Building a career but find yourself at a crossroads? Could setting up a business help you get back to you?
Once we have left college or graduated to get our careers motoring we take on the well-trodden path of chasing promotions to move up the career ladder. We believe that accumulating the outward markers of career success e.g. fancy job title, high salary with benefits, working for a renowned company etc will make us happy.
What happens if you find yourself at your desk job yearning to do something different with your life? Your heart whispers to you to go down another path but you are scared to even listen because you have invested time, money and energy getting to where you are now. If the dawning realisation is that you have propped your career ladder on the wrong wall for success should you ‘stick, switch, pivot or quit.’
To follow your heart requires you to have courage, be brave, go on a journey of self-discovery and take risks that well let’s face you feel you cannot afford because you have ‘bills, bills, bills’ to pay. However, it does reach a point where you can’t ignore those feelings anymore. The whispers get louder and the career ‘crossroads’ has to be dealt with head on.
A book that helped me on my way was Ben Renshaw’s ‘Successful but Something Missing: Daring to Enjoy Life to the Full’. It helped me to put all those feelings I described into context and got me underway with my first business, education consultancy. After a few career twists and turns, those feelings and more came back again and now I have set-up my second business 3Cs Digital (more of that later).
So, back to you. What could you do to tackle the whispers? What if you could dip your toes into what truly makes your heart sing, pursue a passion project, or solve a problem that could make a positive difference to others and you don’t have to quit the day job. Yes, you guessed it, set up a side business. This could be the answer to helping you get back to you.
A side business gives you the opportunity to play, test and explore and it is from these humble beginnings that you may find that the day job and a side hustle maybe enough to satisfy your wonder lust or set you up for something more.
Candice Stewart-Brown founder and owner of Producer’s Cue Media did exactly this. Here she shares her story on how and why she set up her music business for artists as a mid-career professional.
Business Feature of the Week: Producer’s Cue Media
1) Tell me about your business?
Producer’s Cue Media primarily started as a music reporting service for production companies and a music admin service for artists has developed into a promotional tool for musicians. Initially the intention was to establish songwriters, artists and musicians with their copyright needs, and whilst we still do this, we shifted the focus off vocal artists onto those who create music sounds.
2) When and why did you set it up?
I set it up in 2017 as a music reporting service. I find not much is known about the musicians who make the melodies and beats to our favourite songs and since the instrumentals are just as important as the lyrics and the people singing them I wanted to give them an opportunity to share their stories.
3) Where did you get your business idea from?
During the time that I was working in a music reporting role I was identifying common mistakes made by producers when completing their cue sheets. I figured I would start the service as I understood the process of music reporting the implications of not getting it right. After speaking with various music artists many had not protected their work and had no idea of how to do so, so in the interest of copyrighting their work which could lead to possible sync opportunities.
4) How did you set up your business?
I registered on Companies House and set about doing my social media and website. At the moment a lot of my time is spent networking.
5) What problems did you encounter? How did you overcome them?
Finding customers for the music reporting service was a bit of a challenge. Cold emails are sometimes never answered but understanding that it can be a numbers game helped ease the stress. Also using social media as a way to connect with those you want to work with helps, it gets you seen and gets you on their radar.
6) What are your business aims and goals and when would you like to achieve them by?
The aim is to promote music sound creators from all musical genres. The goal is to hold monthly events to further promote them and eventually have a music library available for sync opportunities. By July I would like to hold the first summer event and in 2 years have a roster of musicians for the library.
7) In hindsight, what one piece of advice do you wish someone gave you when you started out?
Keeping the momentum won’t always be easy and the sow is often quite boring. You should try to be around others that are on the same path helps to keep you motivated.
Want to find out more?
Producer’s Cue Media is all about the promotion for music creators especially those who create music sounds. We want to delve into the minds of those who make musical art and share their stories. As music has the ability to reach and touch our souls, we want to create experiences where people can really feel the music.
- Instagram / Twitter: @producerscue
- Look out for the new website: producerscue.com
Are you a woman in business? I would love to share your Start-Up Story to inspire our community?
Email Me @: hellothebizoflife@gmail.com
Need help in setting up a side business to move from business idea to income?
Why not consider Accountability Business Coaching (ABC) like Candice?
“Having Linda as my accountability coach helped me in more ways than one. I believe the main positive outcome from working with Linda was her natural ability to build my confidence. This was key in making me realise that I am capable of achieving my goals.”
To find out more Email Me @: hellothebizoflife@gmail.com