What did you last spend money on as an investment in your business?

Well, that’s easy. For us here at theactionhouse.com it’s

KIT. GEAR. EQUIPMENT. TACKLE. TECH. GUBBINS.

Stuff. Just mountains of stuff. I guess every business has its requirements that support the main thrust of endeavour. Phones, computers, website, premises, staff, transport and so on, but for us, it’s tech.

The requirement for us to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ professionally speaking, is in no way a luxury. In the world of camera and audio gear, the tech companies who’s products we use, very kindly push higher and higher specifications upon us, with new features and flexibility in every new product release.

Why only today, one piece of beloved and hard-worked tech went off to its new forever-home, and no sooner had the van door shut, but the plastic was flexed to almost breaking point on something new, exciting, must-have and indeed probably shiny. (EVERYTHING is better if it’s shiny - hey! I don’t make the rules, that’s just the way it is.) And all this, in a concerted effort to remain as capable as possible for client requirements.

Why only last week at a meeting with a new client the dreaded words “Do you have a drone?” was sent floating threateningly across the table to my reluctant ears.I could see (not with my ears) how it would help immensely with the projects at hand we were discussing, and yet again had to have a sit down and a serious word with myself about the options.

Of course, one can’t just go on a spending spree every time something extra shiny comes along, there has to be a good reason. Trust me, I have a storeroom FULL to the spider-invested rafters of gear that hasn’t been used in two or even three years, - BUT the key thing is everything in there is useful, given the right circumstances. Lights? Check. Mics? Check. Recording devices? Check. Cameras, dollies, gimbals, leads, stands, converters, weights, wires, viewfinders, you name it we have one, or more likely two, of everything.

At least.

So the chances of me ever enjoying the jet-set lifestyle to which I have yet to become accustomed, are somewhere between slim and zero. Let’s just say, that if I hadn’t got a warehouse full of kit, I could be sitting on a balcony in Monaco sipping champers. Well, that’s what it feels like anyway.

Wayne Avanson