Cuan Bisnis Sewa Fotografer Pribadi

IDXchannel

Anda pasti pernah melihat akun media sosial milik seorang artis, pasti kagum kan melihat keindahan foto dengan latar belakang yang ciamik pastinya. Kalau kita berfoto sendiri, pasti hasilnya tidak akan sama.   Apa mungkin kita bisa mengajak fotografer profesional untuk mendapatkan hasil yang sama dengan artis kesayangan kamu?   Ternyata ada lho usaha yang menawarkan jasa fotografer profesional untuk mengabadikan momen-momen indah kamu, enggak hanya di Indonesia, tapi juga ke luar negeri.  Kamu bisa sewa jasa mereka baik saat sedang jalan-jalan, liburan, atau bahkan saat melamar orang terkasih kamu.   Melalui Fincast, yuk kita kuliti habis-habisan soal bisnis sewa fotografer, di sini sudah hadir David Soong sebagai CEO dan CO-Founder Sweetescape.

Transcript

00:00The cool thing is, if we have friends in the city, and they're good at taking pictures,

00:07it's really cool, right?

00:08Per city, the price is the same.

00:10This is an important decision that we made at the beginning of the shoot-escape trip.

00:21Okay, maybe you are one of those people who are quite confused, want to go on vacation,

00:25but you ask your friends to go on a vacation, but the schedule is different.

00:28Solo traveling, afraid of being lonely, because one of the disadvantages of traveling alone

00:34is that when we take pictures, no one takes pictures, right?

00:37You can ask for help from people, but do we want to ask for help from people all the time, right?

00:41Well, even if you are one of those people who want to travel abroad,

00:48or for example, go to Bali, etc., alone or with friends,

00:51because your friends are actually people who are a bit difficult to ask for help to take pictures of you, right?

00:57Because they just don't like being a photographer.

01:00Well, rather than being complicated, it's better to hire a photographer

01:07who happens to be in the city where you will visit, or the country you will visit.

01:14Talking about a platform that will make it easier for you to hire a professional photographer

01:20to capture your beautiful moments, there is a platform called Sweet Escape.

01:24And we will talk to the CEO and Co-Founder of this platform,

01:28a big round of applause for Mr. David Song. How are you, Mr. David?

01:33We're playing with the fincash.

01:36What I mentioned earlier is actually my personal experience, Mr. David.

01:41When I was solo traveling, no one took pictures of me.

01:43Well, have you ever experienced this yourself?

01:47And it turns out that this can be a basic idea.

01:51Why was Sweet Escape made?

01:53Ask for help from people on a vacation.

01:56When you take a picture, it turns out that the picture is not too good.

01:59How?

02:00At that time, I had a year of sabbatical.

02:05I live in Italy and France.

02:09Because I was there for a year, I saw that the needs were not only mine.

02:16I saw a lot of other people always ask for help from people they don't know to take pictures of them.

02:23The more I pay attention, there are in Milan, Paris, wherever I go, there must be a behavior like that.

02:31Then I thought, how fun it would be if we had a friend in that city.

02:38And coincidentally, the friend is good at taking pictures.

02:40It's really fun, right?

02:41Not only good at taking pictures, but he can take us to beautiful places.

02:45For those of us who don't know, as a tourist, that's definitely the place that is recommended.

02:50But for locals, it's really fun, I think.

02:53At first, from there.

02:54But I thought, oh, my friend is just limited, right?

02:58I don't have friends in every city.

02:59And the photography skills are also varied.

03:03Everyone is good at it.

03:05So I got the idea from there.

03:08It turns out that the needs are not only my needs.

03:11But there are a lot of people who will appreciate the memories that are taken well.

03:17That's what I thought.

03:18From there, I thought, let's try it, I started.

03:24At that time, it was just a simple website.

03:27Started with five cities.

03:30Coincidentally, I have close friends who are also photographers in those cities.

03:35I want to start this.

03:36Oh, okay, I want to help.

03:39Then what I was surprised was the behavior of the customer who wanted to book.

03:44Well, it turns out that there is such a behavior.

03:47This is preceded by other economic geeks, like we get into the car of people we don't know.

03:55Ride-hailing.

03:57Right? Ride-hailing.

03:58We live in a house of people we don't know.

04:00Have you ever heard of it?

04:01Yes.

04:02What's the name of it?

04:03Yes, that's it.

04:04Because there are behaviors that have already started to be educated.

04:08Where people are very willing to have people they don't know but are professional.

04:13To be a part of their travel experience.

04:18Eh, it turns out to be booked.

