First, take about 45 minutes and watch the videos from Derek Sivers on how he created CD Baby. I’ve talked before about how we were early adopters, releasing our first CD in ’99 at CD Baby when there were only a few thousand or less artists there. And he’s telling the truth – I remember those “second ring answers” and all of the personalized treatment for both us and our customers. It’s what built the loyalty we had for them through the buyout. Plus, Derek’s a very engaging speaker and this longer presentation is cut into very easily digestible nuggets, so it’s an easy view.

Sidenote about AppSumo: the first time I viewed, I didn’t get a log-in page, but the second time, I did. When that happened, I requested log-in with Facebook, and was taken right to the page. So don’t get discouraged if you think I gave you a null link – I didn’t! And it seems to be a really cool site, too.

The other resource well worth your time is a book I just finished reading called Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content by Mark Levy. It’s all about “freewriting”, a practice that takes the best of both brainstorming and stream of consciousness and turns them into the coolest business (and life) tool I’ve used in a very long time. You may *think* you know all there is to know about digging into your creative center, but trust me, this book is going to take it up a notch. Even something as simple as journaling will never be the same again.

Enjoy!

In my teens, I never took to babysitting the way my friends did. I was tagged pretty early on as “most likely to end up a crazy cat woman”. True to form, decades later, I have scrapbooks full of the rescued and adopted felines to whom I’ve been caregiver and confident (I’m pretty sure most of my contemporaries are doing that with their babies, but I’m usually too busy cleaning up hairballs on the kitchen stool or scooting someone off the countertop to notice). I knew it was my thing. And it was obvious to everyone else, too.

Passion doesn’t adapt.

I’ve read countless stories from women who became mothers because it seemed like the right thing to do, only to realize that they just weren’t cut out for it. It’s not really a job you can quit once you get started, so they adapt, but it’s with a knowing that they never had their hearts 100% in it, and probably didn’t do the best job possible.

Being just as passionate, sometimes to a fault, about my work, I’ve tried to take that same straight-forward approach within it. Sure, there have been times clients have needed something that I know I wasn’t the right fit for, and I’ve given it that half-hearted shot, knowing there was a monetary prize at the end. Sometimes it was a jingle on the fly, or a voice out of my range. They each taught me something in the process, but ultimately, I love working most on and do my very best at the projects that are obvious fits for me.

Start with 10 Words or less.

In one of my college music composition classes, we had a day where we went around the “circle” (it was a small class) and described each of our fellow student composers’ styles in as few words as possible. I will never forget the terms I got: “sultry”, “edgy”, “percussive”. All were obvious, and true. I enjoyed experimenting with and perverting conventions of rhythm and instrumentation, and I dabbled a lot in altered scales and extended chords.

I see myself invoking these things still in my commercial work, sometimes subtly, sometimes not. But when I have to “play it straight” I do…but it’s never as fun. My heart doesn’t race and my fingertips don’t tingle on playback. I get the job done, and that’s it. And usually, my clients are happy, but not ecstatic. Not like when I make my special brand of magic, and they *get* it, and we all realize something awesome has happened because we’re such a solid match.

Life’s a niche.

Each of us has that thing. Our zone. Whether it’s the kind of narration voice that turns an e-learning project into a virtual, interactive academy, or a knack for writing modern sea shanties that set attendance records for local theater productions.

The more time that narrator focuses on beefing up their movie trailer voice because they think they should in order to have a “well rounded” demo, the less time they can be marketing to as many e-learning producers as possible to further spread their natural gift. Not only will it be detrimental to their bottom line, but it robs an audience of what that talent was meant for: teaching.

Fearing that niche that we’re naturally inclined for is human (we don’t want to limit ourselves, do we?) but illogical, and for once, I’m going to say illogical = bad. Focusing on not only what we’re really good at, but also love, will help us see more opportunities where we’re a good fit. This will equal more money, and equally as good, more happiness.

Being the crazy cat woman is not always easy, but it is natural for me, and the rewards are out of this world. Glad it was a fit.

Yesterday and today - Quincy, 3, who was tossed from a car at 5 weeks, only to now live the life of a queen, takes a few moments to remember her much older brother Conner, lost to hyperthyroid a year ago.

You never really hear of a psychic having a bad day. But they would see the dark clouds coming, right?

The rest of us aren’t so lucky. When it comes to the psychological and emotional climate of most industries, it’s feast or famine. After awhile, that takes its toll, and you wake up one day and realize that the sweet taste of promise that got you through your start-up phase has been replaced by sour grapes.

It happens to the best of us. Even in love affairs, when it first blossoms, the passion is intense and the feelings are euphoric. And by no fault of its own, one of two things happens: it’s fleeting and ends, or you settle into the long-term stage, which may be just as meaningful, but is characterized by less of a “spark”.

Most professionals I know spend a lot of time trying to constantly reignite that spark, or, if they’re the more impatient types, lighting a new fire altogether before the other one even has a chance to keep them warm.

It would serve them far better to balance their emotional relationships with their business.

I’ve observed other successful business owners and career creatives, and it’s obvious they have some attributes in common in this area. Unfortunately, at the other end of the spectrum, both the Moti-Vacuums (you know, those entrepreneurs that spend so much time sucking up and spitting out business inspiration and motivational material that even the Care Bears think they’re a little over the edge) and Doom-Bots (who still run businesses despite the fact that they deplore everything about how their industry operates) are displaying their own set of rules.

How the Moti-Vacuums think:

I must always have a heart-swelling passion and love for what I do.

Nope. This is that “falling in love” feeling, and we all know the sweaty palms must subside in order to get to the good stuff. Extreme serial entrepreneurs will simply quit when the lust is gone and start a new business, lathering, rinsing, and repeating throughout their careers.

I must always be positive.

By requiring extreme positivity from yourself no matter the situation, you’re setting yourself up for a huge gut-punch over the smallest letdown.

I must take time away from my business to work on my mood.

You crazy? Get back to work! Louise L. Hay will still be around in your off time.

How the Doom-Bots think:

Lowest price always wins.

Multi-million dollar ad campaigns won’t fool you, will they? No one will pay you to be creative. Or maybe they’ll pay “the other guy”, but certainly they won’t pay you. Because…

That’s just the way it is.

No point trying to change anything. This is how it’s always been done, and whether or not it’s getting results is no reason to look at any other way of operating. High impact activities, be damned!

Everyone should be like me.

The real problem is that despite not making what you want and not even liking your industry, everyone else isn’t following your lead. If only they’d be more like you, then we could see some change. Except there’s no point in that, is there?

What they each could learn from how Successful Business Owners create the emotional balance:

There’s beauty in the mundane.

If we follow Vilfredo Pareto‘s logic, only 20% of your biz time is going to be spent on the o.m.g. awesome stuff. Mother Teresa didn’t make an impact by doing big, lofty things. Finding contentment in “the work” and seeing bigger goals come to life through them is the DNA of a strong business leader.

I can change no one but myself.

Both the Moti-Vacuums and the Doom-Bots are dependent on the actions of others to get anywhere. The MV’s think their positivity alone will be so infectious that it will alter their clients, their colleagues, and at times, even their talent, leaving no other responsibility on their shoulders. The DB’s are so dependent on their industry circles and clients to make decisions for them, that they’re imprisoned by their businesses.

But the Successful Business Owner knows that owning your own power, though not always exciting or fun, is the key to opening the doors you want to open. If you are weak in an area, it gives you the ability to grow. You’re not limited by what any given industry or peer group has deemed as standard practice – you make your own. And you don’t waste a ton of time trying to change anyone’s mind. You free yourself to say, “No thank you,” and move on to the next candidate.

Bad days (and weeks…and years…) happen.

