Part 2 of the TechVision Story
When we left TechVision, they were six months into their “content dream team” experiment.
€121,800 spent. Minimal results. Board asking uncomfortable questions.
The CMO was stressed. The CEO was frustrated. The content team was burned out.
Something had to change.
The Consultant Who Asked One Question
The CEO brought in a consultant. Someone who’d worked with dozens of companies on content operations.
In the first meeting, the consultant asked a single question:
“If your videographer quit tomorrow, how long would it take to get back to normal production?”
The CMO thought about it. “Six weeks? Maybe eight?”
“And if your social media manager left?”
“Same. Maybe longer.”
“And if both left at the same time?”
Silence.
“That’s your problem,” the consultant said. “You’ve built a house of cards. One person leaves, everything collapses. That’s not a system. That’s a dependency.”
The System vs. People Revelation
The consultant drew a simple diagram:
Traditional Content Team:
Person A → Task 1
Person B → Task 2
Person C → Task 3
Person D → Task 4
“If Person A leaves, Task 1 stops. You need to hire, train, ramp up. That’s 6-8 weeks of disruption.”
Then he drew another diagram:
System-Based Content Operation:
System → Task 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…
↓
Flexible resource pool (in-house + external)
“In a system, tasks are standardized. Quality is consistent. If one resource isn’t available, another slots in seamlessly. No disruption. No ramp-up time.”
The CMO leaned forward. “How do you build that?”
The Three Pillars of a Content System
The consultant explained that every successful content operation has three pillars:
PILLAR 1: Standardized Workflows
Not “creative freedom to do whatever.”
But: Clear processes for every content type.
- How videos are briefed → shot → edited → approved → published
- How graphics are requested → designed → revised → delivered
- How social content is planned → created → scheduled → analyzed
Every piece of content follows the same path. No chaos. No “winging it.”
PILLAR 2: Centralized Asset Management
Not files scattered across Dropbox, Google Drive, and people’s laptops.
But: One system where everything lives.
- All raw footage organized and searchable
- All brand assets version-controlled
- All past content catalogued and reusable
- All project files backed up and accessible
No more “can someone send me that logo?” emails.
PILLAR 3: Data-Driven Optimization
Not “posting and hoping.”
But: Clear metrics tracked for every piece of content.
- What’s getting engagement?
- What’s driving leads?
- What’s wasting budget?
- What should we do more of?
Decisions based on data, not opinions.
TechVision’s Radical Decision
The CEO asked the question everyone was thinking:
“This sounds great. But we already have a team. Are you saying we should fire everyone and start over?”
“No,” the consultant said. “I’m saying you have two options:”
Option 1: Keep your current team, but implement these systems. Retrain everyone. Change how you operate. Fight resistance to change. Hope everyone adapts.
Timeline: 6-12 months
Success rate: ~40%
Cost: Current burn + system implementation
Option 2: Partner with an external operation that already has these systems built. Use them as your content engine. Keep one internal person to manage strategy and brand.
Timeline: 30 days
Success rate: ~85%
Cost: 60-70% less than current burn
The CEO looked at the numbers.
“Option 2. Let’s do it.”
The 30-Day Transformation
TechVision partnered with a content production company that operated on the system model.
Here’s what happened:
Week 1: Audit & Strategy
- Full content audit
- Brand guidelines documented
- 90-day content calendar created
- Workflows established
Week 2: Production Ramp-Up
- First batch of videos shot
- Social content calendar filled 30 days ahead
- Website redesign assets created
- Email templates designed
Week 3: Optimization
- First performance data analyzed
- Underperforming content identified
- Strategy adjusted based on results
- Additional content produced
Week 4: Scale
- Full production velocity achieved
- 4 videos completed
- 30 social posts published
- Website redesign launched
- 2 case studies written
The Results After 90 Days
Let’s compare:
OLD MODEL (6 months):
- Cost: €121,800
- Output: 3 videos, 47 social posts, 2 blogs
- Team drama: Constant
- CEO satisfaction: 3/10
NEW MODEL (3 months):
- Cost: €18,000
- Output: 12 videos, 90 social posts, 8 blogs, full website redesign
- Team drama: Zero
- CEO satisfaction: 9/10
Cost savings: 85%
Output increase: 300%+
What Made the Difference?
The external partner had something TechVision’s team didn’t:
✅ Redundancy – One person sick? No problem. System keeps running.
✅ Specialization – Each person does what they’re best at, repeatedly. Efficiency compounds.
✅ Scalability – Need more content? Add resources without adding overhead.
✅ Predictability – Every project follows the same workflow. No surprises.
✅ Technology – AI-assisted editing, automated workflows, cloud collaboration.
It wasn’t about hiring “better people.”
It was about having a better system.
The One Thing TechVision Kept In-House
They didn’t outsource everything.
They kept one senior person internally: A Content Director.
Her job wasn’t to create content. It was to:
- Set strategic direction
- Maintain brand standards
- Review and approve final work
- Analyze performance data
- Interface with the external partner
One person. €6,000/month. Zero overhead.
Everything else? Handled by the system.
The CEO’s Reflection (One Year Later)
I spoke with TechVision’s CEO twelve months after the switch.
“Best decision we made all year,” he said. “We were so focused on building a team that we forgot to ask what we actually needed. We didn’t need warm bodies in seats. We needed content that drives results.”
“Now we get more content, better quality, lower cost, and zero drama. And our Content Director isn’t stressed about HR issues or equipment failures. She’s focused on strategy.”
“I wish we’d done this from day one.”
The Lesson for Every Business
Here’s what TechVision learned the hard way:
Your content operation should work like your accounting.
You don’t hire a full-time CFO, controller, bookkeeper, and tax specialist for a mid-sized company.
You have one finance person internally and outsource the rest to professionals who do it systematically.
Why should content be different?
Continue Reading: “The 7 Signs Your Content Operation Is Actually Broken (And You Don’t Know It)” →
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