David Squires

Pick One Thing to Do This Summer

Me? I’m going to build my skills at producing video.

Published

11 years ago

July 4, 2012

David Squires

IF YOU WANT 100 LITTLE THINGS to do over the coming hot months, today we’re bringing you a list from Kate Peterson that will get you started.

But if you want one big thing that will add meaning to your summer, here’s my suggestion:

Find one skill that you think you would enjoy developing and that would have some use to your business. And then dive in.

Me? I’m going to build my skills at producing video.

A few years back, I learned iMovie and spent many rapt hours squeezing what I could out of that program. And then last year, I learned Final Cut Pro and, using that program’s much finer controls, bumped my skills a little higher.

Now I’d like to bring my video shooting and production skills to an even higher level.

Capturing better video. Green screen effects. Working with actors. Animated title openings. Lower thirds. Three-dimensional text. Making trailers. Advertisements. Maybe even a talk show. All of it.

That’s my goal this summer.

(Final Cut can be intimidating at first, so I’d advise doing a tutorial. I recommend Larry Jordan’s video series. The “Quick Start” session takes about four hours and costs only $39 to download. It’s worth the investment. And you’ll be surprised how quickly Final Cut turns from forbidding to friendly.)

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”