Clients flake. Lawyers are hired. Volumes get louder. Feelings get hurt. Industries change. It’s all just part of life as well as business. You’re human, your employees are human, and so are your clients and colleagues. So cut everyone some slack! Picking your battles often refers to not fighting all the time, but it also means there are causes worthy enough, so step up and roar when you need to!

“Winning” at business, much like life, isn’t about the actual score, but how you play the game. Hindsight makes most experiences that were cloudy a lot clearer, but it’s usually the experience (not the trophy) that helps us grow. Step into your power, and let it “be”. You’ll find the emotional balance you seek when you stop trying to seek it so hard.

(I know, right? Wrong Beatles song! I couldn’t help it – George is my fave.)

But the pitfalls of offering too much can sometimes cause our plans of “upping our game” to backfire.  Trying to offer too many additional options to our services can add learning curves to our already full workloads, and knock our main work out of focus.  Over-investing in gadgets and staff can kill our cash flow and put us behind the curve, instead of ahead.  And inexperience in pricing these new offerings to create the value we long to provide can turn our feast into famine — fast!

But there is a simple and social way to do all of this and more for our clients, without spending a dime:

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS!

A strategic partnership (also referred to more formally as a strategic alliance) occurs when two businesses combine the skills they each possess, by means of agreements or contracts, to benefit the other and potentially gain clients together.  What separates a strategic partnership from a traditional business partnership is that there is no transfer or sharing of business ownership – each entity remains structurally separate, but gets the benefit of having service offerings they don’t need to develop in-house.

It differs from outsourcing, hiring, or buying product from other businesses in that there is a mutual exchange of service, that benefits a different end client, as well as shared prospecting for those experiences.

For example, you may be hired by a flash developer to voice a web video they’re creating.  This makes him or her a client, not a strategic partner.

But if you were to form a strategic partnership with that flash developer, you would each be able to seek projects that included the other, knowing you could call upon that relationship to fulfill the greater service your client needed.  You would be their “go-to” for flash projects requiring voice, and they would be your “go-to” for clients requiring the flash development you will be voicing for them.

Neither company would need to formally change, but together, you would be offering one end user something greater.

Some examples of other businesses voice talent may want to strategically partner with:

A music composer, producer or library.

Often, your clients are going to want soundbeds or more fully-produced spots.  By offering this, you’ll set your business up to earn more and grow faster.  But if you’re not a musician, or have no experience mixing music with voice, what you offer may be sub-par, and actually turn your clients off.  Royalty-free CDs and sites might be cheap, but you’re going to sit there all day trying to sort through endless samples until you find something that works, and even then, you have no guarantee your client will approve it (sending you back to spend more money on more tracks) or even if they’ve already used it!  With so many common pieces popping up on the web and in multiple libraries, you just never know.

But if you have a music composer, producer, or personal library owner as a strategic partner, they’re going to know every license that’s been issued for a track, making sure you’ll never present a client with music they’ve already used.  They will be able to cut the track to fit your project and mix the music with your voice over if needed.  And, most beneficially, they can find tracks for you on THEIR time, while you’re recording voice over for other clients, and making more money for yourself.

An audio editor and/or studio.

 It’s so common nowadays to assume all voice talent maintain a home studio, but that’s just not the case.  Especially when you’re starting out, if you don’t have the money upfront to invest in the gear and education, a strategic partnership with another editor or studio can benefit you both.  You will have the resources at your disposal to make the recordings you need, while the studio and/or editor will have talent they can expand their business with. Win-win!

A video production company.

 Many of us have client rosters full of video production companies.  Especially today, when web video is continuing to gain in commercial popularity, it’s rare to find a voice talent that hasn’t worked on this kind of project.  Many of these producers are solopreneurs like us, who need voice talent on a steady basis to bring their clients’ projects to life.  How much more money would you both be able to make if you combined your skills into a package you both could shop?

Another voice artist! 

This one is a no-brainer.  Clients love hiring voice teams!  It insures consistency of quality and compatibility on multi-talent projects.  Whether it’s a male/female team, an English/Spanish team, or any other combination of characters, clients love having these options under one “roof” (whether or not the talent ARE actually under one roof, physically.  In most cases, they’d never know if you weren’t!).  A solid strategic partnership here could create frequent and fun projects for both talent!

Ready to give a strategic partnership a try?  Here are some things to think about:

Who will handle the money?

Will the client hire and pay through one of you, or will you market yourselves together, but be paid separately by the client?

What is your markup? 

You’ll want to make sure you both understand each other’s rate structure.  If you’re being paid separately but your pricing is incompatible, you’re going to have problems with clients.  If one of you is handling the quoting and payments, you’ll need to make sure your partner is getting their proper fee, as well as yourself!

How long will the relationship last?

Will it be for one project?  For ten?  For a year?  Set timeline boundaries you each can live with, in case there is a change of heart in the relationship.  No one wants to be tied to someone they can’t work with.

Is it exclusive?

Will you be able to have other strategic partnerships in the same industry?  Will you be able to procure projects without them?  Don’t step on toes or hurt feelings when this is an easy one to decide.

What are your legal and physical obligations? 

Who owns what intellectual property?  Who will pay legal fees to settle disputes?  If you’re sharing a physical work space, what are the responsibilities of each party?  Settle these things before expenses arise.

What’s your exit strategy? 

What if a project goes wrong? What if one of you decides to close up shop or move to another industry?  Or, most likely, what if you’ve just run your course with each other and want to amicably move on?  Decide from the onset what the best methods will be, and shake hands on them!

Partnering for Success!

Strategic partnerships can be amazing opportunities for voice talent to go beyond being freelancers competing in a vacuum to really establishing their businesses as a force in the media and content creation worlds.  By entering into them with like-minded creatives and other small businesses with solid structures, expectations, and goals, you can both win big and create even more satisfied clients!

Recording Methods:

Home Studio

Though they range from an elaborate addition to the main part of your house, to something as simple at times as a laptop with a USB microphone, home studios are becoming a more common way for talent to capture the audio they send to their clients. Some also edit or fully produce their files, but these tasks can also be shared with another remote editor or producer.

ISDN, Source Connect, and Phone Patch

ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital Network, and simply represents in this case the digital transmission of voice from one studio to another via a high quality telephone interface. It must be installed by a service provider, usually at a bit of an investment, and also has a monthly fee. It’s appealing for voice talent because for several decades it’s been the most popular way larger studios and agencies in major markets have contracted remote voice talent to record voice for more lucrative broadcast radio or television ads.

A more affordable method of linking two digital studios that’s growing in popularity is Source Connect. It has a lot of the same elements of ISDN, without monthly fees or as much of an upfront cost. There are some limitations that keep it from being as widely used so far.

A Phone Patch is a device which allows a remote client to be present on your recording session to provide direction, without necessarily recording their audio input. They will be heard in your headphones, but “patched” outside of the record chain. It’s a fairly inexpensive tool that a lot of clients like to have as an option.

But, there are workarounds if you don’t have a big demand for any of these methods, or if you aren’t quite ready for the investment any demand. You can allow the client to direct via speakerphone if you have a clean phone connection that won’t cause any feedback or other residual audio artifacts in your recording, or even via audio or video with Skype.

The key is knowing you’re going to provide high quality files, meeting the specs your client requires, with the ability to allow them to direct you in a way that makes them feel confident you’ll make the most of their time. Make sure you’re proficient with whichever method you choose before the session, so you’re not wasting their time if something doesn’t go as planned.

Recording Specs:

Your clients’ specifications will vary from project to project, as digital media becomes more flexible, and and audio interfaces offer more options. But don’t let the flexibility of options make you think all clients will accept whatever is handed to them! Getting a specific request from a client that you bypass because you don’t understand it or can’t meet it (and don’t want to say) will make you look like you’re ignoring their input or difficult to work with, putting you at the end of the list for the next opportunity. Take a few minutes, and get informed!

