Vivian Wong is the Founder & Director of VDigital Creative, an Adelaide-based digital business focused on creating online video and social content, 360 degree video, virtual reality, augmented reality, digital marketing and strategy and more.
Balance the Grind spoke to Vivian about what it’s like running her own business, balancing a newborn baby and client work, working out to recharge her batteries, virtual reality gaming and more.
This conversation is brought to you by HelloFresh, delivering delicious ingredients and simple recipes straight to your doorstep each week.
1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your background and career?
I’m a bit of a chameleon as I wear a lot of different hats! I’m predominantly a Social & Digital Marketer but also specialise in video, graphics and virtual/augmented reality content.
When I finished University with a degree in Communications and Media, I sub-majored in Film & TV. From there I filmed, produced and edited 3 seasons of a young women’s lifestyle television show called ‘Life on Venus,’ which aired nationally across Australia on Channel 31.
I was also fortunate to film a documentary with the former (now current again) Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr Tun Mahathir and his wife Siti Hasmah. It was such an amazing experience to sit down and chat with two very grounded yet determined people.
After that I worked for over 8 years in a few corporate roles in Social & Digital Marketing and now work for my own business helping clients market their brand or service and exploring future technology in VR & AR.
I have recently rebranded my business from Switchflick Productions to VDigital Creative – it was predominantly a video production business for social video, weddings, seminars and events but I’ve combined my video and corporate experience to focus more on social & digital marketing.
2) What is it like running your own business and what does that entail on a day to day basis?
Currently I work for my own business VDigital Creative where I assist a few clients with their social media content & strategy, digital advertising, SEO, video and graphics, email marketing and more!
I had a baby in early March so I am just easing myself back into work. Life on a day-to-day basis right now is juggling being a mum and a business operator.
Luckily bubs has been mostly good and I’ve got help when it’s needed. My clients are based locally in Adelaide to country Riverina NSW, Sunshine Coast, Canberra and more!
Fortunately, in a digital environment I can work remotely off my trusty laptop and wifi anywhere in the world (but mostly from home/cafe). I have weekly meetings with my clients on Zoom usually at the start of the week and the rest of the week I work any free hours I can get!
This often means late nights and weekends – especially when I’m filming an event, but I love what I do so it doesn’t feel like work because I love being creative, giving my clients results and my lifestyle and flexibility!
3) What does a typical day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
So today I was up from 7am to feed and get bubs changed and make breakfast. Usually while having my morning coffee I’ll check my email and respond to anything urgent.
If I get enough time I’ll read a few articles to catch up with all the latest in the social and digital landscape. I also look at my project board for my clients to see what posts I have scheduled for the day and double check that they will be posted.
I keep an eye on those post to monitor and respond where necessary. Bubs is usually down for a nap around 10am so I use that time to schedule in my meetings. I had one today with a client at 10:30am and had a great phone chat without a peep from bubs.
There are days he gets grizzly but if I have a busy day for meetings and work requests, then I book in a babysitter to look after him for a few hours so I can escape to a cafe to get some solid work done.
After the phone chat, I’m either usually out for an hour long walk with dog and baby in tow or at the gym which has a creche. It’s so important to squeeze in regular exercise to keep myself physically and mentally fit, it’s also my ‘me time’ which is important as a mum!
I come home to feed bubs and then I settle down to do more work. I spent a few hours editing a video for a client and sent off for approval. In the evenings, hubby is home from work and he takes bubs off me so I can catch up on more work.
I have a monthly report to send to one of my clients so I work late into the evening to get it done. Then it’s usually an early night as I’m usually up 2-3 times a night with feeds. All-in-all, there are some good and bad days but I learn to go with the flow.
4) In between everything you do and all your responsibilities, how do you ensure you find some sort of balance in your life?
Now more than ever as a first-time mum and running my business – finding balance is more important than ever as it can get stressful!
But I’ve always been a patient person and have a pretty cool head (must be all those years of doing yoga!). I make sure I find time to exercise and go to the gym as I always feel more centered and energised after a good work out.
Or if the weather is nice – then a nice long walk. Luckily I only live minutes to the beach so it’s great to get some fresh sea air when I can! I also find leaving an office environment to now being my own boss – is a very nomadic life.
I do miss my daily chats with my office colleagues but I make sure I book into networking or training events to be surrounded by other peers. There are some days when I don’t feel motivated but its also okay to have those days, as long as I recharge and start fresh again the next day.
5) What are some of the things you do to take time out and recharge?
I recently did a Facebook Live Video for my client on ‘Self Love’ for not just a business owner but a working mum as well. I advocate strongly to all the other working mums out there to take time out to recharge.
After all, we give so much to our family and work commitments that we often leave ourselves last! And the last thing you want is a burnout! I combat this by going on a daily walk, I wear bubs on a harness and take my English Bulldog Gus for an hour long walk in the fresh air.
I love exploring trails, so if I’m feeling creative, I take my drone out to get some cool aerial footage. One of my hobbies is taking insta-worthy footage of my beautiful state to edit into cool little videos for social media.
I also go to the gym (with an amazing creche) 3 times a week and meet up with other entrepreneurs or mums for a social gathering now and again. And of course – a coffee in the morning and a glass of wine in the evenings help too!
6) Are there any gadgets, tools or products can’t you live without?
My iPhone and laptop is everything to me! Without it I won’t be able to do anything! In my role as a Social & Digital Marketer, everything I do is online!
But at the same time, the other go-to gadgets I have is my DJI Osmo Pocket which is tiny yet takes great buttery smooth video footage on the go.
My drone is for days when I’m feeling like exploring. I also like experimenting with my professional 360 degree camera on quieter days.
And if I have free time, I like virtual reality gaming on my HTC Vive – as you can see I’m a gadget nerd.
7) Do you have any books that you love and would like to recommend?
I used to be such a book worm and literally read a book a day! Unfortunately, my life is swallowed up in the world of digital that I struggle to get through one book!
Currently I am trying to get through a book called The Stop Doing List by Matt Malouf that was gifted to me at an event. I love reading business related books, another helpful book when I was pregnant was Business & Baby at Home: A Set-up and Survival Guide for Mums by Sarah O’Bryan.
8) What is the number one thing you do to make sure you get the most out of your day?
Time can slip away when you work on your own, and it goes even faster when you’re also wrangling a baby! So it’s important to set myself deadlines and a daily task lists to keep myself accountable.
Every week I have my WIP (week in progress meetings) to prioritise my tasks for the week. And then I plot them in my calendar with reminders on certain days. I like ticking things off my list, and an app I use call “Wunderlist” is helpful for that or “Trello”.
But also – I make sure I squeeze in time to for myself with walks or gym and order in Ubereats on Friday with a much-needed glass of wine!
If you’d like to support Balance the Grind’s mission to promote health work-life balance to a global audience, you can join our Patreon membership for as little as $1 a month.
