ISSUE 190 JANUARY 2018
WWW.MOBILEBEAT.COM
DJ SUCCESS SECRETS
ARTICLES BY
MBLV22 PRESENTERS INSIDE
DJ SUCCESS SECRETS PLAYLIST W E D D I N G B E AT............................................................ 6
How to Make Your DJ Biz Stand Out...Part 1 By Staci Nichols S PE C I A L F E AT U R E........................................................ 8
2nd Annual State of the DJ Industry Report By Matt Martindale
M B L V22 P R E S E N T E R.................................................. 10
A DV E R T I S E R S
Ditch the Pitch By Stevie Ray
Audio-Technica
www.audio-technica.com 2
Why Have a Contract?
DJ Trivia
www.djtrivia.com
By Jeremy Jones
Electro-Voice
www.electrovoice.com
MBLV22: CrowdPleasers
www.mobilebeatlasvegas.com 11
M B L V22 P R E S E N T E R................................................... 1 2
M B L V22 P R E S E N T E R...................................................14
The 5 Stages of Change: The Science Behind Our Decisions By Jason Spencer M B L V22 P R E S E N T E R...................................................16
Pledging Allegiance By Joe Bunn M B L V22 P R E S E N T E R................................................... 17
Prepping to Step into Event Production By Steve Clayton M B L V22 P R E S E N T E R.................................................. 18
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MBLV22: Peavey DJ Takeover www.mobilebeatlasvegas.com 15 MBLV22: Tropicana Rooms
www.mobilebeatlasvegas.com 13
MBLV22: Welcome Party
www.mobilebeatlasvegas.com 19
Mobile Beat Las Vegas
www.mobilebeatlasvegas.com 27
PhDJ Workshop
www.phdjworkshop.com
QSC
www.qsc.com 3
RCF
www.rcf-usa.com
Stage Spot
www.stagespot.com
Yodabooth
www.yodabooth.com 19
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The Value of Time Management By Jason Klock
P R O D J F I L E S............................................................... 20
Ryan Scheller: Effectively Expanding DJ By Michael Cordeiro S C O O P....................................................................... 22
Numark NS6ii Controller By Seth Leopold F E AT U R E . . .................................................................. 24
Publisher Ryan Burger Mobile Beat Editor-in-Chief Dan Walsh
Gear Editor Jake Feldman Circulation Manager Kitty Harr
Editorial Assistant / Writer Rebecca Burger Events Director Emeritus Michael Buonaccorso
The Key to Success: Give Up? By Stu Chisholm
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MO BI LE BE AT.COM â–· J A NUA R Y 2018
WEDDING BEAT
How to Make Your DJ Biz Stand Out... WHEN IT DOESN’T STAND OUT, PART 1 By Staci Nichols
Don’t miss Staci’s Social Media Workshop!
Monday, March 12, 8:00 AM to Noon, Tropicana Pavilion, before MBLV22 starts. (Additional cost - NOT INCLUDED with MBLV22 registration.)
FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE
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know it’s not very “afterschool special” of me to suggest any of us don’t stand out...buuuuut, (newsflash) what we all do is pretty damn similar. Branding expert and $10,000 wedding photographer Jasmine Star says that anybody can own the same camera she has, use the same editing software, use the same pre-sets and filters, etc. Despite being voted one of the best wedding photographers in the world, it’s not her talent that makes her stand out and demand such a premium price, she says. So what is it? That’s what we’re going to discuss in this two-part article: a little branding, a little copywriting, and a lot of soul searching!
YOU CAN’T STAND OUT WITH A “POLITE” BRAND EXPERIENCE
write then”? Well, if you consider yourself to be a creative DJ (and I’m going to assume you do, to some degree), then you really need to stop letting writing scare you. If you can be creative with music, you can be creative with words! (Or, if words really aren’t your thing, find someone to help you get your ideas out.)
KINDERGARTEN IS OVER As sad as that is, your Show & Tell days are behind you. However, a very powerful writing technique for helping your DJ business stand out is to SHOW the bride—instead of TELLING her— whatever you’re trying to communicate. In fact, I would say this is the #1 copywriting mistake DJs make—telling instead of showing. Let me give you an example: TELLING
SHOWING
I’m a fun DJ.
I’m a mad scientist of Raise-the-Roof-Ology.
No, don’t be an a-hole. (Although that would certainly be one In a nutshell, you don’t seem very fun if you have to tell people way to stand out.) By “polite,” I mean safe, I mean plastic, I mean you’re fun (or creative, or professional, etc). generic, I mean stiff. Holy cow! Do you provide “long-lasting memories”? Have you “raised the bar”? Are you a “fun” DJ? I hate SHOW...THE SHOW to break it to you: So is everyone else. I’m going to let you in on another secret as well...photos of empty, One of the best ways you can stand out is by not describ- uplit ballrooms are not “fun.” STOP POSTING THESE!! If the bride ing your business like everyone else describes theirs. Shocker, I wants to know what uplights are or do, she will google it. If she know. Here’s what you do. Go to Wedding Wire, The Knot, or Yelp wants to know what YOU do, there should be pictures of THAT and read at least 10 to 15 of your competitors’ profiles. Make a list on your website (i.e., crazy uncles doing the worm on your dance floor, shirtless groomsmen, of all the generic catch phrases grannies getting funky in the and words you hear repeated DJ Staci Nichols is based in San Diego and soul train line, etc.). over and over again (like “long specializes in spinning “country fusion,” lasting memories,” “raised the Stay tuned for the second Latin/Spanish, and mainstream music. Her know-how has appeared in San bar,” and “fun” in my examples part of this article in which I’ll Diego Style Weddings, Offbeat Bride, above). Now rewrite your give you a very simple formula Wedding Planner Magazine, and Book profile without any of those for how to “show” brides what More Brides. She offers consulting at terms or ideas. you do and explain why you WeddingBizConsultant.com or check out can stop trying to find your USP her DJ biz at SanDiegoDJStaci.com. IG/FB/ I can hear the whining Pinterest/Twitter: SanDiegoDJStaci (unique selling principle). already: ”But Staci, what do I 6
MO BI LE BE AT.COM ▷ J A NUA R Y 2018
SPECIAL FEATURE
2nd Annual State of the DJ Industry Report A SAMPLE/SUMMARY REPORT ON MOBILE BEAT’S SIGNATURE SURVEY By Matt Martindale
M
obile Beat is proud to present the second annual “State of the DJ Industry” survey with questions and data compiled and analyzed by in-house economics nerd and MBLV presenter, Matt Martindale. (Matt@MattMartindale.com) The second installment of this extensive survey has revealed some distinct industry trends.