File Format

Though there are a large number of formats available for files, there are only a handful most clients request. WAV and AIFF files are the most popular uncompressed formats, presenting the highest quality you’ll be requested (but even that is dependent on other factors we’ll get to in a second). Mp3 is becoming more popular as a compressed format for some applications, but again, quality varies based on other factors. Most digital recording programs, from freebies like Garageband or Audacity, to pro level software, will handle a large variety of file types. Remember with each that it is better to capture your audio at the highest quality, then encode down if need be. You may be able to change the file format to what is the higher quality type once it is recorded, but the actual sound quality will not be improved by doing that.

Bit Depth and Sample Rate, and Data Transfer Speed

These two pieces of data usually work hand in hand to deliver the quality of your file. Short of doing a lot of explaining about the science behind these two numbers, know simply that the larger either is, the higher your quality. This also increases the file size, which is why sometimes you’ll get a request for a file of less fidelity but quicker upload.

A WAV on a CD is a 16-bit (bit depth), 44.1khz (sample rate) recording. An Mp3 of the same recording that is compressed and encoded at 256 kbps (kilobytes per second; the speed it transfers because it is so small) may not sound squashed to the naked ear, but there is data missing. By comparison, that same WAV has a data transfer speed of 1411 kbps. Kbps is also sometimes referred to as bit rate, but it’s easy to confuse that with bit depth (especially for clients who don’t actually work in audio), so keep the language as direct and simple as you can when asking for these pieces of information.

Common requests in the industry will be 16 or 24-bit files (and sometimes 8-bit for IVR or phone work). 32-bit float is also high quality, but not as often requested. 44.1 or 48khz are standard, and most interfaces manufactured within the last decade can easily meet these requirements. There are many that provide higher, but again, it is not as commonly asked for at this time.

Raw, Edited, and Finished or Fully Produced

Raw audio in general refers to uncompressed files. But in the world of voiceover, it also refers to unedited files that contain noise, breaths, and takes just as they were created, with no further editing.

Personal aside: as a talent, I hate providing raw files. Even though they take less time to create, it always makes me feel like I’m not presenting my best. But as a producer, I know this is exactly what the client wants when they ask for it.

I recently had a project where an ad agency client requested raw files, but I thought a little noise reduction and compression wouldn’t hurt, and would present my studio in the best light. Horrible move! The producer working on the project freaked out, and ended up making me look very bad to my new client. Once I gave them the raw file, they were able to do exactly what they needed to with it, and the day was saved. But I could have been fired from the project.

I’ve also had the frustration of requesting raw files from voice artists, only to be given fully produced files. It makes me wonder, “Do they not know what I mean? Or do they not care?”. I’m a pretty flexible producer, so if I’m thinking this, I know other clients are, too.

Editing usually refers to the physical removal of bad takes, mouth noises, and sometimes breaths (depending on the project), plus other noise reduction, possibly compression when needed, and the creation of files cut as the client requested. Sometimes this is also the finished or fully produced, turnkey audio you’ll present to your client. Sometimes the client requires further mastering of the files beyond your basic edits, and this becomes your full production.

In general, e-learning companies, interactive content providers, and other online audio and video companies prefer finished audio meeting their specs and ready to use. Ad agencies and broadcast production houses tend to prefer raw or basic edited files, as they’ll be applying further processing in the creation of their final product.

Which settings are BEST?

The rule for choosing the best formats, encoding, and versions of your audio is simple: whichever the client wants. Never be afraid to ask for their specs. Even if they don’t know, it’s a good place to start the conversation. If they have a separate producer on the project, they can easily find out from them, or if they need to refer to your expertise, you’ll have an opportunity to shine. There’s no excuse for providing something and hoping it will work, or worse, providing the wrong thing when you’ve been given instructions. Your clients have specific needs for a reason, and part of your task is to meet them, in both voice and technology.

A lot of entrepreneurs and development buffs like to cite “Man on a Wire” as a shining example that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.

But what I see when I look at “Man on a Wire” is someone who unrelentingly focused on accomplishing a goal with no concern for how it might effect his life or the people around him. Once it was attained, then what? Pay off the debts it caused? Rebuild the relationships destroyed? Watch the video footage and be proud of yourself amongst strangers?

Some of you may be saying, “Your glass is half empty!”, and you’re totally right. I’ve hydrated myself for years with the notion that if I keep constantly spitting out the positive, and eat/sleep/drink my goals and dreams, I’ll wake up one morning with a fulfilled life, a full bank account, and a 4-hour work week. Living the dream! But as one of my favorite songs by Arrested Development (apparently one of my favorite concepts, too) said,

But I am still thirsty.

All of this has come into crystal clarity for me over the past few days. I had what would probably be considered by most entrepreneurs as an off week: not a lot of new work coming in, having to play collections agency to try to cover bills, putting in more hours trying to generate leads for more work than I’d intended to. All of it was upped in the annoyance factor because it’s been unseasonably Sahara hot in Kansas City (as in most of the USA), the US debt crisis isn’t settled yet which makes me angry, and I haven’t been sleeping very well, as all of it has been weighing far too much on my mind.

Then life smacked me in the face.

Not business life. Real life. My husband is in the middle of a career change, and though my best intention was to be the “rock” this week that held everything down, all of these other circumstances made me feel like I failed in a major way. My reaction was to panic and freak out – exactly what the situation didn’t need.

Then, the following day, word came that a schoolmate, who was also a local entrepreneur, had passed away after an illness. Very few knew he was even sick – his positivity had never dwindled.

And even after that, we received a call that a friend of ours who my husband has been active in living history with for over 18 years was preparing for surgery related to his cancer and paralysis, and wanted to share thoughts about his legacy with us.

After that trip to the hospital, and hearing his inspirational words, I couldn’t help finally become aware of how numb I had become to life around me. To my life.

I’ve neglected my health…my marriage…my family…even my poor pets…because I thought building a business would take care of all of those things for me. And now that I’ve got a career that completely absorbs me, I feel like that’s all I have. I feel like one of those characters in Disney movies that spends all of their time in the office, and doesn’t wake up to see what they’re missing with their family until they get hit by lightening and trades bodies with the dog.

It doesn’t have to take a Freaky Friday to change.

One thing I keep seeing in my classmates’ recollections of our fellow student and friend Harv is that he was always there to show love and happiness and smiles to people. He was a family man, a spiritual man, and a business man. Through his example, I know it is possible to strike a balance, and leave more of a legacy than just someone who put in a lot of hours!

I know I need to respect my own schedule more, and make time for “me” (whatever I figure out that means; most “me” time in the past has involved building my business).

So I don’t have a bullet list for you today of warning signs or steps to take, because I don’t know them. I’m leaving that open. But I did get this great article sent to me by John Bigl that has helped. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Find your “me” space. Attempt to find a balance, or at the very least, not completely fall down.

We’re all guilty of making exceptions to the rules we set up for our businesses. Those rules might mean discounts for some clients, or putting them at the head of the schedule when someone else has booked first. It might mean more work than what we really intend to do. And for creatives, it’s easy for all of these “exceptions” to quickly become “liabilities” that not only take away our bargaining power, but sometimes destroy our rules altogether, making that business something we don’t want it to be.

So how do we keep our rules in check, AND our clients happy? Here are 3 ways to win:

1. Set goals. Write them down.

A goal is a powerful piece of magic. And once we commit it to paper (or screen), we’re far less likely to move it out of focus. We’ll make more effort to make our present situation meet the goal, as opposed to what we usually do – change the goal to match our present situation.

If you’re not used to setting goals this way, here’s a quick workout I devised that should get you right on track.

