Strategy Episodes

In 2022, I posted an episode (Season 4, Episode 50) about a $50K theft I experienced. I had some progress on that front and shared update #2 (Season 5, Episode 22) in May 2023 and then update #3 (Season 5, Episode 43) in December 2023 (more than 20 months after the theft occurred). Now, over 2 year…

This is another useful episode (IMHO) about dealing with DJ frustrations at events. I share two of them that seem to rattle a bunch of DJs (myself included) - placement in the room and sound ordinances. What happens if you find yourself in one of these situations at an event? How do you do your be…

Phil Morse has been educating DJs around the world through his learning platform, Digital DJ Tips, for years. In this episode, we talk about how the art of DJ'ing has evolved to this point, where it's headed and whether or not the future of Dj'ing is in a good place. He also is releasing an update…

Though it's not often considered, clarity in messaging is critical in closing a sale, gaining marketshare, justifying your rate, etc. If you are struggling in any of these areas, it almost always is directly linked to a confusing message. In this episode, I share 5 questions to run every bit of com…

I had a "triple event" weekend which was both a sobering reminder and an encouragement to pursuing artistry. When I was starting out in this industry, my whole sales process and value proposition was wrapped into what I could do "at" their event. The problem with that is you can't guarantee a lot …

In talking with DJs weekly, I get the sense we're headed for a similar 2023 where a decent amount of DJs aren't having the year in 2024 that they had hoped for as it pertains to both bookings and revenue. In the same breath, they are hopeful based on inquiries for the upcoming year (2025). I've alw…

I was targeted with a Facebook or Instagram ad by a business coach in the event industry space who made the claim that scaling your business was the only way to achieve true happiness. Having run various types of DJ businesses - from a large scale multi-op to a boutique agency to a single-op, I ca…

Most people think the only way you can win with a booking is by getting paid. No doubt, that is important. But in this episode, I offer two other "wins" you can gain from a booking that are rarely talked about but will absolutely move the needle forward in your business. I also discuss 2 monetary l…

I had a completely different direction I was going on the podcast this week and then the Knot's Do No Play List article (from January 2024) made the rounds on social media. As usual with these things, it conjured up a lot of emotion within the DJ community and boy did we see a few folks get trigger…

Being a mobile DJ owner is not for the faint of heart. Since running my own business, I've never found a time where I was like, "I'm bored." It doesn't matter if you're a single-op or a multi-op owner; you will always have a never ending list of things to do. That being said, we should never be b…

A homemade Halloween costume, Chevrolet Astro van seats, and blowing $1000. What do these things have to do with being the highest priced DJ on a preferred venue list where you find yourself unable to land events due to the other lower priced DJs on the list? You'll have to listen to find out.

Is networking your kryptonite? Or maybe you find it challenging to do it efficiently (and effectively)? As someone who books business around the country (and a few internationally), it's important that I have a system that not only works but is manageable with all the other things I have going on …

This episode could be a game changing listen for you. At the very least, it should give you all the confidence you would ever need to go out to the world with your pricing, no matter what it is. In the last month and a half, I've been asking clients this question: What Is Your Overall Event Budget?…

I haven't done a rant in a while but this one is warranted. This "dream team"verbiage you're seeing by planners is not helping the industry. In fact, it further divides it. By creating this elitist category of creatives, it also has led to fake inquiries. Nobody deserves that. I address the elepha…

In response to the last episode, some listeners wanted me to cover W2 (Employee) vs 1099 (Subcontractors). I've actually run my company both ways a few different times. In this episode, I share the pros and cons to both and give you an option at the end that may be advantageous for those wanting t…

One of those "learn on the job" things in the mobile DJ world is how to pay your DJs if you become a mutli-op owner. It usually starts with a copy and paste of someone else's way of doing it and then it morphs into whatever it takes to keep your Djs on the staff. Guilty, party of 1 of those approac…

Is goal setting hard for you? It was for me. For years, I felt like I struggled striking the perfect balance between making goals too easy and too hard for myself. There was no rhyme or reason to how I'd figure out what my goals were. A few years back, I started to get real intentional about my g…

I thought this interview was lost. We recorded this 5 months ago but the file was corrupted. Somehow, I worked some voodoo magic and I was able to bring it back to life. Thank God because there's some gold in here. Malike Adigun is crushing it in Florida with his company, Curate Entertainment. A…

Last year I posted an episode (Season 4, Episode 50) about a $50K theft I experienced. I had some progress on that front and shared update #2 (Season 5, Episode 22) in May of this year. Here's update #3 (more than 20 months after the theft occurred). Cliff notes version: I'm stilling clinging to t…

I've been noticing the denigration of customer service...not just on the national level but on the local level and even within the event industry. Therein lies the opportunity. In this episode, I talk through some of things I've noticed with the decline of service and I give a few tips on how you c…

Recently, there was a discussion in the private event DJ world about how the McDonald's model should be considered as something for DJ companies to emulate - selling services for cheap (and potentially even a subpar product) to produce big net revenue numbers. But is that fool's gold? What are th…

When the financial belts of our clients tighten or a disaster strikes (hello wildfires, oil spills and COVID), you're able to really test how resilient of a pricing model you have. When it comes down to it and things aren't booking, what do you do? A lot of companies are dropping their prices in or…

It's an interesting time we're in. A lot of DJs (and event professionals at large) are dealing with clients who are asking for discounts, concessions, compromises to process, etc. This inevitably leads to the "woe is me" argument that has led some to suggest that all mobile DJs should be given a l…

I've always been relatively healthy. That said, I had my fair share of late night eats and energy drinks to get me through gig seasons. But as I got into my mid-late 30s, I definitely was starting to feel the effects of some of these poor choices. I would randomly get injured, back flair ups, indig…