WHY PARTICIPATE? WHY GET THE FULL REPORT? The value of the information to your business is simple: 51% of those that responded for this survey, said they also participated in the 2016 State of the DJ Industry Survey. Of those that did, 72% said they read the report, and 43% said they made changes to their business in 2017 as a result of the data, which helped them spot trends, adapt and became a valuable planning/forecasting tool. Nearly half said it helped their revenues increase as a result. IF you completed the full DJ survey and included your email address as requested, you will receive, via email, a free copy of the full report. Mobile Beat will also make the report available to a general audience after respondents have received it.
REVEALING REVENUE In the full report, you will learn what states had the largest revenue increases and decreases in 2017 and a few notable trends, including the region of the country that is booming! You’ll also dig into the real numbers concerning part 8
time vs full time and the money involved. For example: Of all single operator DJs in this data pool that DJ full time as their sole source of income AND will not sub-contract DJ work, only 3% have total company gross revenues of over $100K, 67% of those being in California, and just a few others sprinkled around the country.
OFFERINGS COLLECTED You’ll see a list of eight side-by-side comparisons between single operators and multi-system operators with several eyeopening statistics such as: Less than 3% of the single operator respondents that said they ONLY do weddings and will not take any other type of DJ work. These DJs statistically average 22 weddings per year. Nearly all of these single operator DJ respondents who said they ONLY do weddings reported total annual gross company sales between $0 and $50K. 38% of these single operator wedding-only DJs said their revenues increased in 2017, otherwise, revenues remained the same or declined in 2017. The report reveals the five most common service offerings that single and multi operators each added in 2017, and the five they most want to add in 2018.
SALES ETC. Reported numbers of inquiries for each category will become an effective industry benchmark for evaluating your marketing
campaign and its’ effectiveness. You’ll also see the average industry closing rate for appointments (broken out by event category). The report includes the total average number of events performed per respondent company (broken out by event). It uncovers trends in rates, cancellations and lead time for planning events along with the average number of appointments to help you plan and forecast better.
GETTING INTO GEAR Trends with equipment and music are covered as well. (For example, 78% of respondents said they planned to purchase gear in 2017 (74% actually DID purchase gear in 2017). Find out tons of statistics throughout the full 16 page report, for example: Of those surveyed, 24% of the music played is streamed at an event. However, the 5% of respondents state they live stream 100% of their music played at an event. Of these, 86% are single operators with 73% of those single operators reporting less than $50K in total company revenue. Oddly enough, almost all these single operators also said their revenues declined in 2017. (This could also be a cause for correlation too.)
BIG PICTURES
Discover what DJs say are the 2 biggest opportunities for 2018, and how to plan for the 2 biggest concerns going into Matt Martindale has been a professional 2018. And, of course there’s DJ and MC since 1989, performing at more Matt’s favorite question, “If I than 1,400 wedding receptions since then. Along with running his award-winning, had a magic wand, the one multi-DJ company, Amoré DJ Entertainment thing I would do to grow my (www.amoredjentertainment.com), he has business…” accumulated extensive entertainment experience Then, read Matt’s insightincluding training in audio production, sound ful four page State of the DJ engineering, lighting and design, improv comedy, Industry forecast for 2018. He voice over artistry, magic, and much more. completely nailed it last year!
MO BI LE BE AT.COM ▷ J A NUA R Y 2018
State of the Industry, 2017: A Short Summary
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nd now, the super short version of just a few quick findings Matt’s initial comment: “2017 was hinged on the perception (and interpretation) of the U.S. presidential election results. Like President Trump or hate him, the U.S. economy has rebounded significantly – this is good for business! When people are happy, employed and doing well, they spend money...” As a starting point: 1,096 surveys were completed, providing a tremendous amount of data to analyze! (A whopping 401 pages when printed out, believe it or not.) Thanks to all respondents for your input. A total of 8% of the replies came from DJs located outside the United States; mainly from our neighbors to the north up in Canada. (Last year, the number was 6%. Thanks for the increase, eh?)
wedding and ceremonies went up compared to 2016. • 12% of single operators said their number of weddings and ceremonies went down. • 16% of multi-system operators said their number of weddings and ceremonies went down (all noted in the “slightly down” category). • Weekday events: 30% of respondents reported doing any weekday (Mon-Thr) DJ work, where it used to be 19% last year.
RATES • 51% of all respondents said they raised their wedding ceremony & reception rates from 2016 • 43% of all respondents said they left their wedding rates at the same as 2016 levels • 6% of all respondents said they lowered their wedding rates from 2016
APPOINTMENTS: • 25% of respondents said they had more appointments in 2017 than in 2016. • 61% of respondents said they had the same number of appointments in 2017 as in 2016 • 14% of respondents said they had fewer appointments in 2017 as compared to 2016. EYE OPENING: Of the respondents that said they had more appointments, 20% of those are multi-system operators with 97% of those that had more appointments reported their revenues increased in 2017.
INQUIRIES The average survey respondent had 225 total client inquiries in 2017 from all sources for events regardless of company size or type (single operator or multi-system operator). The full report has lots more data, including the average industry closing rate.)
PLANS FOR 2018 GEOGRAPHIC TENDENCIES 43% of the 1,096 full survey respondents indicated they had a revenue increase in 2017 (obviously that means that 36% had no change in their revenues). Of those respondents that said they had a revenue increase, 56% are DJing part time and say that they count on another source of income as their main source of income. Of those who DJ part time, nearly 82% are single operators. Region 4 (Midwest): The biggest growth was seen in Illinois (was Ohio the previous year) Note: 81% of those respondents that said they had a revenue increase in Ohio are single operator DJ companies that either have 4-10 years of experience in the profession, or a highly seasoned veteran with 31+ years of experience. The 2017 data shows that the Midwest region is absolutely booming! This region has, by far, experienced the biggest revenue increases across the United States! The states experiencing the substantial growth after Illinois are: Michigan, Indiana, Ohio.
EVENT TRENDS • 56% of all respondents say they do ceremonies and weddings • 20 % of single operators said their number of wedding and ceremonies went up compared to 2016. • 26% of multi-system operators said their number of
• 33% said they are planning to hire DJs (it was 61% in the previous survey) • 12% said they are planning to hire administrative/ office staff (it was 21% in the previous survey) • 10% said they are planning to hire sales staff (it was 18% in the previous survey • 81% of respondents said they purchased gear in 2015. • 78% of respondents said they purchased gear in 2016. • 78% of respondents said they planned to purchase gear in 2017 (74% actually DID purchase gear in 2017). • 63% of respondents say they plan to purchase gear in 2018
OPPORTUNITY AND CONCERN FOR 2018 • 30% of respondents say their biggest opportunity is to make better use of social media. (It was 23% the previous survey.) • 24% of respondents say their biggest opportunity is the improving U.S. economy. (In the previous survey, 17% of respondents see changes in technology as their biggest opportunity.) This is just a small taste of the huge amount of powerful data reported and interpreted in the full State of the Industry Report. Look for it in your email or at the Mobile Beat website.