2. Establish boundaries that support those goals.

Boundaries sound like negatives, but really, they’re the gateways to your success. Identifying what doesn’t belong, whether it’s projects that take you away from your true work, disruptions that suck away your time, or policies that are half-baked and ineffective, allows you to bring into focus and make more space for all of the things that do. And when you give someone or something permission to come within that gated community, you’ve taken the time to truly qualify their place there.

For example, fellow voice talent John Bigl pointed me in the direction of the awesome Should I work for free? by Jessica Hische graphic. It sums up perfectly one of the entrepreneur’s biggest boundary destroyers: doing complimentary creativity for friends and family. Cheap may not be free, but the “friend discount” also falls into this category.

When you’re constantly making exceptions for those you like and love, you may feel like you’re doing the right thing for them, but you’re not loving on (and respecting) the most important entity in the situation: your business. One discount leads to the next, and soon you have an across-the-board lowered rate. By valuing yourself less for those who really should be valuing you more you’ll double the time and effort it will take to reach your goals.

3. Turn those boundaries into concrete, enforceable policies.

What if you could dictate how every project would flow? And why exactly is it that you don’t believe you can?

Your clients actually like knowing exactly what your working experience is going to be like before you begin your project. It gives them comfort, security…a gift!

Yet, I know very few creatives who outline on their websites, in their proposals, or in a work agreement what the client can expect. Sure, sometimes they quote with all the things they think will win their client’s undying loyalty: priced below the competition, faster than the competition, better than the competition. See a theme?

Your policies are not about anyone other than you. They demand respect! And they set your project up for success.

Here, we have a simple, one-page work agreement, inspired by Lisa Rice’s Letter of Agreement at VoiceOverXtra (having it printable makes it even more clear and effective to refer to, but in most cases, even an email is great). It articulates everything we expect in plain English, with room for both parties to agree.

And what if they don’t? It gives you a starting place to negotiate. We’re NET15, but earlier this year we had a client who was NET45. That was unacceptable to us, but we were easily able to meet in the middle (with some provisions) with a NET30 payment, and get the project done in short order. Both sides were happy, and we were able to plan our budget, knowing when the check would be in the mail.

Admit it: in lieu of forming your own policies, you usually just adopt the ones your clients bring to the table. That leaves you keeping track of a different set of rules for each project, and bending until you almost break. Your overhead becomes secondary to theirs, as does your schedule and sometimes, your life!

Now, do we make mistakes? Definitely.

This past week was a lesson in why all of these things are important. I spent more time chasing money than I did in front of a microphone, because I had gotten lax and failed to outline from the beginning of several projects what my goals, boundaries, and policies were. It’s made me sharper in current proposals, and inspired me to share (as a reminder for myself, as well as for you).

Set your goals, determine your boundaries from them, and enforce your polices. Everyone wins when you keep it simple and clear, and you build a foundation of expectation instead of destroy your good intentions.

First, the warm up…

At the beginning of each quarter, each month, each week, and sometimes, even each day (don’t worry – you can start right now, no matter where you are in your calendar), we need to get real about our financial and creative goals, and set boundaries for what won’t be allowed, so we can best keep focus clear to achieve those goals. Knowing how much we need and want to be earning, and physically, how much we can be working, we can forge something that’s realistic and inspirational.

Breaking a sweat…

Say you have a $10,000 per month goal, which represents your overhead and personal paycheck, if you’re a solopreneur. This converts roughly to a $2500 per week goal. You want to have weekends off to spend time with your family and reboot your passion (and probably clean cat boxes, if you’re like me), so you know that you’ll be working for only 5 days each week. So $500 is the amount you need to bank or book each day in order to hit the end of the month on track.

Now, for some of us, $500 may equal one client. It may equal two. It may currently equal 15 or more (yikes!). You should definitely know how many projects (or hours, for those of you who bill that way) are needed to equal one goal-hit day. It may be that most of your clients are $5000 projects, and you can split the two weeks representing that amount between working the project and marketing for the next.

Feel the burn…

With the amount of crystal clarity that information brings, do you see a schedule coming into focus for you? Or can you feel your pricing structure start to itch with a need to heal?

Certainly if you’re currently trying to service two clients to hit your $500 goal, you’ll need to make sure you’ve allotted enough time to work those projects, as well as market to acquire future clients. If that’s not possible, is your urge to say, “I can only do one, so I’ll cut my goal in half”?

No pain, all gain!

NO! You’ve got a goal now, and once it’s committed, you’ll have a hard time stepping it back. Instead, one option is to consider raising your price. It is the only one that allows achieving your goals without adding additional hours or days to your schedule. And it’s easier to do than you think – especially as you get in the habit of it.

Cool down!

When you raise the bar on your business’ goals, you’ll not only see results start taking shape, but you’ll become addicted to the rush achieving those goals gives you – and you’ll set even more. And as for this one, if you haven’t figured it out yet, that “rate muscle”, for most of us entrepreneurs, is the heart. Work it out regularly, and you’ll be loving your business more every day.

And it’s all just a gimmick to get you or your business to jump into the sales funnel, with spending a ton on training, or books, or seminars as your key to making the money your idea is supposedly already worth, right?

Or worse…they want to steal your idea.

But what is the true cost of your million dollar idea or business?

We get fed the fable about how one day an entrepreneur had a so-so idea, instantly implemented it to try it out, and it took off, drawing more fans, users, and consumers than ever imagined possible. We all want this to be us! Very little effort, very big payout. And though it may on very rare occasion occur, “overnight sensation” is not a good marketing plan.

So we invest in a lot of hoopla: coaches or advisors, programs or schooling, to try to get our idea out the gate with success. But by the time we’re finished getting the know-how, we’re too broke (financially) and sometimes broken (mentally or emotionally) to even begin. Industries or landscapes have changed, and we’re back at square one, with our dream…still just a dream.

Sometimes it pays to be impatient.

Impatient people are forced to make gut-level decisions. They’re not always the right decisions.

But here’s a little secret: Waiting doesn’t mean the decision you’ll make will be right, either.

You can brood and research until the end of time, but if you don’t act on it while the passion (and market) is hot, you’re more likely to fail than if you make the wrong choice.

I’ve had more “million dollar ideas” than I can keep track of. How do I know they’re worth a million dollars? Because I’ve seen other people act on them, and earn just that.

They’ve not taken the ideas from me. I’ve not been robbed or cheated.

But what has happened is that these amazing things have become evident to the choice few of us who are paying attention. And of those choice few, there will be one person bold, brave, and quick enough to meet the challenge…first.

What if, for every idea you’ve had that you thought might be on par with a million dollar idea, instead of viewing it as your unique “thought”, you saw it as a memo, sent by the Universe to only a few specific candidates who could possibly bring it to fruition.

Knowing that these ideas are what the world needs, and you’re being called to service, would you expedite your decision-making? Would you bow out quicker? If you did pass it along to someone else…do you think the Universe would keep you on the “candidate” roster for the next one?

How much more decisive and empowered would you be? How much would that feeling be worth to you?

Voices.com Answers

Here’s a very cool new feature at Voices.com. It’s no doubt going to become the go-to voice over industry wiki, with questions from talent, clients, and everyone else (there are other people?!), answered by the experts — whoever you are! I’ve been on there myself sharing, and look forward to watching it grow.

Upcoming Bettye Zoller Workshops!

Ready for a road trip (or a chance to learn from a living legend in your own hometown)? The renowned, multi-talented Bettye Zoller will be hitting lots of cities over the next few months with her amazing workshops, special guests, and more, and you should learn more about it! We’re hosting her here in Kansas City in October, and we even produced these two videos to give you more info. You have no excuse now!

I, Dana Detrick, originally started SVM as an indie label back in ’96, with only the goal of releasing my own music. It didn’t take long for indie compilation albums, writing for zines, playing in other bands, voice over, licensing, production work, cat herding, etc., to get in the way.

