Continuing with our series of Member Spotlights, we welcome Paul Walker from FnX Media to introduce his video production business. In this Q&A, Paul talks passionately about video production and how it can transform your marketing message. He also reflects on the people who have inspired him to become a business owner – from someone he met on the underground to an NHS surgeon.
Tell us about yourself and your company…when were you founded? Where did you get the idea for your company? Describe your lightbulb moment at which point you knew your venture might actually become a success.
I used to work in multi-billion dollar tech firms and we had access to a ton of data on what videos generated leads and sales. Coincidentally, I was talking to a CMO in a fast-growing SME and I realised they had no idea what worked. That brief conversation made me realise I could make a real difference to SMEs needing to accelerate sales and she told me that if ever I were to go it alone, they could use my knowledge to create video that would help grow their business. So my company was born and many years later, they are still a great customer.
What are you most passionate about in business? How do you continue to challenge yourself?
The reality is, video is not about making pretty pictures. It’s all about creating something that generates more leads, creates more sales, allows companies to scale more quickly or hire more and better people. Take something as simple as a customer testimonial. Because who do customers trust more, the salesperson selling to them or customers who have bought? So, it’s about constantly understanding current trends and understanding how that can really impact my customer’s business.
What or who inspired you to establish your company?
Many years ago I met a woman on a tube, someone I’d known at university. She was in sales but loved marketing. She told me she was giving up her well-paying job to try and find a bottom-of-the-rung job in marketing even if it meant that she starved because she loved marketing. I thought she was crazy. Years later, I met her again and she’d become a CMO and is an outstanding marketer. She just did what she loved. And that inspired me to do what I love.
What was the best advice anyone ever gave you, and did you follow it?
Keep breathing. I definitely follow this.
Who do you most admire and why?
A friend of mine became one of the world’s top surgeons in his field. He did it because he wants to save as many lives as he can. He had many different options to move away from and earn tons more money in the private sector but instead, he spends 90% of his time in the NHS. On top of that, if there’s a natural disaster like a tsunami or earthquake, he flies out and gives his time free of charge so he can do the maximum amount of good. In the Pakistani Boxing Day tsunami, he flew into a war zone and his team operated on 5,000 people who otherwise would have died. He doesn’t look for fame or fortune although he could have both if he wanted, rather he’s simply an amazing person who wants to help others. There’s a lot to admire there.