MBLV22
Don’t Miss the Best Chance of the Year...
Ditch the Pitch
to learn, party, grow friendships, see the latest in DJ tech, and much more!
By Stevie Ray
Mobile Beat Las Vegas is, without a doubt, the best (and the first) opportunity professional mobile entertainers have each year to get new skills, gain knowledge to grow their businesses, build new mutually beneficial relationships and enjoy hands-on, quality time with the newest technology for DJs. On the following pages you’ll find more articles by a few of the presenters you’ll be able to learn from in Las Vegas. Each one provides a key point drawn from what they’ll be sharing at MBLV22. Along with great educational content like this, at Mobile Beat Las Vegas you’ll enjoy networking with your peers, top-notch entertainment, a high-quality hotel experience at the Tropicana LV. I hope to see you there in March! ~ Dan Walsh, Editor-in-Chief (PS: If you read this before attending, see me at the show registration desk and let me know by giving me the secret password, “SHERLOCK.” I’ll buy you a drink and ask you about your personal highlights from MBLV22. And maybe we’ll feature you in a future issue as well! ~DW)
REGISTER TODAY AT www.mobilebeatlasvegas.com Mobile Beat Las Vegas March 12-15, 2018 Tropicana LV
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WHY NETWORKING FEELS BAD
I
am about to denounce one of the most venerated traditions in the world of networking. I am here to say that, when it comes to the “elevator pitch,” we must ditch the pitch. For those living under a rock for the past few decades, the elevator pitch is a 30-second prepared statement that is supposed to sum up your business; ostensibly in preparation for the off-chance that you might meet a prospect and you only have the length of an elevator ride to make a connection. Frankly, I have ridden in elevators thousands of times and the only thing people do is stare at the lighted floor numbers. Nonetheless, I contend that the elevator pitch was the worst thing to happen to networking since the open bar. To be fair, the impetus behind the elevator pitch was genuine. So many people didn’t know how to respond to the question, “So, what do you do?” that having a prepared response seemed better than nothing. However, there are times when nothing is actually better than something. An elevator pitch fails on so many levels that is often destroys trust rather than builds a connection. First, elevator pitches inherently sound disingenuous. Anything that you repeat over and over will eventually sound canned. And the more we repeat the same phrase, the more we subconsciously speed up the delivery. The faster the deliver, the less genuine you sound. Second, elevator pitches ignore the listener. When people ask “what do you do?” they are trying to determine if there is a good enough match to pursue a deeper relationship. Spouting off a 30-second spiel means that everyone you meet gets the same picture of you, regardless of their needs. By now you might be asking, “Okay smarty. How am I supposed to know what to say if I don’t have something in the bag?” I learned the answer to this from an unlikely source. Being a practitioner of improvisation, I had the opportunity to train with Paul Sills, the founding director of The Second City, one of the more well-known centers MO BI LE BE AT.COM ▷ J A NUA R Y 2018
of improvisation in America. Most people know of improvisation, or “improv,” through the TV show, Whose Line Is It Anyway? Improv is a popular style of comedy, but because of its basis in powerful communication skills, it is quickly gaining attention as a training tool for business. Toward the end of his life, Sills conducted master classes for improv professionals. At the start of the week-long course I attended, he said to my group, “We’re going to practice improv, but for Pete’s sake don’t make anything up.” This had many of us looking at our brochures to make sure we were in the right place. “But sir,” one student asked, “doesn’t improv require making things up?” “No!” yelled Sills (he was a cranky old guy). “Improv is like life. It is reacting in the moment. The worst thing you can do in life is try to control the outcome. That means you are thinking ahead. When you think ahead, you ruin the ‘right now.’ Thinking ahead will cause you to script out what everyone should say and do. We call that ‘playwriting,’ and it is the opposite of being in the moment. Playwriting leaves your partner out of the picture.” The student pressed on: “But then how do we know what to say?” Paul’s answer is the one philosophy that should lead all interactions between people. He said, “Simple. Your partner will tell you exactly what to say to make the interaction a success. All you have to do is listen. The trouble is, most people don’t listen. They just wait to talk.” Sills was a master at seeing if you had a script silently running through your head. He would stop us in the middle of an exercise by yelling, “If you want to be a playwright, send us the script so we can memorize it for you. Be in the moment and let your partner play, too.” Networking is nothing more than kids meeting on a playground and making stuff up. Kids don’t overthink every new encounter, they just greet, talk, and play. Stay in the moment, and ditch the pitch.
CLICK FOR MORE INFO... on Stevie Ray, his “Networking” session and also his session, “Owning the Stage.”
MBLV22
Why Have a Contract? By Jeremy Jones
W
hy should you have a contract? I have asked this question of many professionals in various industries. Without fail, the number one answer is, “to make sure I get paid.” While I certainly agree this is pretty important, the truth is, your contract is really not that important when it comes to winning in court against non-paying clients. In law, there is something called “unjust enrichment.” Basically, it says that a person must pay for the benefit they received from someone else. So if you perform at an event and the client does not pay you, you can go to court even if there was no written contract. The most the opposing party can argue is what value should be assigned to your services. If you show the court that you have charged $995 at the past 12 events that were the same as the one before the court, the court will assign that value to this event and order the client to pay for your services. Of course I’m not saying one should not have a contract. Quite the contrary, everyone SHOULD be using a contract, and one they completely understand. The written contract will remove any doubt as to the price charged and agreed upon by the client. But as we all know, there are many more things included in a contract and most of things are actually much more
important than the single section outlining price. Likewise, if your contract is basically just an outline of your price, it is highly likely your contract is inadequate. So if a contract is not primarily meant to ensure payment, what is the main purpose? Different people will make different arguments as to what is most important about having a contract, but it is nearly indisputable that the biggest benefit of the contract is to limit your liability if something goes wrong. Whether you are the DJ for a wedding at the Hilton or a DJ for a main stage at Bonnaroo, the stakes are high if something causes you to fail to provide the services promised. If Bonnaroo has sold 2,000 tickets with your name on them or Judy has paid $50,000 for the wedding dinner and decorations, if you, the main entertainment, fail, you are on the hook for those large sums of money. Your contract will limit your liability. Most contracts do this by 12
using something called “liquidated damages.” That sounds simple enough. Anyone can write into their contract, “our liquidated damages are $2,000.” But, like most things involving contracts, it is not that simple. The first thing your client’s lawyer will do is find the tiniest mistake in your liquidated damages clause. Once found, the clause can be removed from the contract. Once removed, you are now open to a large amount of damages to be paid. If the clause itself cannot be invalidated, chances are, if you wrote your own contract (or borrowed one from another DJ) something in the contract can cause the entire contract to be considered invalid. If so, once again, you lose the protection of the liquidated damages clause and you can be held liable for the full price of the wedding or estimated revenue of your part of Bonnaroo. Lawyers use a search company to find examples of cases. The two most popular are WestLaw and Lexis/Nexis. When I do a search for “invalidated liquidated damages” there are literally 1000’s of cases and articles available, and that is just searching my home state of Georgia. It is a very hotly litigated subject when it comes to contracts. To make matters even more complicated, chances are, should you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, your liability insurance may not cover the damages. Most policies are
The biggest benefit of the contract is to limit your liability if something goes wrong only for actions you do to cause damage. If you get sued for a major failure it is likely going to be due to you being in a terrible car wreck the day of the event or having some catastrophic health issue that prevented you from being able to perform. Many insurance policies specifically exclude those types of events from coverage. You might be thinking, “Well, I have a back up plan” or “I’ve never missed an event, so it doesn’t apply to me.” Let me remind you, contracts are in place for that single instance none of us believed would happen. What causes the failure is not relevant. Maybe a flood prevents you from getting to your equipment; a riot in your city damaged all of your equipment; a tree fell on your house breaking your legs...the list is endless of the “one-in-a-million” things that go can wrong. If your contract is not properly worded, when that one-in-a-million event happens to you, it could be the end of your DJ business, your life savings, and even future earnings for years to come. When I speak at Mobile Beat Las Vegas I will go over, in detail, how to properly word your liquidated damages clause and go over some broad do’s and don’ts concerning your contract to ensure you, your business, and your family are protected if/when the unthinkable happens.