But in 2010, I finally released a solo CD that I am really proud of called “Retribution Girl”. I’ve got nine tales of woe and of “Woah!” here for you, and you’re free to pick your price on it.

You can check out all the songs first below – they start with “Retribution Girl” and go through “Such Good Taste”

I’ve suggested $5, but if you want to pay more (or less – even $0!), just type it in the yellow box, and you’re good to get your download.

Keep in mind, this is just for enjoyment. If you want to license any of the tracks for usage, just hit me at dana@seriousvanity.com, and I’ll hook you up with some rates and some painless paperwork.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I think art should be pure. Each piece should be able to stand on its own, whether it’s a piece of music, a digital image, a photograph. If you write a blog, as I’m doing right now, it should stimulate thought and conversation no differently than if it were a topic raised at a dinner party. You could rebut your comments just as casually below as you could if you were passing me the sourdough buns.

But there’s something else magical about the concept of “content”: it implies that it belongs somewhere, that together, with other content, it’s making something else whole. The interdependence of it bonds me with other content creators, in a way that makes it more alive and evolving.

Just making a video is ok. Just writing a story is ok. But when those things then expand, and interact with viewers and readers and other people who make them prettier and deeper, they become like precious gems.

And that sort of CON-tent, keeps me con-TENT.

I talked a little before about why brand loyalty doesn’t serve you as a business, but I promised to go a little deeper as to why it really doesn’t serve you as a consumer, either.

I mentioned some of the things I loved most: Apple (which, at the time I switched to PC, wasn’t a viable platform for the mastering software I needed to move my business forward); then Sony (which eventually, as a computer manufacturer, offered nothing more than its competitors did, at twice the price); then Betsey Johnson (who, though I loved her in my youth, doesn’t design clothing that aged with me), to Bath and Body Works (who no longer had that amazing, personalized experience in their stores, making their $12 bottles of liquid soap seem so great); to Duran Duran and Depeche Mode (both of whom I sort of grew out of following so much, and subsequently released CDs I didn’t really care for).

My “lifetime” in the lifetime value equation for each of these varied (from maybe 5 years for Apple, but over 20 years for Duran Duran), but in the midst of it, I was a big spender and referrer, which is exactly what each of these brands was hoping for! But there are several reasons why now it feels like it was a waste of time and resources as a consumer.

Here’s just 4 ways being too “brand loyal” will give you buyer’s remorse:

1. You lose your objectivity. When you’re overly loyal, you let your guard down and lower the standard. As long as they’re still in business, you’re happy, but you don’t realize that the experience is not the same. It’s more painful to me to put CDs up for trade on Craigslist than to have not purchased them at all.

2. You miss out on other awesome things. You only have so many consumer dollars to spend, and hours in the day to try things. When you limit those resources even more by promising them in advance, you miss out on new experiences, new sounds, new fun, new function! I would have never discovered Lush if I’d stayed true to Bath and Body Works forever. But at the same time, I reserve Lush only for special occasions, so I’m not stuck with them, either.

3. You’re easy to manipulate. You wouldn’t be buying a new phone if the newest, latest thing by your favorite brand wasn’t hot out of the factory and waiting for you at the midnight madness sale. Because you want to keep up with them, you’ll fork out a ridiculous amount of money for what is essentially a small upgrade, not questioning why they didn’t just present you with that upgrade instead. Or offer a discount for your loyalty. It’s that same “gotta do it” that makes you spend $500 on a fan experience now, that ten years ago was a simple meet-and-greet you could do at a record store or after the show for FREE – and have a lot more fun doing it.

4. When they’re gone, you have to start over. Businesses go under. Bands break up. When you’ve promised yourself to only one, when that one is gone you’re back at square one, trying to find a comparable experience.

Now, I’m not saying give up your iPad2 if you love it, or stop buying Depeche Mode CDs (I probably won’t, but I’ll judge each one as they come before I buy). I will always have a fondness for the time I spent with these products and bands, not because of my “brand loyalty”, but because of the memories I have attached to those experiences. I’ll remember when Bath and Body Works only had a handful of scents, and I would get their gardenia soaps in the summer because I loved how the smell of it filled my house every time I would use it. I’ll remember my first Mac Performa that I got in college, and how I would sit for hours creating MIDI sequences with Vision (a long-gone piece of software I also obsessed over) that would later become my songs.

But that’s not about the brand in any of those cases – it’s about life, and the memories we make along the way, not the “consuming” we do. Remember to stop spending and proselytizing for products long enough to smell the roses – real ones.

I used to love so many brands. There was the Apple phase, then Sony, for technology. Betsey Johnson could do no wrong. It was assured that if I entered, I wouldn’t leave Bath and Body Works without buying something. Even with music, if Duran Duran or Depeche Mode put out a CD, I would buy first, judge later (if at all). My brands (and bands) and I had sacred relationships, that I dare not question!

And to hear it told, that’s exactly what I should be wanting for my own business. Every customer should be an evangelist as Patrick Hanlon said in Primal Branding, singing my praises from the rooftops forever, bringing more into the fold.

It’s stupidity and laziness on both sides of the coin.

As a consumer or client, do you really think one brand is going to grow with you, right alongside your every need? What are you not going to experience when you’re relying on them to them to stay fresh, complete, and capable?

And as a brand yourself, why do you want someone who won’t question your work? Who won’t hold you to a high standard? Who blindly accepts whatever you put in front of them, without input or involvement?

Here’s just 4 ways thinking in terms of “loyalty” will destroy your momentum (and kill your business):

1. You can’t get a decent testimonial. I dare you to try. Let’s assume we’re selling ketchup. Instead reflecting on the subtlety of the spices, the richness of the texture, or how it complimented the rest of the meal, our “loyal” fan who bought our ketchup without question says, “It’s GREAT! You should eat it, too!”. They do this because they don’t have an opinion about what you are doing – only about you. So this may actually be as honest as they can be with you. Friends and family are notorious for this, because they want to be supportive. But if you were a stranger, they wouldn’t care. And frankly, you shouldn’t spend 5 minutes on a sale like that, because they are meaningless to your work.

2. You can’t learn where you need to improve. There’s a lot of important information in someone patronizing your work once, but not twice. There’s a great benefit to being “almost there”, but not quite. By not instantly meeting every need, you’re challenged to step up every time you work with someone or create a new product, making each experience a unique opportunity for learning and growing. And you may win them over again! Or you may not. When you take for granted they’re there for good, you put on your proverbial cozy jeans, and you don’t grow your skill set.

3. You will lose them the minute they are interested in someone else. Seems like loyalty leading to breakup would be an oxymoron, right? But it’s true. When you’re the only go-to, the love will be intense like a summer romance. But what burns brightest burns quickest. If you’re not constantly meeting their needs, you’re not going to be in the picture long, and the next studio/artist/fancy soap/teen idol in line is going to take over where you left off. And they’ll never be back, and you’ll have to start over again anyway, with a new crop of loyalists.

4. You don’t get to change course. Sometimes, it’s time to do things differently, either because our industries change, or because we just need to personally. If you’re someone’s one and only, they’re not going to take kindly to it, and your audience will be gone. If you instead approach each project with a fresh perspective, whether the client is new or not, you’ll be poised to do whatever you need to do, with an eye always toward growing, instead of hoarding what you have so it won’t leave you.

Especially as creatives, we need to be okay with our clients looking at us in terms of where we fit in the marketplace. I don’t preach competition, because it’s our specific talents that dictate whether or not we’re ‘right’ for any given project, but we shouldn’t want them to limit us with their undying worship at our alters (or ateliers, more appropriately). If someone else can better meet their needs, we’ll have the opportunity to learn from that and grow from that. And when they do choose us again and again, it needs to be because of what we do in the moment, not just what they expect. Only then will we know where we stand creatively and from a value position.

