How To Help Make Your Soloist Business Happier

I have a cousin in the music business.

He started out as a musician and became wildly successful—he had a Facebook following that was full of raving fans and he literally traveled the world getting paid for his art.

We cheered him on since it looked like he was having the time of his life, living the dream.

But it turns out, the business of being a musician did not suit him. Feeding the social media beast, having to share his every move to engage people he didn’t really know felt unnatural to his more introverted self.

So he began—quietly—managing other musicians on the side. Helping them figure out overseas tours and working some booking magic. And pretty quickly realized he was not only good at it, but he loved it far more than being on the stage himself.

Today he’s a sought-after soloist, managing a tight cadre of bands whose music—and missions—speak to him. He uses social sparingly, mostly to hang out and build relationships with other musicians.

His journey is not so different from that of most soloists.

We tend to start out in a specialty of sorts and then gradually carve out a space for ourselves—we might branch out for a time, incorporating what we learn—but we keep digging into what eventually emerges as a niche that makes us fire on all cylinders.

Pretty much no one just figures it out in a burst of genius and travels in a straight line to their destination.

Instead, it’s a rich trip full of detours, sometimes maddening obstacles and serendipity.

The key is to keep taking action. To try one small thing as your next experiment, like my cousin and the first musician he helped.

Maybe you say yes to an unusual client whose mission intrigues you.

Or you follow that small voice telling you to pitch a strategy project vs. your usual execution option.

You might just double down on what you’ve been doing (saying no to even lucrative distractions).

When you take those moves, you’re stepping into your power, grabbing your future with both hands.

So ask yourself: What move can you make right now to invest in the future happiness of your business (and yourself)?

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