Lights! Camera! Action!  "Oops, I didn't know you were actually going to film EVERYTHING."  That's what small business owners are learning as they let TV cameras into their businesses and their lives 24/7.  Most like Duff Goldman who owns Charm City Cakes LLC in Baltimore, which is now featured on the Food Network's "Ace of Cakes, would say that if they had read the fine print in their contracts, they would have probably said no.  "But we learned to deal with it all," claims Goldman in an interview with WSJ journalist Emily Maltby.  His business found that because of the intrusion of the film crew, they were making fewer of the unique cakes for which they're known, which meant less revenue. To make up the loss, Goldman had to develop licensing deals, write books, and do speaking gigs.  He did receive money for doing the show, but it wasn't enough to make you do the show for the money.

In Goldman's case, customers don't mind if their sugary concoctions become the stars of a particular episode, probably because the customers themselves are not showcased, but what about retail type small businesses where customers would end up being center stage in whatever drama was going on?  You might want to think twice about risking those delicate relationships.  Besides, who wants a camera in their face while they're getting a pedicure or having their hair cut.  Apparently, salons are not that interesting anyway as Jane Park of Seattle's Julep Nail Parlor found out after Screaming Flea Productions (the name alone should have been a clue) filmed for three days in her salon and couldn't sell the idea of a woman-owned business to women-focused networks like Oxygen and WE.  Park was actually happy it didn't work out.  Launching a new business has enough headaches without having all the glitches recorded for posterity.

A couple years ago or so, I was approached to do a realty TV show that involved a professor teaching a group of young women how to become entrepreneurs.  OK, so far, so good. But as an experienced business person, I was wise enough to ask a few more questions before agreeing to let them use my name.  Turns out the group of "young women" came out of the adult entertainment industry.  I could definitely envision where the minds of the producers were going and the person who wasn't going to come out so good in this deal was me.  I could see the headlines ("Respected University Professor Seeks Fame in Adult Entertainment") and my reputation in my field going up in smoke.  The show did apparently move forward, but so did I, in a different direction.  That's not the kind of fame I want.

Before you take your business and your reputation into the harsh arena of Reality TV, consider whether the upside is worth it.  Realty TV needs viewers, and to get viewers you can't show a business that is running smoothly where everyone's happy.  Unfortunately today, no one wants to watch that.  All I can say is, choose wisely. The wrong choice could really hurt you and your business.