Experts share their wealth of experience

Myth: Accounting is boring.

Truth: The reality is far from that! Every day brings interesting new discussions with clients. Obviously, some aspects of what we do are repetitive and mundane, but generally speaking, advising and discussing different ways to help clients is different each time. It’s exciting and interesting.

—Ben Rose a.k.a The Cycling Accountant

Myth 1: Graphic design is just about making things look pretty.

Truth: It’s so much more! Great design goes beyond aesthetics to solve visual communication challenges, tell stories, and create meaningful connections.

Myth 2: Good design should appeal to everyone.

Truth: Design should be aimed at specific audiences. What resonates with one group might not have the same effect on another, and that’s not only okay, it’s intentional.

—Chaya Murik, director of PS Design School and Studio; creative director at Kirum Inc.

Myth: If you don’t write a will then all your assets will be taken by the government.

Truth: Even with no will, the assets will not go to the government unless there is no close family. However, with no will, assets may end up in the wrong place, and there will often be a conflict between secular law and halachah regarding their distribution. There may also be a need for heirs to pay inheritance tax, which could have been avoided with a properly drafted will.

People often say, “Where there is a will, there are relatives.” What is more correct is: “Where there’s a will there’s a way; where there is no will there are relatives!”

—Rabbi Shaya Klyne, Wills Ways Estate Planning

Myth 1: Anyone can be a food photographer if they have a smartphone.

Truth: While smartphones have made photography more accessible, professional food photography requires advanced skills and specialized techniques. Professionals know how to manipulate lighting, staging, and angles to achieve the best results — a level of expertise that a smartphone camera alone can’t replicate.

Myth 2: Photography is just about the camera and the lighting.

Truth: High-quality equipment is only part of the job. The artistry of food photography relies heavily on understanding food styling, color theory, and texture. Great photographers know how to work with stylists, chefs, and food scientists to ensure the final image is visually perfect and true to the product.

—Yechiel Orgel, lead photographer, The Orgel Visual Group

Myth: IT professionals build websites. They also do a lot of tinkering and build computers.

Truth: There are many areas of IT. For most of my career, I focused mainly on supporting the technology of businesses. This includes setting up computers, networks, and cloud-based systems. Most techs do minimal physical work, and no website building. The majority of the work is done remotely and involves troubleshooting/problem-solving.

—Izzy Kleinhendler, information security architect, Keystone Cyber

Myth 1: To be a great copywriter you always need to do hours and hours of research.

Copywriters are very familiar with most industries. If you need to sell clothes and you’re a clothes wearer, there is no research to be done. You talk to the business owner to understand their differentiator and position in the market; you dig into your knowledge, your gut intuition, your emotions, and your own life experiences; and you can write killer copy that will resonate deeply. The only time in-depth research is warranted is if the copywriter is unfamiliar with the industry or not part of the target audience.

Myth 2: Creativity is inborn. You either have it or you don’t.

Truth: Creativity is a muscle. All you need is some flexing. When I started out, my creativity was like a rusty faucet. I twisted and turned and all I got was a loud squeak. Today? Today the faucet has more of a gold hue and it produces a steady stream of orange water. So to all you lazy skeptics out there: You can be creative if you decide to. Just be ready for the rust before you reach the gold.

—Chany Paskes, creative copywriter

Myth: Branding is only about logos and visual identity.

Truth: Branding encompasses the entire customer experience, including values, messaging, tone, and visual identity.

—Meny Hoffman, CEO, Ptex group

Myth: You need to be good at math to process loans.

Fact: You just need to know how to use a calculator! The most important part is understanding the client’s needs and looking at the broad picture to assist with the full financial setup.

—Yael Ishakis. senior loan officer, branch manager, FM Home Loans

DIY Content Creation

Content is king. When it comes to brand awareness and client retention, unique, high-quality, relevant content is essential. You can either pay a premium to work with a marketing agency, or you can learn how to do it yourself. With resolve, discipline, ample caffeine, and the help of powerful AI tools, the process of content creation can be streamlined:

• It’s important to just start! In the beginning, challenge yourself to just do it, even poorly, because whatever you water, grows. Everything gets easier and better with practice.
• Pro tip: I find that the posts that get the most engagement are the ones that allow people to get to know me personally.
• Narrow your focus and master it. There are so many platforms for business, such as LinkedIn, email marketing, WhatsApp status, and it can be overwhelming. Being everywhere, all at once, is too time-consuming. Stay focused on one or two platforms, and when you have them down pat, you can work on mastering another.
• Be intentional about your target audience and the goals of your posting. This will help you focus your time, energy, and resources more productively.
• Inspiration for your content can come from reading interesting books, client interactions, your own challenges and growth, or from other content creators.
• It’s important to designate a specific time to work on content and stick to a schedule. Figure out what time of the day you are most focused, confident, and creative, and work then.
• Try to create in bulk once you’re already in the flow.
• Repurpose your audio and video content. For transcribing long audios, otter.ai is a great tool. To cut long videos into shorter clips, vidyo.ai is fantastic. It will generate many short video clips from one longer one. It knows exactly where to begin and end so that your shorter clips make sense on their own and it rates your clips from best to worst so they are all ready to share — hashtags and all!

—Basya Kovacs, transformation coach, founder of BKCoaching.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1041)