And there are equally as many reasons why it hurts you as a consumer, but that’s for Part II…

As small biz folk, we spend a lot of time trying to communicate what we are to our clients and prospects. But they still make a lot of assumptions, based on what their personal needs are, and like to throw other things we can do for them into the mix.

You end up with the Wrong Client when this happens. They’re not yours, but they don’t know that.

I used to feel a lot of pressure when clients would try to add services I didn’t perform, and I’d just try to go ahead and do whatever crazy thing they wanted, whether it was to grow my skill set, or because I was afraid to say “no”. But my business suffered, because I was spending time doing something that wasn’t my service, instead of moving on to the next client who really did need me. In some cases, I could have outsourced those things to a colleague or friend, but still just did it anyway. Waste of time, as well as a money and resource suck.

So I command you to not only know what you are as a business, but also, what you are not. Don’t be afraid to communicate that clearly! Your clients will respect and honor it, and your projects together will be all the more blissful.

Holding myself to the same standard, here it is:

What Serious Vanity Music is NOT:

a store front
a place for your friend to record their demo
a bargain basement
a charity
a hobby
a music management service
a talent scout
an open casting call
low quality
high maintenance
a dj for your wedding
a music school
a business school
forgetful
stagnant
a multi-level scheme
hungry (ok, that one was just for kicks. Shared an awesome omelet earlier that’s fueling the afternoon’s projects)

What won’t you do today?

Two words enter, one word leaves. Scratch that. No words will leave Thunderdome!

I’ve saved my least favorite terms of all for my third installment in the “Borin’ Language Trilogy” (see parts one and two for further vomit-worthy vernacular).

And I give you first…

Innovation

Create something new. Take something old and do it a new way. Make stuff up. Try. Take risks. Be daring. But for the love of Pete Townshend, don’t innovate. It’s an overused, under emotional term that isolates you from getting started.

and…

Dynamic

Interesting. Seriously, I can’t even make that one more complicated. It doesn’t matter if it’s because it’s more shiny, more interactive, more complex, more anything – the whole point of making something more dynamic is to make it more interesting. So just cut to the chase and do that.

I’m sure more words will continue to bother me, block me, attempt to put their big hand around the top of my skull like an annoying older brother while I swing pointlessly in the direction of their ribcage.

But as a tiny platinum haired pop star from the eastern seaboard known for wearing envelope-pushing outfits and acting outlandish to sell records once said, “Rah rah ah ah ah, Roma roma ma, Gaga ooh la la”. No wait, totally wrong pop star, it’s so hard to tell them apart. I meant this one: “What are words for, when no one listens anymore?”.

Time to get to work, destination unknown.

So I gave you 3 ways to remove the biz speak for good before, but there are a few of those terms that are useful, but just need some redefining. Make a shift in your mind about these concepts will create way more concise (and understandable) projects for your clients and you!

1. Branding

What was once just the name and image of a product or company is now the thing of a million confusing projects. Everybody needs branding, but most of them don’t really know what it is. Even Seth Godin, notorious for bringing marketing language down a notch, leaves a vague taste in your mouth when he attempts to define branding.

But finally, people are getting it right. Simply, branding is storytelling. That’s it. I could cite way too many sources on this that are saying and doing it right (even Mr. Godin kind of says it above, but then combines it with far too many other things that lose it).

Just remember: at every step, you’re telling a story. Your logo is a color story and an image story that tell them, as simply as you can tell a bedtime story to a child. Your mission statement is a story of who you are and why you are here. Your website is an interactive, Choose Your Own Adventure book that should have a cohesive line between Point A and Point B, no matter what direction visitors are walking in. Remember the 3 C’s: Characters (THEM and YOU), Conflict (What are their problems?), and Conclusion (How do you solve those problems?).

2. Strategy

Are you a military general? Probably not. Yet you’re making ‘strategic’ moves all of the time. What separates them from other moves? Not much. As a business owner, creative, or cat herder of some sort, you probably don’t aim to waste a lot of time with moves that don’t have a purpose. And that’s all it is. Strategy is a game plan. But it sounds very sterile and frankly, aggressive (not to mention not very much fun), to be ‘strategizing’ all the time. It again, comes down to mindset.

I don’t believe in “red ocean” competition-based marketing tactics, so I’d rather be a “blue ocean” (i.e. no ripping competitors to shreds) creative marketer, with my “game plan” being more for solitaire than rugby. I make short term and long term plans that deal with my personal business goals, fill in my Point A to Point B (yep, a theme with me) with actions that make sense to get there, and stay limber enough that if the situation changes, my game plan can, too.

3. Viral

Isn’t it funny how we spend so much time and money online trying to avoid viruses, and equally as much of both trying to infect everyone else with our “viral” content? From cute kitties to badass honey badgers, it’s still a crap shoot to guess what will take off and what won’t appeal.

It’s cliché to even attempt viral video status. For every dramatic rodent, there are thousands of imitators trying to copy its success. Simply, it just happens. Sometimes corporation get it right (Dos Equis and Old Spice have been a few that have revived themselves on purpose), but most don’t, which is why they’re still advertising the old way.

What these successful viral videos have in common is their worth, whether it’s a laugh or an “awwww!” in the middle of the workday, or a piece of information or inspiration everyone could use. Viral is value. It’s short, sweet, and sharable, whether it’s seen by ten people or a million.

I saw a video shared on Facebook earlier today that nails all three of these: you’ve got storytelling, you’ve got a game plan from a really smart company that’s driving downloaders to their site, and you’ve definitely got some sharable value. Send the kids and the boss out of the room (NSFW, you’ve been warned), and enjoy Samuel L. Jackson and a very special bedtime story that you can also download for free at Audible!

(if you get an error, click the “YouTube” logo on the player, and it should play just fine from the page.)

It doesn’t matter if you got your business education within the hallowed halls of a prestigious university, from trusted mentors, coaches, or colleagues, or on the street. Odds are good we’ve all been speaking the same “borin’ language” for awhile. Whether it’s just so vague no one can even understand what you do, or so flat out boring that no one cares, it’s time once and for all for it to GO.

Here are some examples from the Lexicon of Lame to make sure we’re on the same page:

Your branding must communicate to the end user and quantifiable leads how your innovative strategic benefits will convert them into the funnel. Then they will make more money! Live more life! Have more success! See more profits! Eat more pizza!

Ok, so maybe that particular paragraph hasn’t been sent to you in an email…but probably not something far from it.

A-ha Moments

Sometimes even old standards can benefit from a wording change.

My “a-ha” moment (which did in fact take on me…take me on, in a sense) came when I was plotting my new elevator pitch with some of the friends I made in a coaching program I joined a few years ago. The program is dead in the water, but thankfully the friendships aren’t (learn from me before you shell out cash – the relationships will be the most important things, anyway, no matter what you join). We’d all heard the same drill about how to form your USP and your elevator pitch (two things you actually use very little, but were the subject of an insane amount of focus). So when it was time to reboot my biz, I started right in with the forced, “You know how you blah blah blah? Well what I do is blah blah BLAH!”. Instead of “wounding ” in order to “heal” them, I was poking at an old scab.

Here’s an example (and this was honestly going to be it):

I help production companies and creative individuals make more money and achieve more success!
How? By providing them high impact (alt: high quality) audio, visual, and marketing solutions, that expand their services and grow their business.

Or to quote one of my brethren below (who shall remain nameless, only so I can call in favors later):

“More money, more freedom, more life, more vomit!”.

Colin is amused by paint drying, but even he can't stand your borin' language.

When I was trying to explain what I meant above (first sign you’re on the wrong track: you have to explain your explanation), I hit something that resonated with all of them: “…I find I’m turning smaller studios into bigger ones by being a collaborator…”

That’s it. That’s the hot button. I mean, what could be better, more benefit driven, or more descriptive than making something they have that is small increase in size, with little or no effort on their part? And this was something that not only I understood and could communicate, but that my clients were already telling me.

