We asked insiders and experts from various industries to tell us something they think outsiders are unaware of and we’ve shared a few of those responses below.

Michael Paul | Wedding Filmmaker, Videographer & Cinematographer

One thing I’d like people to know is the amount of behind-the-scenes time that really goes into filmmaking and producing content. If you’re a filmmaker, you literally have no life! Lol! It’s basically shoot, edit, repeat. It sounds simple, but there are tons and tons of hours of work required to create even a simple 30-60 second video. People don’t think about it much, but as an entrepreneur, I wear many hats. Besides creating videos, I must take time in pre-production to properly plan a shoot, scout locations, find models (or people) to film, storyboard, listen to countless songs to pick the perfect music, draft the dialogue, etc. Read more>>

Abby Lane | Founder & Owner of Chérie Lane, Recent Baylor University Graduate

One thing about the boutique industry that outsiders are probably unaware of is how it can be difficult to supply pieces that other’s would buy and not just yourself. It is important to find styles that many different types of women would feel beautiful and empowered in. Additionally, it is important to be a visionary when picking out styles for the store. You could find multiple wonderful pieces across different vendors, but if you can’t see how they would all pair together to bring about a feeling or theme, then it will be harder to style and sell them. Read more>>

Lindsey Palat Alexander | Cookier & Elementary Teacher

Decorated cookies are a labor of love. We spend hours researching, designing and planning every set. There are MANY hours that go into decorating each set of cookies. Read more>>

Richandra Nickerson-Ukpong | CEO & Lead Wedding Planner & Event Designer

I think something that they are probably unaware of how much time goes into planning each event while still running the business. Event Planners don’t get much sleep! (Truth be told, when we do finally sleep, we DREAM about events.) I am grateful to be able to delegate many marketing activities, social media, and design activities to other team members (who are better in these arenas than I am). Most people have no idea that as the CEO & Lead Planner of Fervent Designs, I work in the business day in and day out. I am always on the clock- meeting with clients, vendors, venues, teammates, and potential clients. Read more>>

Geran Simpson | Jewelry Designer

All the hidden costs to make sculpted jewelry. Besides the metal and gemstones, there are a ton of other costs involved. When I have an idea for a new piece, I sculpt it at a high resolution in CAD software. That software requires a powerful computer to run, you can’t just do it on a laptop. Then it has to be “grown” in a melt-able resin which can cost up to $300 per liter, in a printer that costs hundreds of dollars! And you’re just getting started. Sometimes it takes several prototypes to get things just right. The final model then has to be put into a mold with more hundreds of dollars in plaster material, a vacuum machine and a high temperature oven. If all of THAT goes well then you can use a second electric kiln to melt the metal and pour it in the mold. Every single machine used in this process is consumable, you only get so many uses out of them. Read more>>

Sandra Del Cid | Film Director and Actress

Individuals who have never worked in the film industry have no idea how much work it takes to make a film. It is a long process. Finding the right actor, the right location, the right outfit. The perfect crew, camera man, editor, someone to help with lights and sounds. I think after everything is filmed the editing is the most difficult, finding the best scene, putting it together. It took me maybe fours hours of work to get a 5 minute scene, I worked in many big productions as an actor and is pretty much the same. we film one scene more then once to pick the best one. Read more>>