04:20It turns out to be fun.

04:21It turns out to be a lot.

04:22It turns out to be a lot.

04:23Wow, it turns out to be cheap.

04:25Well, that's important.

04:26If it's not cheap, the name is different.

04:30From there we started to develop what else is in the city.

04:37We develop how to make it easier for the customer.

04:40Is the booking first through a very simple website, then WhatsApp, then we replace it with an application, iOS, Android.

04:49Make an application for the photographer to accept the job.

04:52Make it easy, the gallery is always neatly stored, can be printed, etc.

04:59Okay, until finally this becomes a platform that accommodates or meets the needs of the community itself.

05:07Not only for the people who go to domestic tourism, but also for those who go abroad.

05:14But if it's abroad, what does it mean to recruit?

05:18It means that there must be a connection there, right?

05:22How is it?

05:22That is the magic.

05:24I think the success ingredient of Sureskip is how to recruit good photographers in many cities.

05:36And in training, not only the photos are good, but the language is friendly, the people are patient, the people are welcoming to meet new tourists, right?

05:49In my opinion, from recruitment to training, that's what creates a consistent customer experience.

05:56That's hard.

05:57Okay, what does that mean?

05:59It means that there must be a kind of SOP, right?

06:04If you hire a photographer through the Sweet Escape platform, the quality of the service in terms of photography, then also the way they communicate, it must be good.

06:14How is that? People's characters are different, right?

06:16Then after that, if we talk about photographers, there are those who are very idealistic.

06:20Sometimes when asked for something, sometimes they are like, no, this is my idealism, it can't be like that.

06:26How is the training? This is all in Mancanegara, how is the training?

06:31Thank you, today there is already a video call, online training, etc.

06:36Where if we onboard a photographer, he knows what expectations we ask from the Sweet Escape platform.

06:44How to pose, what to say, basic things like that.

06:50Especially if Indonesian customers often travel, the group is quite large, right?

06:55They are also not used to taking pictures, there are three generations, there are grandparents, grandchildren, etc.

07:01The requirements are also different.

07:02Different, sometimes it's a shame for Indonesian people to be late.

07:06What time is the appointment, what time do you start?

07:09They must be told.

07:11They have to be much more patient.

07:13Okay, that's a problem, not a problem, related to the skill of how they provide services.

07:20But the other thing is about the price itself.

07:22Because every photographer has their own price, right?

07:25Especially those who understand the value of the work produced through their camera.

07:34I evaluate my photography results, for example, the range is quite high.

07:39Then what if it is offered to join Sweet Escape?

07:42Which is the price is the same, right?

07:44Yes, per city the price is the same.

07:47This is an important decision we made at the beginning of the Sweet Escape journey.

07:53Because it will be very confusing if we are in Bali, we see a list of photographers and the price is 10 different prices.

08:00Indeed to the salon, the price of the salon is different.

08:03I think it is more inspired by Starbucks.

08:06Where a brand, the barista, whoever the price is the same.

08:11It's simpler like that, it's easier to understand and reduce the customer's barrier to think about which one to choose.

08:21It takes a long time.

08:21Okay, okay, then finally agreed?

08:24Agreed, so we set the price.

08:26How is the formulation?

08:28So domestic, one Indonesia, the price is the same.

08:31One hour, two hours, four hours, the price is the same.

08:35Of course the price in Indonesia and the price in New York is different.

08:39The standard is different.

08:40But for New York, LA, Seattle, Texas, and Las Vegas, it's the same.

08:47One America is the same.

08:49For example, Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Hokkaido, etc. are the same.

08:54That's how I think.

08:56Okay, this is also a platform that employs photographer friends.

09:02Rather than relying on connections only,

09:07without then putting them in a portfolio on a global platform,

09:13it's more effective, both are effective.

09:17But it's like complementing each other and expanding the marketing network.

09:22Yes, if you listen to the photographer's explanation,

09:25usually they are good at photographing, but it's hard to get clients.

09:29That's right, right?

09:31Combined with Suede Escape, we focus on the marketing,

09:35where a sweet photographer will get quite a lot of jobs in a month.

09:43Thus, the hours fly fast.

09:45The work will get better and faster.

09:49Because the hours fly.

09:51Right.

09:52And we simplify the photographer's part.

09:56There are two types of photographers.

09:57One is a photographer, and the other is an editor.

10:00Sometimes we forget that an editor can take longer or longer than a photographer.

10:06Right?

10:07In Suede Escape, we simplify the photographer,

10:10more people join, so the photographer only takes pictures.