CLICK FOR MORE INFO... on Jeremy Jones and his session, “Contracts.”
MO BI LE BE AT.COM ▷ J A NUA R Y 2018
MBLV22
The 5 Stages of Change: The Science Behind Our Decisions By Jason Spencer
H
ave you ever attended a big national conference like Mobile Beat Las Vegas and heard presentations that will make you a better business owner? Maybe you discovered new technologies or gear that you are certain will give you the advantage over your competition? But what happens when you return home? Many business owners become comfortable in their own methods, which makes change—even positive change— difficult. Scientific research has shown that behavioral changes do not happen in one step, but rather through a series of distinct, predictable stages. These are called the “5 Stages of Change,” a framework describing the series of changes we go through when we opt to change our lifestyle habits. Realizing which stage of change you are in may be helpful for you to succeed. Originally developed in the 1970s (initially by James O. Prochaska of the University of Rhode Island) as a model to better understand how smokers are able to give up their addiction to cigarettes, it has since been used to understand changing just about any type of behavior. It can even be applied to your decision to make a change in your business.
STAGE 1: PRECONTEMPLATION Business owners in this stage don’t recognize that they have a problem and therefore don't want to make any change to their habits. It's possible they never actually thought about needing to change a particular business habit, or they've never thought about it seriously. They selectively filter information from others that helps confirm their decision not to guide their business in the right direction. You may have heard this referred to as the “denial” stage. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to reach or help someone in the precontemplation stage. It often takes an emotional trigger or significant event of some kind that can snap people out of their denial.
STAGE 2: CONTEMPLATION This stage is where a business owner has begun to actively think about the need to change something, and they begin wrapping their head around it. During this stage, you are weighing the costs (e.g. time, effort, finances) and benefits of the change. People can remain in this stage for years without preparing to take action because this is the stage in which obstacles tend to rear their ugly heads. If you get stuck here, as many often do, seek another way to think about the value of the change you're contemplating. At this stage, it's all about finding and activating a motivating belief inside of you as a business owner.
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STAGE 3: PREPARATION This is the moment of “drawing a line in the sand.” Those in the preparation stage have decided to change their negative habits within a realistic set period of time. The business owner may have just set up an appointment with a certified business coach, made time to visit their local Toastmasters group, set up a lunch with new colleagues or an event venue, or whatever moves them forward towards the change they are seeking.
STAGE 4: ACTION After plans are made to change, the business owner will actively start doing something to change the situation. The action stage is the process of improving your business, whether you are cutting expenses or hiring a new employee. Business owners in this stage are at the greatest risk of falling back to previous steps, so it’s key to leverage any techniques they can to stay motivated. This is where belonging to a group like a “think tank” like-minded entrepreneurs is useful.
STAGE 5: MAINTENANCE This is the stage of successful, sustained business process modification. If you have been reducing costs while growing your business for years in a consistent manner then you are in the maintenance stage. My experience as a business coach shows that most owners tend to bounce between the stages of contemplation, preparation, and action. In other words, most people “yo-yo” when making business decisions. I think one way to prevent this back and forth effect from happening is to make small changes in your business practices that, over time, create something meaningful. True success is not an event, but rather a habit that is changed slowly over time. In addition, business owners should recognize that growing a business and maintaining a successful business are two different paths requiring different approaches. It’s not that difficult to maintain a successful business just by remaining consistent (unless you are at a very high level or in a volatile marketplace). It’s very difficult, however, to prepare and take action when growing your business. Our business minds are resistant to change, so trying to create a shift in thinking takes a lot of effort and requires a substantial commitment. If you ever start to struggle, it's a lot better to cut back and find a happy compromise that you can maintain for a while than stopping the process altogether. Stopping business change should never really be an option, because there's always something that can be improved to streamline or grow your company.
CLICK FOR MORE INFO... on Jason Spencer and his session, “Escape The Survival Trap.”
MO BI LE BE AT.COM ▷ DECEM BER 2017
MBLV22
Pledging Allegiance By Joe Bunn
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ne of the things that I am going to be talking about at Mobile Beat Las Vegas is the concept of loyalty amongst the DJs that you hire. The word “loyal” is defined as “giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution.” That is exactly what you want from your staff.
I’ll be honest with you, getting DJs to this level of loyalty takes work. It starts with the interview process. From the very beginning, when I have a potential new hire for a face to face meeting, I’m super open and honest with them. The conversation usually goes something like this, “I understand that you might be doing your own thing right now, and I respect that, but at some point, I’m hoping to get you enough shows to where you wont’ be able to book yourself any longer.” I don’t tell them that all shows they have booked for the future are now property of Bunn DJ Company. I let them continue on their path, but make it very clear that any shows that I book for them are OUR shows. They are giving out OUR cards and representing only Bunn DJ Company. Nobody at those gigs should ever know about
You want them to support your mission, your goals, your way of doing business. You want them to embrace it as if the company is their own. If they’re not on board in that way, cut them loose. Team players are crucial to the success of any business, not just a DJ company. Allegiance... It really is true that if they aren’t going to be with you, then they’re against you. The last thing you want is guys on your staff who still have their own websites up and are plugging away on social media promoting their personal brands. If you hire that DJ, then you are essentially creating AND training even more competition for yourself. That makes no sense! Their allegiance and loyalty should be with your company. “Jimmy’s DJ Service” or whatever they are called. Again, all of this is discussed up front, right off the bat, before they have made dollar one working for Bunn DJ Company. Recently I did have an issue and had to cut loose a guy who I had invested time and money into. I was booking him a couple of things a month, but was noticing that on the other weekends he was heavily pushing “Jimmy’s DJ Service” or whatever he was calling his business on Facebook. You know who else noticed it? My DJs. They were the first ones to alert me to it. “Hey Joe, you know that guy ‘Jimmy’ is really pushing his own brand hard on Facebook man, that’s not cool”. And they were right, it’s not cool. I sat ‘Jimmy’ down and had a talk with him about it (again). Mind you, we discussed all of what was expected in the interview session. He said that he had gear to pay off and his girl was sweating him to make more money, so he had to keep pushing his own brand. You can guess what came next. Bye. Fired him on the spot. I’m not in the business of training local DJs to be my competition. I train “soldiers,” a.k.a. DJs who are loyal to the Bunn brand—and I’m very good at it. The majority of my DJs have been around 8-15 years. That’s years, not months! I’m looking forward to seeing you in Las Vegas, where we will dig even deeper into hiring, developing and keeping amazing talent. See you soon!