But this isn’t about me and my particular language barrier. It’s about turning off the “borin’ language” once and for all!

Here are three tips to help you drop the business buzzwords and get down to what you really want to say:

1. Speak YOUR mind. It’s important that your language be natural to how you’re already communicating, especially if that’s what is already drawing in your customers or clients. Making sure THEY understand could be as easy as looking at what you are already saying on the phone or in emails, or just asking them!

Exercise:
If you’re not a natural writer and hate blogging or copywriting, but LOVE talking, a great exercise is to get a mic for your laptop, a tape recorder, or a voice recording app that will allow you to just hit record, and chat. Act like you’re talking to them, or just…talk. Talk about why you love your business. Talk about what your last project was like. Then notate it. You’ll find your language in it, and it will flow much more naturally than trying to imitate what a marketer or copywriter is doing.

2. Check for Understanding. In one of the e-Learning programs I have regularly voiced over the years for teens and ESL students, there’s always a “Check for Understanding” quiz at the end of each section of the program. It’s hard to remember when you’ve been out of school for awhile that it’s best to test yourself and your work before adding more data to it, or moving on to something bigger, but doing those programs always reminded me of it.

Exercise:
The exercise you can do here is to take your copy out to the masses and get some feedback. As we get lost in our own language sometimes, getting feedback from others will bring us back to whether or not we’re actually communicating effectively. Do people in your industry understand it? If so, good. Do buyers or clients understand it? Good. Do your friends or family or general public who have no idea what you do or have no use for what you sell understand it? Hint: there’s no right or wrong on this one. Sometimes, if you disqualify everyone from getting it, you can hone in on the ones who really need to. Other times, if you’re not hitting every granny or grade schooler with your message, you’re losing. Trust yourself to judge this!

3. Do your work anyway! There are a lot of teachers and programs out there that will have you hyper focused on your marketing language, killing precious time you should be working with clients. But how can you work with clients if you can’t market to them, you ask? I am turning the tables back on you and asking: how can you possibly know who your client is that you need to speak to until you’ve actually worked with them? Most of us will spend our entire careers crafting and altering our messages, or paying someone else to do it for us. We will be both right and wrong at any given time, because our industries will constantly be changing. That is marketing. It’s an ever-evolving beast you will both love and hate as it both anchors and propels you forward.

Exercise:
You get out there and work anyway. Sometimes you learn that you are appealing to the wrong client – but you must keep working. Then you change, and the next one is more on target. The only exercise for moving forward is to keep moving forward.

I hate to quote old clichés, but it’s true, most people do judge you not by words, but by actions. All of the marketing language in the world would not have raised the Titanic, or turned Milli Vanilli into Il Divo.

That coaching program my friends and I belonged to had an awesome USP that they used for many years. Their elevator pitch was so crisp and concise, and I’d heard it so many times, I could probably still recite it if forced to in a parlor game. But that company is now bankrupt.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do to tell your clients who you are and what you can do for them, is to just shut up and do the work.

In parts 1 and 2 of our 3-part series, We’ve covered fraud, chargebacks, and barters gone south, but there’s one last item you need to watch out for: the infamous “hot check”. Hot, or more commonly known as bounced checks, are similar to chargebacks in what they’ll do to your accounts, but in some ways, are easier to recoup and/or prosecute (which is why they’re probably less popular than they used to be).

As vocal as I’ve been about my chargeback and fraud education, you would probably guess that there’s no way my business could be victim of a bounced check. And you would be right! I have an immutable guard up in dealing with checks for my company, and take every precaution necessary before accepting a paper voucher for payment. But for my side pursuits…not so much.

As well as being a content creator, I am a live performer and recording artist. The recording aspect often bleeds over into Serious Vanity Music business, as I license those works for interactive and traditional media use. But as a singer and guitarist, I just play shows. Some are bigger than others, and some, as you’ll learn here, are sometimes small in scale, and integrity.

The Situation

I was contacted via my Facebook fan page last year about an upcoming event that needed live entertainment. I didn’t know the booking agent, but they seemed sincere, and since I hadn’t played out since 2008, it sounded like fun.

I’m purposely not mentioning the event here, because all other parties I dealt with, from the originator of the event, to the owner of the venue, were fantastic people who I have no beef with, nor want to mar future events for in any way.

A large crowd was expected (400-600 people was the number I received several times), but the size didn’t matter to me. I had no guarantee and wasn’t expecting to make a huge profit from a portion of the draw at the door, as was communicated to me would be our earnings, but certainly a larger crowd would be an exciting return to the stage.

I enlisted a few talented and reliable bandmates (who I intended to turn whatever funds from the door over to as compensation for supporting me), and rehearsals began. Communication was great with the booker. In fact, almost a little too good. I thought I’d lucked out in landing a pretty good, low stress gig!

Potential Snags

Gradually, strange problems popped up. We were a few weeks out from the show when we were told there would be no PA system. Not just none provided, but none allowed. Now, for anyone who has ever played any sized venue, from a school cafeteria to the Taj Mahal, you know you have to have some sort of audio projection if you want to be heard. Especially when so many people were to be in the space, there’s no way an acoustic guitar and a Mr. Microphone is going to cut it. But this problem, among the other small things, seemed to get solved as quickly as it appeared. But it left a weird vibe that made my very reliable bandmates give me the nod to cancel if the feeling lingered.

Signs of Trouble

We played the show, amidst a collection of Spinal Tap-like outtakes for the evening. I always enjoy performing, whether it’s just been to a couple of friends at a club, or at big local venues supporting infamous bands. But this night came way closer to the former, with only a few tables filled, and more crew than customers. We shrugged and really didn’t expect to be paid at all.

So, it was a surprise when the booker handed me a folded check from their personal bank account (before the end of the night, when people were still coming in the door) and thanked me for performing. It was for a small amount, but like I said before, I wasn’t even expecting pay, so at least gas money or a sandwich would be covered for all three of us. My drummer laughingly encouraged me to, “Cash it fast!”. I would have preferred cash (which would have made more sense anyway, since we were getting a portion supposedly of cash from the door), but didn’t think anyone was dumb enough to risk bouncing a check from a personal account for such a small amount.

The Bad News

They were dumb enough. I deposit the check with my other business checks for the week, and within four days, I log into my account and see not only the bounce, but a $2.50 charge from my bank for the bad transaction. Within a day I received the legal copy of the check in the mail, plus a statement from my bank reflecting the charges and that it had been a “closed account” – so it wasn’t an overcharge, it was a fraud from the start.

But still, I gave them the benefit of the doubt at first. For such a small amount, I had no desire to waste a ton of time or cause a big stink if it was an honest mistake that could be fixed so easily. I sent them a message on Facebook, and left a voicemail on their cell. When that wasn’t returned, but status updates kept coming, I responded to one. I was then blocked from viewing their wall. That flag was more than red, it was on fire!

A day later, I get a return call that they were super busy, but wanted to find out what was going on. They were shocked that the account was closed (“I’ll have to speak to my accountant,” was the exact response. It wasn’t “The Force” that was strong with this one, apparently.). We agreed to meet at a halfway point at lunchtime the next day, and all would be well.

This dog ate your homework.

I arrive the next day, and no booker. I wait around the better part of an hour, calling at regular intervals, and get nothing but voicemail. When I get back to the studio, there’s a message about 5 minutes after I left stating car trouble, and “call when you get this” (as if I hadn’t been calling all hour). Still, I’m beyond fair, so I call, and get told in a very nasty tone, “I’ll deal with you when this is done.” So yeah. Later that night I get a one-ringer from them, and that was it until a Facebook message several weeks later offering to send me another check. Seriously. First, dog ate my homework. Now, check’s in the mail? No. Even someone as nice as me, who was offering to copy the legal copy of the check so they could dispute it with their bank if it truly was a mistake, and had already gone so far overboard to work this out that it was ridiculous, has their limits. I message to bring cash, to my locale, if they honestly want to settle up. You can probably guess that I haven’t seen the cash yet.