10:14Okay.

10:14Don't worry about editing.

10:16We'll edit it later.

10:17Oh, the editing is done by Suede Escape friends, right?

10:20That's right, by Suede Escape.

10:21Thus, we can create a consistent final result.

10:25Okay.

10:26So, Suede Escape friends have a lot of photo editor teams, right?

10:31Because if we talk about jobs all over the country,

10:36there are a lot of them, right?

10:37Yes, quite a lot.

10:38To reduce the congestion in terms of deadlines,

10:41sending photos to the client.

10:44And we have a brand promise.

10:45For example, if we book today,

10:47tomorrow the editing will be done and available to download in the app.

10:52That's right.

10:53Because maybe there are a lot of celebs who are solo traveling,

10:57there is a deadline for endorsement,

10:59it has to be uploaded tomorrow, for example.

11:00That's right.

11:01If it's tomorrow, it can be done, right?

11:02Okay.

11:02If it's at the same time, it can't be done.

11:05Yes, yes.

11:05If we talk about the journey of Suede Escape until now,

11:08from the one before, there are only 5 photographers,

11:10and the amount of jobs is also limited,

11:12not too many.

11:14From then until now, the increase has been a few percent.

11:16It's not counted, right?

11:17No, no.

11:18So it's thousands of percent, right?

11:20It's not counted as a percent.

11:22But at least, on average, how many projects are there in a month?

11:27Thousands.

11:27So per month, there are thousands of clients that we serve.

11:31Started from travel, right?

11:35Started from travel, mostly family or friends holiday people.

11:39Started from travel, but over time,

11:43this photography job can actually cover a lot of things.

11:47It can create content for F&B,

11:51it can create corporate profile,

11:55photos for many companies,

11:57and so on.

11:58And so on, which we can afford.

12:02It's not just travel.

12:04That's why there are thousands.

12:05Okay.

12:05How many years has Suede Escape been established?

12:072016, I think.

12:102017, something like that.

12:12Okay, until 2024, about 7 years, right?

12:14Yes.

12:15So, during this journey, are there any interesting stories?

12:18About photographers, about clients,

12:21what are the unique stories like?

12:23It's fun.

12:24I'm really happy to experience this Suede Escape.

12:28Because every time I travel now,

12:31like I go to Sydney, or I go to New York, London,

12:34I must broadcast a message to photographers.

12:38Hey, let's get together, right?

12:40We get together in one place, they tell stories,

12:42the clients are fun, it's really fun.

12:45It's a surprise, I feel like I have Arisan friends in every city I go to.

12:49Yes, that's right.

12:49It's really fun, it's crowded, and they tell stories.

12:52It turns out, those stories,

12:55Suede Escape creates meaning in people's lives.

12:59Because in a year, we usually forget

13:02the usual days we do, busy working,

13:06but there are some important moments that mean,

13:10well, that's where Suede Escape is.

13:12Well, we shoot for that.

13:13There's a lot of sharing from photographers.

13:16There's a lot from customers.

13:17It turns out they use Suede Escape not only as a photographer,

13:21but they use our service as a local guide.

13:25So, it's their first time,

13:26for example, to St. Petersburg, or to Iceland, to New Zealand,

13:30it's their first time, right?

13:31But they know, our photographer is a local,

13:34so they're asked all kinds of questions,

13:35like, is there any good food?

13:37What am I going to do later tonight?

13:38And so on.

13:39So, it's like, they have friends.

13:41Well, there are so many use cases.

13:43So, what about the service for the guide?

13:46Is it also regulated by Suede Escape?

13:48It's not priced yet, so it's free.

13:50It's called a bonus.

13:52This can also be a community or a community platform, right?

13:55Not only for David himself as the CEO,

13:59but also for other photographers,

14:01when they, for example, are on vacation in Indonesia,

14:05they also broadcast.

14:06For Suede Escape photographers,

14:08they are aware, they have a large family community.

14:11From one city, if they are on their way to another city,

14:14they can connect with our photographer in that city.

14:19So, they have new friends.

14:20Hey, let's hunt, let's look for this.

14:22Hey, I want to take a night scene photo, I want to take this photo.

14:24Because they have local friends,

14:26and they have very accurate information.

14:30As a business entity, I'm sure Suede Escape also has to think about it.

14:35Well, what I have to ask David is,

14:38what is the business model like?

14:41How does Suede Escape ensure the continuity of Suede Escape as a business entity?

14:47What is the profitability so far?

