Diane Borgard is the founder and CEO of Multimedia Memories, a small, home-based business in Carmel offering custom photo and video services at affordable prices. Whether it’s transferring old film reels & VHS tapes to DVD, or creating an animated slide show or photo book for a special occasion, their mission is to bring your memories to life. What sets them apart from large franchise transfer businesses is their custom approach to every project. They offer a broad range of services, including: home movie editing, photo and video montage, film and video tape transfer, DVD and Blu-Ray authoring, motion graphics, slide, photo and negative scanning, digital photo restoration, and photo books.

What made you decide to start your own business?

As a mother of three young kids, I took lots of pictures and videos, but there wasn’t a great way to showcase those memories and share them. Pictures went in albums for a while, then were abandoned to a box. I tried scrapbooking, but it was slow, messy, and lacked an undo button. Our first digital camera was great for emailing an occasional picture, but soon hundreds and hundreds of pictures and video clips were filling up my computer’s hard drive. Editing those digital pictures and video clips into a movie on DVD became a way to meet that personal desire to enjoy and share those memories.

I had been creating year-in-review DVDs as a hobby since 2004.  I enjoy my family’s reaction: the rewarding laughter at a scene edited for humor and the delightful conversations among the kids reliving their favorite parts long after the DVD has stopped. For several years, the reaction included, “You should go into business!”

What do you like most about owning your own business?

I absolutely love the day to day creative work that I do, but what I like the most about my business is that I get to connect with people at important moments in their lives. Frequently clients come to me under noticeable stress. Whether it’s a happy occasion such as a wedding, a somber memorial service, or a banquet or fundraiser they’re tasked with organizing, they feel the weight of trying to manage lots of details. I have the opportunity to take some of that burden away, so they can focus on the memories. I still see that effect even when there’s not a specific event or deadline looming. For many people the goal of making those old home movies watchable again has been in the back of their mind for some time but the uncertainty of how to get it done makes it a procrastinated task, nagging at them. So, I have clients that are slightly stressed when they come to me, relieved when they entrust the task to me, and excited with anticipation when they get their discs back. I have happy customers who hug me! How many business owners get to say that?

A close second would be just the satisfaction of being a business owner, seeing this grow and being able to say, “I did this. I built that.”

What has been your greatest surprise about business ownership?

I was most surprised by how much time it takes for things not directly related to my services – accounting, marketing, web design, social media, research, procurement, etc. I’m a very small business, so I can’t outsource (yet!). I’m definitely the CEO – Chief Everything Officer, which certainly has expanded my skill set.

As a business owner, what keeps you up at night?

The only thing that literally keeps me up at night is the creative work. I’ll play out things in my head, whether it’s a song to compose, graphic design, or motion graphics. It’s mainly motions graphics, because that entails not just creative decisions, but figuring out how to make that happen. But regarding anxieties it’s general, there is always an uncertainty of getting new clients. Even when I’ve been busy enough to long for a lull, when that lull comes, it’s never truly restful. There’s never a promise of work in the pipeline. Business can be up or down, and emotions and anxieties can ride that roller coaster if you let it.

I’ve been blessed in not having a rough roller-coaster ride for two reasons. First, I truly feel called to do what I’m doing. I don’t deal with uncertainties as to whether or not I’m in the right business. I’m not constantly second-guessing myself. And second, the financial risks I have taken have been minimal. My costs are low, investments are conservative and strategic, and having been an at-home mom, I had no previous income I needed to make up. Yet even so, those inevitable lulls and uncertainties can be uncomfortable. So, I approach all my projects trying to do an amazing job so word will spread and work can be steady.

What one characteristic  do you think successful entrepreneurs must have? Why?

You certainly need to be good at what you’re selling, but you also need to be smart about finance, accounting, legal, taxes, marketing, web design, etc. If you’re not adept at something, you need to know it and outsource. Yet even in that, you need to be skilled enough to outsource wisely.

Lots of people dream of being their own boss. I don’t think that attitude will set them up for success. An entrepreneur should also want to be their own employee. A successful entrepreneur needs to be a Chief Everything Officer.

Tell us a little know fact about yourself.

I was part of the half-time show at the very first Indianapolis Colts home game in the brand new Hoosier Dome. A few years later, our high school band marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. And now, my eldest is part of the Carmel High School Marching Greyhounds, who marched in the Macy’s Parade himself last year.

You can learn more about Multimedia Memories by clicking here.