Taking your music career seriously means seeing it, to some degree, as a small business.
To gain objectivity, look at your current project or venture the way a consultant would. Ask yourself the basic questions a mentor or a coach might ask to clarify where you are now and what’s needed next.
For help, take a look at this set of questions from a terrific Berklee Today article, Musicians Are Natural Entrepreneurs by Eric Jensen. (Thanks to Michael Gaskins for giving me a copy!).
Whether you are performing, teaching, recording an album, building a software platform, or opening a restaurant, you face the same key small business CEO questions.
Jensen reminds us that at “its essence, business is the process of creating and sharing value. To do so successfully . . . answer some basic questions:
- Who are your customers? [think fans, audience members, students] Where do they hang out? How do they want to engage with you?
- How does your business create value? What need does your product or service meet? What problem are you solving?
- How will you take in more money than you spend?
- How will you address competition and future disruption? What makes you unique and how will you continue to innovate?
- How will you build and manage a team to realize your vision?
- How will people find out about you, become your fans, and stay connected?”
To these I would add a seventh:
• WHY? As in, why are you doing this? Why now? and Why should I care?
The Why is essential for effective communication and promotion, as well as for staying motivated, and building a team.
In thinking about your current project and situation, if you don’t have answers to some of these questions, you may need additional thinking, research, or advising. Get the input you need to move ahead.
For this week: Be your own coach and answer these 7 questions. Sit down at a cafe or your favorite quiet spot. Take out a notebook and write down your answers. As always, I’d love to hear what this brings up for you!