CLICK FOR MORE INFO... on Joe Bunn and his session, “Find, Hire and Retain Your DJs.” Joe Bunn and Mike Walter are also presenting their PhDJ Workshop after MBLV22 wraps up. (Not included with MBLV22 registration.) 16
MO BI LE BE AT.COM ▷ DECEM BER 2017
Prepping to Step into Event Production By Steve Clayton
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ix years ago, on any given Friday or Saturday night, you could find me at one of the local wineries or hot hotels DJing for any number of clients. Depending on the season, it could be any type of event. Wedding, prom, corporate holiday party, you name it. About 10 years ago, at our peak as a DJ company, we did over 50 corporate events in December, 35 proms and about 70 weddings. That is fairly decent for a company that did NO advertising. Today, I do a lot fewer events. I book headline talent and manage multiple six- and seven-figure event budgets for concerts and festivals. I often get the question: “How did you get from there to here?” Sounds corny, but I had a vision. I knew I wanted to be more than a DJ. I wanted to use my connections and experience in events to get more out of my career. Just as when I went from part-time to full-time DJ, I had a choice to make: continue with the path I was on or work towards a change—work towards my objective of becoming a festival producer. Below are four things that helped me get to this point:
creative and logistic decisions that will impact the customers’ experience helps to make everyone accountable and engaged in the success of the company.
EDUCATION I continued to learn, often through “on the job” education. As a part-time DJ, I would probably not be able to say YES to producing some elements of the Rose Bowl. I probably would have turned down the Steve Harvey Neighborhood Awards. I definitely would not be able to produce Chalice or High Times. But being full-time and moving from DJing to production, I knew that I could not fail. It was impossible. I willed it. But, I also had help. I called on others in the industry. I learned from attending conference and conventions. Producing festivals is not a brand new industry. People have done it for years. I was not creating something from scratch. I had
Aligning yourself with successful people who are willing to help is, for sure, one of the best keys to success. to beg, borrow and steal ideas, and lessons from those who came before me. I learned from some mastermind events and networking organizations. Aligning yourself with successful people who are willing to help (even if you have to pay for it) is, for sure, one of the best keys to success. “You have to be you.” I hear that often from business coaches and mentors. Agreed. But there are some key elements and foundational connections that successful people have across all industries. If you are looking to get more out of your DJ business, you can.
VISION I knew what I wanted and knew enough to take action to get there. I identified the objectives I needed to reach in order to get further down my pathway to my goals. Action is the bridge from vision to your goals. I needed to make sure I had a strategic plan to get started.
STRATEGIC RISK I analyzed what I would be risking and gaining by making this transition. No change is without risk. Before moving forward you need to identify what you could possibly lose and gain and whether the benefits outweigh the potential losses. These could include things such as clients, time, money, health, family or others.
TEAM I have always been an advocate of surrounding yourself with people who are better at certain aspects of your job than you are. For me that was a variety of tasks (marketing, accounting, audio mixing, lighting direction, video). I wanted to run my business, not have my business run me. Empowering my team to make
CLICK FOR MORE INFO... on Steve Clayton and his session, “Beyond A DJ: Being an Event Producer.” MO BI LE BE AT.COM ▷ J A NUA R Y 2018
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MBLV22
The Value of Time Management By Jason Klock
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ince day one of working (not just DJing), time management was embedded within me, and it continues to be a strong focus of mine. The sooner I completed the task in front of me, the sooner I could do something else that, hopefully, resulted in me getting one step closer to my goal— which probably meant I was getting paid as well. This was actually a lot easier at the beginning! As I started growing the business, I was thinking at 140 BPM, with dozens of ideas all shouting for attention at once. I needed to figure out a way to keep focused on my vision, and not be a victim to distractions. There are many different directions you can go with time management, but here are my Top Five Time Management Tips that have helped me the most since day one.
ORGANIZING... your time, your ideas, and all your everyday tasks is crucial as you get busier in your life and your career growth begins to take off. You need a way to stay organized. This can be as simple as a handwritten to-do list; however, if you’re techsavvy like me, there are also plenty of organizer apps out there; I’ll mention my favorite below. Let’s take the calendar out of the equation, assuming everyone has an organized method for appointments and calendar management. I have two ways I stay organized with my time and my daily tasks. First, I use a simple legal pad that I take to work and bring home. You know what they say: “If it’s not broken, don’t try and fix it.” With my legal pad, I split the page into four sections and title them Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and Annually. Each week, I update this and I re-write my tasks and goals. You’d better believe that if I get tired of re-writing the same thing, I work on it faster! This also keeps me focused and on track. For long-term prosject it gives me the opportunity to evaluate them, and figure out my plan of attack. I also use an app. My phone is always on me, so it only makes sense to have that easily accessible as well. Just search “time management; there are literally thousands to chose from. My favorite is Wunderlist because it seems to work best for me and my team. I share lists with them and, of course, I have a list for myself as well. I use Wunderlist for tasks that I believe are more urgent or need to be completed daily. What’s great about this is if I think of something important, I only have to interrupt what I’m doing for brief second to capture it.
COMMIT... yourself to something. If you give yourself a task or goal, commit to it. Don’t just talk. Walk. Evaluate a commitment before you begin. Maybe this is as simple as booking a job that, logistically, may not fit into the calendar, or a stretch to your skillset. Regardless, if you 18
say you’re going to do it, this now becomes yours and must be on your to-do list with an appropriate due date/time.
