She set what on fire?! A bottle of Withers Gin. How redundancy led to 8 years of entrepreneurship - Video Marketing Toolkit – EP 24 - JaxMore

What happens when two former corporate professionals turn redundancy into an 8-year photography business?  In this episode of The Video Marketing Toolkit, Dan sits down with Adam & Julia from Jaxmore Food & Drink Photography to talk about photography, marketing, networking, authenticity, AI… and the time they nearly burned their studio down photographing a flaming Christmas pudding!  From starting out after both of their careers were made redundant, to landing their first food & drink photography client through a chance networking encounter, Adam and Julia share the lessons, mistakes and marketing strategies that have helped them build their business. In this episode: \- From redundancy to entrepreneurship – How two people over 50 turned a career setback into an entirely new business. -The flaming Christmas pudding disaster – Why photographing food isn't always as safe as it looks! \- How networking landed their first major client – A brilliant story involving a bottle of gin, a printed portfolio and an unexpected meeting with the founder of Withers Gin \- The marketing channels actually working for them – LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, email marketing and why being B2B doesn't mean you should ignore visual platforms. -Why you shouldn't network just to sell – The real value of building relationships and becoming someone people recommend. \- Stop the scroll – Why your photography needs to grab attention before anyone even reads your caption. \- Product photography tips you can use at home – Including why side lighting can transform your images and why those cheap lightboxes might not be doing your products any favours. \- AI vs authenticity – Why AI-generated food photography could be damaging customer trust when the real product doesn't look anything like the picture. \- Why the food in your photos needs to be REAL – No fake substitutes, no misleading customers, just the actual product styled to look its best. \- Is direct mail making a comeback? – Why sending something physical could help your business stand out in a world drowning in digital marketing. \- Who's More Likely To? – Find out who leaves the studio lights on, who lands the big contracts, who makes the biggest mess and who is most likely to walk away from a networking event with the most LinkedIn connections. \- The Photography Quiz – Can Dan beat the photography experts at their own game?  This episode is packed with real business lessons, practical photography advice, marketing ideas and plenty of laughs especially if you're a photographer, creative, freelancer or small business owner trying to get more attention for your work. 00:00 Intro – Meet Jaxmore Food & Drink Photography 01:01 From 30-Year Careers to Starting a Photography Business 01:38 Made Redundant Over 50 – Turning a Setback Into a New Career 02:19 “Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks” 03:08 From Luxury Property Videos to Food Photography 04:33 Who Does the Editing? The Couple’s Secret Weapon 06:19 Why Having Two People on a Shoot Is a Huge Advantage 07:33 The Loneliness of Being a Solopreneur 08:21 Why Every Business Owner Should Be Networking 09:56 The Reality of Work-Life Balance When You Own a Business 10:52 Taking a Laptop to Bed for “Business Inspiration” 11:19 When Your Business Becomes Your Hobby 12:07 WHO'S MORE LIKELY TO? – The Couples Challenge Begins 12:44 The Genius Alexa System That Reminds Photographers to Take Photos 13:20 The Stock Room With a Very… Interesting Alexa Command 14:29 Who's More Likely to Land a Six-Figure Contract? 16:05 Who Makes the Biggest Mess in the Studio? 16:17 The Flaming Christmas Pudding Disaster  19:00 Who Gets the Most LinkedIn Connections? 21:42 Marketing Deep Dive Begins 22:11 How Did They Get Their First Food Photography Client? 22:45 Why Product Photography Is Completely Different 23:47 18 Months of Learning Lighting 24:40 The Bottle of Gin That Changed Their Business 25:41 The Networking Moment That Landed Their First Big Client 26:16 Meeting the Founder of Withers Gin by Pure Chance 27:42 The Career That Came Full Circle 29:44 Why You Should NEVER Expect an Immediate Sale From Networking 30:24 The Real Secret to Successful Networking 32:00 Their Marketing Strategy – LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook & More 33:14 Why LinkedIn Can Be Both Powerful AND Frustrating 35:13 The Surprisingly Powerful Platform for Food Photography 36:22 Why Personal Branding Feels So Uncomfortable 37:17 Why People Care More About PEOPLE Than Brands 38:39 The Marketing Channels They Want to Explore Next 39:46 Their Secret Weapon: Making Food Videos Just for Fun 40:31 Why Perfectionism Can Kill Your Social Media Content 41:16 Why “Over-Polished” Content Can Actually Lose Trust 42:29 Why Authenticity Is Winning on Social Media 42:41 Is Direct Mail Making a Comeback? 44:53 Should You Send “Lumpy Mail” to Get Noticed? 46:45 The Cleverest Direct Mail Trick for Photographers 47:20 How to Take Better Product Photos at Home 47:47 Why Your Smartphone's Auto Mode Can Ruin Product Photos 48:33 The Lighting Trick That Makes Products Look Better 49:30 NEVER Flood Your Product With Light 50:35 The Simple Test to Know If Your Food Photo Actually Works 51:26 Why Your Website Photography Matters More Than Social Media 52:23 AI-Generated Food Photos – Are They Destroying Trust? 52:50 When AI Food Photos Look NOTHING Like the Real Thing 54:43 The Crazy Tricks Photographers Used Before AI 55:15 Why Jaxmore Refuse to Fake Their Food Photography 56:31 Why They Now DELIBERATELY Leave Crumbs in Their Photos 57:34 The Photography Quiz – Can They Beat ChatGPT? 59:38 60-Second Photography Quiz Challenge 01:00:43 They Get EVERY Question Right!  01:01:40 Dan Takes the Photography Quiz 01:02:54 Dan's Score Is…  01:03:33 What Is Chiaroscuro? 01:04:16 Final Thoughts & Key Takeaways 01:04:47 How to Contact Jaxmore 01:05:14 Outro