QA with Hope Horner, Video Marketing Entrepreneur, CEO Lemonlight Media

QA with Hope Horner, Video Marketing Entrepreneur, CEO Lemonlight Media QA Hope Horner, Video Marketing Entrepreneur, CEO Lemonlight Media Image Source: Hope HornerHope Horner is the founder and CEO of the Los Angeles-based branded video content producer distributor, Lemonlight Media.“My three daily goals are: Happy Clients;  Happy Team; and Financial Growth.”A three-time entrepreneur who earned her spurs before the recent boom that transformed LA’s tech sector from a backwater into the Silicon Beach boomtown of the mid-2010s, Hope Horner has thrived on a blend of hard work, ingenuity and business bootstrapping smarts.The  USP of Lemonlight Media is the production and distribution of branded video content at scale. The company delivers high quality video services at affordable costs, enabling small to medium businesses to benefit from what she insists is “the most powerful form of advertising”.To say she and her business partners have found a gap in the market is something of an understatement, in the company’s first three years in business, Lemonlight Media has  produced 3,854 videos for clients in 42 Stat es, with a collective total of 52.m views.Having started  her first business at the tender age of 21â€"although her roots in business stem from constantly daydreaming about being an entrepreneur in her middle school yearsâ€"Hope Horner is on course for becoming a significant serial entrepreneur of the future. She has been picked out by some of the world’s most esteemed business titles as a young business star to watch. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 11 Questions for Hope Horner, CEO Founder, Lemonlight MediaHope Horner took some time out of her busy schedule at the helm of Lemonlight Media to give AGENT her  insights  on her business goals, inspirations and role models, and her daily routine, as well as sharing the lessons that she has learned over the past decade that would be most useful to anyone starting up in business today.image source: Hope Horner / lemonlight media (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 1. Briefly tell us how you first go t into business, and describe your business goals.Over the past ten years, I have founded and worked for several different startup companies in the LA market. At each company, Ive learned more about my own skill set, my passions, and how to run a business.My partners and I started Lemonlight because we saw an underserved market that was eager to find new ways to reach more customers online. We knew that video marketing could help them reach these customers, so we embarked on a mission to create high-quality, affordable video content for companies worldwide.Today, my three daily goals are: Happy Clients;  Happy Team; and Financial Growth. My end goal is to have a successful exit that  affords me the opportunity to work and invest in other young startup companies.2. What age were you when you realised you wanted to run your own business?Ive always known I wanted to run my own business. I recall daydreaming about it in middle school. I started my first company when I was 21 years old. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 3. Who are your business icons and inspirations?My dad, Jeff Bezos, and Tony Hsieh.4. What has been your biggest challenge in business, and how did you surmount it?There are new challenges every day that stretch my mind and force me out of the  comfort zone. I think thats part of being a CEO. One of the challenges I struggled with for years was the daily barrage of smaller challenges from everyone on my team. We had a pretty flat organization for our first two years in business, so when problems escalated, they often ended up with me. My day was consumed with problems, which was very draining and prohibited me from ever focussing on the positive aspects of our business. Over time, this wore me down.I was able to find a fresh perspective by talking with other CEOs and getting their feedback. We ended up creating more structure in the company so managers would be able to tackle some of the more challenging tasks and work with their d irect reports to troubleshoot the issue. This gave me more space to proactively focus on running the business and appreciate the growth we were having. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 5. Work-Life balance: is it possible? How do you achieve it?“I believe chasing  balance can  create stress…”I want to believe that work-life balance is  possible, although personally, I have very little balance. Most of my life is consumed by work, which I dont mind because it makes me happy.I do think its important to unplug when youre overwhelmed or burnt out. However, I also believe that some people chase balance so much that it actually creates more stress.I believe inner peace is the goal and you should do the daily things that bring you peace without too many expectations of what that should look like.6. What is the first thing you do every day?Skim emails on my phone to review anything urgent. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 7. What screen saver pict ure is currently on your phone?A sunset photo on Venice Beach.8. What is the most important app on your mobile phone, and why?Email. Its the way I communicate with most of the people in my life on a daily basis. Also, I value my Headspace app to calm me down and center me on stressful days. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 9. What is the last thing you googled?“Average score of a college basketball game”. This was to make my March Madness bracket! I dont follow basketball, but we make a March Madness pool with everyone in the office, and its an exciting couple of weeks.10. What item do you never leave the house without, and why?Keys. So I can get back in. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 11. What advice would you give to your younger self starting out in business?Focus on sales first and not on building the ‘perfect’ product. Let your customers tell you what they want and remain agile enough to build it.Image Source:  hope horner, lemonl ight media / wikimedia commons