"Getting your foot in the door" says it all, at least as far as getting past square one. A very successful college football coach once said, regarding recuiting talented players, "get them to visit our facility/campus, we'll do the rest" His recuiting success rate with those players was excellent because he not only had the "entire package", but knew how to show it and sell it. The analogy... as an entertainer, of course one must have the "entire package", which covers a lot. It includes your music, showmanship, personality, and confidence that you can do it. And only then does it make sense to even go after square one.