Profile of a Business Owner: David Vincent

David is a photographer and filmmaker born and raised in Topeka, KS. He and his wife Jackie own With You Beloved, a wedding photo & video business. They also own Circle Coffee Co., a mobile coffee cart business. 

TK: If you were stranded on an island, what 3 items would you be sure to have with you?

David: Flint stones, a disposable camera, and my bible

TK: How did your previous work lead you to business ownership?

DAVID: I learned pretty early on that I needed the freedom to do things my own way if I wanted to keep my sanity. I like to do a lot of different things at once - entrepreneurially and creatively - and would rather learn by failure than being stuck doing one thing.

TK: What inspired you to start your business?

DAVID: Honestly just having people in my life that modeled it for me in an approachable way. My dad, my siblings, my first boss Tara - I've had a lot of people model business ownership in a lot of different ways. Like anything in life, business ownership is a lot less intimidating when you have people you can look up to.

TK: How do you recharge?

DAVID: My wife and I have a lot of amazing people in our lives that we love to spend time with. It's important to have a community around you that will encourage you in what you do, while reminding you that there is so much more to life than work.

TK: When you’re considering partnering with another person or business, what factors are deal-breakers for you?

DAVID: When it comes to dealing with potential clients, I've learned that spending energy trying to convince someone to work with you is usually wasted energy. I've stressed myself out so many times trying to quote jobs at the "perfect" amount. People will either value the work that you do or they won't, so someone coming to you first asking for a discount is usually the beginning of a bad business relationship.

TK: How do you stay accountable to your work when it’s hard?

DAVID: Owning a small business often means wearing many hats and having to do a lot of work you didn't know you'd have to do. Distractions are everywhere and there's always something else I could be doing. It helps me to have my goals in mind and constantly remind myself that the longer I wait to finish something, the longer I'm delaying the hopes and goals I have for my future.