Tell us a little bit about yourself and your entrepreneurial journey.

I’m an orthodox Jew, but my parents raised me practicing Nichiren Buddhism and Native American ceremonies.  A part of Nichiren Buddhism is going out onto the street and telling people about it – evangelizing.  That was my first experience with sales.  Both my parents have their own businesses.  It’s just who I am and how I was raised.  My dad always says, “You’ll never be out of a job if you make your own business.”

What did you do before launching your own business?

I was an account executive and legal recruiter before I met my husband, who makes videos.  I do the marketing for his video production.

How did you fund your business?

We’re big Dave Ramsey fans, so we worked up slowly without borrowing any money.  We just worked with what we had.  Shmuel had a cheap camera and a Macbook, and the rest was creativity.

How many hours do you work a week and how much is spent is your home office?

My kids are at camp or daycare or school for about 6 hours a day, but I only work probably about 4 of those hours.  The rest of that time I’m working out or grocery shopping.  I’m able to do this because I’ve been blessed with great virtual assistants.  I delegate many tasks to them.

How would you rate your success?

I really believe in the “Slow and steady wins the race” maxim.  We’ve been in business for almost six years now, and each year we reach new heights.  Our latest project, The Ark Report, is a short feature film, which we’ve never done before (we’ve mostly done short commercials, music videos, and promotional videos).  Every step of the way we reach new goals, and that’s how I rate our success.

What has been your biggest business struggle as an entrepreneur?

Nothing ever goes exactly how you’d like as an entrepreneur.  Another maxim of my dad’s is, “Money comes from people.”  And people make mistakes, have annoying habits – myself included of course – and miscommunication can be the biggest detriment to a business.

What advice would you give to a new entrepreneur?

Fear is faith in evil.  (I’m quoting my dad left and right here!)  Go for it, even if you have to go it alone.  But only if you have the discipline to sit down and do this every day, even when you hate it, even when it hurts, and even when there’s nothing in the pipeline.

How do you manage all of your personal and business activities?

I use Google calendar and color code the different categories of events.  Normally after I bring my kids to camp or school and daycare, I work out, I shower and change, and then I’m off to Starbucks to use their wi-fi and sip a soy latte.  That’s when I get my work done.  The house is always a mess, so any babysitter I hire has to also do housework!

Connect with Margelit Hoffman and Hoffman Productions…

Website: Hoffman Productions

Blog: Shmuel Hoffman’s Blog

Twitter:  @margelit

Facebook Fan Page: Shmuel Hoffman Cinematography

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Tags: Business, Entrepreneur, Hoffman Productions, Interviews, Margelit Hoffman, Moms, The Work at Home Woman, WAHM, Work at Home