by David Andrew Wiebe | Oct 31, 2021 | Creativity
I have frameworks for a variety of things, especially the work I engage in daily.
I have Photoshop templates for website graphics.
I have a marketing checklist for my podcast.
I have a step-by-step process for the blog articles I write.
These frameworks take the guesswork out of the steps involved at each stage. They allow for increased consistency, efficiency, accuracy, predictability, and productivity in everything I produce.
It might seem like frameworks would prove antithetical and even restrictive to the creative process, but I have found the opposite to be true.
If I’m trying to come up with an article idea, I’d much rather draw from a well of ideas already generated than go back to the drawing board every time. That’s just reinventing the wheel, and I’m not smart enough to figure that out.
More to the point:
In a world with unlimited options, we’re often stymied by decision paralysis.
What if I said to you: “Write a song about anything and have it done by tomorrow?”
Sure, you’d eventually formulate an idea and start putting the pieces of the song together. But you’d probably need to spend a lot of time at the brainstorming stage before even putting the first lyric down on paper.
Meanwhile, if I asked you to write a song about eating cotton candy at the amusement park on a sunny Saturday, that would be a completely different kind of prompt, wouldn’t it? With the subject matter determined, the only thing to do would be to write lyrical and musical content that fits the subject matter.
There are things you do on a recurring basis – setting up new releases on digital distribution sites, updating your website, writing social media posts… Can you see that each of these activities need to be done on a recurring basis and would benefit from frameworks?
Even if you choose not to put any limitations on your creativity (I’m not here to tell you what to do), there are a myriad of other things you do where templates, checklists, and processes would make a big difference.
These days, I even have templates for the books I write. It eliminates the need to create the same sections all over again – title, copyright information, dedication, table of contents, introduction, etc.
I understand that creating systems takes take away from things you’d rather be doing. But I’d encourage you to do something in service of your future self. Set up your systems now so you can be more effective in the time that follows.
For a proven, step-by-step framework in cracking the code to independent music career success, and additional in-depth insights into making your passion sustainable and profitable, be sure to pick up my best-selling guide, The Music Entrepreneur Code.
by David Andrew Wiebe | Oct 30, 2021 | News
I was recently listening to a podcast, and the host was describing how one of his students reported that she’d done business with a marketer who was great at bringing in new customers but didn’t offer much by way of support for existing customers.
She could have been talking about anyone. But in that moment, I felt like maybe, just maybe, she was talking about me. Because, suddenly, I started to see a missing in my own efforts. I work hard to bring in new customers, but do I work hard to keep the customers I already have? I could see that I might be falling short.
Only once have I articulated what I’m about to share with you here (and it was at The Singer-Songwriter Summit on Thursday – if you were there, glad you could make it!). To be fair, I only started to see how this would work a couple weeks ago.
Because of what I identified as a missing in my business, I created is a “Value Ladder.” That’s a technical term, and whenever I introduce a concept like that, I like to bridge the gap.
The Value Ladder is a concept I got from Russell Brunson’s DotCom Secrets. But you may already know it by another name.
A Value Ladder is like a customer journey. A sequence of steps for the customer to follow (with the customer’s needs in mind). Each step costs more, but that’s because each step offers more value.
In my business, there are four steps:
The first step is books. I have five books published, with several more at various stages of completion. This represents an excellent place for newcomers to enter the Music Entrepreneur HQ ecosystem. Books are low-cost but are packed with value.
The second step is courses. I fill my books with everything I know, but chances are you’re going to be coming away with action items after reading them. And if knowledge doesn’t translate into action, it won’t get you results in your music career. The courses show you how to practically apply what you’ve learned from my books.
The third step is personalized coaching. My courses are basically self-serve, though I’m always looking for opportunities to serve, support, and add new content. My coaching is more hands on, more personalized. I give you guidance tailored to you and your current needs. Various artists, entrepreneurs, executives, and professors have already benefited from my coaching.
The fourth and final step is the online academy. Elite Players: All Access Pass is my online academy, and just like it sounds, it gives you access to all my courses. But in addition to that, you also unlock a members only forum (where I also offer personalized coaching), exclusive video training and interviews, members only audios, tools and resources, shows, archived trainings, merch and physical products (newsletters, books, T-shirts, etc.), and discounts with my partners (AYV Music being one of them).