Problem 1

All of those red flags upfront that included the weird vibe of the information I was receiving, the fact that the phone they were calling on was in someone else’s name, and how odd it was that I was contacted out of the blue should have made me more of a skeptic.

Problem 2

Even though the music business is a casual, fun business, it’s still a business. The personal check raised an eyebrow of my bandmates, and I should have insisted on cash then and there, or at least drawn up a contract prior that any payment would be done in cash. Then, even if I hadn’t received pay, I wouldn’t have had the silly fee to contend with.

Mitigating the Damage

I knew my rights, and I kept the paper trail, so it was just a matter of receiving advice from the experts. My bank had of course returned the original hot check to the originating bank, but they encouraged me to either file a case in small claims court, and/or report to the Better Business Bureau. The amount didn’t total dinner at Olive Garden, so it would cost me more in time away from clients than I stood to gain. BBB was good…if they had been a real business. Remember, I was handed a personal check. They also encouraged me to spread the word! You’re totally within your rights to tell your story. It’s not slander, harassment, or libel if it’s true!

My next step: Fox 4 Problem Solvers. Again, this isn’t even buying me printer ink, but it was worth talking to Linda Wagar about it (thank you again, Linda, for your time!). She had some great tips! “If you are a consumer that’s been defrauded by a business you could file a complaint with the BBB, the AG’s office and even tweet about the business and how it did you wrong.

“If you are business who has been defrauded by a customer, that’s a lot trickier. You have to start from the front end. When you invoice a customer be sure it includes a payment date. You can also include late fees in the invoice if payment isn’t met by a certain date. If that doesn’t work, don’t hesitate to send a second, third or even fourth invoice. Plus call the customer to remind them that you haven’t forgotten what they owe you. Finally, hire a debt collection agency, but be careful to pick one that works within the confines of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.”

She also recommended these tips from allfoodbusiness.com:

• Always ask for an ID
• Ask for a date of birth
• Ask for an actual address if all that’s listed on the check is a PO Box
• Don’t accept two-party checks
• Don’t accept checks with a low number
• Make sure written and numerical amounts agree
• Poor print quality on a check can sometimes be a sign of a counterfeit
• Real checks only have one preforated edge

Most of that didn’t apply to my case – I had a home address and everything. And I stopped short of showing up on the doorstep. I’ve already wasted enough in gas!

So, our best recourse: help keep this from happening to someone else! Take steps we didn’t take on this one, and watch out for the warning signs we missed.

1. Follow your gut!

Trust that feeling that something weird is up, and don’t go through with something if there are warning signals left and right. Especially if you or no one you know has a history with the person you’re doing business with, odds are good it’s not going to hurt your reputation to pass on something that seems off.

2. Keep your paper trail, and get it in cash.

Half of this I did do right. I stated before that I was expecting nothing, and wouldn’t have given it all a second thought had I received nothing. But by writing a check, the booker created a written contract, and by bouncing it, incurred expenses for me. Plus, I kept every communication and record of phone calls.

3. Speak up.

The last thing I wanted was for this to happen to someone else, because it’s a pain in the ass. I was encouraged at every turn to head to Twitter and Facebook, but I believe the shortest distance between any point is a straight line. Having been a musician, music columnist, and service provider in the local music scene for over a decade, not to mention the connections of my bandmates from that night, I merely started speaking to my friends. And sure enough, we found several people who had already learned the hard way, too – all for very small amounts not worth pursuing.

And can you believe, after all of this, I do get one last threatening email. It’s $2.50 worth of amusement, I guess, which I have paid in full.

I won’t stop playing, but I will stop being played. If you’re a booker and you’d like me at your event, you better have a reputation to back up your work, and a contract that I like. It’s easy in music to be very passe with how you operate. Sure, it would be ideal to have booking contracts and guarantees everywhere, but realistically, it just doesn’t happen. Sometimes, you just have to limit where you play to the places with the best histories, or with whom you already have the most experience. If you take the risk – be willing to do it for an amount you’re not afraid to lose. But watch your own back, and listen to your own gut (more about that here).

Now again, you may wonder why, after all of that, we don’t name names in this story. Believe me, all parties involved have already received enough free publicity and precious time! And at this stage in our business, it’s not about the burn, it’s “What did we learn?”. I’m happy to share those details privately, so email me if you fear from this story that you may have also been a victim of this same character. And feel free to share your thoughts or stories in the comments.

Goodbye to:

• Serious Vanity Records. It’s actually been gone for awhile, but you probably didn’t even notice. You can still find our music on iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody, Napster, etc., plus all of the social networking music sites, but we are no longer taking part in the traditional record label paradigm. Something new and different and awesome is coming that will be the platform for all of the music we’ve ever made (and will continue making), but what Serious Vanity Records was sure wasn’t it. You can still license music from us, of course, too! That won’t change!
• Web Video. We still create it, but it’s not one of our main services. Audio is queen around here, so we now have more time and focus for creating the soundtracks of your dreams.
• Paul Clark. Ok, not really goodbye (since he’s still in and out of the studio all day), but in January, Paul launched Paul’s Guitar Shop, which quickly (and awesomely) absorbed the bulk of his time and efforts. If Paul was your contact here or you’d like to use his voice for your project, no worries. As well as emailing him directly still, you can also contact me for info or scheduling.

Hello there, Sexy! to:

• Illogical Marketing! What started as a blog where I vented my frustrations with traditional marketing and all that’s wrong with it, will soon be some actual marketing services, books, downloads, reference materials, and consulting. Hit the Category or Tag for the current blog posts, but also watch the Tab at the top of the page for more soon!
• Talent Unlimited! Ok, I’m not just saying I have unlimited talent. Back in March, I signed with Kansas City talent agency Talent Unlimited, so if you’re within a 200 mile radius of the metro, you must book my voice through them. If you’re outside the 200 mile radius, you can still contact me directly (though you’ll miss out on talking to these wonderful ladies who I truly enjoy working with!).
• Amazing Events! A little despondent over only finding networking groups where I’d have to convince fellow entrepreneurs that they need my services, I started my own. The Kansas City Creatives Networking Group was born on Facebook and has grown into a fantastic community of makers and minds. This October, I’ll be welcoming a local native/living legend to KCK for a workshop like we’ve never seen! But more on that in another post.

Thanks for staying with us through all of our growth, changes, goodbyes, and hellos. You’ve made the last 15 years really great, and I can’t wait to give the next 15 the hell it deserves. ~Dana

Back in February, I’d proposed the idea of independent auto makers. It’s now a reality! And not a bad success story, either, with no doubt the potential for growth.

So no matter how big your competition will be, how much money and tradition you’re up against, if you’re thinking creatively instead, they’re all non-issues.

What’s your big goal? Have you spent more time focusing on the obstacles or competitors than you have on development? Take a deep breath and get your vision clearer. Getting what you really want into a better focus does wonders for removing the non-essential things from your line of sight.

Though Wallace Wattles’ book, The Science of Getting Rich was supposedly the inspiration behind The Secret, if you actually read it there’s a lot of wisdom that, not surprisingly, doesn’t encourage you to sit around waiting for checks like you’re on the Universe’s dole. One of my favorite quotes applies here, from the chapter “Thinking in the Certain Way”:

“As the sailor has the port toward which he is sailing in his mind, you must have a clear mental picture continually in your mind. You must keep your face toward it all the time. You must no more lose sight of it than the steerman loses sight of the compass.”

So clear it up!