Being an entrepreneur is hard. Being an entrepreneur in the music industry can have a separate set of challenges all its own. If you’re a musician trying to build a career in music, guess what? You’re an entrepreneur.
Always being the one to make the decisions, all while trying to create art you can be proud of and share with an ever-hopefully-growing fanbase is a tall mountain to climb. Just when you’ve felt you’ve conquered your climb, there’s a bigger boulder waiting in the wings for you to overcome.
In front of that boulder is often a gate-keeper - someone you’ll need to ask permission from to pass. It could be a venue owner deciding whether or not you get the gig; it could be a music supervisor deciding whether or not to license your song.
In order to make any progress on your climb you MUST deal with the fear of rejection. You have to realize that there is only one sure-fire way to make sure you don’t progress upwards - failing to take a chance on asking for what you want.
There is one scenario in which you will ALWAYS hear “No” - the one where you don’t ask.
Other than that, there is always a chance you could hear “Yes!” So why not up your chances of getting what you want and simply ask for it?
I've been fortunate to get many clients through referrals, but there comes a point where one's own community becomes saturated and you have to expand your network.
It became clear to me a few years back that I'd have to create my own opportunities to meet new potential clients. No one was going to offer me what I wanted if I wasn't out there letting people know I existed.
So I started asking questions.
Who in my current network knew individuals with whom I wanted to connect?
I began sending out emails to existing relationships simply asking them to let me know if they knew of anyone I should be reaching out to and connecting with in the industry.
That lead to a number of "I'm sorry I can't think of anyone" responses, but it also lead to a few key introductions, which is all you ever need, for which I am forever grateful. And I didn't stop there.
I also made a list of people I'd absolutely LOVE to get to know but to which I had no mutual connection. Like former CD Baby founder, Derek Sivers.
It seemed like a shot in the dark, but I sent him an email introducing myself and just letting him know how awesome I thought he was. The result - an email back thanking me for my genuine outreach and over a year later we are still corresponding every few months.
Over the last year a number of major influencers in the industry have referred me to some pretty great opportunities. But there are still people I want to reach who have no idea who I am (I know, I'm just as shocked as you are).
One day I took matters into my own hands again and decided I wanted more speaking engagements.
I made a list of festivals I would like to attend and I began reaching out. The result - I immediately booked 3 new opportunities and a few more have responded with a "give us some more time we will let you know shortly."
Even if the others said, "no thanks," I got 3 opportunities that never would have happened without me asking. In addition, even the ones who say no are now in my network of contacts. They know who I am and that I exist. If they say no this time, they may say yes the next time.
So what do you want?
Who do you want to know? Don't wait for the universe to set up your meet cute. Get out there! Aim high, but be smart about it. Do your research and don't come out of the gate screaming "me! me! me!"
Put the effort into making a real connection.
It all comes back to Know, Like, Trust. People want to help the people they know. Let them get to know you. People like to have the focus on them. So make it about them. People trust others who stand by their word. So stay honest and accountable.
At the end of the day, you can’t do it alone. So dig deep inside, and funnel your passion for what you want into the bravery you need to keep asking the right questions. When you hear “No,” understand that that only means you didn’t ask the right person; it doesn’t mean you are not the right person. Keep going. Keep climbing. Keep asking.