14:49Then, imagine if you have a database,

14:55the community, all the photographers,

14:57the camera brands seem to be close, right?

15:00This can also be a good business model, I think.

15:03Not only the camera brands,

15:05we have a lot of fashion campaigns for brands in Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore,

15:12to make campaigns in Europe.

15:14Because our photographers are local, we know what kind of shoot they want,

15:17so we come up with a commercial shoot.

15:19It's funny, right?

15:20And there are a lot of brands that we can collaborate with.

15:25From this photographer's photography community.

15:28It's fun, of course the camera brand.

15:31The business model is like this,

15:33now we try to study one by one.

15:37Well, this means that if you work with Mita Photographer,

15:40there is a fee, or management fee, or platform fee, or what?

15:46So the simple thing is,

15:48the price we put on the website or app is what the customer pays, right?

15:55But we also have our cost, which is the fee of the photographer in those cities.

16:00It depends on the city, right?

16:03After it's cut, there is an office cost,

16:07office, editor, marketing, admin, finance, and so on.

16:11Well, hopefully after it's all cut, there is a profit, right?

16:17There is a profit, yes.

16:18Then that's the first.

16:19The second is about endorsement, endorsement is also the same as before.

16:22Okay, amazing.

16:23And this can also be a,

16:27which moves the economy from various kinds of professions,

16:33whether it's from the photographer, from the photo editor,

16:36recruited a lot earlier,

16:37and Sweet Escape itself.

16:39Okay, if you look at the range,

16:43how much is the domestic?

16:45The domestic range starts from $169,

16:49about 2 million,

16:52per hour?

16:53That's per hour.

16:54Okay, per hour.

16:55Up to $400 in New York or London.

17:00The range is quite wide,

17:03but the price is very simple.

17:05In every country, the price is the same.

17:07So that it also reduces confusion from the customer himself,

17:11when using the services of the photographer.

17:14Okay, Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya, Singapore, Paris, Tokyo,

17:19are there any other countries that may be the target of Sweet Escape's expansion?

17:24We are now in about 70 or more countries,

17:27500 cities.

17:29So there is,

17:31maybe the farthest from here is Iceland.

17:33Iceland, in China there is also,

17:36in India, in Prague,

17:37no, everywhere.

17:38Actually, the network has been built,

17:43at the beginning we built Sweet Escape,

17:45we have recruited,

17:47depending on the demand,

17:50where is the booking?

17:51For example, there is a booking in Budapest,

17:53we just have to message the photographer team there to serve the customer.

17:59Okay.

17:59From the photographer's side,

18:02there were stories earlier,

18:03if from the client's side,

18:05what value or what experience did they get when they used the Sweet Escape platform to look for a photographer?

18:15The number one, of course, peace of mind.

18:19Because if they book a photographer on other platforms,

18:24we don't know if it's true or not,

18:26if it's already paid, then it doesn't show up and so on.

18:28If it's Sweet Escape, the payment is clear,

18:30for example, the photographer is sick or disabled,

18:33we can look for another photographer in that city.

18:36That's one.

18:37Number two, the quality that is received can be expected.

18:43The kind of consistent quality we create.

18:46So we have a lot of customers who have booked us in Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney,

18:51they are very happy because this is what they expect.

18:55And the quality is not random.

18:57Well, about security in terms of payment itself,

19:01is the system like e-commerce platforms?

19:05I mean, there is an amount of money paid for a service,

19:09but it is held first on the platform.

19:11Correct.

19:12If the item has arrived, it will be paid,

19:14delivered to the photographer.

19:17What about Sweet Escape?

19:18It's the same.

19:19So we hold it first,

19:21after the photographer does his job,

19:24we immediately pay the photographer.

19:26Okay, that's the other point in presenting peace of mind to the customer.

19:35And it's very easy with the Sweet Escape application

19:37to share the photo with the family or friends who joined the trip.

19:43Everyone has access to the gallery.

19:46Okay, got it.

19:47There is also a challenge in developing this business.

19:51What is the challenge, David?

19:53The biggest challenge that we have ever experienced

19:57is the pandemic.

19:59Do you remember?

20:01In 2020, there was a travel ban everywhere, right?

20:08Of course, from the thousands of bookings,

20:12we had to experience zero bookings, right?

20:16And it was very surprising to us,

20:20no one prepared for the pandemic.

20:23So that's the number one challenge.

20:25The second challenge is how to see Sweet Escape

20:29not only as a hiring photographer,

20:33but we are also a content partner for many brands.

20:37Where we are willing to execute massive and fast content

20:41for the needs of brands.