SCHEDULE CLEANSING... is something I typically do once a quarter. I evaluate my entire schedule, including my day-to-day activities such as going to the gym, errands, and hobbies. If I’m doing something that is no longer advancing my career, health, personal development, or family-time, I cut it out of my life. If the activity still has significance in my life, I try to find a way to delegate it so I can remain laser-focused. Instead of cluttering my schedule with golf outings with friends three times a week, I limit myself to one or two outings every month. If you’re growing your business, networking events and happy hours are the way to go! But again, try to find the events that help you progress forward and make them a high priority to attend. You’d be surprised at how you can streamline things if you write down everything on your schedule and start crossing off the activities that you really don’t care about, that you can delegate to someone else, or that are not advancing your career or end-goal.
TAKE 5... minutes at the beginning and end of each day to evaluate your progress and look ahead to the next 24 hours. When I do this, it allows me to make the most of my next day and increase my time efficiency. For example, if an appointment cancels or reschedules when I call for confirmation, I can, now, make another appointment, request a new time, schedule time to work on another activity, or evaluate if I want that free time. This is a great way to keep you mentally fresh for new opportunities. If you see someone’s name twice in 24 hours before a meeting, you will subconsciously start to think about everything you need to accomplish, and complete.
ROUTINE... is the best practice. Period. You should wake up around the same time at least 5 days a week. “Why not 7 days, Jason?” Well, let’s be honest—you’re probably entertaining (at least) two of those nights, which could affect your schedule; and let’s face it; you should treat yourself to at least one good night’s rest. At least one day a week, my family and I try to sleep in. (For me, sleeping in means 7:30am / 8:00am instead of 5:15am.) You should also look at other routines in your life like diet, exercise, hobbies, and tasks. Having a routine eliminates stress. You aren’t questioning yourself or ever feeling rushed. For example, if you don’t have a strict routine, more than likely you are not the one that’s early to everything; or if you don’t eat similar meals or have an eating schedule, you are probably not as healthy as you could be.
CLICK FOR MORE INFO... on Jason Klock and his session, “The Value of Time.”
MO BI LE BE AT.COM ▷ J A NUA R Y 2018
PRODJFILES
The Effectively Expanding DJ RYAN SCHELLER OF SOUND EXTREME AND HIS EFFICIENT APPROACH TO DJ BUSINESS GROWTH By Michael Cordeiro
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any DJ companies grow their businesses by expanding their service offerings beyond simply providing music. These new services can add new dimensions to a company, truly benefitting clients while also increasing a DJ’s bottom line. For too many DJ companies expansion equals buying a nifty new controller (with unnecessary bells and whistles), or some shiny new lights (without a plan for how to upsell them). Expansion should be about adding services that accentuate what you already offer.
One person who has mastered the art of successful expansion is Ryan Scheller of Sound Extreme in Sonora, California. I got to hang out and chat with Ryan at Wedding MBA in back in October 2017. His company has expanded from DJ work into marketing lighting, pipe and drape, video walls, concert sound reinforcement, trussing and much more. I asked him to break down how he grew his company, share some wisdom and talk about some of the obstacles he faced. Mike Cordeiro ▸ So when did you first begin DJing? Ryan Scheller ▸ When I was in high school back in 1991. I was working for a local DJ company doing school dances and some private events. MC ▸ At what point did you decide to start your own company? RS ▸ Around 1994. The company I was working for changed hands and I didn’t really like the direction the new guy was going in. Another DJ and myself decided to start doing our own events. We were sharing one system and in November of 94 we accidentally double booked. I went to the bank and took out a loan for
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$3,000 to buy my own system. I’ve never looked back. MC ▸ I bet you’ve never made that mistake again. RS ▸ No. Once was enough! MC ▸ How long after starting your own DJ service did you start to expand? RS ▸ In 1998 I had so much work that I had to bring in more guys. MC ▸ On your website you offer over a dozen different services. What is your method and strategy for adding new services? RS ▸ Being in a small market, I realized there was a limit to how many DJ events we could do. I found it was easier to add staff and equipment for things like pipe and drape or sound reinforcement to gigs we were already doing than to just add more wedding DJs. MC ▸ So you were able to offer more services to existing clients while still focusing on the same type of events you were used to doing. RS ▸ Exactly. MC ▸ Before you add a service to your company, what are some of the factors you look at? MO BI LE BE AT.COM ▷ J A NUA R Y 2018
RS ▸ Equipment costs and staffing. Also return on investment. I would rather rent gear for a year to try out a new business segment and build it up to where it’s sustainable than buy the gear and end up with a warehouse full of stuff I can’t use. MC ▸ Has that happened to you? RS ▸ Yes. When Sky Dancers (those inflatable tube guys) got popular I ran out and bought a few. I thought it would be great midweek money to rent them out to car dealerships and stores. I never checked with my town about permits. I found out the hard way that the local towns do not allow “animated signage.” MC ▸ Do you still have them? RS ▸ Yeah. I use them for some school and private events now and then. MC ▸ I really like the market lighting and wine barrel service you provide. Could you explain the genesis of that? RS ▸ Sure. Many of the weddings we do are outdoors. We don’t have too many big indoor banquet halls in our area. We started doing market lighting about 10 years ago because
nobody was offering it in our area. A client asked if it was something we could do and we researched it and provided our client with what she wanted. The big issue in providing the lighting was securely setting it up. Most farms and country clubs wouldn’t allow putting stakes or poles into the ground. We had to come up with another way.
“Have a mentality of progression. Always be looking for and open to new avenues and revenue streams.”
MC ▸ That’s when you got the wine barrels. RS ▸ Yes. I bought 25 wine barrels from a local winery. In our workshop we created pole mounts inside the barrels. The set up became very
to be on their best game. M C ▸ What advice would you give to owners wanting to expand?
RS ▸ Efficiency. Keep overhead low, Always be teaching your staff easier and faster ways to do things. Maintain a proactive mentality in your business. Give your staff ownership and the resources to do a great job. Ryan is happy to give advice and tips to fellow DJs looking to expand their business. You’ll probably see him at MBLV22 in March (which is a great investment in business growth for those with a “proactive mentality). Check out Ryan’s website at www. soundextreme.com.
quick and easy. We just slide the extension poles into the barrels and string the lights. The barrels are weighted so they won’t go over and the lights are in 25ft runs. MC ▸ Brilliant! Such a simple idea. I bet these barrels are booked solid. RS ▸ Oh, yeah. We have four or five events each week with the barrel systems. I have a box truck and dedicated crew for them. MC ▸ Do you find it tough to manage such a large and diverse operation? How have you structured your staffing and payroll? RS ▸ Well, first off, everyone is an employee. No 1099s. All my staff are on payroll. We have a three-tier pay rate for the DJs and an event staff pay rate. The key for me is a great office staff. MC ▸ What are some of the biggest challenges you face in growing your company? RS ▸ Staffing and training. We don’t have too many local colleges, so recruiting young new staff is a challenge. Also training. During the slow months we try to have weekly training sessions. I need everyone
R S ▸ Look at your market and find a need or niche that needs filling. Make sure you can support it. Understand the investment of equipment and manpower to get into it. MC ▸ What else? RS ▸ A big thing to me is mindset. Have a mentality of progression. Always be looking for and open to new avenues and revenue streams. MC ▸ What do you think is the most important thing to running a successful DJ business? MO BI LE BE AT.COM ▷ J A NUA R Y 2018
Michael Cordeiro is the owner of M.C. Entertainment, a small multi-op in Rhode Island. He has been on TLC’s Four Weddings, hosted an episode of Toddlers & Tiaras and has opened for many celebrities. He has a degree in Entertainment and Event Management from Johnson and Wales University.
