Jacob Landis-Eigsti

Jacob Landis-Eigsti has been helping small and medium-sized companies with online marketing, social media, and video production for the last 8 years. He started his own company, Jacob LE Video Production 4 years ago, with the goal of helping over 1,000 businesses gain new clients through online marketing and video production.

Where did the idea for Jacob LE Video Production come from?

I saw so many entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized businesses who were struggling with telling their story, connecting with their audiences online, and building up their online presence.
I knew that I could help companies line up more customers and hit their goals using my experience as a video creator and a marketer. It’s been my goal to help over 1,000 businesses since day 1.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I always write out a to do list and make a list of the 3 most important tasks that I need to complete during the day. I do a short workout and meditation to get me in the right frame of mind. I keep track of daily, weekly, and 12 week goals. I schedule 90-minute time blocks where I turn off my phone and focus on a single task until it’s done. Multitasking is ineffective and I try to focus on a single task. I typically spend at least 2 hours on outreach and email follow up. I check my email every day at 10:30 PM and 3 PM so it’s not distracting me throughout the day. My clients know to text or call if something is urgent. The rest of my time is spent on client work, managing contractors, or creating blogs, videos, and content for social media and my website.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I need to get my ideas down on paper and chart out an action plan. Sometimes, it’s helpful working backward. I start with the end result and ask, “what steps would have come right before hitting this result?” Once I figure out the steps that are required, I create a checklist of everything that will need to happen to bring the idea to life. I include people that I’ll need to work with and what resources or tools I’ll need to finish a task. Then I’ll check off each thing on the list until the idea is brought to life.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I think there are so many more opportunities to become an entrepreneur and find success doing it. My current job didn’t exist 10 years ago. Helping people with Facebook, Instagram, and online video advertising wasn’t a viable career path. I’m excited that there are more opportunities to help people through entrepreneurship. I see many entrepreneurs helping people with classes, free information, and resources and turning it into profitable businesses.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I focus like crazy on one task and then take short and relaxing breaks that help me recharge. By doing these short sprints throughout the day, I’m able to accomplish more throughout the day. In order to focus, I turn off all notifications and put my phone in the other room. I make it a challenge for myself to complete the task in under 90 minutes. Then I relax, eat a snack, or take a short walk. This helps me recharge so I can go into another 90 minute work sprint.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Never stop learning. I stopped reading books after I left school. 18 months ago I committed to reading 10 books a month and it’s had a huge impact on my life and my business. Also, learn business skills first as an entrepreneur. It’s important to be good at your craft, but business skills and sales skills are incredibly important.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

I don’t believe in marketing budgets. To me, spending the same amount of money on marketing is a big mistake. If your efforts aren’t getting results, keep the costs as low as possible and test new strategies. If you find a strategy that’s effective, keep putting money into that strategy until it is no longer profitable.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I’m constantly asking myself “is there a better way to move toward my long-term goals?” It’s important to frequently think about where I’m trying to take your business, why this is important to me, and the steps that will help me get there. With my first business, I realized that I was having success, but I hadn’t created a job that I enjoyed. It’s easier to deal with the challenges and struggles of entrepreneurship if you have a clear vision and a reason to keep pushing forward.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Now, every time I meet someone at an event, conference, or happy hour follow up with them. It can be as simple as sending a quick email and then following up every few months. I used to jump from event to event and not follow up with people. Meeting someone for 5 minutes then adding their business card to a pile accomplishes nothing. I send a personal note to every person I meet, and it’s lead to many new business opportunities and clients.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

My biggest failure was relying too heavily on one client. I had one large client that paid all of my bills and I wasn’t prepared for that relationship to abruptly end. I should have continued to look for work and connections. After I lost that client, I had to cut back on expenses and put in long hours building relationships, working on advertising, networking, and doing cold outreach. It took 6 months before I had fully recovered from that abrupt change.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Retargeting people with your ads is incredibly powerful. You can burn through cash really quickly on Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads if you’re targeting cold leads. Install Google Analytics and a Facebook Pixel, that way when people visit your website and then leave they aren’t gone forever. Then, run your ads geared toward people who have already visited your website. It’s so much more affordable to run ads to people who have already visited your webpage and are familiar with your brand. Many small businesses have limited resources, and this is one of the best ways to find new customers efficiently and inexpensively.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

A month ago, I purchased another year of Audible. Audiobooks are incredibly convenient and let me learn while I’m doing dishes, cleaning, driving, or making dinner. I’ve already downloaded and listened to 3 books, and the information from one of the books is already having a positive impact on my marketing strategy.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I wish I had used CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software much sooner. Personally, I enjoy HubSpot, but I know there are many powerful CRMs to choose from. The important thing is that you use one.
I kept spreadsheets and saved emails from the people I had met at networking events or conferences. However, having a well-organized database of every person from your network is so important. There was one amazing connection that I had completely forgotten about until I started using a CRM. This led to a $15,000 deal, and I almost missed out on it because I didn’t have an organized way of keeping track of my network and connections.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“The 1 Page Marketing Plan” by Allan Dib is incredible. I think it should be required reading for every entrepreneur. It’s fast paced, packed with valuable information, and it’s the perfect balance of big picture strategy and actionable tips that people can use immediately. It includes everything a small business needs to know about finding customers and marketing their company.

What is your favorite quote?

“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
-Winston Churchill

Key Learnings:

•Write down your goals and a to-do list daily.
•Turn off notifications and focus on one thing for 60-90 minutes at a time.
•To be successful as an entrepreneur, you can’t just be good at your craft. You need to understand business, marketing, and sales.
•Never stop learning. Learn something new every day. Read a new book every month.