Start your business from scratch and thrive!
Interview with millennial musician and entrepreneur Dan White
Many people don’t consider themselves entrepreneurs because they don’t see what they do as a business. That group of people is often full of creatives, which success depends, not only in the quality of their product but mostly in that relationship with their audience.
A good creative (or entrepreneur) isn’t only good because of the music, painting, sculpture or the experience they present to the audience, but also because they develop strong relationships with them who later become fans, followers, buyers and advocates of their masterpieces as they feel connected to them, so yes, “ the success of your business highly depends on building trusting relationships with your customers and potential ones”.
Starting a project from scratch, whatever you want to call it -business, side hustle, that thing you do to make a couple of bucks, the crafts you’ll love to sell, that song that you’ve been writing, etc.- can be scary, specially when it is something personal, something that shows the world a side of you that perhaps not many people have seen. But the only way of expressing and sharing it with all those who need to see it, and who’ll benefit from it, is by taking a leap of faith and doing it.
To talk about how to set up a successful business from the ground while building and maintain excellent relationships with the audience (customer), we have interviewed the millennial artist and musician Dan White, Composer, Saxophonist and Educator based in New York City. Dan has toured internationally and released five albums as a bandleader of the renowned Huntertones band, a project that started with classmates in college and today is Dan’s main space of expression, projection, and income.
The Huntertones have spent the last two years touring North and South America, Europe, and Africa. Their latest release, Passport, is a collection of songs inspired by their experiences sharing music with people from all over the world, and today, Dan will walk us around his experience of building a band from scratch, to growing the business and moving to New York.
In our conversation, Dan has detailed the strategies and ideas that set up his band to be a total success from the moment he was in college until today. It is the means by which he not only does what he loves the most, but also how he earns a living, and although many artists and entrepreneurs don’t see it that way, their name, products, and creations are their brand, hence their business. If they couldn’t make a living out of it, it will probably be a hobby or a career in the making.
These people who have found a way of paying their bills doing what they love aren’t only entrepreneurs, but also a role model for others trying to attain the same. In this first take of our interview, Dan and I will be talking about:
- How was the process of creating a band (business) from scratch?
- What were the challenges and strategies he took the first years to ensure he would provide their customer with their best product “music that anybody could enjoy”
- The importance of taking every opportunity to incorporate feedback into their music (product) and make it better for their fans (customers).
- Knowing and leveraging his competitive advantage: Knowing your product so well that you can easily differentiate from others.
- The growing pains… opportunities and challenges.
What Dan told me were the keys to success:
- Always look for ways of reinventing yourself, creativity is your best friend.
- To ensure the band and his idea of living out of making music would work, he had to learn from people he saw to be successful and seek to be surrounded by them. “I saw them making a career out of this and I also liked what they were doing, they became my role models”
- “Growing is hard, the first year is hard when you need to make a living and the phone is not ringing… and you need to make it happen: you say yes to stuff… sometimes you are surprised by what can you accomplish and sometimes you know you did it for the money but that it’s not your thing”. And, that’s ok, just go and try until you find your jam. Testing is important for every business, not only to thrive but also to provide the best possible product to your customers -the best music you can deliver in Dan’s case.
- “Growing is stressful, to say the least, but it is also exciting”. For Dan and his band, learning from their advantages and making the best out of them was the key to find their place in New York: “We took advantage of our strengths… we were on each other’s brain, we were a unit, and bands and units is something that New York doesn’t necessarily have”.
- “Learning from your performances/gigs, successes and failures on a daily basis is a must”. Know that there will always be an opportunity to make it better, there will always be another day. It is the best way to provide high quality and stay relevant.
- ”Giving back is an extension of the performance, is about being honest and giving something you are passionate about to people”.
What we can learn from Dan:
- Once you’ve decided what to do, get really clear about your strengths, what sets you apart.
- Evaluate your options, what do you like and what you don’t. What truly resonates with you.
- Start offering value for free to captivate your audience, let them get to know you and trust your expertise and ability to solve their problem.
- Look for your “ideal client” (that type of people to whom you can serve the most) within your new audience, get curious about what they want and need, and think about how you can provide that.
- Strategize towards growth. Once you have gained your audience, start doing offerings where you can monetize your added value (what you offer: your knowledge, your experience, your product – that ultimate way in which you can solve your customer’s problems).
- As you grow, make sure you continue to improve your product and surpass your client’s expectations. Being consistently better every time, this is the key to remain relevant and sustainable. Consider consistency with your brand, your values and the ultimate “why” you do what you do.
- Think about sustainability in every decision you make. Make sure that you are making an impact on your customers and create strong relationships, so they constantly get back to you for solutions to their problems.
- Give back every time you can, it’s for your own good, your customer’s and society. Giving back ensures not only providing opportunities to other people but also, building a legacy so you can grow bigger than you ever thought while people around you are equipped to grow with you. That’s the essence of becoming a real influencer.
Don’t miss the second part of this interview where we will be expanding on giving back and how it can set you up as an influencer in your domain! It will be released soon, stay tuned!
With much love,
P.S.: Have you considered starting or getting a “side hustle”, a business, or making a living out of that thing you love? How has it looked like for you? Let me know! Let’s connect at osmary@osmarytorres.ca.
P.S.S: Don’t forget to follow the Huntertones band: http://www.huntertones.com/ and Dan White: http://www.dan-white-music.com/ !!!