This month I interviewed House legend Sean Spencer (DJ SPEN) about Hip Hop, House, Gospel and his new track "Love Sensation".  Growing up in Baltimore Sean started spinning in the early 1980's at age 13. By the time he was twenty, Sean had already been in several groups, released a few albums and recorded the original version of the hit " Girl You Know it's True". He currently owns several record labels including Spiritually Sound and Quantize. Look for my full interview with Sean in Mobile Beat Magazine and check out his new track here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld5sKxIv5y4   Next month look for my interview with rising po... [read more]

Cont. from last week… Tony Robbins and Brendon Burchard are both mentors to whom I will be forever thankful to because of the wisdom they taught me including their guidance on not going through a ‘to do list’ daily for the sake of being busy; instead they got me focused on the outcomes I needed to achieve daily, weekly and monthly to mark progress on my business. They got me to carry out whatever activities were necessary to get the desired results with the minimum of distractions. With their help, I got comfortable putting my phone on the ‘do not disturb’ setting during my ‘Money Hours’ so I could maximise productivity.... [read more]

It's no secret that everybody's a DJ, right? Every event we do someone has to come up and tell us that their brother, cousin, dentist, barber, carpenter, mechanic, aunt, lawn care guy or neighbor is a DJ. It's what people do to make some side cash. No training needed, just a Spotify account, disco ball and a system from "DJ in a Box". Being a DJ isn't a "real" job, right? It's not like you need a degree or certificate or something like that. ANY-body can do it. Maybe I'm over generalizing here, but we do have a tendency to shoot ourselves in the microphone. Case in point, about five months ago a video started to make the rounds from a "veteran... [read more]

Humans are very susceptible to suggestions and first impressions. The way we meet a new person can create a lasting thought in their mind that can be difficult to alter or remove. Our own perceptions can be changed by the slightest mention of a subject that triggers a negative memory, and the same can be said for our clients. In fact, there are many ways we can influence our clients without even realizing it, and in doing so we create problems for ourselves that never existed in the beginning. One of the most prominent examples in my mind is during the music-planning portion of our consultations. Everyone has seen a bad DJ at work and no... [read more]

Cont. from last week… Social networking is an effective way to win new business and even though I personally place it at the base of my own marketing pyramid do not underestimate the new business to be gained by being a part of the social networking family. The potential revenues are enormous. Summary  There are a plethora of ways to market your wedding business outside of the strategies I’ve suggested, but unless you have a large marketing department and a large budget, I recommend learning to master just a few that you can stay on top of. By way of summary, let me explain why I suggest you prioritise your pyramid (at leas... [read more]

When it comes to the DJ & wedding/event business, there is certainly no shortage of vendors! It seems as though every month, new wedding/event vendors are popping up, ready to begin their journey into the wedding world! In our area, the Austin Wedding DJ market certainly has no shortage of DJs and DJ companies. In the Austin, Texas area, there are over 150 professional DJ companies! Factor in all the DJ companies and solo DJs who do not advertise as much, or are on Facebook only, Craigslist, etc., and there are hundreds of more DJs in the business, right here in our area! On top of that, the Austin photo booth rentals market is increasing in competition, as well. It goes without saying, this is the same for just about every wedding market! So how do you stand out in a crowded market, full of new compet... [read more]

Like most of my articles, this one was inspired by a recent post I saw in a Facebook group. A DJ had made a post asking for tips and instruction on how to program his lights via DMX, which is one of my favorite topics. However, he was looking for advice specifically dealing with a hardware DMX controller, and in the comments, other DJs were repeatedly encouraging him to make the switch to a software program. "For the price," they correctly said, "it will make your life SO much easier." While today's article isn't about choosing between a hardware or software DMX controller, there is a valuable lesson to be learned in this post. Sometimes... [read more]

Cont. from last week… The downside is your message is unlikely to be long and detailed so it can be difficult to convey all you wish to say. Used strategically with a click-through link to a landing page with more information, text messages are a super way to grab a couple’s attention and move them onto the next step towards booking you.  Facebook adverts appear alongside posts from families and friends, but what’s most important to you is that Facebook is where your brides and grooms are hanging out right now, and it is no wonder wedding business owners are advertising on Facebook more and more to reach their potential cust... [read more]

CREATE HAPPY WEDDING CLIENTS We’ve all been there. The stress, the anxiety, and heartbreak you feel when one of your clients is upset with you, or worse, is flat-out angry and lashing out. If you haven’t had a client turn from Jekyll to Hyde, then consider yourself lucky. Fortunately, we can head off clients problems before they start by following 3 easy steps to maintaining client satisfaction. SEE THE RED FLAGS Hindsight is 20-20 so learning to spot a problem client before they become a client can be tricky, but it’ll save both you and your client a lot of misery later on. You have to decide what the red flags are for you because they’re not necessarily the same for everyone. For example, some DJs might consider it a problem client if they are handed a list of 100 songs she demands be played. Oth... [read more]

Time has a way of creeping up on you. One day you're out rocking events, living life and "BAM", you're 50. A half century is a blip on the cosmic scale, but for humans it's a milestone. When I was small, my parents had a black and white TV and we used to listen to Wolf Man Jack on AM radio. Car seats were optional and we played with toys instead of video games. Atari came out when I was a in the eighth grade and I learned to drive on a 5 speed.    Reaching a milestone like fifty makes you think and reflect a lot. Not so much on where I've been, but where I still want to go and the things I want to accomplish. The clock is ticking , always ti... [read more]