As a self-employed musician, looking at your bank account isn’t the only indicator of how well your career is doing. It’s important to see yourself as a complete business. I learned about the importance of reflecting on your business each week from Dan Kennedy, in his book,
No BS Time Management for Entrepreneurs (affiliate link). Thank you in advance for all your support should you decide to purchase through my affiliate link.Transparency is important to me, so I’ve decided to be as candid with you as I possibly can about my business, without compromising the privacy of any client, vendor, partner, sponsor, or organization that I have a relationship with. I invite you to give me your feedback below so that I can learn more about how to serve people better. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this.
What I Know This Week That I Didn’t Know About:
My Business
Reading EntreLeadership (affiliate link) by Dave Ramsey has really ruffled my feathers. It’s a great book and it made me very uncomfortable because it was honest…brutally honest. I promised myself that I will revisit it again at some point this year.
One tactic that I have begun to apply from the book was having a meeting with myself on Monday before beginning my work day. In this meeting, I check in with myself and review goals, money, new sales, new opportunities, frustrations, delegation, and systems within my business.
NOTE: The first meeting went well, however I had to have a few firm talks with myself about where my time is spent.
In this month’s issue of : Entrepreneur Magazine (affiliate link), Chris Brogan wrote a great article titled, How to Find More Time in Your Day. The one tip that I felt compelled to apply right away was having a “Zero Tolerance List.” Chris said, “Make a list of things you need to stop doing so you can devote more time and focus to your business instead.” My list includes: checking my phone, email, checking Facebook, checking Twitter, checking Yahoo News, and visiting CNN’s website.
My Industry as a Whole
There are so many untapped markets in the music industry. As much as I write about “thinking outside of the box”, I admit that it can be a challenge for me.
To put it into practice, I’m taking advantage of a new opportunity that has been giving me some incredible income and has zero competition. It’s already giving me great satisfaction, lots of performance opportunities, and the right amount of money. In fact, every time asked what I’d like to be paid and I answer with the number that I feel is right, I get that number!
As this opportunity is grows, there will be more press about it and buzz about it…along with some copycats.
My Competition
One of my drummer friends borrowed some of my music gear from me last week. After she returned it, she bought me lunch. She’s doing some great projects that are building momentum. I am proud of her and look forward to helping her in any way that I can. My friendship with her is an example of how I view competition: there is enough to go around for everybody.
My Clients as a Group:
Everyone seems happier these days and I sense a good vibe overall. Is it something I’m doing? Warmer weather? Improved economy?
My Top 10 Clients:
After a nice lunch with one of my clients, he openly and warmly invited me to propose some ways we could work together more collaboratively. He pays me well already and always goes out of his way to help me. I believe in what he does and he has expressed so much confidence in me. I am excited about this opportunity and will be moving forward with this.
Another client expressed much appreciation for how I hold myself accountable to her. This made me feel good. Holding myself accountable has become one of my top marketing strategies. It’s simple, free, honest, and everyone involved wins.
I invite you to give me your feedback below and be sure to check out the book,
No BS Time Management for Entrepreneurs (affiliate link).
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