, if that’s you, learn how we can work together below. 👇🏻
JOIN THE 12-WEEK COACHING WAITLIST!
The 3-Month Side Hustler’s Coaching Program is meticulously designed to help you get serious about what you want while giving you the tools to get there.
Consider this a Creative Biz 101 Master’s Degree without the major price tag and debt that comes with a traditional education!
You'll get direct daily/weekly access to me within a personalized, yet intimate setting of ~6 total hungry souls such as yourself.
Click the button to learn more and join the Waitlist!
SCOTTY HERE 👋
I’m a full-time Coach for Web 2 + Web 3 creatives and I side hustle my own art in the rapidly evolving NFT space.
I’m also a designer, podcaster, speaker, + husband, and rad dad to 2 kids (and 3 cats), making moves out of Cedar Falls, Iowa.
After 5.5 years of side hustling outside my Corporate Cubicle, I made the full-time leap to Side Hustle Coach in January 2020.
I’ve since scaled this into a 6-figure creative business and have coached well over 1.5k students worldwide. 🤯
My mission is to put you in a position to get paid to play creating work you vibe to that impacts the people you care about the most.
I’d love the chance to work with you in a future 3-Week Boot Camp or 12-Week Coaching Program.