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!
Whether you feel stuck or unsure of your next steps, it’s important to realize that the breakthrough you need likely isn’t going to come from well-worn creative wells.
The enemies of clarity are pervasive besides.
The first is what falls under the category of addictions. Shopping, drama, video games, movies, alcohol, food, or otherwise – we all have our vices.
Addictions are an escape, and they tend to cloud our intuition, mask our true feelings, and prevent clear thinking. Because of the instant dopamine rush they provide they can lull us into a false sense of accomplishment and success, even as fires are breaking out all around us.
The second is our routine. Sustaining a routine takes discipline, and while discipline is a virtue, if you have not time enough for spontaneity, a deviation from the norm, as well as prolonged thinking, reflecting, and journaling sessions, you are unlikely to recognize what might already be in front of your nose.
Finally, there’s busyness. Temporary busyness is fine. It can even be purposeful.
When I was a graphic and web designer, we used to have “blitz” days, where we’d commit to putting the finishing touches on projects that had been sitting for a while. A blitz day could last well into the night, but of course, we’d reward ourselves with a pizza or a night at the movies for our effort.
But when busyness becomes our default, we should not be surprised to find the waters grow murky. Long-term caffeine-fueled hustles almost always end the same way, with the hustler wishing they had been more sensible in their approach. Because after exhaustion comes burnout, and burnout can be a costly, ornery, long-term companion.
No one makes good decisions at 3 AM after days, weeks, months, or even years of overwork and fatigue. There’s no clarity to be found there.
In my recent live streaming efforts, I have found more clarity than ever expected. The newness of it is exciting, but oddly, it has almost become like a visit to the shrink. A chance to express myself and to be heard without judgment (though there is no audience more judgmental than the one hiding behind digital anonymity).
There’s much one could say about that, but the point is that I see my past with greater clarity. Which helps me see the present with increased clarity as well.
Leave some space in your life for something out of the ordinary. It could be an opportunity to capture the seemingly elusive omnipresence of your calling.
With that, here’s what I created for you this week:
David Andrew Wiebe
I publish daily to inspire creatives and creators just like you.
At Music Entrepreneur HQ, I give modern music makers the tools and mental models they need to create the life they love through music, something I’ve been up to since 2009.
Here are the posts that went live on Music Entrepreneur HQ this week:
The Indie YYC is a creative community dedicated to inspiring local artists in pursuit of independent creativity, independent thought, and independent life.
I host a weekly series called Creative Entrepreneur where I share weekly podcast content to help you find new inspirations and pathways to achieve more creative and practical independence.
Is a worthy endeavor always supposed to be simple, easy, or fun?
Does it bring you joy to run a marathon? It’s a relief when you finally make it to the finish line, sure. But isn’t the training grueling? Isn’t the run to the finish line a battle of the mind?
Follow your passion. Follow your bliss. Do what makes you happy. Keep only what gives you joy.
Yes, I agree. But if you go into every project thinking it’s not going to require some grit and determination, you’re headed straight for a wake-up call.
Starting a project is exciting. But finishing it is a battle of the mind.
It’s no secret that I have been on a slight downswing as of late. But that was prompted by an increased sense of self-worth, which always seems to be followed by dissatisfaction. They go hand in hand.
So, I find it kind of funny that everyone finds my dissatisfaction so alarming. “Maybe you should try something else,” they say. “Success or failure is a matter of how you look at it,” they declare.
Of course, these are statements worth examining. And I have.
But when you know you were made for more, should you ever be satisfied with where you’re at? Content, perhaps. But never complacent.
The next challenge is bound to be even greater than the current one. So, if you don’t prepare and build resilience now, will you even be ready for the next boss you’ll be facing?
My dissatisfaction is well-earned. Not because I’ve been doing this “publishing thing” for a while, but rather because I have poured myself into a variety of projects that have mostly turned out to be disappointments over the course of 10 and in some cases 20 years.
I seek to shed such notions, and that time will come. My perspective will shift. I will see things anew.
That moment is not now. Now is the time to prepare and to develop resiliency for the next boss I must face.
And with that, here’s what I made for you this week.
David Andrew Wiebe
I publish daily to inspire creatives and creators just like you.
At Music Entrepreneur HQ, I give modern music makers the tools and mental models they need to create the life they love through music, something I’ve been up to since 2009.
Here are the posts that went live on Music Entrepreneur HQ this week:
This is quite random… But I like to stare at Dan Kennedy’s collection of books at No B.S. Books. I always feel inspired looking at what he’s been able to achieve.
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Final Thoughts
Thank you for your creativity and generosity. I’m rooting for you.
Pay what you want for the first issue of my digital magazine, The Renegade Musician.
It’s important to realize that, at some point, the life of the creative becomes an endurance race.
Wake at the same hour every day, tackle your top three priorities, answer a few emails, go to bed, rinse, repeat. Personal recreation becomes a luxury.
How much of that can you handle before it breaks your creative spirit? How much can you endure before you collapse onto the couch and cry “uncle?”
It may seem bleak, but this is what it looks like to make a living from your passion. You shift from someone who creates as the spirit moves, to someone who creates on demand, lest you miss a deadline, disappoint a client, or drop the ball on a big contract.
I admit, no part of this is inspiring. But I bring it up for a reason.
Firstly, we need to have filters in place for the opportunities that come our way. The vultures will come out of the woodwork the very moment you’re starting to find your daily stride, and “a few quick emails” can easily balloon into an unsustainable workload if you say “yes” one too many times.
You don’t need a complex system to filter opportunities. What you need is a raw, instinctual gut response. Because opportunities will seem endless, and frankly most are not worth your time.
Secondly, we need to listen to our bodies. Yes, we may fancy ourselves superheroes, but everyone has their limit, and anyone who’s gone through burnout is sure to reach that threshold sooner than desired.
You need a break. A getaway. An annual two-week vacation is nice. But it’s probably not going to be enough. You need to look at getting away every three to six months. Maybe it isn’t for two weeks, but as the day-in day-out demands of a creative begin to wear on you, you’ll find it necessary to unplug and allow for recovery.
You can’t let your clients and collaborators ride you like a donkey, because they will keep dangling that carrot in front of you, even as the reality dawns on you that your personal value far exceeds any reward they might offer you. You need to set boundaries in place, put your out of office notice alerts on, and recover away from screens and tech and unending smartphone notifications.
We all grow weary at times, and that’s okay. It’s what it means to be human. Give yourself the gift of disconnecting every now and then.
With that, here’s what I’ve got for you this week:
David Andrew Wiebe
I publish daily to inspire creatives and creators just like you.
At Music Entrepreneur HQ, I give modern music makers the tools and mental models they need to create the life they love through music, something I’ve been up to since 2009.
Here are the posts that went live on Music Entrepreneur HQ this week:
Reprogram.ME. I never thought I’d be getting into hypnosis, but I am finding it to be effective and now it’s part of my daily life. I guess you could say it has replaced meditation.
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Final Thoughts
Thank you for your creativity and generosity. I’m rooting for you.
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.
Clarity can come from unexpected places.
Is a worthy endeavor always supposed to be simple, easy, or fun?
