Setting up in business can be lonely, says videographer Matthew Crumpton, but coworking spaces like Avenue HQ help

Matthew Crumpton decided to go freelance two years ago after he felt he could no longer progress at the company that he was at.

Initially, the 29-year-old Huddersfield University graduate thought working from home would be ideal. However, he soon realised that it could be quite lonely.

Mr Crumpton told The Yorkshire Post: “It was really difficult working by myself. It was very lonely.

“You don’t speak to anyone during the day if you’re doing an editing job. You can get a little bit of cabin fever, which is why I’ve ended up at Avenue HQ in a shared workspace.”

The shared workspace has seen the videographer forge not only business ties with other tenants but also build a friendship circle.

Mr Crumpton said: “I’ve been here for about seven months and we’ve developed a close friendship group, where there’s a good seven or eight of us where you can always guarantee that three or four of us will always be in.

“A lot of them are in the same position as me. They might have their own business and you can chat about issues that you might be facing or ask for advice. Or just chat about things like what you’ve been up to at the weekend.”

Earlier this year, Matthew Kennedy, founder and CEO of Avenue HQ, said: “One of the reasons why so many businesses fail early on is due to isolation experienced by the entrepreneur who founded it.”

He added: “The beauty of co-working spaces is you’ve got so many different companies working from there. They almost become your adopted colleagues. One of the main things people lose when they do go and start a business is the companionship of colleagues.”

Mr Crumpton says entrepreneurs at the coworking space have also developed a business network where they refer each other to their respective contacts.

“They’ve got contacts who only need to mention that they need a video and they’ll know someone,” he said. “We help each other on that front.”

Avenue HQ is located in Leeds city centre and that is also proving to be a great advantage to Mr Crumpton.

He said: “There’s also the fact that it’s so centrally located. That makes it a lot easier for me to go and meet potential clients or existing clients.”

Aside from loneliness, the other main challenge has been building up a client list for Mr Crumpton.

Improving his website’s Google ranking alongside word of mouth recommendations are helping the business generate more interest.

Over the next couple of years, Mr Crumpton still sees himself operating as a sole trader.

“There’s still enough room for me to grow by myself,” Mr Crumpton says.

However, the videographer is open to the idea of taking on a couple of staff members and potentially moving into a studio in the longer term.

“Hopefully I’ll be at a stage where I can turn down work that I don’t particularly want to do in favour of work that I do want to do,” Mr Crumpton said.

Channel 4’s move to Leeds “can only help” the videography industry in this region, according to Mr Crumpton.

He added: “It puts Leeds on the map as a hub for video and film content.”

Video content in demand

The rise of digital technology and social media has increased the demand for video content, says Matthew Crumpton.

Mr Crumpton graduated nine years ago from Huddersfield University, where he did a TV production and media course.

Fast forward almost a decade and the likes of YouTube have changed the game, the videographer says.

He added that there’s a new wave of talent coming through that is much better prepared when it comes to producing video content for the web.