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SCOOP
Jump Right into Mixing with the NS6ii NUMARK CONTROLLER ADDS NEW EXCITEMENT TO SOLID PACKAGE By Seth Leopold
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umark went back to the drawing board and have
returned with a much-improved DJ controller
in the NS6ii. It is smaller than its recently-released companion,
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the
NS7iii,
but
with
similar
strong
construction and ingenuity. Where to start with such a strong, intuitive, and flat-out fun board? I used the board extensively over the last few weeks. I have had a
great time, especially with the available DVS support. I
performed last night at a show with it; in fact, flawless.
MO BI LE BE AT.COM â–ˇ J A NUA R Y 2018
Numark brings a full package in regards to features on the NS6ii, including built-in jogwheel screens, twin sound cards, touch-sensitive knobs with multiple modes, left and right sets of eight RGB pads each, and 4 channels that open it up to use Serato DJ DVS with built-in support. All these features are crammed into a new unit price of $799, making it a good chunk of change cheaper than many pricier competing controllers while providing comparable features. From a user's perspective, the board is a blast! I used it in place of my mixer through Serato DVS, and was able to plug in my 1200s and go to town. The main elements of the board--the faders, platters, size, buttons and placement--all made sense intuitively, which allowed me to immediately use it to my fullest abilities. Not only is the NS6ii responsive, it is also a sturdy piece of DJ equipment. It’s truly built for mobile use. The front of the board offers two independent mic controls, cross-over contour, and basic headphone controls with 1/4" and 1/8" inch headphone outputs. The back of the board is stacked with XLR and two (master and booth) RCA outputs, and two 1/4" mic inputs. Plus--hands down the most unique part of the back of the NS6ii--is the ability to connect two laptops simultaneously. In a club situation, with the push of a button, this allows you to seamlessly hand-off to another DJ; or better yet, play between two computers at the same time on four channels. Collaborating this way was a very unique experience and turned out to be some of the most fun I had with the controller. I loved the music my fellow DJs and I could create when we all had individual control but were linked together. The unit’s top side is clean and vibrant. Inside each jog wheel, which can be controlled in two modes (scratch and control), is an LCD screen with many vital pieces of information about the current track selected in that deck. The two well-lit RGB 8-pad sets allow for a truly easy, pleasurable control experience. The color tracking to match the hot-cue colors to the pads makes counting cue-point positioning obsolete. The pads themselves feel great: sturdy, yet they had no issue performing any pattern or speed I threw at them. The four knobs of FX control linked perfectly into Serato. These knobs are touch sensitive, along with the gain, treble, mids, and bass knobs, in addition to each jog wheel. This allows the DJ to do four different modes, utilizing this touch sensitivity with a click of a button. This feature gave some of my standard “tricks” fresh new sounds. The NS6ii is a unique, solidly built DJ controller that offers a full complement of amenities. Numark did a wonderful job in keeping the outstanding aspects of the original NS6, while pumping in some of the newest features to hit the market and at a price point that’s hard to beat. I would strongly recommend this controller to anyone in the mobile market at any skill level.
www.numark.com
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FEATURE
The Key to Success: Give Up? HOW TO GAIN SUCCESS... BY LETTING GO OF NEGATIVES By Stu Chisholm
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here are a few authors I follow on Medium.com, and the following advice came via a column there. I usually don’t outright glom-on to another author’s work, but I have been giving this issue a lot of thought lately and have reached the same conclusions. And, like me, he also loves quotes! So here is a sort of Frankenstein-like conglomeration of Zdravko Cvijetic’s and my own findings on...
15 THINGS YOU SHOULD GIVE UP IF YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL “Somebody once told me the definition of hell: ‘On your last day on earth, the person you became will meet the person you could have become.’” ~ Anonymous Sometimes, to become successful and get closer to the person you can become, you don’t need to add more things. You need to give some of them up. While we all may have our own definition of what success is, there are certain things that are universal, which can help make you successful if you give up on them. You can give up some of them as soon as today, while it might take a bit longer to give up on others.
1. GIVE UP YOUR UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” ~Jim Rohn This is the one that went down hardest for me. When I got close to 300 lbs. and my doctor uttered the words, “pre-diabetic,” I decided it was time to actually pay attention to what I was putting into my pie hole and how sedentary all but my weekends were. If you want to achieve anything in life, everything starts with your health. There are three main things you need to focus on: Quality Sleep. Most of us don’t get enough. Healthy Diet. That doesn’t mean forcing salads or tasteless food on yourself. Just be sure you’re getting good nutrition and controlling your caloric intake. Physical Activity. Movement is life! We are built to move, so get up off the couch often. Hell, BURN the couch! Again, I’m not talking about a gym membership. Just stay active. When working at my computer, I set a cheap kitchen timer and force myself to get up and walk around for 10 minutes every hour. These are small steps, but you will thank yourself one day.
2.
GIVE UP THE SHORT-TERM MINDSET “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
~Mae West
Studying successful people, I have found that they all set long-term goals. Further, they understand that these goals are simply the result of short-term habits that they do every day. These habits aren’t what you DO, but what you ARE. It’s the difference between “working out to get a summer body” and “being healthy because that’s who you are.” In short, start acting like the successful person you want to become.
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3. GIVE UP ON “PLAYING SMALL”
6. GIVE UP BELIEVING IN “THE MAGIC BULLET”
“Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone, and as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~Marianne Williamson If you don’t allow your dreams to become realty, or take great opportunities that life offers, then you can never unleash your true potential. The world will never benefit from what you could have achieved. The reason why you know who Bill Gates or Steve Jobs are is because they played BIG. So voice your ideas. LIVE your ideas. Don’t be afraid to fail, and certainly don’t be afraid to succeed. (More on fear later.)
4. GIVE UP MAKING EXCUSES “It’s not about the cards you’re dealt, but how you play the hand.” ~ Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture This is another one that I was guilty of. After all, we DJs in the Midwest remember those years when our booking calendars were insane! Then the economy tanked, and business tanked. At the time, it was a valid complaint. Yet the successful adapted to the new economy while some of us couldn’t get past the past. Truly successful people know that they are responsible for their life, no matter how they started out, what their weaknesses are or what past failures or misfortunes befell them. Understanding that you, and you alone, are responsible for what happens next in your life is both frightening and exciting. But when you do, you realize that this is the ONLY way you can become—and stay—successful Excuses limit and prevent us from growing personally and professionally. Own your life; no one else will.
“Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better” ~Émile Coué, “Overnight Success is a Myth.” Here I am reminded of Randy Bartlett, who, like all successful people, knows that making small continuous improvement each day will be compounded over time, and will yield results. Therefore we all should plan for the future, but pay attention to the day that’s ahead of you, and improve at least 1% every day. The most profound changes don’t happen overnight, but little by little over time.
7. GIVE UP ON PERFECTION “Shipping beats perfection.” ~Khan Academy’s Development Mantra Perfection is an unachievable bar. To expect it is a waste of time. Fear of failure (or even fear of success) can prevent you from taking action and putting your work out into the world. A lot of opportunities will be lost if you wait for things to be perfect. Bottom line: “Ship,” (put it out there) and then improve (that 1%).
8. GIVE UP MULTI-TASKING “Most of the time multi-tasking is an illusion. You think you are multi-tasking, but in reality you are actually wasting time switching from one task to another.“ ~Bosco Tjan Successful people know this. Being fully present and committed to one task is indispensable. That’s why they choose one thing and master it. Whatever it is—a business idea, a conversation, or a workout—they dominate it.
9. GIVE UP YOUR NEED TO CONTROL EVERYTHING “Some things are up to us, and some things are not up to us.” ~Epictetus
5. GIVE UP THE FIXED MINDSET “The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.” ~Robert Greene, Mastery Some think that one’s intelligence or talents are pre-determined traits that cannot be changed. They may also believe that these alone lead to success. They’re wrong. Successful people know that without hard work, talent and intelligence don’t equate with success. (In fact, most successful people were not “A” students!) They invest an immense amount of time daily to develop a growth mindset, acquire new knowledge, learn new skills and change their perception so that it can benefit their lives. I find that the harder I work, the “luckier” I get. Who you are today is not who you have to be tomorrow. It’s called growth. Stu Chisholm had been collecting music since he was about age 8 and began his DJ career in 1979. After a stint at the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts, he studied the DJ arts with famous Michigan broadcaster Bill Henning, interned at Detroit's rock powerhouse, WRIF, and later added voiceover work and club gigs at Detroit's best venues. He has shared his extensive DJ experience through MB columns, as a seminar speaker and through his book, The Complete Disc Jockey: A Comprehensive Manual for the Professional DJ.
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FEATURE Differentiating these two is crucial. Detach from the things you cannot control, focus on the ones you can. Ofttimes, the only thing you can control is your attitude towards something.
10. GIVE UP ON SAYING ‘YES’ TO THINGS THAT DON’T SUPPORT YOUR GOALS “He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.” ~James Allen In order to achieve their goals, successful people understand that they will have refuse certain tasks, activities, and demands from their friends, family, and colleagues. In the short-term, a sacrifice of an instant of self-gratification will all be worth it when your goals come to fruition. Avoid the social time wasters. (See #15.)
11. GIVE UP TOXIC PEOPLE “Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.” ~Albert Einstein I think this was the #1 life upgrade I made, because the people you spend the most time with ultimately influence who you are. If you spend time with the excuse makers—those who refuse to take responsibility for their life and always blame others for the situation they are in—then your ability to succeed will decrease. However, if you spend time with people who are trying to increase their standard of living and grow personally and professionally, your average will go up, and you will become more successful. I also never pass up the opportunity to spend time with people who are the best in their fields, no matter what that field may be. Success is contagious! So take a look at around you, and see if you need to make any changes.
12. GIVE UP YOUR NEED TO BE LIKED “You can be the juiciest, ripest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be people who hate peaches.” ~Dita Von Teese As Zdravko writes: “Think of yourself as a market niche. There will be a lot of people who like that niche, and there will be individuals who don’t.” Regardless of what you do, you will have fans and haters. Accept this. There is no need to justify yourself. All you can do is remain authentic, improve and provide value every day. Remember that no one ever achieved excellence without critics, detractors and haters. Having them is actually a sign that you’re doing something right.
13. GIVE UP ON SPONTANEITY “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.” ~Zig Ziglar While we all have to “roll with the changes,” in the immortal words of REO Speedwagon, we also need to define our goals and objectives; where we want to end up. In order to do this, we need to clearly mark out where we are now, where we want to go and the steps needed to get there. The biggest key to my own success was when I saw a “motivational video” by a then unknown Dr. Wayne Dyer. He spoke of creating a personal agenda, which plots these out, giving us a road map to life. Without such a guide, you’re a rudderless ship, being tossed about by life’s currents.
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On the other hand, your goals and objectives may also change, so versatility is also key; better opportunities may arise, or your priorities may shift. At the time, Dyer recommended creating an agenda using a loose-leaf notebook. Today we have virtual notes. However you do it, consult your agenda at the beginning and end of each day. This also allows you to chart your progress. Even if you cannot cross off an entire step, there is always one thing you can accomplish that gets you one tiny bit closer to your goal.
14. GIVE UP FEAR “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” ~Frank Herbert, Dune Every year I watch the Olympics. No, I’m not a sports freak. I just don’t pass up the opportunity to watch the best in the world perform their craft. What few realize is that behind those victorious athletes standing on the podium, there is a long history of failure; embarrassing losses, injuries, and long hours, days and years of continual practice. Yet these superstars turned those losses into wins by learning from them. Arguably, without those losses, they wouldn’t be where they are. Failure is the best teacher. So accept the fact that you WILL fail. You will face obstacles, challenges and defeats. Anticipate them as much as you can, but don’t dread them. Welcome them. Learn from them. Grow from them. Successful people are never paralyzed by fear, but realize that if they are totally within their comfort zone, then they may be playing it too safe. Use fear as an ally in order to improve, achieve and even exceed your goals.
15. GIVE UP THE TIME WASTERS “The trouble is, you think you have time” ~Jack Kornfield I hang out with a group of Goths. Their attitude resonates with me because they understand that we only have this one life. Regardless of your beliefs, the only verifiable certainty is that we have the here and now. And life is short! No matter how rich you become, you cannot ever buy one more day. Or one more minute. We therefore owe it to ourselves to use today to achieve. To do that, we need to ditch meaningless time wasters and stop allowing them to come between us and our most important goals. How? We need to take control and make the most out of every hour of every day. Turn off the TV. Ditch the video game. Be cognizant of the fact that you will die one day, so while you have the time and ability, you should never stop creating your legacy, doing the things that will enrich your life. Again, many thanks to Zdravko Cvijetic, whose “Ultimate Productivity Cheat Sheet” is available at: http://bit. ly/2zsFYUp, and to Jeff Haden, author of The Motivation Myth. Until next time, safe spinnin’!
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