TEM235: Is your networking proactive?
Why you need a proactive strategy when it comes to networking and a trap that's easy to fall into even when you are working hard.
Read MoreWhy you need a proactive strategy when it comes to networking and a trap that's easy to fall into even when you are working hard.
Read More**Going to a conference? Here are some things that have been helpful for me. pic.twitter.com/VnyIy598Xc
— Xiao'an Li - Let's Tweet Helpful Things (@lxiaoan) October 26, 2019
This is one hell of a list! I am particularly fond of these ones:
#1 Network sideways - This is a really important one. The lesson here is not to only network sideways. Introducing yourself to the big fish at a conference is frequently a good idea, especially when you won’t have the opportunity to elsewhere. But networking sideways as Li calls it is vital. Those are the people you can really provide value for and they will be happy that you bothered them.
#2 Mostly listen - My wife is very popular. Everybody loves her. Not that there’s only one reason but a big reason is a rule she has for herself: Any time someone asks her a question about herself she makes sure to ask the other person two questions about themselves. She learns more that way and everyone likes talking about themselves, especially when asked!
#5 Be especially nice to the new and terrified - That is something that will never be forgotten by another person. The main reason to do this is to be a good human. But it will also pay dividends for you down the road in a business sense if you do it regularly.
#7 The bit of “black magic” as he calls it - This one needs to be shouted for the people in the back. Take one minute to Google someone and you can learn an awful lot. I also do this when playing gigs. If everyone’s contact info is visible on an email I will look up each person on Facebook. I learn who they are, what they are into, and most importantly, what mutual friends we have. This is huge at conferences, on gigs, in life.
I’m glad I ran across this list. It’s a good one!
Episode 8 of TEM Extra is available exclusively to supporters of The Entrepreneurial Musician. Become one today!
On Today's TEM Extra:
Networking advice
The Seth Godin 90-Day Challenge
Defining success for yourself and not just limiting that definition to direct financial gain
Listen via:
iTunes
Spotify
SoundCloud
Stitcher
TEM119: A heartfelt thank you and the TEM Thanksgiving Challenge
This episode is a heartfelt thank you to all of you for supporting TEM plus a challenge for all TEM listeners.
Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed, links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:
http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes
Don't miss the debut of the TEM Newsletter! Sign up to receive a free copy of 7 Lessons Learned from the First 100 Episodes of TEM.
1. Help me get to my goal of $50 per episode on Patreon by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast.
2. Help me get to my goal of 75 ratings at iTunes by leaving a rating and review.
Follow TEM on Instagram and Twitter and Facebook
And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.
Produced by Andrew Hitz for Pedal Note Media
Listen via:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
SoundCloud
Stitcher
TEM90: Networking the wrong way
Why it's vitally important to never pitch someone the wrong way and the one thing you have to keep in mind to make sure you're not.
Topics Covered:
3:49 - Signing people up for your newsletter without their permission (and why it is so wrong on so many levels)
8:50 - The emails (including a response to my request to unsubscribe that was nothing short of priceless) I received from someone in the business last week that inspired this episode
13:51 - How to successfully pitch me to be a guest on TEM and why I haven't interviewed a ton of podcasters
16:20 - Why the odds of sending a form letter to someone to pitch them will obviously have an incredibly slim chance of really lining up with that person's needs and a rather special email pitch that Seth Godin once shared about
18:27 - The way to network the wrong way on social media like Instagram and Twitter
23:10 - Why it's vitally important to never pitch anyone the wrong way and the one thing you have to keep in mind to make sure you're not
Links:
The Mockingbird Foundation
Garrett Hope: Episode 57
Jason Heath: Episode 62
Hugh Sung: Episode 54
@TEMPodcast on Instagram and Twitter
@Pray4Jens on Instagram and Twitter
There are two ways you can support TEM!
You can help me reach two specific goals I've set for TEM:
1. Help me get to $25 per episode on Patreon by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast
2. Help me get to my goal of 50 ratings at iTunes by leaving a rating and review.
And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.
Produced by Joey Santillo
Listen via:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
SoundCloud
Stitcher
TEM59: Garrett Hope of the Portfolio Composer Podcast on the skills needed in the freelance economy, thinking about art as a business and the power of outsourcing
Garrett Hope is the host of The Portfolio Composer Podcast, a composer, a bass player, owns a piano tuning company and is a consultant.
Note: Since we recorded this interview, Garrett has rebranded his podcast, Composer On Fire, as The Portfolio Composer Podcast.
Topics Covered:
How entrepreneurial thinking led him to ultimately choose bass over guitar as his primary instrument
The factors that led to him getting turned off by academia which led him to becoming an entrepreneur
How starting a piano tuning business made him realize he needed to apply the same entrepreneurial principles to his music career
The skills musicians need as the world moves more and more towards a freelance economy (and they don't teach them in music school)
The challenge of thinking about art as a business
Why it's imperative to identify exactly who your audience is
The importance of having a rich network to utilize when trying to serve a specific niche
How Garrett came to have world-renowned thought leader Seth Godin as a "guest" on his podcast
The audacity of asking
The power of asking "And then what?" to get to the bottom of fear
The Brand Fascination Assessment Test
The power of outsourcing (even though it can be scary to spend money on things)
Understanding cash flow as a small business owner and the importance of keeping good records
Why we've all networked already on some level
How networking is the bread and butter of a musician's life
How to create a spreadsheet to get organized about your networking
Links:
Books:
Favorite Quote:
"In 10 years, more than 50% of the workforce will be freelancers. That's where we're heading and musicians need to be prepared for that."
You can help offset the ongoing costs of producing the show by making a small donation at http://www.pedalnotemedia.com/support-the-entrepreneurial-musician. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Produced by Austin Boyer of FredBrass
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Seth Hanes of "The Musician's Guide to Hustling" about a whole bunch of topics including:
How I went from graduate school right into Boston Brass
Developing Passive Income Generators (or PIGs)
Simple tools that any musician can use to market themselves
The importance of your reputation preceding you when it comes to networking
It was a very fun conversation that covers a lot of ground on the business side of the music business. Thanks again to Seth for the opportunity!
Listen via:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
SoundCloud
Stitcher
TEM8: Thoughts on networking (TEM Short)
The Entrepreneurial Musician is now posting weekly!
I will still be posting an interview every other week but the following week will now feature a very short episode with me discussing one of the topics the previous guest touched on.
For this week's episode, I am reflecting on Jeff Conner's comments on networking from Episode 7. Many musicians are good are networking but not a lot of them are great at networking so this is an opportunity for any of us to get a leg up on the competition.
Links:
Books:
Want to help "keep the lights on" and make future episodes of TEM possible? Please visit our Patreon page to see how you can help:
https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast
Produced by Austin Boyer and Buddy Deshler of FredBrass
Listen via
iTunes
Spotify
Soundcloud
Stitcher
TEM7: Jeff Conner of Boston Brass
Jeff Conner has performed in over 30 countries on 4 continents with his brass quintet, Boston Brass. Jeff talks about how they went from a college group playing small gigs around the Boston area to an internationally touring, full-time ensemble.
Topics Covered:
How he got a powerful Boston businessman to financially support Boston Brass
The importance of having mentors that inspire you
Perseverance being a key to success
Not being afraid of the word no
Networking being a longterm process
Why developing your own brand is essential
The book he wrote with John Laverty, The Porfolio Musician, in which they detail the careers of over 40 different musicians
Links:
Books:
Want to help "keep the lights on" and make future episodes of TEM possible? Please visit our Patreon page to see how you can help:
https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast
Produced by Austin Boyer and Buddy Deshler of FredBrass