How I built a 6-figure business as a producer, one step at a time

Whenever I meet somebody new, the conversation usually goes a little something like this….

Them: So what do you do?

Me:  I’m a musician.

Them: Oh that’s nice!  What do you do for work?

Me:  I’m a pro musician

Them:  I mean what’s your actual job that pays the bills?

Me:  I’m a pro musician that makes a living producing from my home studio for various projects for film/tv/commercials, and for clients all over the world.

Them:  {Looks at me confused}

Whether it’s my fiance’s parents, somebody I’m meeting at a public place, or new acquaintances , nobody really comprehends that there’s an entire industry of professional musicians that not only make a great living, but that we’re doing it from our home studios…

…and that we’re quite possibly the very people behind some of the TV shows, commercials, and...

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is today."
-Chinese Proverb

This might sound crazy but…

I truly believe that in this day and age, having a home studio is just as important as having strings on your guitar.

And I think the pandemic showed us that working from home is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity.

Which is why right now is the best time ever to build your home studio and start your production company. 

3 Reasons Why Now is the Best Time to Start a Production Company 

1) A Financially Smart Move for Music Producers

Starting your production company is now more cost effective than ever before. 

If you have a laptop, you could build a functioning home studio for under $1000 and be production-ready in a weekend! 

I love the saying “use what you got until what you got pays for what you want”

Case in point: My first home studio consisted of a used interface ($300), a used mic ($200),  and a wonky used...

The ONE Question Every 6-Figure Producer Needs to Ask Themselves:
^{_{AKA Why I stopped chasing “record deals” to find true happiness as a songwriter}}

I got kicked out of the house when I was 15 years old.

I’ve been on my own ever since, always struggling, always hustling, and always living in survival mode.

I’ve lived with friends’ parents, on people’s couches, and even in my car at one point.  

I was always that friend that my more successful friends always had to pick up the tab for if we went out to dinner.

I always had “hand-me-down”... well… everything…

…from furniture, to clothes, to makeup, you name it.

And I wouldn’t even think of buying myself anything new until the duct tape that held the old thing together was falling apart.

Still, my big “why” in wanting to build a successful career as a musician was so much more than just wanting financial freedom. I wanted to be a 6-figure...

You are what you eat,

You sound like what you listen to!

When we first start playing music we do it purely out of passion; we stay up late playing guitar on the edge of our bed or sing that crazy vocal run over and over until we’ve finally nailed it! We have music inside of us that we can’t wait to get out.  

We put in the work to learn our instruments, write freely from the heart, and ideas pour out of us.

But where do the ideas come from? What shapes our sound?

THE ANSWER:
Our influences! 

It’s the albums & songs you played endlessly on your bedroom floor.

That music you heard throughout your life, but especially growing up, that is now embedded in you. It was your input and it became your OUTPUT. I’m sure some of your first songs sounded almost like copies of the artists you listened to growing up, I know mine did...sorry Pantera. And though you’ve (hopefully) grown past copying other people's songs you still sound like what...

Hey, producers and producers in the making,

Do you ever feel like you’re frustrated with where you’re at? Maybe even a little stuck? Perhaps you’re a busy body (like me), but lately, you feel like you’ve been standing still, even though you’re busier than ever! Even though I know we've all been reassured that feeling stuck is normal, it's more than that: it's part of the process to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Maybe I can reframe things for you? Instead of being stuck, you might just be the rubber band in a slingshot, feeling like you're going nowhere, or maybe even backward, but if you stick with it, BAM!, like a slingshot, you'll shoot forward as a result!

You might be in a place where all you need is a little push or something to set you up to launch. Check out this free resource, and see if it can help you get moving again!

https://www.producelikeaboss.com/freelooptutorial

We wear so many hats in our businesses as independent...

I’m so pumped for this because the blog you’re about to read today is part 1 of 5 in a powerful series I’ve put together for my aspiring producers called “Boss Producer Business”

In this series, I’m going to walk you through the steps it takes to go from being an unpaid amateur to a paid professional producer.  

I’m also going to give you a sneak peek into how I run my six figure production company at a high level of performance and profitability. 

Now, I want you to get the absolute MOST you can out of this series, so I created a handout for you to help you implement everything I’ll be covering. Just head over to www.producelikeabosspodcast.com/business to download!

Also, if you make it to the end of this series I will have an entire workbook chocked full of goodies, recaps, and worksheets for you!

So let’s jump in!

Boss Producer Business:
Part 1:

The Starving Artist Vs. The Boss Producer

Now I’m calling the...

https://www.producelikeaboss.com/bootcamp

Alright y'all, I’m so pumped for this because the blog you’re about to read today is part four of five in a powerful series I’ve put together especially for my aspiring producers called “Boss Producer Business.” If you haven’t checked out the first three blogs of this series, I want you to go and read them now. Just head to
www.producelikebosspodcast.com/business

In this series I’m going to walk you through the steps it takes to go from being an (unpaid) amateur to a (paid) professional.  

I’m also going to give you a sneak peek into how I run my six-figure production company at a high level of performance & profitability. 

I want you to get the absolute MOST you can out of this series, so I created a handout for you to help you implement everything I’m covering. Just head over to www.producelikeabosspodcast.com/business to download. Also, if you make it to the end of...

I was recently notified that a song I produced and co-wrote was on hold for a Google ad! The paperwork was on the ad agency’s desk, the cat was in the bag, it was a done deal, and at the last minute, they decided to go with a big name artist instead. The payout would have been six figures. I mean, it was Google, and of course, that’s probably why they wanted to give the advertisement to an “artist” artist and not a production company.

Not gonna lie, it stung to hear that just a little bit because day-um... that was a close one! Did I cry about it? No. Did I wallow in despair for any longer than a brief second? No. Why? Because I never rely on ONE thing to move the needle in my business. Over the years I have learned that this is a NUMBERS game and you have to have multiple irons in the fire at all times!

This brings me back to a couple of years ago when my Soundbetter profile was on Fi-YA! I mean, I was booking at least 3-5 jobs a week and I got a little too...

Ok, I am so pumped because today is the final day of the Boss Producer Business Series!! I’ve put this series together especially for my aspiring producers, and if you haven’t checked out the first four blogs of this series I want you to go and read them now!  Just head to: www.producelikebosspodcast.com/business  

Also, as promised, I’m going to give you access to the entire workbook for this series which includes recaps & exercises to help you get your business started! Once again that link is: www.producelikebosspodcast.com/business 

OK, let’s jump in!

Boss Producer Business

Part 5: Secrets To Selling Your Services Like A Boss

First, let’s recap what we’ve covered in the first four episodes: 

• In episode 1, we acknowledged what starving artist traits we need to shed in order to become a boss producer. 
• In episode 2, we talked about how making great music is just the beginning and that being a generalist can...

Have you ever caught yourself ‘white-knuckling’ your way through life trying to make things happen a certain way? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there, especially in the music biz. I used to think the only way for me to ‘make it’ was to get a major pub deal or record deal & if I wasn’t “Beyonce Big” then I had failed. Boy was I wrong! Do you know how much money is floating around for creatives to make money outside of the “music industry?”

The truth is, I just wanted to make a great living with my music & I wanted to make an impact. Once I realized that I didn’t need to define the how or what was going to get me there, I discovered a whole new world. That world was music production & custom songwriting! What started off as a necessity because I couldn’t afford to hire producers soon became an obsession & a passion!

Learning how to produce opened doors I could have never imagined, it created...