This all ties back to where I feel I can make the biggest difference for my customers. At each step, I pile on more value.
And now you have a roadmap you can follow from just starting out all the way to optimizing and tweaking your ongoing career efforts.
There’s still lots to do on my end, including improving my email communication at every stage. But I’m excited to assist you no matter where you find yourself today.
So, where do you find yourself on that ladder? Do you now see where I can serve you next? What actions will you be taking?
New Value-Packed Blog Posts & Podcast Episodes
Mission critical updates and resources to help you grow superfast. It’s time to get your read on!
Must-Have Resource
The Hollywood on the Tiber Film Awards recently recognized the short film, The Nobody Prayer, for Best Original Score.
But who wrote the score?
Me!
And the original soundtrack was officially released yesterday on all major music streaming sites and online stores. You can listen to it anywhere.
Final Thoughts
Thank you for your creativity and generosity. I’m rooting for you.
by David Andrew Wiebe | Oct 29, 2021 | Creativity
In the last six months or so, I’ve proven to myself that you can you create a team from scratch and have them engaged and in action without pay.
This is not a guide on how to take advantage of people, though, so go elsewhere if that’s what you’re looking for.
As a leader, I make it my mission to know what’s important to my team, and to create opportunities where possible. And I’ve done just that. I’ve helped my team members book speaking engagements, get clients, and form new connections. I’ve given them opportunities to learn and to grow too.
Have all my team members been engaged and in action the whole time? No. Have any of them done way more than expected? No. But my sister is scheduling my tweets for crying out loud. I’m touched by my team’s participation, and I don’t minimize their contribution.
Where I used to get stuck was in trying to do everything perfectly. That is, until I learned that leadership isn’t about managing people. It’s about managing promises.
Like I said before, letting go of perfectionism is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Because you’ll be less constrained in thinking everything must be a certain way. That goes for your team, too.
I’m starting to discover for myself that letting go of the way things are “supposed to be” is access to freedom in choosing and enjoying all my work. Really, it applies to every area of life, not just work.
If I want to start something new, I can do that. If I want to delete or eliminate a project, I can do that. I don’t need to give my loyalty to unhealthy relationships, whether that’s relationships to people, food, projects, businesses, or otherwise!
Today, I am free.
And you are free to create your own team how you want. It doesn’t need to look a certain way. You can work with friends, freelancers, or employees. You can outsource your work, or you can find an agency. You can take a combination of approaches. Not all options are suitable to all people or all situations. But knowing there are options can be freeing.
You’re ready to start your team. And remember – it’s not about the people, but rather the actions they’ve committed to. That’s the only part that needs to be managed. Never manage character.
For a proven, step-by-step framework in cracking the code to independent music career success, and additional in-depth insights into making your passion sustainable and profitable, be sure to pick up my best-selling guide, The Music Entrepreneur Code.
by David Andrew Wiebe | Oct 28, 2021 | Creativity
In 2019, I took a three-month intensive leadership program. At that point, I had no way of knowing I would be taking a yearlong intensive leadership program in 2021.
But as I look back, I can see that leadership training has been a part of my ongoing development since 2011. This is because I’ve understood something about leadership a lot of artists haven’t.
I don’t just engage in leadership development because I run multiple businesses. I would have gotten into this even if music was my only passion or focus.
See, I got something from leadership expert John C. Maxwell I hadn’t gotten from anyone else. He says leadership is your limit on success.
It was hard for me to accept this at first. I could see that I wasn’t the shining example of a leader, and not sure I could ever develop into one. But example after example illustrated his point, and I just couldn’t deny it anymore.
More than likely, you’re familiar with McDonald’s. It’s one of the biggest fast-food chains in America, and it was founded by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald.
What you may not know is that, while McDonald’s was a humble success under their leadership, it was capped. The brothers could only take it so far because they didn’t know what to do next. It was ultimately Ray Kroc that blew the lid off that jar. His leadership skills were miles ahead, and he knew what to do to make McDonald’s a worldwide success, not just a national one.
So, you might be asking yourself how this applies to your music career.
