The deets:
Name: Jon Brandon Cruz (he/him)
Business Name: Process is the Prize LLC
Follow on Instagram and LinkedIn
Industry: Social Media Content
Expertise: Social Media
Meet Jon (him/him), owner of, Process is the Prize LLC. He’s a video creator for some of the biggest celebrities and brands in the world including The Rock, Will Smith, Selena Gomez, Marvel, Sony Pictures and Adobe.
He’s a Social Media expert with over 13 years in the space who uses his experience, knowledge, skills and taste to put together world class content teams and strategies to create some of the most visually engaging content on social media today.
He’s got over 1 billion impressions to prove it! Read some of his social media expertise for tips you can implement in your own business.
How did you land your first client?
I cold emailed a bunch of bands on facebook until one of them let me come on tour with them to document their travels. That was my first “client”.
What’s an actionable tip you’d give other self-employed people?
Many of us social media creators start by doing everything ourselves. But as my mentor once told me, “the skills that got you to this point are not the skills that are going to take you to the next level.”
If you want to scale your business, it’s important to grow to a place where you can delegate tasks. In the past couple of years, I have begun outsourcing parts of the process to talented contractors I trust.
It has allowed me to zoom out a bit and focus on acquiring more clients, nurturing relationships, making more money and ultimately having a bit more free time in my personal life.
Name a time where you failed – and how you recovered from it.
I recently had to step back from my work because I was experiencing panic attacks/work burnout. It was a very difficult moment in my life. I got into therapy, worked through a lot of tough feelings, and was able to get back on track and back to work.
I recovered from my panic disorder by prioritizing my mental and physical health and creating new work boundaries with my colleagues and clients.
Mental health is very important. Without a strong mental health foundation, everything else risks falling apart.
The good news is I feel stronger now than ever and my vision and purpose are laser sharp.
Tell us a major win you’re proud of.
My childhood hero was Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and now he is my primary client. I’d say that’s the biggest win of my career so far!
What made you join the Collective community?
I was tired of working with old-timey accountants who never returned my calls or emails. All of my past accounting had been so confusing and frustrating.
Collective was the promise of finally having my finances and backend books make sense. And they continue to deliver every month.