I was very fortunate in the music business, however, this was not by chance. I have been in business for myself since 1975 and I treated every venture as a full time business, not just a method of making some extra money while having fun.

Not only did I put my heart and soul into the music, but I also put every ounce of my being into the business aspects, which is what must be done with every kind of business if you want to be successful. I know so many musicians and entertainers that are pretty good at being musicians and entertainers, but the vast majority are NOT businessmen, which is the key ingredient.

First and foremost, you must be good at what you do, musically. If not, well, starvation is just around the corner.

Next, in order to operate ANY small business, you must be a jack of all trades and be fairly proficient at every one of those jobs. You need to be a bookkeeper, tax accountant, billing manager, PR person, advertising agency, promoter, booking agency, electrical equipment repair expert, van driver, computer guru, and more. You need to be able to set up a retirement program, a working budget, and be willing to work all holidays, seven days a week, 365 days a year. You need to know when to say NO, and when to say YES! You need to be compassionate and caring when working the senior circuit, and be able to schoomze both the audiences and ADs when necessary. You must be prompt, courteous and able to work with people from all walks of life.

If you become proficient at all of the above, you have a shot at being fairly successful in the musical entertainment industry. Yes, you can even make enough money to support your family, even take a day or two off and go to the beach or lake with your spouse and children, then go back to work just as if it was your first gig and you were trying to impress everyone with your very best performance of your life. If you are not willing to do all those things, well, you'll make enough to break even with your business expenses, or NOT!

Good luck,

Gary (the old guy.)