Independence Day

Today is the 4th of July, also known as Independence Day in the United States.  Got up this morning with that on my mind and also thinking about my own independence, not from England, but from doing things that I don't enjoy...like working a dayjob.

As musicians, I know this is something that you guys can relate to.  I was out yesterday and overheard somebody next to me talking about how many musicians there are in Nashville.

She joked to her friend, "You're a musician?  Which restaurant?"

Yeah, a joke for some people, but not if you're living it.  Believe me, I know the frustration of getting a company off the ground while paying the bills doing something else.  And I know how much it stings to have somebody say, "But what do you really do?" after you've told them you're in the music business.

I posted something here on July 4, 2005, with thoughts on why people continue to stay stuck and what to do about it.  Was going to repost it today, because I feel it's a very important message, but just hit the link if you're interested.  Today I'm going to share part of my own story of breaking away from working for somebody else.

For more info on me, you may find it helpful to read the "quick and dirty" timeline of my company.  As I mentioned there, "There is certainly more to the story of how I got to where I am today. Like a musician, things don't just happen overnight.  You have to have a foundation in place and be solid with each step you take, before you can take the next one."

Here's the "more" part of the story; the story of my Independence Day.

For the first few years, while I was still getting things going, things were pretty tight.  I'm not exaggerating when I say that I was once down to $.11 in my bank account.  Pretty scary...especially for my girlfriend at the time, who thought that working for somebody else meant stability.

I'm sure you can relate to the pressure.  Just the pressure you put on yourself can be enormous.  And dealing with that is one of the main reasons musicians (and others) never break away from a dayjob.  It has nothing to do with musical talent or skill...they fail before they even begin.

Many people find this hard to believe, but I wasn't one of those guys who always set out to own his own business.  I figured I'd just work for somebody and make tons of money that way.  Or maybe my music would take off and I'd be able to live off publishing royalties.

The problem was that I'm not any good at working for somebody.  With a couple of exceptions, I've been fired from every job I've ever had...and I've had a lot.  I once counted them all up and it was something like 26.  Some for just a couple of days, but most for a month or two.

I wasn't fitting the mold.  The only option was to take my "music business" and go full time with it.  So that's what I did...or tried to do.

The issue was consistency.  I was making money, but the "cash flow" wasn't there.  I remember making $3000 in a day once and thinking, "This is it.  I've finally done it."  $3000/day is great...if you can keep it up.  I wasn't able to.

So I'd do my business, get low of funds, get scared, get a dayjob, get some more money, and quit.  Or I'd get a dayjob, be frustrated at myself for being there, start acting like a jerk, and get fired.

This system works, but it's not the most effective way of doing things.  The key to growing a business is momentum.  You can't get things going in a successful way if you're always stopping to change direction.

The turning point for me happened quickly, although the process to get there, the 26 jobs I'd previously worked, the mental clarity I had developed, and everything else which needed to come into play took years to arrive.

I was working a job in the marketing department for a large telecommunications company.  It was my fifth day on the job.  Like the other jobs before it, I didn't want to be there.  I remembered pulling in the underground parking garage that day, very close to being late, with that very familiar, agitated feeling, which make me think of what it must feel like to be locked in a cage.

When I arrived at my desk, I had no chair.

I asked one of my co-workers, "Where's my chair?"

"Katherine took it," she said.

And with that, I was off.  Found Katherine and proceeded to give her a piece of my mind.  And she came back at me with just as much force.

The confrontation got so bad that the receptionist got scared and called security.  When that happened, the big boss was called in, too.

Long story short, after talking with the boss, who wasn't very happy, but was extremely understanding, I was given the option to quit or go back to work.  As I had only been on the job four days, I didn't have any vacation time to go home and think about things.

So I quit.  Part of it was ego-- I wasn't going to go back to work with my tail between my legs.  I was going to fight to the end, even if it meant I would be in a tough financial situation.

I remember driving away that day, out of the underground parking garage and into the sunlight, thinking, "This is different.  No more dayjobs.  This time it's for real."

But after a few hours, I was looking through the local paper, checking out "opportunities" in the classified section.

Then I remembered the feeling I had driving away, seeing the skyscraper in my rear view mirror...

So I decided to make things stick.  I decided to make things stick.

Nothing was different about my "outside" skills.  I wasn't any better at marketing music that day than I had been just a few days earlier.  But my entire mindset had changed.  Something stuck, which hadn't been so clear to me before.

This is one of the reasons I write so much about mindset here.  The "procedures" for marketing and promoting music are important and definitely a part of what it takes to make money in this business, but mindset is much more important, in my opinion.  Without mindset, you have nothing to build on.

The funny thing is that very few people talk about this stuff.  Maybe they naturals at it and don't realize they're doing it.  Or maybe they feel other people won't get it.

Some people won't get it.  Those people usually have dayjobs and are satisfied with where they are.

But some people do get it.  And these are the people I'm talking to.  While many of these people have dayjobs...they won't for long.

When you "get" it, it's impossible to keep a dayjob.

I've seen it happen again and again, in my own life, in the lives of my clients, and in the lives of the guests I interview on Music Business Radio...

When you make the decision to make things happen, they happen.

Sounds weird, I know...unless you get it.  And if you don't get it, but want to, hang out here a bit more, get a free subscription, read what I'm saying, and you will.

You will get it.  In fact, you're probably a lot closer to it than you realize.  The process is a lot like a string of Christmas lights-- until all of them are working, none of them work.

Have a great independence day!

Comments

[stinson]

hey david-

i have not commented on your blog for a while b/c i've had my nose to the grindstone working on my startup. but your story here inspired me. i feel like it is exactly what i am going through right now.

i do listen to music business radio a lot, and often get inspired by the stories the guests tell. i feel like i can identify with those stories, and it gives me hope that i am on the right path. occasionally i hear something about a project that i have had the pleasure of working on, and that gets me fired up too.

i learn a lot through the content that you publish here on this blog, and on your radio show. thanks for the inspiring post. happy 4th...

[Nancy]

Making the decision. I remember watching Robert Downey, Jr. being interviewed on Oprah (forgive me. I watch Oprah) and when she asked him if it's been hard being clean and sober for so many years now, he said, "No." She was shocked. "No?," she asked. "Really?" Downey said, "Yeah, staying clean isn't what's hard. It's making the decision that's hard."

It's making the decision that there's no turning back. This is it. Like you did about having a job. REALLY making the decision and the consequences that come with it.

Thank you for this post. It speaks a truth that can be applied to any choice we must make as musicians, as artists. Not just the choice to break free of the day job, but the decision to finally take oneself seriously as an artist... whether you pursue music as a career or avocation.