Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Cope and Jonathan Glenn.
Adam, Jonathan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
If we were to write in screenplay form the moment, we started Telegram sir, it would look a little something like this. Int. Adam’s House – Night. Jon and Adam looked at the clock. Only seconds left before the stroke of midnight. December 31st 2017 while many were ready to pop champagne and toast the new year, these two fearless entrepreneurs were ready to toast a new business venture… 3….2….1… They clicked “file”. It was a new year, and a new business was born. Telegram Sir, LLC
Sounds intense right? In truth, we almost started a construction business called “Apple Juice Construction.” Why Apple Juice? Neither of us can remember. But we were both helping with the Hurricane Harvey rebuild in Houston and were at a crossroads. We could continue doing construction or pour our creative skills and shared interest of film into a new company. Originally Apple Juice construction would be a means to an end…it would help us raise money to eventually start a video production company. “Eventually” just wasn’t soon enough, so we took the plunge and started Telegram Sir, LLC.
The plan was to do weddings for a few years before transitioning into the commercial arena. What is that old adage? When you make plans, God laughs? Our first big project was a 20-minute documentary. Our latest project was a huge commercial for a major retailer. Each project has come from an existing relationship, or has acted as a catalyst for creating a new one. By building on each client relationship, we’ve expanded our network and it has brought us here today. And, for the record, we only ever shot two weddings and both we did for free.
Has it been a smooth road?
To say there were some lean seasons would be an understatement. There was a point where Adam would consider biking to the grocery store to save gas and Jon would pay for his groceries with the spare change, he’d find in between the car seat cushions. We started Telegram Sir with only 3k as an initial investment and decided not to take out any business loans. Debt free is a great way to start a business, but 3k doesn’t leave you with much working capital. However, if you are patient, focused, and determined, there’s no reason why you can’t start a business this way.
As is true for many businesses, CoVid-19 has presented its own challenges. With clients taking a hit in retail and the restaurant industry, the natural fallout has been our projects being placed on hold until further notice. We’re big believers in stewarding our time wisely, so we have shifted focus to dissecting the internal workings of Telegram Sir. How do we operate more efficiently? What is our marketing plan once this is over? Where are we excelling and where could we be better? We like to apply Newton’s first law of business. “A company in motion, stays in motion.” There’s always plenty to work on, even if it’s not constant client projects.
We’d love to hear more about the company.
We started solely with video production, but now we crank out 2d animated projects, help build online training courses for national restaurant chains, and handle every facet of the creative process for commercial and corporate projects. In its simplest form, we’re a creative studio.
There are a lot of things we’re proud of when it comes to Telegram Sir, but one thing that stands out in our mind is the early decision on how we “give back” to the community. If you were to ask anyone in business what the single most important commodity is, chances are, the answer would be “time.” While money is a great resource, we decided, for Telegram Sir, “giving back” would equal “giving time.”
Each year we take on a project pro-bono for an organization whose work we really admire. Last year we donated $15,000 worth of video production to Kids’ Meals to revamp their company messaging. Kids’ Meals feeds Houston-area children with severe food insecurity and we were thrilled to be able to work with them and help further their mission. We haven’t decided on a 2020 recipient yet, so if you or your readers have an organization they’d like to recommend, send an email info@telegramsir.com.
What sets Telegram Sir apart is the creativity and work ethic we bring to every project. It shows when you pay attention to the small details, pour all your creativity into the day-to-day work and place a high level of importance on all your clients regardless of the project or how long you’ve been working with them.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
We’d love to say “NO! STAY AWAY!” but that would be purely for selfish reasons. We would describe Houston as a fantastic city with untapped potential. Houston is the 4th largest city in the U.S. and has a tremendous variety of businesses and opportunities. Start your business here; connect with us so we can collaborate!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.telegramsir.com/
- Email: info@telegramsir.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/telegramsir/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TelegramSir
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TelegramSir
- Other: https://vimeo.com/telegramsir
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