20:43Okay, so the client is not just retail, not just per order,

20:47but now the client is a brand.

20:49The challenge is to think about what other businesses

20:53that Sweet Escape can do besides travel.

20:57For example, one of the things that we have succeeded in

21:00is that we have an exhibition in more than 30 hospitals,

21:04where every baby that is born,

21:07we take a picture, there is a studio in the hospital,

21:10where the memory becomes part of the child who is born,

21:14the celebration is the next day,

21:17before the mother comes home from the hospital,

21:19get a frame, get a photo, like that.

21:22What else can we think of

21:26to be a part of the lives of our customers.

21:31So what is the experience itself,

21:34not just for individuals, but also for clients.

21:38Clients can also add that service

21:40as their selling material to the community

21:43who use their services.

21:44For example, the one about the hospital earlier.

21:46Okay, Sweet Escape's growing is okay.

21:49From the point of view of Mr. David,

21:51as an entrepreneur, of course,

21:53you have other things in mind that will be developed

21:58besides this photography platform.

22:01I mean, besides Sweet Escape.

22:02Yes, Sweet Escape has a plan to make...

22:05Outside of Sweet Escape.

22:06Yes, yes, yes.

22:08I thought the topic was only Sweet Escape, right?

22:11But what is it?

22:14Usually, entrepreneurs...

22:16Can't be quiet, right?

22:17Can't be quiet.

22:18People see this...

22:19Can't be quiet, right?

22:20Yes, yes, yes.

22:21This is a sector that is growing really well.

22:24Then look at other sectors,

22:26I think it's okay if it's run.

22:28So, I realized that I really can't be quiet.

22:35And always actively looking at new opportunities.

22:39Yes.

22:40You know?

22:41And besides the world of photography,

22:45I have also been in the world of F&B for a long time.

22:50F&B.

22:51This is a business that has been in operation for 22 years.

22:54Well, because I have a lot of experience in F&B,

22:57I started Bogagroup.

22:59Bogagroup has brands like...

23:02Pepper Lunch, Kimukatsu, and friends.

23:06Well, from that experience,

23:08I also want to see there is a new opportunity

23:12to create delicious food at a very affordable price.

23:18Okay.

23:19That's my work.

23:20At the beginning of this year,

23:22executing the idea,

23:26the details, the brand, I'll tell you.

23:29In private, maybe?

23:31I'm afraid the topic is too long.

23:32On the record.

23:33Okay, okay.

23:34If we expand a little,

23:36the discussion is not only focused on Sweet Escape,

23:39from the point of view of an entrepreneur,

23:41this can then become a story that can be shared to everyone.

23:45Well, related to that,

23:47maybe the last question,

23:48do and don'ts in running a business, what is it?

23:51Maybe every sector is the same.

23:54But the game is different.

23:56But the do and don'ts are actually the same.

24:00To become an entrepreneur.

24:02Or run a business.

24:05From your experience, what do you mean, David?

24:07Make...

24:08Maybe a lot.

24:11Make sure it's something that's close to your heart.

24:15Okay.

24:16You have to enjoy it.

24:17Make sure you're good at it.

24:19Make sure you're excellent at it.

24:21If not, so-so.

24:24Make sure you have to find out how big the market is.

24:27Is it worth your time?

24:31Of course, that's before starting a business idea.

24:35After starting a business idea, there must be a lot of do and don'ts.

24:38Who's the partner?

24:40What's the setup team like?

24:42Breakdown.

24:44Sales price.

24:45Profit.

24:46Expansion planning.

24:47And so on.

24:48There are a lot of do and don'ts.

24:50But maybe my advice is,

24:52for those of you who want to start a business,

24:54don't be afraid.

24:55Today, there are more opportunities.

24:58And there are a lot of resources available.

25:00If you don't understand, ask.

25:02But don't be afraid to start.

25:05When you face failure, get up again.

25:08You have to.

25:09Of course.

25:10Back then, it was a game.

25:12If you fail, just insert coins.

25:15Start again.

25:16There are a lot of insert coins.

25:18You can talk to those who have become entrepreneurs.

25:21Or maybe from other inspirers.

25:24David, thank you.

25:26You've joined Vincast this time.

25:27Hopefully, what we talked about this time,

25:29will be an inspiration for everyone watching Vincast this time.

25:32And also for the investors,

25:34to keep watching other episodes of Vincast.

25:37With good content and good topics.

25:40David, thank you very much.

25:42Good luck for Sweat Escape.

25:43See you in the next episode of Vincast.

25:45Bye.

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