Well, as artists, we tend to think that we do everything best. No one else can do what we do, or they can’t do it as well. If it’s to be, it’s up to us. There are all kinds of mantras that support this type of thinking.
And yet, you would probably agree that your genius zone is your ability to write music, or play guitar, or make beats, right? And you’re doing a lot of other things that take away from your ability to focus on exactly that. Emails, blog posts, social media posts, website updates, and more. It’s not that all this doesn’t need to get done. But does it need to get done by you?
Even to this point, you’ve probably had the opportunity to delegate responsibility – give other people tasks to do, whether it’s friends, family, or fans. What made you hesitate? Or, if you tried it, what made you give up on it? Why didn’t you keep going?
Your leadership is putting a ceiling on the success you can achieve, because you’re doing a lot of things you shouldn’t be doing. And it’s only through leadership that we can create opportunities for others to shine in their strengths.
For a proven, step-by-step framework in cracking the code to independent music career success, and additional in-depth insights into making your passion sustainable and profitable, be sure to pick up my best-selling guide, The Music Entrepreneur Code.
by David Andrew Wiebe | Oct 27, 2021 | Creativity
My business coach, James Schramko, taught me the importance of routine.
Routine requires forethought. And it takes discipline to keep to. But when done correctly, it can be your best productivity tool. I’m a big believer in that.
As I’ve been going through a yearlong leadership program, my routine has been looking quite a big different than it used to. The biggest change is more calls and meetings. Most of these happen at predictable times, some are subject to change, and some only happen once.
To give you a bit of an idea, here’s an overview of this week’s meeting and call schedule:
Monday, 8:00 – 8:45 AM: Program related meeting
Monday, 9:00 – 9:30 AM: Program related breakout meeting
Monday, 10:00 – 10:30 AM: Side business meeting
Tuesday, 9:00 – 9:30 AM: Program related breakout meeting
Tuesday, 4:30 – 5:00 PM: Program related breakout meeting
Tuesday, 6:00 – 9:00 PM: Program related training opportunity
Wednesday, 9:00 – 9:45 AM: Program related team meeting
Wednesday, 7:00 – 7:45 PM: Program related team meeting
Thursday, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Side business meeting
Thursday, 12:30 – 1:00 PM: Program related coaching call
Thursday, 2:00 – 2:30 PM: The Singer-Songwriter Summit presentation
Friday, 10:45 – 11:15 AM: Program related colleague call
Friday, 12:00 – 12:45 PM: Program related team meeting
Friday, 7:00 – 9:45 PM: Program related meeting
Saturday, 8:30 – 9:30 AM: Program related clinic
Saturday, 10:00 – 11:00 AM: Program related team meeting
Sounds kind of intense, right? And that’s because the program I’m taking is intensive.
I would love to say that I always get up at a consistent time or that everything happens at a specific time in my schedule. That’s not how things are working right now. But I have created some order in the chaos to keep me on track. I have certain days reserved for certain activities. And here’s what that looks like:
- Monday: Work on my book first thing in the morning. Most of Monday is dedicated to setting myself up for success for the rest of the week. That might mean writing multiple blog posts, outlining client blog articles, communicating with team members, preparing for meetings, and the like.
- Tuesday: Work on my book first thing in the morning. Tuesday morning is dedicated to audio content (podcast, members only audios, etc.). The afternoon is spent developing the client blog articles I was assigned.
- Wednesday: Work on my book first thing in the morning. Most of the day is spent developing client blog articles, but I also take ad hoc meetings (e.g., podcast interviews) on Wednesdays.
- Thursday: Work on my book first thing in the morning. Overall, same as Wednesday. I will usually leave Thursday nights open for something fun, like games night with friends.
- Friday: Work on my book first thing in the morning. Finish odds and ends – blog articles, blog updates, additional content, ad hoc projects, Elite Players: All Access Pass updates, making music, and so on.
- Saturday: Create weekly digest, publish it, and send it out to email list(s).
- Sunday: Don’t do anything!
So, even if organized chaos is what you’re facing right now (been there), you can at least create themes for your days. And that helps you make progress in the areas that matter every single week.
For a proven, step-by-step framework in cracking the code to independent music career success, and additional in-depth insights into making your passion sustainable and profitable, be sure to pick up my best-selling guide, The Music Entrepreneur Code.
